2015 Cadillac Escalade Makes World-Debut in NYC

The editor, Jeff Fortson, befriends Caddy's hired bodyguard in hopes of getting a peak of the 2015 Escalade, before the unveiling.

Senior Vice President Global Cadillac Bob Ferguson introduces the 2015 Cadillac Escalade.



  

Ed Welburn, the lead design guru at GM, (l) is seated next to Donald Trump and his wife at the New York unveiling of the 2015 Cadillac Escalade. You will notice the editor, Jeff Fortson, toward the back on the far right with the glasses and cap.

What: The 2015 Cadillac Escalade

When: The Cadillac Escalade  will arrive in the first quarter of 2015. It made it world debut on Tuesday in New York City.

New Design: The luxury SUV is the same size as the previous model. However, the engineers managed to squeeze more front legroom out of the luxury SUV. The front grille now wears the new more pronounced Cadillac face which appears on the all-new 2014 Cadillac CTS. The rear of the large SUV vehicle resembles that of the brand's first generation crossover, the SRX.

The brand-new headlamps incorporate the industry’s first total Internal Reflection LED high-beam function, which consists of four vertically stacked crystal lenses and LEDs. The low beam consists of 5 crystal lenses and LEDs that create the light pattern. Escalade also features LED-illuminated door handles on the Premium Collection.

Inside the vehicle, the interior designers showed a keen attention to detail with the new seat designs and the wood and leather trims combinations.
What's Gone: The Escalade hybrid has been dropped due to low demand.

Trim Levels/Configurations:

Luxury
Premium
Platnium
Extend Wheel Base/Standard Wheel Base
2wd/4wd

New Features: The Cadillac Escalade gains the following new features:

• A 6.2-liter, V-8, offering 420-horsepower
• A push-button keyless starter
• A Magnetic Ride Control System, Cadillac claims to be the world's fastest reacting suspension system.
• Cadillac's signature touchscreen CUE infotainment system
• A 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster can be reconfigured with four themes.
• An available Heads Up Display Unit, which projects onto the windshield
• An available Blu-Ray DVD rear entertainment system
• The front seating area offers more than 1.5 inches more headroom and more than 4 inches of additional legroom compared to previous models
• A segment-first hands-free liftgate includes programmable height settings
• A power rear second and third row seats which fold flat into the floor
• A segment first, a front seat center mounted airbag

New Safety Tech Features:

• A Front and Rear Automatic Braking System, which relies on short-range radar technology and ultrasonic sensors to help the driver avoid front and rear low-speed collisions via a progression of alerts that extend to complete braking, if necessary.
• Lane Departure Warning System, and the patented Safety Alert Seat, which offers directional vibrations to alert the driver about potential crash threats Available
• Full Speed Range Adaptive Cruise Control Available
• Automatic Safety Belt Tightening available
• Side Blind Zone Alert Available
• Rear Cross Traffic Alert Available
• Lane Change Alert Available

Expected Price:

According to an unnamed GM official, pricing for the 2015 Cadillac Escalade is expected to increase from the 2014 model, which currently starts out at $64,740. The official pricing will be released later.

How Many Available: Cadillac plans on producing around 30,000 Escalades, which is about the same as last year. Cadillac plans on remaining as the industry sales leader in the segment.

Jeff Friday, founder of the American Black Film Festival (ABFF), and pioneer car designer Ed Welburn in front of the 2015 Cadillac Escalade. Cadillac is the exclusive automotive sponsor for the ABFF.