The Cadillac Escalade: A Stylish but Thirsty Luxury SUV

The Cadillac Escalade is a large SUV that has been out since 1999. Known as the rapper and celebrity SUV of choice for years, the Escalade received interior and exterior updates last year. These updates brought this luxury SUV up to a higher level of plushness and refinement. And although there is no substitute for the bold, status-boasting styling that the Cadillac Escalade offers, the BuyingAdvice Team has a hard time overlooking some of the Escalade's shortcomings.

The Escalade has an incredibly powerful engine akin to the GMC Yukon and the Chevy Tahoe. It is a 6.2 V8 with 403hp. So, accelerating using one of the most powerful engines found in a luxury SUV is not a problem; in fact it's exhilarating. But with great power comes great expense at the gas station. The Escalade only gets 14 / 19 mpg and Cadillac recommends using premium gasoline. Also with an unimpressive reliability history and a starting cost nearing $56,000, this is an SUV whose stature boost just might not be worth the upfront and ongoing expense. The bright side is a hybrid version of the Escalade is set to be sold as a 2009 model in the coming year.

Other luxury SUVs that unfortunately offer about 100 less hp but will save you thousands of dollars are the Infiniti QX56 and the Lincoln Navigator.