First Glimpse  
"...dramatically styled, greatly refined and higher performance..." - Autospies
As they like it  
"...more performance, more luxury and more bling..." - Edmunds.com
Escalade Preview  
"...higher-quality interior materials, and a more refined appearance..." - Autobytel.com
There’s a new luxury SUV at the top of everyone’s must-have list. You’ll see it front and centre in the latest music videos. Cruising up to hot-ticket red carpet events. Parked outside the most exclusive night clubs. It’s everything the last-generation Escalade was – and much more. It’s even bolder, with a broader stance, cleaner lines and layer upon layer of gleaming chrome. It’s more powerful. More efficient. More advanced. And more luxurious. It’s the all-new 2008 Cadillac Escalade. Drive one and see for yourself what all the excitement is about.
The genius of the new Escalade is the way it seamlessly integrates the latest in design with leading-edge engineering to create a uniquely rewarding driving experience. Take the headlights, for example. With their glittering, jewel-like parabolic reflectors, they’re a highlight of Escalade’s eye-catching front-end styling. They also feature High-Intensity Discharge (HID) technology, which means that at night and in other low-light situations, you enjoy superior illumination both straight ahead and to the sides. These headlights can also be equipped with the available IntelliBeam system, which switches automatically between high and low beams during night driving, to ensure maximum visibility at all times. Of course, advanced headlights are just one of the ways Escalade helps you see clearly. The commanding seating position, aerodynamic sweptback windshield and expansive side windows all provide an excellent view, contributing to your mastery of the road.
 
When it comes to sheer style, few vehicles command attention quite like the 2008 Escalade. It starts with a bold, athletic stance – the product of significant increases in Escalade’s front and rear track dimensions. The look promises dynamic capabilities well beyond those of ordinary SUVs, and Escalade delivers, with uncanny overall stability, responsive handling and a controlled and comfortable ride. Similarly, Escalade’s all-new body is both beautiful and functional. In wind tunnel testing, this bold, iconic shape is revealed to have a coefficient of friction of just 0.36. Achieving this extraordinary level of efficiency required Cadillac’s designers to review and refine every exterior detail, from the angle of the steeply raked windshield to the curvature of the sculpted rear-view mirrors and the precision fit of the exterior panels. Even the seals around the grille have a practical purpose. They help direct more cooling air to Escalade’s radiator, enabling a higher level of performance. Crowning it all, of course, are Escalade’s stunning chrome accents. Starting with the available 22-inch wheels and rising up to the brilliant aero roof rack, the new Escalade offers no fewer than seven distinct levels of chrome. No wonder it’s such a magnet for spotlights.
 
Sumptuous seating comfort has long been an Escalade hallmark. The 2008 model goes even further, with luxurious seats boasting a streamlined, European-inspired look and feel and aggressive bolsters to hold you firmly in place. The front buckets offer integrated heaters, 12-way power adjustments and a driver’s two-position memory function. For an even higher level of comfort during warm-weather driving, cooled front bucket seats are also available. The new Escalade provides first-class accommodations for your second-row passengers, with increased leg, shoulder and knee room, and a more relaxed seatback angle that contributes to a sense of spaciousness and ease. The standard second-row buckets are heated for increased comfort on cold winter mornings. Perhaps the most appealing aspect of Escalade’s rich interior, though, is the premium quality of its appointments. Supple leathers with double-stitched French seams and finely textured fabrics are perfectly highlighted by brushed aluminum and bright chrome accents. The design, materials and craftsmanship all exceed your highest expectations.
Fittingly, no one experiences Escalade’s unique blending of fashion and function more vividly than its driver. The driving environment is a pure pleasure to view, with a unique wood and leather-wrapped steering wheel, a premium soft-touch instrument panel and finely styled analogue gauges trimmed in chrome. Look beyond the surface, though, and it quickly becomes clear that every element has also been carefully designed to optimize your comfort and control. Those stylish gauges, for example, are continuously backlit by white LEDs to help you see them clearly, even in varying light conditions. The Driver Information Centre includes a four-row display that’s capable of alerting you to a wide range of conditions that deserve your attention. Every control has been crafted to allow easy, intuitive use. The exterior lighting, sound system and automatic climate control system are all controlled via rotary switches, an elegant design touch that contributes to a harmonious look and feel. Then there’s Escalade’s beautiful steering wheel. It’s equipped with numerous switches which allow you to control a range of secondary functions without ever taking your eyes off the road, or your hands off the wheel. Also available is a heated steering wheel that can add a higher level of comfort on cold winter days.
In creating the new Escalade, Cadillac’s engineers and designers lavished attention on perfecting interior elements both large and small. The result is a vehicle that excels on every front. Take passenger comfort, for example. The Escalade’s tri-zone automatic climate control does an outstanding job of keeping every occupant comfortable, regardless of the weather outside. It warms and cools the interior quietly and efficiently and delivers superior airflow to the rear seats. For individualized comfort, the Escalade driver can select a temperature up to 17°C different from that chosen by the front passenger. Rear passengers enjoy a rare degree of autonomy, too, thanks to separate controls that enable them to select their own preferred settings. Escalade lets you pamper your rear passengers with a choice of three different seating arrangements. The standard configuration includes a pair of heated, reclining second-row bucket seats and a three-passenger 50/50 split-folding third-row bench. If you wish to carry an additional passenger, a 3-passenger 60/40 split-folding second-row bench seat is also available. And for those who wish to provide extra room and luxury for their rearmost occupants, Escalade also offers a third-row two-passenger 50/50 split-folding bench seat.
Or take the rear DVD entertainment system. In the 2008 Escalade, the DVD player is integrated into the instrument panel for convenient operation. The flip-down, roof-mounted 203 mm (8 in.) LCD screen is the same 16:9 aspect ratio preferred for modern home theatres. Or, if you prefer, dual screens mounted in the front-seat head restraints are available as a dealer-installed accessory. Rear-seat audio is provided via infrared wireless headphones capable of receiving two channels, a feature that allows one rear-seat occupant to listen to music while the other watches a movie. The system also includes two auxiliary input jacks for MP3 players, CD players, video games and other devices. The entertainment options are virtually endless. Finally, consider cargo-carrying convenience. Here again, the 2008 Escalade sets a new and higher standard. The second-row seats arecontrolled via a single lever. Lift it once and the seatbacks fold forward to free up additional cargo space. Lift it a second time and the seats flip all the way forward and out of the way. There’s also a power release foldand-tumble system that allows you to fold the rear seats forward at the touch of a button, without ever leaving the comfort of your driver’s seat. Additional switches can be found on each rear door pillar proving their worth when you are carrying packages or a child. Another highly evolved Escalade feature is the available DVD-based Navigation System.* Using the GPS unit included with the standard OnStar System, it is capable of pinpointing your location and instantly mapping your route in either 2- or 3-D on its large, integrated 203 mm (8 in.) touch-screen display. It can provide audible turn-by-turn directions over the sound system speaker, and its off-road mode is handy for retracing your steps when you’re negotiating uncharted roads or trails. The system also includes a voice recognition capability that allows you to access destinations, change the radio station and even change the track when you’re listening to an audio disc.
 
For those drivers who need the most in passenger space and cargo capacity, Cadillac offers one of the world’s largest and roomiest luxury vehicles: the new Escalade ESV. Escalade ESV features a greater overall length than Escalade and rides on a wheelbase 356 mm longer. The result is a vehicle that seats up to eight and still has space for up to 1297 litres of luggage, golf clubs or whatever you wish behind the third-row seat. Escalade ESV passengers ride in extraordinary comfort, too. There’s more second- and third-row legroom, and the long wheelbase and advanced suspension combine to produce a ride that’s nothing less than sublime.
 
The 2008 Escalade EXT shares the new Escalade’s class-leading style, state-ofthe-art technology, awesome power and sheer luxury. It also has a kind of versatility that’s uniquely its own. One minute, Escalade EXT is a five-passenger luxury SUV with a vast secured storage compartment. The next it’s a twopassenger pickup with an open-air cargo bed. The transformation from one mode to another takes just seconds and requires no tools. Better yet, the standard Bose 5.1 Discrete Digital Surround Sound audio system automatically adjusts to the new acoustic environment, to ensure a consistently awesome listening experience.
 
Escalade’s aero sculpted exterior mirrors help you see in ways both expected and unexpected. In addition to the usual power adjustments, they incorporate a programmable tilt-down feature that adjusts the angle of view automatically when you shift to Reverse, to assist you in spotting curbs and the markings that delineate parking spots. They also feature integrated puddle lights that illuminate the ground below when a door is unlocked or opened, helping you watch your step and making it easier to find and retrieve objects that may have been dropped.
 
Whenever you wish to escape the uproar of the world outside, Escalade is there for you with outstanding cabin quietness in the full-size luxury SUV class. It’s there for you, too, when it’s time to enjoy your favourite music. The standard Bose 5.1 Discrete Digital Surround Sound system provides six distinct channels of concert-quality sound, for a listening experience comparable to that of a high-end home theatre system. Jointly developed by engineers from Cadillac and Bose, this system is exceptional in its power, clarity, spaciousness and detail.
 
When it comes to safety, the new Escalade works all the angles. Its excellent allaround visibility, intuitive controls, responsive handling and powerful brakes all assist you in avoiding dangerous situations. And that’s merely the beginning. Escalade employs state-of-the-art technologies to help keep you out of harm’s way. The standard StabiliTrak vehicle stability enhancement system not only assists you in regaining control in a lateral skid, it now also monitors for potential rollover situations and applies the brakes, selectively and automatically, to help put you back in control. Other Escalade technologies are engineered to come to your aid when a collision can’t be avoided. A 360-degree sensing system monitors for impacts at the front, sides and rear of the vehicle and sends appropriate signals to the front seat safety belt pre-tensioners and all six standard air bags.* Should air bag deployment take place, OnStar’s Advanced Automatic Crash Notification feature immediately alerts advisors at the OnStar Centre, who can then dispatch emergency services to your precise location. The new Escalade’s protective nature even benefits the occupants of other vehicles. Its new frame incorporates compatibility brackets that meet 100 percent of all car and truck bumper heights on the road today.
 
Nestled comfortably under the new Escalade’s stylish hood is a powertrain of impressive size, strength, technology and capability. Escalade’s new 6.2L Vortec 6200 V8 VVT features one of the largest displacements of any engine in this class. Yet its compact design and extensive use of aluminum componentry makes it surprisingly lightweight, a virtue that results in increased efficiency and improved vehicle balance. Advanced features add to this new engine’s performance and efficiency, too. Variable valve timing (VVT) adjusts the opening and closing times of the Vortec 6200 V8’s valves as operating speeds rise and fall, helping to optimize intake and exhaust flow in all conditions. Also helping to make the most of the available air-fuel mixture are the engine’s high-flow cylinder heads, which rely on designs borrowed from Cadillac’s CTS-V race car, winner of both the Manufacturer’s and Driver’s Championships in the 2005 SCCA Speed World Challenge. The backbone of the Escalade engine is a forged steel crankshaft with six-bolt main bearing caps and more than enough strength to handle all the power and torque the Vortec 6200 V8 can dish out. It’s a major contributor to the engine’s smooth performance, as are sophisticated hydraulic engine mounts. These take the place of conventional hard rubber units and are specifically tuned to dampen out vibrations at low engine speeds. Benefits include a quiet idle and a highly refined engine character during low-speed cruising. To accommodate the Escalade engine’s high 10.5:1 compression ratio and VVT-controlled high-lift camshaft, each piston top is etched with special notches. They keep the pistons from contacting the valves at top dead centre and are a common feature of highperformance, high-compression engines. Another performanceoriented feature is the Vortec 6200 V8’s vented crankcase, which keeps air pressure on the underside of the pistons from impeding their downstroke and thereby robbing efficiency and power.
 
Under the leather and chrome, the 2008 Escalade is a paragon of strength. Its core is a fully boxed steel frame with precision-engineered hydroformed components at the front and rear. All this technology results in a frame that’s a full 49 percent stiffer torsionally than its predecessor, for improved quality and crashworthiness. It also allows a wider stance than before, and it provides a solid foundation for a wide range of advanced chassis technologies. The standard Road-Sensing Suspension system adjusts automatically to ensure a comfortable ride, even on poor surfaces. StabiliTrak vehicle stability enhancement system helps you regain control in lateral skids and incorporates new rollover mitigation capability. Other sophisticated systems that enhance your control and safety include traction control and a tire pressure monitoring system.
 
Escalade Exterior Colors
 
Escalade Interior Colors
 
While we make every effort to confirm the accuracy and completeness of this data, Roy Foss Motors makes no guarantees or warranties, either expressed or implied, with respect to the information in this report. All prices, specifications, and equipment are subject to change without notice.