The Sopranos, rappers and suburban mums (perhaps the Chinese as well…) can all rejoice; yes, that’s right, the Cadillac Escalade is making a comeback – in fact quite a visual one, as you can see in our illustration based on recent spy shots and our own intel.
On the heels of the latest Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra, GM’s Cadillac unit has been busy massaging the truck-based platform with the aim of turning it into America’s ultimate luxury SUV statement.
When first introduced in 1999, the aim was to tackle opposition from the likes of the Ford Group’s Lincoln Navigator. The resulting effort was rather dismal as GM hastily took the GMC Yukon Denali as a starting point and barely modified it; thankfully whilst still being truck-based, successive generations have somewhat improved.
More Cadillac design DNA has filtered across the second and third generations, widening the styling differentiation between the Escalade and its GMC stablemate.
Released in 2006, the current GMT900-based version has allured those with a hunger for big wheels and chrome; however, sadly they were accompanied by an unrefined mishmash of shapes and detailing.
The next, fourth generation model will look to rectify these misadventures and give the world a much cleaner looking Escalade. How does one know? Have I gone to the future and illustrated one? Well almost; the creative rendering you see here is based on camouflaged test mules spotted along the highway wilderness. Some details are impossible to make out, but the ones that count have been captured and illustrated for you to see.
Starting at the business end, the frontal graphic imprints a strong visual statement. It is dominated by the bold signature Cadillac grille flanked by vertical headlights that sit slightly recessed against a character line that boldly starts from the bottom intake, across the headlight/fender and all the way back to the rear. Aligned parallel with the other side body creases, this aesthetic is much classier, cleaner and refined.
Also lending itself to a simpler view is the all-new glasshouse; the A-pillars are still of similar form to the Silverado/Sierra, but beyond that the stampings are different. The C-Pillar in particular now appears blacked out with the Cadillac emblem positioned near its base. Also new is the chrome framing on the upper part of the doorframes. Elsewhere, the mirror-like coatings can be found in the lower intake gills, side steps and trunk plaque.
While we’ve yet to view the cabin, GM has indicated interior differentiation will be greater than previous attempts, with more upmarket and Cadillac-specific styling to justify the higher sticker.
We expect the new Escalade to come with a host of tech and safety wizardry such as Cadillac’s CUE system with integrated touchscreen, lane departure warning, radar based cruise control and potentially an HUD (heads up display) to name but a few.
As a whole, the upcoming Escalade is shaping up to be quite a comprehensive package. Mark Reuss, President of General Motors North America has described the next generation Caddy as being “mush less ostentatious” and elegant. What do you think? Let us know below.
By Josh Byrnes
Renderings Copyright: CarScoop / Josh Byrnes
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