The 2020 Cadillac Escalade is ripe for a redesign, so check out rivals before making a call.
Pros In-your-face design V-8 thrust Comfortable interior Good towing ability
Cons Ride not as composed as rivals Curiously cramped for passengers So, so thirsty Too in-your-face for most
Fully redesigned for 2021.More interior space, especially for rear passengers.New driver aids, including Cadillac's Super Cruise.
Pros An extensive suite of standard and optional driver safety aids Optional diesel engine a class-exclusive Significantly more interior space than outgoing model New interior design is among best in the class
Cons Lacks off-road prowess of some rivals Large footprint makes it difficult to park
From its massive displays to its independent rear suspension, Cadillac's redesigned Escalade is a supersized icon of luxurious extravagance.
Pros All the tech bits GM offers, lovely interior, status ensured.
Cons Look-at-me styling, overly aggressive stability control, a loaded Suburban or Yukon XL is a far better deal.
The first-generation Chevrolet Captiva offered buyers a lot of car for their money. It was a large, seven-seater SUV with powerful diesel engines and decent off-road capability thanks to its four-wheel-drive system. A facelift in 2011 brought revised looks and simplified the engine line-up down to just a single diesel. Two models are available: an entry-level, five-seat, two-wheel-drive version and a high-spec, seven-seat, four-wheel-drive one. Although all Captivas are comfortable and well equipped, they don't lead the class when it comes to efficiency and the range-topping LTZ specification can be quite expensive.
Despite its name, it seemed like the Chevrolet Captiva was merely content as the wallflower of the compact crossover segment. While everyone else boasted head-turning good looks or formidable performance (or both), the Captiva had an available diesel variant and seven seats. Sure, it was enough for a select few to part money for one, but the vast majority of Filipinos passed on it. Well, Chevrolet has finally understood that having a diesel and seven seats maybe good for few, but an updated styling and some spec tweaks are much more important. Enter the 2015 Captiva, a compact crossover that’s now slicker than your average. While it’s not a real fuel miser, at least it handles tidily. Along with the new engine, the 2015 Captiva receives a re-tweaked suspension. Chevy calls it a soft ride suspension, but it feels firmer than the pre-facelifted version. It sharpens the road manners, but the flip side is the ride isn’t as relaxed as it should be for this class. Bumps get easily transmitted into the cabin which isn’t helped by the less than solid feeling body structure. It doesn’t flop or flip through corners, but the overall experience is still very pedestrian. The steering isn’t as quick and feels rather numb, mainly because it still relies on a non-variable ratio hydraulic assist steering, but at least there’s still good grip. Unlike more modern offerings, it doesn’t have stability control to speak of and this causes the front tires to chirp at full throttle. But at least the torque steer is largely controlled.
