The 2009 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid is the first large luxury SUV hybrid, and somewhere Ed Begley Jr is crying.
I have lived in California for the last 6 years (14 years total) and yet I have never driven up to Big Sur. So, my wife and I decided that the long Thanksgiving weekend would be a good time to get out of Orange County and explore this great state a bit. The idea was also appealing to our neighbors, Tom and Michelle, and our two dogs, Frank and Beans. Clearly, a sports car is out of the question for a trip with this many passengers; however a
2009 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid arrived the day before turkey day, and I found one more thing to be thankful for this year.
Oddly enough, this Escalade Hybrid is greener than this field we came across.
The all-new 2009 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid, the first large luxury hybrid SUV, features GM’s 2-mode hybrid transmission system. This allows the engine to receive power from the just the gas-powered V8, just the electric propulsion system, or a combination of both power plants. The 2-mode system allows the Escalade to achieve a combined fuel economy average of 20 mpg, which is just in line with what we saw on our trip. When all power systems are working together, the Cadillac Escalade produces 332 hp and 367 lb-ft of torque.
As we hit the road, we packed our suitcases into the rear cargo area, which was made very easy, thanks to the automatic liftgate, which opens and closes at the push of a button on either the tailgate itself or the remote key fob. Once inside, Tom and I sat up front in the 14-way power adjustable seats, which also feature heated or cooled cushions and backrests. Our wives settled into the second row of seats (also heated) which gave them a great view of the optional fold-down 8inch DVD screen. This system also comes with a remote control and two wireless noise-canceling headphones, which I think they enjoyed as Tom and I switched between discussing sports and laughing at the Anchorman DVD we could hear playing through the 10-speaker Bose Studio 5.1 Surround sound audio system. The third row of seats is where we strapped in Frank and Beans, who seemed to enjoy the smooth ride thanks to the Magnetic Ride control which comes standard on this 2009 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid.
A quick pause to snap some photos of the Escalade Hybrid, er, I mean the Central California coastline.
The trip took us first to Paso Robles and this first leg was quick and smooth thanks to the limited traffic we saw on the I-5 North. When we did encounter cars, passing was easy as the engine quickly and unobtrusively switched from running on 4 cylinders to the full power of all 8 cylinders. The exhaust opened up and I felt like king of the road from the throne-like driver’s seat.
Once the movie was over, we listened to music from the in-dash 6-disc CD changer and the XM satellite radio which are both standard features. We switched between the two as we headed into town and settled in for the evening.
The next morning we woke early and hit the road to Carmel, another must-see area of Central California. I could have kept driving the car all day, but we had to stop because the passengers were ready to do some wine tasting and the dogs needed to... um… do what dogs need to do. We enjoyed another fine day in California and then hit our hotel to wake up early for the long drive back home.
The third and final day of our trip was also the longest leg of the journey. We woke up in Carmel and then drove down the Pacific Coast Highway through Big Sur. Taking PCH through Big Sur is like driving on a two-lane cliff road in a whole different country. I know that the United States offers some really beautiful areas, but Big Sur was amazing. What was not amazing was shuttling an Escalade around twisting, cliff-top roads, while deciding where to stop for photos, without causing traffic to build up behind us or sending us all to an up close and final view of the ocean, hundreds of feet below us. I remained focused on the road as my wife, Tom and Michelle all remained focused on the view. Frank remained focused on his tail, while Beans remained focus on napping. With a firm grip on the wheel and an eye for the next curve ahead, the Escalade performed far better than I expected and I never heard one squeal from the 22-inch wheels and tires. At one point, I even began to pull away from a late model BMW 3-series, until he found enough room to pass and rocketed past me at a speed far greater than his clearly angry wife was willing to accept.
The road was long but amazing… and so was the 2009 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid.
As we headed away from Big Sur we switched over the 101-South and finally ran into traffic in Santa Barbara. This allowed the Cadillac Escalade Hybrid to really shine. Cars were bumper to bumper and moving anywhere from 20 mph down to 0. The engine went into auto-stop mode and we were running on electric power alone. According to the computer display, we were averaging 99 mpg at that time…not too shabby. We reached Calabasas and traffic finally cleared up, as we climbed into LA, which was quite surprising but more than welcome as we neared the end of our 870+ mile journey. Soon we were back in Orange County unloading the Escalade.
Looking back on the trip and my time with the 2009 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid, I am thankful for a number of things. I am thankful for the 2-mode hybrid system which allowed me to earn 50% greater fuel economy over the non-hybrid Escalade; I am thankful for the side blind zone alert system which kept me from crunching into any smaller cars along our journey; I am thankful for the HID headlamps which provided great illumination during night driving; I am thankful for the navigation system which features traffic alerts and attempted to re-route us to avoid any slowdowns (they were, however, unavoidable unfortunately); I am thankful for the tri-zone auto climate control system which allowed me to remain cool up front while my wife remained warm in the second row and our dogs remained asleep and quiet in the third row; and finally I am thankful for the chance to take a trip with my wife, my friends and my two favorite dogs.
The 2009 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid is a great vehicle, if you need the room and utility that a large luxury SUV offers, yet you desire greater fuel economy. However, you'd better be prepared to pay for the amenities and gas savings that come along with this Escalade. The base MSRP is sky-high $71,685 and our vehicle, as equipped, is around the $75K mark.
For more photos of the car and our trip, please enjoy this slideshow:
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