For those that are feeling environmentally conscious but still want to lumber around in their thunderous SUVs, Cadillac has something for you. They have brought hybrid technology to the king of the hill. The Cadillac Escalade is new for 2009. it is powered by the same 6.0L V8 engine found in its non-hybrid cousin. However, to supplement its output, Cadillac has outfitted it with two 60kW motors to help get you moving.
If you look in the engine bay, you will see a variety of orange colored wires indicating something you should not be messing with. Touching or cutting one of those will probably be the most electrifying part of your day. Strangely enough, even though the hybrid system has equipped the Escalade with a heap load of batteries under the chassis for added power, it still retains a battery in the engine bay. You would think that the battery in the engine bay would be not necessary considering the massive power station used to drive the rest of the vehicle.
Power in this monster is much improved. Those two 60kW motors snap to 'go' when you romp on the gas pedal. It propels the massive SUV to highway speeds in what seems like record speed for a vehicle of this size. Under full acceleration, the engine is pumping out 430+ hp combined with electrical assistance from the two electric motors making for a startling acceleration experience. But, that's not what this is about. This is about maximizing fuel economy. If you are gentle on the gas pedal, you can motive the beast from a stop using nothing but battery power up to about 20-25 mph before the engine kicks in to help bring you up to speed.
Transition from battery power to engine power is nearly seemless unless you are looking for it. If you are watching for it, you will feel a slight shudder as the motor turns on/off based on need. Now, as you are coming to a stop, if you are watchful of your surroundings, you can maximize your coasting time without using the brakes. While coasting, the vehicle goes into charging mode using the rotation of the rear tires as generators to charge up the juice in the batteries. If you are good with this procedure of easy starts and coasting to a stop... you will notice that this monster will turn in an impressive 20mpg city and 21mpg highway. Not bad considering it's size and it's retained ability to pull 6000lbs of stuff trailing behind.
Interior of the Escalade has changed very little from it's solely gasoline powered cousin. Upgrades include a dial on the dash board to help the driver keep an eye on 'efficiency'. A dial swings right or left letting you know you are doing something wrong. If the dial is in the 12 o'clock dial, you're making the most use of the hybrid technology. Too far to the right and you're too hard on the gas, too hard to the left and you're using the brakes too much. It's a game to see how well you can keep it straight up or away from straight up based on your financial situation and stock in the gas companies. The screen inside is also upgraded with a hybrid technology screen which diagrams exactly what is going on with the system at all times. It will impress your passengers should want to know what is happening and why it sounds like this vehicle is an oversized golf cart.
One of the nice features... when running on battery power. This oversized behemoth sounds like a mice at Christmas time. It's super quiet and all you can hear is the quiet hum of the AC compressor. Basically you get the ability to sneak up behind people in the parking lot and scare them as the engine turns on.
Added bonuses! As of today, I do believe in certain states, if you have a hybrid vehicle, you can drive in the high occupancy lane with only on person in the car. Plus I do believe if you qualify for all the necessary refunds, you can get up to $13,500 back in tax incentives for being more 'green'. As a side effect for this, certain states require you to put a special hybrid sticker on the vehicle. That means it will be covered by no less than 13 decals indicating to the world you are driving a hybrid vehicle.
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