Automotive

2021 Cadillac Escalade puts over 38 inches of OLED screens in the dash

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Rejoice in the bigness of the 2021 Escalade
Cadillac
The 2021 Cadillac Escalade
Cadillac
Colossal, customizable OLED screen is curved to keep pesky passengers out of your infotainment goodies
Cadillac
The 2021 Escalade's 10-speed auto gearbox
Cadillac
Gideon Whisper Beige – no, seriously, that's what it's called
Cadillac
Rejoice in the bigness of the 2021 Escalade
Cadillac
Don't mind me, just parked next to my mirrored love-nest in the desert
Cadillac
More than 38 inches of screen space for the driver
Cadillac
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Now that Elon's changed the game, new cars need big ol' screens to look like they've been made this century. The new big Caddy-wagon puts acres of curved, high-definition OLED goodness in the dash, all pointed squarely at the driver.

Not a sausage for the poor passenger, mind you, who has to sit there awkwardly examining their fingernails as the driver luxuriates in a vast sea of sparkling pixels from a 7.2-inch touchscreen to the left of the wheel, a 14.2-inch extravaganza in the middle, and a 16.9-inch infotainment panel to the right. The lattermost extends well beyond the midline of the car but, in what Cadillac highlights as an industry first, the display itself curves subtly toward the driver in such a way as to put the passenger in their place, like a grasper shouldering somebody out of a conversation at a party.

It's an all-new Escalade for 2021, reveling in grandiose, super-sized American largeness. The motor is a huge 6.2-liter V8 making 420 horsepower – unless you're a whimpering communist and decide to go for the 277-hp, 3-liter Duramax turbo diesel, which Cadillac has elected to offer for the first time to appease coastal liberals. The transmission is a 10-speed auto, which should be enough gears to keep most folk amused.

Colossal, customizable OLED screen is curved to keep pesky passengers out of your infotainment goodies
Cadillac

It puts all its manifold screens to terrific use, offering neat touches like augmented-reality navigation, bird's eye surround vision for parking, and infra-red night vision. In terms of driver-assist, the highlight is probably the Super Cruise function, which offers hands-free highway driving, complete with automatic lane changes on request, and alerts to wake you up when you need to take the wheel back again.

Chassis tech includes independent rear suspension, with fast-reacting, magnetically-actuated semi-active damping. You can bump your options list up with air ride adaptive suspension, which constantly adjusts your ride height at each wheel, and an electronic limited-slip differential that may prove handy in limited grip situations. There's also an optional 4WD system if you plan to take this luxury tank out stump jumping.

It's biggerer inside, with some 40 percent more legroom in the third row of seats than previous models, and nearly 70 percent more luggage space at 722 liters in the standard model. The interior is trimmed in magnificently named Gideon Whisper Beige, which makes me wonder how beige a Gideon's whisper really is. There's only one way to find out, hold my beer.

Gideon Whisper Beige – no, seriously, that's what it's called
Cadillac

The AKG sound system sounds truly amazing, with up to 36 speakers peppered about the cabin, split into an astonishing 28 channels through three amplifiers. That's the fancy Studio Reference audio option, and it also includes microphones around the car that literally amplify conversations so that a back seat passenger can speak to the driver in civil tones instead of hollerin' like a fish-market cod-slinger. What a terrific idea.

Price is TBA. Availability begins late this year, and manufacturing will be handled in Arlington, Texas, where they know a thing or two about bigness and will give the new Escalade a double helping.

Source: Cadillac

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7 comments
f8lee
Whaat? No HUD? And what about a drop-down VR goggle for the passengers who will otherwise be soe visually bored? I mean, really, Caddy - think it through!
buzzclick
This is so over the top, so extravagant, so ostentatious. It's perfect for the "if you got it, flaunt it" crowd. Frankly, I'd be embarrassed to be seen in this thing, but hey, to each his own. Americans have taken this bigness to another level, and Mercs, Bimmers and Maybachs are already running to their design departments to come up with something as gargantuan.
paul314
Touch screen controls make things harder to activate and adjust, and require the driver to spend more time with their eyes off the road. Good thing it's an enormous SUV and everyone will already be getting out of its way.
guzmanchinky
I'm sure it's lovely to ride in and drive. Too bad it's wasteful overkill for 99% of the people who buy it and don't tow anything or have big families.
tekewena
Now than Elon's changed the game and yet you still throw a dinosaur V8 at me, wt??
Riaanh
No thank you, but a very nice location for a photo shoot!
mark41
The front of it calls to mind a castle wall, e. g. https://bodiamcastle.uk. High and imposing. High castle walls became obsolete with the invention of the cannon.