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Automakers have spent the last few years telling us that smaller, more fuel-efficient SUVs are the fastest-growing segment in the American auto industry -- and yet there is still a cadre of buyers who want their SUVs big and blingy, and costs be damned. Meet the latest word in excess: The all-new 2015 Cadillac Escalade. With prices starting at $72,690 and a 4 year/50,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty, the Escalade is still large and in charge.

First Glance

First thing you'll notice about the Cadillac Escalade is that it looks the part, especially from the front. The Escalade’s big five-bar grille is as unmistakably Cadillac as the wreath-and-crest logo and upright all-LED headlights, and yet the satin finish on the grille (as opposed to the blinding chrome used on Escalades past) lends some tasteful restraint.

From the sides, though, the Escalade shares much of it sheetmetal with its mechanical twins, the Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban and GMC Yukon, though in my opinion the boxy lines work best on the Caddy. The Escalades I drove (I sampled both the regular Escalade and the extended-length Escalade ESV) had giant seven-spoke 22" wheels that helped mask the 'Sclade's bulk. Out back, big vertical taillights rise from the bumper clear up to the roof. The LED light-piping is a nice effect, though the turn signals -- vertical rows of amber LEDs set just to the inside of the taillights -- look like an afterthought.

In the Driver's Seat

Cadillac's biggest challenge was to differentiate the Escalade from the less-expensive Yukon and Suburban.

For the most part, I like the approach they've taken: Real leather, hand cut and stitched, trimmed with real wood and real metal (as opposed to painted and coated plastic). It gives the cabin an upscale, authentic feel. I also liked the big instrument panel (actually an LCD screen) and the head-up display, which shows useful information like vehicle speed and next-turn directions. Too bad it doesn't work all that well with polarized sunglasses.

Cadillac has also fitted their CUE infotainment and navigation system, and I'm not such a fan. CUE consists of a glossy touch-screen and a capacitive-touch panel (a flat plastic panel that senses the presence of your fingers) in place of regular buttons. The interface on the screen is nice enough, though the way it shows fingerprints isn't. And I was never sure where on the capacitive panel I was supposed to touch -- this despite "haptic feedback" which vibrates the panel when you get it right. Overall, I found the control layout very distracting, and that's a real problem when one is piloting a vehicle as massive as the Escalade.

But the Escalade does put that mass to good use. There's plenty of stretch-out space in the first and second rows, and the latter can be had with either a three-place bench or twin buckets. But I was surprised at how cramped the third row was. In the short-wheelbase Escalade, the seat is tight on space and too close to the floor to be comfortable. The extended-length Escalade ESV has better seat height, but very little legroom. How is that possible in a vehicle this long?

The good news is that the third row seat now folds flat into the floor, and it does so electrically with buttons conveniently located near the tailgate. The short Escalade has 15.3 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third row, but it's really just a thin shelf, barely enough for groceries. Best to leave the seat folded, which yields 51.6 cubic feet of space. The Escalade ESV is a true seven-seater with 39.2 cubic feet behind the third row and up to 120.9 cubic feet with second- and third-row seats folded down.

On the Road

All Escalades are powered by a massive 6.2 liter V8 that puts out 420 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque when fed a diet of premium fuel. That's more than enough muscle to get the three-ton Escalade up to highway speeds without breaking a sweat. But all those horses have to be fed: EPA fuel economy estimates are just 15 MPG city/21 MPG highway for the two-wheel-drive versions, 14/21 for the short-wheelbase Escalade with four wheel drive, and 14/20 for the ESV 4WD. I saw between 12 and 13 MPG in mixed driving.

As big as it is, the Escalade's handling is fairly tidy thanks largely to Magnetic Ride Control shocks, which can change their damping rate in the blink of an eye and help keep body motion in check, even when hustling through the curves. The long-wheelbase Escalade ESV feels big and settled, while the short-wheelbase Escalade feels sprightly and nimble by comparison. The ride is library-quiet – it’s aided by an active noise cancellation system, the same technology used in Bose headphones -- but a bit firmer than I expected, especially in the short-wheelbase Escalade.

One reason to buy a full-size SUV like the Escalade is pickup-truck-like brawn. Short-wheelbase Escalades can tow up to 8,300 lbs; the long-wheelbase ESV tows slightly less (8,100 lbs max), but its longer wheelbase allows it to safely tow longer trailers. And while it's hard to imagine filling the Escalade's leather-lined interior with gritty construction supplies, it will haul up to 1,500 lbs of cargo.

Journey's End

Cadillac is offering the 2015 Escalade in three trim levels: Standard, Luxury and Premium. All are lavishly equipped, with a genuine leather and wood interior, tri-zone climate control, heated and cooled front seats, navigation, and power for everything from the windows to the steering column. The Luxury trim level adds nicer wheels, automatic high beams, lane-departure and blind-spot warning systems and an alarm with interior motion detection, while the Premium model gets a rear-seat BluRay entertainment system, adaptive cruise control, and a collision-mitigation system that can automatically apply the brakes to avoid or lessen the severity of a crash. Pricing ranges from $72,690 for the Luxury model to $81,190 for the Escalade Premium, with ESV models priced $3,000 higher and four-wheel-drive optional at $2,600.

In terms of competition, there isn't much. Lincoln’s Navigator is due for its own much-needed 2015 update; they also make a long-wheelbase model, and all versions are priced significantly lower than the Escalade. But in terms of luxury and ambiance, the Escalade beats it hands down. The Lexus LX570 is an impressive piece of high-lux off-road kit, but it's a lot more expensive. The same can be said of the Range Rover, which also lacks the Escalade's stretch-out space.

If I were in the market for an Escalade, I'd also check out its sister ship, the GMC Yukon. Though it’s slightly less expensive, the Yukon's interior is nearly as nice as the Escalade's, and I prefer its more conventional buttons to the Caddy's CUE system. And it can also be had with a smaller and slightly more fuel-efficient engine, albeit not in the top-of-the-range Denali model.

Bottom line: Though it may be a bit of an anachronism in this day and age, the Escalade delivers power, prestige and presence, plus a blue-collar work-truck ethic. If you’re looking for a big, brawny luxury SUV -- and if you can swing the gas bills -- no vehicle delivers quite the same experience as the Cadillac Escalade. – Aaron Gold

Disclosure: Review samples were provided by the manufacturer. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.