The Cadillac Escalade is a full-size luxury sport utility vehicle (SUV) sold by the General Motors luxury brand, Cadillac. It was the division's first major entry into the popular SUV market. The Escalade was introduced for the 1999 model year in response to German and Japanese competitors and to Ford's 1998 release of the Lincoln Navigator. The Escalade project went into production only ten months after it was approved. The Escalade is built in Arlington, Texas, USA. The name Escalade refers to a siege warfare tactic of scaling defensive walls or ramparts with the aid of ladders or siege towers.The Escalade was originally based on the GMC Yukon Denali, but was redesigned for the 2002 model year to make its appearance fall more in line with Cadillac's new design theme. Today, the Escalade and Escalade EXT pickup are two of only three Cadillac vehicles made outside of the United States. Both the Escalade ESV (Based on the Chevrolet Suburban) and Escalade EXT (based on the Avalanche sport utility truck) were made in Silao, Mexico, before the 2006 redesign; the new Escalade ESV is sourced from Arlington, Texas. The Escalade competes with the Range Rover Sport, Infiniti QX56, Mercedes-Benz GL-Class, Lexus LX, Toyota Land Cruiser, Land Rover LR3 and Lincoln Navigator.The 2003 Cadillac Escalade ESV is the largest full-size luxury SUV availableand the largest Cadillac ever produced. At a tick over 18 feet, three inches, its 22 inches longer than Escalade, with more than 20 extra inches of interior length; it provides seating for eight and segment-leading cargo-carrying capability. It weighs 161 pounds shy of three tons, has the wonderful 6.0-liter Vortec V-8 pumping out 345 hp and 380 lb-ft of torque and gets appropriately abysmal fuel mileage. It was easy to imagine the Prince of Darkness behind the wheel of our Sable Black tester, smoking on a big cigar
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