2009 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid: Winter Mileage

When the jet black Escalade Hybrid arrived last week, I was really excited at the prospect of ferrying the family to grandmother’s house in style, comfort and relative greenness. Although our station wagon gets better mileage, it seemed like a good idea. Then Dec. 24 arrived, and the rear-wheel-drive Escalade couldn’t get out of the icy confines of my alley. Minutes of cursing and shoveling enough ice to get the traction needed to re-park the beast later, we were packing lots of gifts into our Subaru Outback. The Subaru had no problem with the ice.

This meant I wouldn’t put as many miles on the green Escalade as I would have hoped. Luckily, I had to go home without the family on Sunday then return to pick them up. The weather had changed significantly and all the ice was gone, so I hopped into the Escalade and headed back out to the Chicago suburbs.

Cadillac Escalade Nabs Most-Stolen Vehicle Honor

It looks like car thieves don’t concern themselves much with fuel efficient driving.

Large trucks and SUVs make up most of the list of the top-10 most stolen vehicles, according to the Highway Loss Data Institute, an affiliate of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

The Cadillac Escalade ESV is king among this lot (with the regular version at No. 3), likely because of its high profile and desirability. Celebrities and athletes have made the vehicle a status symbol, and Escalade owners frequently include expensive options and add-ons like premium stereo equipment, expensive rims and interior accessories. The Escalade has 11.3 stolen car claims per 1,000 vehicles, and the average claim is a $14,657 loss payment, compared to the $9,396 average for all vehicles.

Trucks make popular targets as well, due to the expensive equipment sometimes stored in the beds or tool boxes.

The Insurance Information Institute estimates that a car is stolen every 24 seconds in the United States. Some of the cars you can worry less about leaving in a parking lot overnight, however, include Mercedes-Benz’s E-Class, the Buick Rainier and the Subaru Forester.

Read after the jump for the list of the 10 most and least stolen vehicles.

GM Red Tag Sale: Cadillac, Hummer, Saab Deals

Our coverage of GM’s Red Tag Sale rolls on, and this time we’re taking a look at available deals on Cadillac, Saab and Hummer models for 2008 and 2009. Given the pricey nature of most of these vehicles, the percent-off calculations are slightly less impressive than, say, Chevrolet’s might be, but the cash back and Red Tag prices team to provide some interesting deals.

For example, the 2009 STS V6 1SC saves $5,719 off its original MSRP of $55,325. The 2008 Escalade SUV 2WD drops $10,183 off its original MSRP of $56,890, among others.

Saab and HUMMER have their fair share of deals as well. A 2008 Saab 9-3 Aero Sport sedan drops from $35,960 to $30,145 after the Red Tag sale and cash back, while the 2008 9-5 Aero Sport sedan drops all the way to $32,719 from $39,480. Most of the Hummer deals are what you’d expect — huge rebates and cash back on the company’s slow-selling models. There is one interesting outlier, though: The brand-new 2009 H3T has $1,500 cash back; with the Red Tag sale, it drops from $31,495 to $28,188.

A larger list of vehicle deals is below. As always, be sure to double-check your zip code on GM’s site to make sure deals apply in your area.

Cars.com Reviews the 2009 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid

Weighing in at 6,000 pounds and decked out with gadgets and creature comforts to rival a yacht, the Cadillac Escalade Hybrid is a serious luxury vehicle with a green twist. Where the non-hybrid version of the Escalade gets around 12/19 mpg city/highway, the hybrid gets 20/21 mpg – that’s a significant improvement in city driving. Does that make the Escalade Hybrid a deal? And what person is both worried about paying for gas and in the market for an SUV that costs seventy grand? In other words, is there a market for this vehicle? Cars.com reviewer Joe Wiesenfelder explores this question in his review.

2009 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid Review

Recall alert: 2006-2008 GM SUVs, Cars, Trucks

GM is recalling 850,000 vehicles because of problems with the windshield wiper fluid system that could lead to a fire. The recall involves SUVs that are equipped with a heated washer fluid system, which could short circuit and cause an electrical malfunction that could lead to a fire.

GM said the recall includes the 2008 Buick Enclave, 2006-2008 Buick Lucerne, 2006-2008 Cadillac DTS, 2007-2008 Cadillac Escalade, 2007-2008 Cadillac Escalade ESV, 2007-2008 Cadillac Escalade EXT, 2007-2008 Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado, Tahoe and Suburban, 2007-2008 GMC Acadia, Sierra, Yukon and Yukon XL, 2006-2008 Hummer H2 and 2007-2008 Saturn Outlook.

Dealers will fix the problem free of charge, GM said. If you own one of these vehicles, contact your local dealer.

Cadillac Escalade Hybrid Gets $71K Price Tag

Before everyone flips out at the MSRP of the 2009 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid, GM wants to let you know that $71,685 is just $3,600 more than a comparably equipped standard gasoline Escalade. We did a quick check using Cars.com's own new-car configurator, outfitting a standard 4x2 Escalade with the major luxury package GM says is included on the hybrid, and it rang up to $66,790 including destination, which is close to the price GM mentions. They don't specifically say it comes with a rear-seat DVD entertainment system, but if it does, that would bridge the roughly $1,500 gap in the prices.

The Escalade Hybrid gets 20/21 mpg city/highway with a 332-hp, 6.0-liter V-8 under the hood. The V-8 features cylinder deactivation and a full-electric mode that shuts off the gasoline engine entirely in slow traffic. The standard Escalade features a more powerful V-8 engine that gets just 12/19 mpg. 

The Escalade Hybrid comes with just two options: four-wheel drive and automatic running boards. 

We're not sure if a $70,000 luxury SUV will win over thrifty gas spenders, but it may successfully marry two status symbols of the 21st century: blinged out SUVs and hybrids. We'll find out when it goes on sale later this month.

Cars.com Faceoff: 2008 Cadillac Escalade, Infiniti QX56, Lincoln Navigator

Mike Hanley, David Thomas and Joe Wiesenfelder recently spent a lot of quality time in three large, luxury SUVs and had the hard task of determining which one topped the bling-obsessed heap. Besides tackling those big, bold SUV grilles, the trio also factored in cargo usability, interior refinement and how easy it is to navigate these beasts. 

Cars.comparison: Full-Size Luxury SUVs

Best Cash-Back Finds: 12.07.07

Sifting through sales, incentives and various offers from car companies can be almost a full-time job for shoppers — and it is a full-time gig for some Cars.com staffers. We maintain a list of the Top 10 Cash-Back Offers here and a list of every available incentive here to help thrifty car shoppers. 

However, those charts aren’t helpful if you’re not sure about the cars on them. Is it OK to get the 2007 with a rebate and not the 2008? Could a car with a $4,000 cash-back offer be any good? The editors at Cars.com look at all the incentives and let you know which vehicles they recommend. These cars may not have the biggest rebates thrown on the hood, but our recommendations take into account our experiences driving the cars, along with some other factors, including safety and ownership costs. 

2007 Ford Edge

• MSRP: $25,320
• Cash back: $2,500
• Percent off MSRP: 9.87%
• Expires: 1/2/08
• 5-Year Ownership Costs
• Why it makes the cut: This is a classic example of a model where not much has changed for the new model year, besides the availability of that cool Sync feature we recently tested. If you don’t care about that, there are plenty of 2007 Edges left on dealer lots. The SUV has a lot of style and a healthy V-6 engine standard along with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's Top Safety Pick award. We’re not big fans of the interior fit and finish, but there’s a lot of utility here for the money.

Video: 2009 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid

The onslaught of Escalade news is drawing to a close — we promise! — and with it comes some video of the 2009 Escalade Hybrid. If you want to see that bold sideboard proclaiming that this Escalade is green in motion, just click play.

More Escalade News

2008 Cadillac Escalade Platinum

Cadillac brought another Escalade to the party today. Besides the Hybrid, which will be a distinct model, the Platinum edition is a new trim level atop the Escalade lineup. Other Cadillacs have gotten the treatment before, but the Escalade seems to be one vehicle that deserves it.

The Platinum gets Magnetic Ride Control, which is basically constantly adapting shocks and suspension that should supply a smoother ride than the SUVs traditional setup. That’s not a small upgrade. The headlights are all LED — making it one of just a few cars around with that setup — but they won’t be available on the first Platinums that roll off the line this spring; you’ll have to wait for one produced after this summer. The grille is also designed to emulate the new CTS sedan. Of course, it has unique 22-inch wheels, not made out of platinum. The engine is a 403-hp V-8, so once you’re done with the show, you can get up and go. More photos below.