{"id":29212,"date":"2022-05-16T14:34:13","date_gmt":"2022-05-16T18:34:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=29212"},"modified":"2022-05-16T14:34:13","modified_gmt":"2022-05-16T18:34:13","slug":"payne-cadillac-escalade-diesel-is-a-vessel-fit-for-a-king","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2022\/05\/payne-cadillac-escalade-diesel-is-a-vessel-fit-for-a-king","title":{"rendered":"Payne: Cadillac Escalade Diesel is a vessel fit for a king"},"content":{"rendered":"

Charlevoix<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 Like a Great Lakes passenger ship, the bow of my Cadillac Escalade cut through the fog of an April snow shower. Sure-footed, diesel-powered, on autopilot to our port of call.<\/p>\n

On a long round trip Up North to scope out my son\u2019s summer wedding venue at Castle Farms, the Escalade showed why it is the King of Mega-utes. Parked in front of Castle Farm\u2019s magnificent Queen\u2019s Court turrets, the jet-black chariot bears\u00a0the stuff of royalty: Cadillac family crest on the imposing chain-mail grille, big silver wheels like a knight\u2019s shield, glowing front-and-rear horizontal running lamps like medieval torches.<\/p>\n

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My Sport model is equipped with black trim \u2014 in contrast to the Caddy\u2019s signature chrome \u2014 which gives the great figure an added sense of menace. Behold, the Dark Knight.<\/p>\n

Unlike knights of old, however, there is little clatter from the chassis. Once upon a time, you knew a diesel from its CLACKETY-CLACK-CLACK engine idle. Not Escalade. The Caddy\u2019s twin-turbo, 3.0-liter inline-6 is the same as the new generation of Duramax diesels that power GM\u2019s sibling Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra trucks. It purrs like a resting lion.<\/p>\n

My family descends from their seats, air suspension lowering the cab and running boards extending before their feet like a royal welcome.<\/p>\n

\"Arrive<\/p>\n
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Castle Farms was built by Sears president Albert Loeb in 1918 as a grand country estate on a 1,600-acre farm. The house echoes a European castle with turrets, grand hall\u00a0and archways. It fell into disrepair over the course of the 20th century \u2014 a curious ruin like so many European castles. Successful Domino\u2019s Pizza franchisee Richard Mueller and his wife Susan resurrected it as a passion project in 2000. Today it is a bustling tourist attraction complete with train rides, wine tastings, art collections\u00a0and weddings.<\/p>\n

Escalade, too, has resurrected the Cadillac brand.<\/p>\n

In disrepair after an uninspired close to the 20th century, Caddy engineers did yeomen\u2019s work to rebuild the brand as an athletic competitor to European performance makes with the CTS, ATS\u00a0and V-series sedan hellions. But it\u2019s the magnificent Escalade that has restored Cadillac\u2019s luxury luster \u2014 paving the way for its transition to a regal, all-electric brand in the mold of 1950s Cadillac ocean liners.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
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That luxury is best demonstrated by Super Cruise, the semi-autonomous driver-assist system that leaves (most) driving to the car.<\/p>\n

Along secondary roads, I drove hands-on \u2014\u00a0adaptive cruise control maintaining regulation speed since, ahem, my lead foot gets heavy in this nimble giant. But upon entering I-75, I toggled the additional lane-keep icon on my steering wheel and \u2014 like a robotic chauffeur \u2014 the Escalade took over the driving duties from me.<\/p>\n

\"With<\/p>\n
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A green light signified I could remove my mitts from the wheel. No hands, no feet. I sipped Snapple, rested my hands on my knees\u00a0and relaxed on my leather throne. Like a driving instructor with a novice driver, however, I still needed to be engaged.<\/p>\n

The steering column-mounted infrared camera noticed me looking away from the road for too long while chatting with the alluring Mrs. Payne. That triggered a red light reminding me to pay attention.<\/p>\n

North of Bay City, Super Cruise suddenly hit a blind spot. The green light disappeared, the Caddy wobbled \u2014 and I quickly took over, bridging the dead zone until the system re-acclimated.<\/p>\n

No I-75 trip is complete without orange barrels, and Super Cruise asked that I take over in construction zones. Otherwise, the system worked confidently (Zilwaukee Bridge? No problem. Heavy Flint traffic? Piece of cake.) just like in 2017 when I drove from Memphis to Dallas. Only better.<\/p>\n

Super Cruise\u2019s newest trick is auto lane changes conducted with impressive accuracy. I have some experience with auto lane-changing from my Tesla Model 3\u2019s Autopilot system. It\u2019s sci-fi stuff, but the Tesla \u2014 driving along at, say, 80 mph, will balk as it encounters a slower car before passing on the left.<\/p>\n

The Super Cruise robot chauffeur passes like a human. Seeing a slower car up ahead, my SUV didn\u2019t wait to be slowed down. It put on the left turn signal, pulled left at 80 mph without breaking stride, passed traffic, then pulled immediately back into the right lane. What if a vehicle was to our left, you ask? Cadillac held station until it passed, then executed the passing maneuver. My 32-year-old son \u2014 no stranger to the hi-tech abilities of autos I test \u2014 gave it a try.<\/p>\n