Cadillac Escalade Hybrid more about show than saving fuel: A short stint review

OUR TAKE: The first thought when driving this huge mass is of that snobby pitchman driving an Escalade in the television ad saying, “They ought to hybrid this.” Aside from the horrible use of “hybrid” as a verb, after driving this allegedly environmentally friendly machine, we’re not convinced.

It’s not that it doesn’t work well enough, but the vehicle makes no sense on several fronts, from list price to the gaudy badging to its really gross 6,000-pound-plus curb weight. What kind of planning goes into putting expensive, fuel-saving hybrid technology into a vehicle that weighs more than the light-vehicle limit of 6,000 pounds, and therefore doesn’t help your Corporate Average Fuel Economy figures? By simply using slimmer seats (or dumping the power-retractable running boards), Cadillac could have saved the 16 pounds or so necessary to get this vehicle into the fleet average, which can’t hurt when half of your sales are trucks and SUVs. As is, though, it’s a pretender, acting the part of being more efficient while still sucking down a gallon of gas every 12 to 14 miles or so. It’s sort of like solo living in a 4,000-square-foot house but thinking everything’s OK because you’re using solar panels

We understand the idea of General Motors putting hybrids in big SUVs people really feel they need and commend the automaker for promoting hybrid technology in general, but this one pushes the envelope beyond reason.

via: autoweek