DETROIT — It’s the ultimate Easter egg hunt, Cadillac style.
General Motors’ luxury brand committed to the finest details — some obvious and some more subtle — and craftsmanship with the redesigned 2021 Escalade, down to the unique quilting patterns on the big SUV’s seats.
“They actually required new stitching techniques for the machines that we had to develop,” said Dave Schiavone, Escalade product manager.
Other bespoke features include speakers with custom patterns that match the seat quilting, a Cadillac emblem mounted atop the dash that lights up as drivers approach, etching in the headlight, piping in the door usually reserved for seats, and Cadillac signatures at the base of the infotainment screen and on the wheels.
Both the interior and the exterior show “the next level of details that might take a secondary or tertiary look,” said Schiavone. “You’ll see the graphic work … that you’d never see the first look.”
The Escalade will begin to reach dealerships this month, Cadillac said. It is available in five trim levels starting from about $77,000 to more than $100,000, including shipping.
The most prominent features of the redesign include a paper-thin OLED screen that curves around the instrument panel, 68 percent more cargo space and Super Cruise availability.
But the small details, such as the tiny strokes etched in the headlights, also set the Escalade apart, Cadillac says.
“Every generation, we distinguish it more and more and more,” said Schiavone. “Even when you look at all the design and the research of our customers, the luxury customers are asking specifically to bring the instrument panel down, to have it more sedanlike. If you didn’t know you were in a full-size SUV and you were just looking at this dash, you look like you’re in a regular luxury sedan.”
The sedanlike feeling was inspired by the Escala concept that debuted at the 2016 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Both the interior and exterior of the Escalade embrace Escala design cues, Schiavone said.
Luxury buyers crave attention to detail and a high-quality feel in their vehicles, said Stephanie Brinley, principal automotive analyst at IHS Markit.
“They are expensive vehicles, and they’re expensive for a reason. You’ve got to deliver that feeling, and the way to deliver that premium luxury feel is in the details,” she said. “They like getting Easter egg things, like the etching in the headlights. You only notice that when you get really close.”