There are a total of 4 trims available for the 2011 Escalade. There is no lack of features in the base trim; it comes loaded with all features, some of which are optional in other SUVs. As you move up, the list of features goes on increasing and a few more comfort and luxury features are added to the car. Escalade Base comes with a sticker price of $63,455 and goes all the way up to $85,000 for the Platinum Edition RWD variant.

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The choice depends on how luxurious you want your Escalade to be, the base trim comes brimmed with features, while the trims above the base trim, add more tech, safety, and a few more convenience features. No matter which trim you go for, there is no lack of features or comfort, or power. However, our recommendation would be the base trim.

At first glance, you might see the 2011 Escalade as a land yacht, as it is a big truck-based SUV. But with the 6.2-liter V8 engine, and a well-engineered chassis this big truck feels just like a regular lightweight crossover. The V8 engine is thirsty, but it is powerful; it produces 403-horsepower and 417-pound feet of torque. This power helps to launch the big SUV to 60 MPH in just 6.7 seconds, faster than a lot of other quite lightweight cars of the day. 

It weighs almost 6,000 pounds, and with that weight touching, 60 in just a little over 6 seconds is nothing short of amazing. The engine comes paired with a 6-speed automatic transmission that shifts gears seamlessly and provides a smooth drive, as standard it comes with RWD, and AWD is an option on all the models and helps increase the overall towing capacity. 

The Infiniti proves to be the fastest to 60 and also has the highest top speed. Cadillac stands second in terms of performance, and speed but offers the most amount of torque, and when equipped properly it also allows for a total towing capacity of 8,300 pounds; just 200 pounds less than the Infiniti. Overall the Cadillac is a great performer.

When you have a V8 under the hood, fuel efficiency is not the first thing that will come to your mind. EPA estimates that the big thirsty 2011 Escalade would return 14 MPG in the city, 18 MPG on the highway, and 16 MPG combined with the standard RWD setup. Escalade has always been considered an anti-green icon. To compensate for that, it comes with a cylinder deactivation feature that lets the user deactivate the cylinders of the V8 engine while cruising and this helps to improve the fuel economy a little. 

The Navigator and the QX56 have the best fuel economy among the competitors. The Cadillac follows the Lincoln and Infiniti with a slightly lower highway fuel economy. And while all the SUVs use a V8 engine, the MPG figures vary much and dangle in the same scale for every SUV. The bigger fuel tank in the Navigator also helps it gain more range than any other vehicle. 

The 2011 Escalade is a traditional body-on-frame SUV which is one of the most comfortable and luxurious SUVs of the day. The front seats are comfortable and so are the rear seats. They offer excellent support and comfort for day-long trips. No matter where you are seated in the Escalade you will be comfortable. As standard, you get tri-zone automatic climate control, a power tilt-only steering wheel and heated and ventilated 10-way power front seats with adjustable lumbar and driver memory functions, heated second-row captain's chairs, leather upholstery. 

You can also get upgraded leather seats, leather-trimmed dash and door tops with contrast stitching, heated and cooled cupholders, and a headrest-mounted dual-screen DVD entertainment system with the Platinum trim. Getting in the third-row seats seems like a tricky task, and it also offers less legroom than the first and second-row seats. Few Escalades come with a power-release feature which makes it an easy task. Passengers of every size would fit easily inside the Escalade, however, in the third-row seats, tall passengers would suffer a bit.

The Lincoln Navigator has the biggest trunk and the most comfortable third-row seats making it more practical than the rest of the SUVs in comparison. Infiniti and Lexus offer better third-row seating than the Escalade, which is something this luxury SUV needs to take care of. People who want a spacious third row in an Escalade could opt for the ESV version. Following are some of the main interior features of the 2011 Cadillac Escalade-

• Tri-zone automatic climate control
• Heated and ventilated 10-way power front seats
• Driver memory functions
• Heated second-row captain's chairs
• Leather upholstery

How intuitive is the 2011 Cadillac Escalade’s infotainment unit?

The new 2011 Escalade uses the latest infotainment tech that GM has on offer. It comes with quite a refined and premium feeling navigation system. The normal gauges, buttons, and knobs also work fine without any issues making the system a refined one. The 10-speaker Bose premium sound system is one of the best to be fitted to a car and helps play your favorite tune with rich sound quality. The Premium trim adds a rear-seat DVD entertainment system with a single roof-mounted display while Platinum trim gets you a headrest-mounted dual-screen DVD entertainment system. Standout infotainment features include-

• AM/FM radio
• SiriusXM Satellite Radio
• MP3/CD/DVD player
• 10-speaker 5.1 Bose surround sound system
• NavTraffic satellite navigation system
• Bluetooth audio streaming and cell phone connectivity
• Voice recognition. 

The 2011 Cadillac Escalade resembles the traditional truck design of GM if you look at it hard enough. Although the design is not overly dramatic, the subtle lines, big grille, and massive headlamps wrapping upwards give the front of the Escalade a distinctive look that can be spotted from miles away. The exterior styling of the Escalade has become an iconic design so there seems not much change needed. 

It rolls on 22-inch wheels with chrome and there is chrome present on the body trim as well which gives the car bling that sets up the tone for the kind of personality that might step out from the vehicle. It is surely a behemoth of an SUV with not much aerodynamics to talk about. But it is flashy and luxurious and would always turn heads when you’re on the road in this one. 

The Lexus is the heaviest yet it is the smallest and is also slimmer than the rivals, which makes it easy to maneuver around town. Escalade stands between in terms of dimensions and is the lightest which makes it more agile and slightly more fun to drive than the rest of the SUVs. The weight difference between others is of a slight margin and all of them are still in the same territory. The following are the standout exterior features of the 2011 Cadillac Escalade:

• Chromed 22-inch cast-aluminum wheels
• Automatic headlight high-beams
• Active damping system
• Power-retractable assist steps
• Power sunroof
• Power liftgate

The 2011 Escalade comes with almost all the safety features that you might look forward to being present in any vehicle at this price point. It comes with standard features like airbags, including side curtain airbags that cover all three rows. It also has traction control, stability control which includes rollover mitigation, ABS. IIHS has not yet got their hands on the Cadillac Escalade, but NHTSA did test it for their crash test ratings and Escalade managed to score four out of overall five stars in the crash test ratings. Standout safety features:

• Automatic Crash Response
• Stolen Vehicle Assistance 
• Ultrasonic rear parking sensors
• Rearview camera system
• Side Blind Zone Alert
• Tire Pressure Monitoring System
• OnStar with 1-year of directions and connections plan of automatic crash response, emergency services, crisis assist. 

You will be paying a huge sum of money when you walk into the dealership to buy the Escalade, and once you decide you need to spend that much on a luxury SUV then the Cadillac Escalade will tick most of your boxes. It offers a powerful engine, luxurious and comfortable interior with the most modern tech and advanced safety features all of which combine to make the 2011 Escalade not only a luxury SUV but a status symbol in society.