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Vehicle Highlights

Cadillac's first truck ever was a response to the success of the full-size Lincoln Navigator sport utility vehicle. Big SUV sales were growing faster in the late 1990s than those of compact and midsize models. Essentially a gussied-up variant of the GMC Yukon Denali, the four-wheel-drive Escalade also competed against Land Rover's posh Range Rover and the Lexus LX 470. Familiar styling cues could be seen in the Cadillac-style grille as well as in interior trim, which used real wood and the same leather found in Cadillac passenger cars. At the rear was a drop-down tailgate combined with swing-up glass. (Denalis could be fitted with a split rear door, instead.) Power came from a 255-horsepower, 5.7-liter V8 engine that drove a four-speed automatic transmission. AutoTrac four-wheel drive can be used on dry pavement, and the Escalade is capable of towing up to 6500 pounds. Escalades had more standard features than GMC's Denali, including a wood-rimmed steering wheel and a new version of GM's OnStar satellite-based information and emergency-assistance system. Substituting a hands-free microphone for the usual cellular phone, it included "reminder services" to track appointments, birthdays and the like.