New Escalade Gets Slammed

[Intrepidation]

http://thetruthaboutcars.com/content/11454...31598/index.php

Persoanlly i think a lot of it sounds unfair, though i guess some things are. Still...

[Croc]

Yea, a lot of ranting and raving over nothing. He already made his mind up before "testing" it, which he didn't even do.

[scharmer05]

i stopped reading after the first paragraph

[sciguy_0504]

Rediculous.

[turbo200]

I didn't read but just one paragraph of this article. I commend him for the line about the Esclade entering into sight with a roar, and then the sides and rear are like a meow. The front is attractive, very attractive [if a bit too evolutionary]; and then the sides and rear are so plain. They are dressed up nicely, tailored, and augmented with good touches, but the stylists didn't go far enough. Especially when compared to the new Range Rover supercharged or even the older Range Rover.

[Drew Dowdell]

The Escalade will crush the Audi Q7 <which he makes mention of> in sales.

[Northstar]

If this $60k-and-up SUV had crushed the competition, if the Cadillac Escalade had set a new standard for luxury SUV’s that even Audi’s new Q7 couldn’t top, it wouldn’t even matter if the Escalade sold well.

It does. The Escalade beat the $90 RR Sport in a Comparo, 'nuff said.

And if it was the best vehicle ever built (which it's not), and it sold like crap, then obviously it would matter, because GM wouldn't be making much money on it At the beginning of the article he said that if it wasn't good (and therefore didn't do well) then it would be the final nail in GM's coffin, so obviously it does matter

[Guest Josh]

The Truth About Cars is Faraga, right? He's the one that has the "GM Death Watch: (Insert Roman Numeral here).

It's not hard to put two and two together.

[CaddyXLR-V]

14.8 sec @ 95 mph and he's complaining because it feels slow? I only did the 1/4 in 14.8s at ~94 in my Grand Prix GTP, and it weighs 2000lbs less. How fast is the LX470 that I'm sure he raves about? So now that theres no more 4 speed, he needs something new to complain about, so he says it feels slow. He should stop smoking whatever he's smoking

[07_Denali]

I am disgusted and embarrassed that I actually read that article.

I am just glad I have never heard of him or his reviews before this.

Small potatoes here....just ignore him. He probably drives some dilapidated POS that he bought in 1980.

[Mr.Krinkle]

yeah, or his dog got run over by a brand new escalade.

maybe he couldnt see over the wheel. who the hell knows.

thats why multiple sources never hurt when making a decision.

[Intrepidation]

Most reviews on the Escalade have been pretty good, even Edmunds likes it.

[balthazar]

What an ignorant, agenda-driven douchebag.

He gave the 270-HP toyota/lexus gx470 4 stars for performance with a 0-60 time of 8.1 (vs. 2 stars for the for the "slow" 6.3-sec Escalade).

Oh, and the live axle in the toyota is "mechanically robust" for the 'rough stuff'... like a single solitary badge-engineered toyota SUV has ever intentionally gone off-road.

I see he's "reviewed" multiple copies of the same BMW models, tho, like there's a shortage of BMW joyrides.

Farago- a mind is a terrible thing to waste.

[pow]

That site is more of a blog with the comments section removed... it's obviously got a bent. Farago's tone seems consistent for all makes, so I don't mind, and it's not as if he calls the site "the ultimate consumer resource" or something.

[balthazar]

No; he merely calls it 'The Truth About Cars'. >:/

[capriceman]

hell even BMW and honda (Car and driver) even liked it in its short hand review.

[regfootball]

"There's too much media in the world and they just write repetitive stuff. - Regfootball"

Last i checked, 'the truth about cars' wasn't exactly a speck on the map of the media world..i.e. nobody knows who you are idiot sh1t for brains.......

this is another example of people trying to create another outlet for 'journalism' and needing to resort to bashing to try to generate business for themselves.

in other words, i have more respect for the pimples around my ass or the corn in my poop than i have for a thirtieth tier waste of an operation like that.

Edited April 24, 2006 by regfootball

[regfootball]

and all the other buff books seem to like the escalade, so go figure.

[Angry Dad]

From the same site that brings you Buickman.

so much for credibility.

[DetroitNut90]

Didnt Cadillac have side vents on its cars before a Range Rover was invented? And since when has a Lexus LX470 been known as the hotrod of SUVs?I live near a Lexus dealer and I have yet to see an LX be driven off the lot. If the new Escalades are so bad, why did it beat the Range Rover in the May edit of Motor Trend?

[Charger4U]

either way theyll still be thee coolest luxury SUV

[Ravenfreak13]

The terrible Escalade stays on the lot for about a week...it must be a bad car.

[drew770]

The way to silence these silly know nothing critics is for GM to rebound and to rebound hard.

The press and Wall Street want GM to fail so they can say another American company bites the dust because it could not compete with the Japanese. Well, GM has to do a better job at selling it's good points and not always harping on the bad.

GM needs to make some hard decisions about the long term viablity of each brand and product development.

GM has to move beyond being just a SUV and Truck company to a company that can offer consumers reliable, safe, fuel efficient and technology advanced cars as well as Trucks.

[CARBIZ]

Yeah, Lutz's comments the other day to the Swedish-Americans was very appropriate: damn the media and Wallstreet. What will they talk about when GM's fortunes rebound in 2007?

I would like to see a lot of these guys out of jobs, but I doubt that will happen.

[balthazar]

>>"...those side vents. At the precise moment when Caddy’s luxury SUV should swagger into town with unabashed American style, the ‘Slade arrives with its main design cue “borrowed” from Land Rover’s Range Rover Sport...."<<

If anything, the LRRR "borrows" it's main design cue from the '03 Sixteen, which is clearly where the Escalade was drawing from. Thank you.

[Regalguy01]

This guy is even more of an idiot. Read his comments below:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Robert Farago [mailto:[email protected]]

Sent: Monday, April 24, 2006 1:07 PM

To: Neal, Christopher

Subject: Re:

Neal, Christopher wrote:

Your review of the Cadillac Escalade was atrocious. Not an objective comment in the entire composition. I hope I am never redirected to your site to be subjected to your worthless commentary

Our objective is not objectivity. We aim to tell the truth to the best of our abilities. This I have done.

If there's anything I've written in my Slade review which you consider to be wrong-- objectively speaking-- tell me. If you're right, I'll change my text.

RF

To which I responded:

From: Neal, Christopher

Sent: Monday, April 24, 2006 2:25 PM

To: 'Robert Farago'

Subject: RE:

So if you don't set out to be objective, what do you REALLY set out to do? The 'point' of being objective is to not let any undue prejudices or gripes that you have about the subject matter influence your opinion. Objectivity, my ignorant friend, should be the permeating thought for any person setting out to write 'the truth'. Your entire article bashed the 'slade for being a gussied up Tahoe. Newsflash ,my uninformed friend, every luxury automaker in the business that has a parent company of a lesser brand shares platforms, including the acclaimed Lexus brand. (Es330 is underpinned by Camry and has been since its inception). No automaker spends nearly as much on a luxury car as the sticker suggests. That is why the JAPS got into the luxury car business when they did. They saw us and the Germans making a killing and simply decided to do the same. Back to the matter at hand though. It is clear from your article that platform sharing was the TRUE matter with which you took issue and your ignorance is flagrantly displayed throughout the body of your article. I took the liberty of reading a few of your other reviews and I believe you are just another one of those import lover's who will bash anything coming out of Detroit. I say again, I hope I am never redirected to your sight so that I don't give you an undeserved 'hit' as I found nothing of interest for me. As for me re-reading your article to point out the specifics of your unsubstantiated babble, I will decline. I would rather be illiterate than have to be exposed to such non-sense again. -C

[pow]

LOL... guys, calm down.

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

"The Truth About Autos"

What???? Who the hell is that?!?!?!

[RichW5]

There is no "Truth" in the "Truth About Autos"!

Cadillac (GM) has some great vehicles and some not so great. That's the Truth.

The same can be said for every other manufacturer. That's the Truth!

When I read the "Escalade" article and some of Farago's other Cadillac reviews, I thought; "It's amazing how negative someone can be." There isn't anything positive here." Was he dissed by GM at some point in time? He must have had his "negative word" dictionary or "bad word" thesaurus working overtime, when he wrote those articles. Farago's writing comes through as "ego" more than truth.

Lets' face it. In this day of the internet, anyone with a few dollars can originate a web site or blog and call it the "Truth about something". That doesn't make him/her a journalist.

Lets' get back to the "Truth". Cadillac (GM) makes some great vehicles and some not so great. The truth is, GM has finally realized that it must make better vehicles, and it has begun to do just that. It isn't perfect yet, but I can find more positive than negative about GM's efforts.

There is more "Truth" in the pages of C&G, thanks to some "insiders" and members who look at GM constructively, than there will ever be in the pages of "Truth About Autos".

Edited April 25, 2006 by RichW5

[Ravenfreak13]

Agreed.

[DetroitNut90]

"Our objective is not objectivity. We aim to tell the truth to the best of our ablilities. This I have done."...bull. Telling the truth means being objective, i.e., not fabricating lies just to sell your story. If this is his best ability, I can only imagine what his worst is.

[Sixty8panther]

Meanwhile, in the rush to market, someone at GM forgot to give their “new” SUV an independent rear suspension. (Doh!) So here we have, once again, a nearasdammit seventeen foot truck that can only accommodate four passengers in anything like comfort. Not to put too fine a point on it, asking three pro-football players to find a place in the second row would be an invitation to a brawl, and even the most heinous Charles Dickens’ villain would think twice about strapping a small child into the Escalade’s claustrophobic, flat-floored third row. And if a ‘Slade driver dared carry a full manifest of miserable human cargo, there’s be no room left for anything other than a small assembly of pocket-sized torture devices.

At least the build quality sucks. No really. The Escalade seems specifically constructed to give ammunition to those carless, dealerphobic, stock-shorting curmudgeons who dare call GM’s best efforts “90%” vehicles. The ashtray unfolds gracefully, triggered by the world’s flimsiest metal catch. The pedals move, but not the steering wheel. The plastics look soft, but feel like fossilized elephant dung.

This guy understands trucks like Mike Tyson understands Nuclear Physics.

I'd love to throw a piece of Bolognia on the hood of his car... probably a Prius or xB.

[ellives]

Give the guy credit for having the mini-balls to reply to your message. If he really had a pair, he'd be on here responding to the posts about him. At least Buickman does that much.

This guy is even more of an idiot. Read his comments below:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Robert Farago [mailto:[email protected]]

Sent: Monday, April 24, 2006 1:07 PM

To: Neal, Christopher

Subject: Re:

Neal, Christopher wrote:

Your review of the Cadillac Escalade was atrocious. Not an objective comment in the entire composition. I hope I am never redirected to your site to be subjected to your worthless commentary

Our objective is not objectivity.  We aim to tell the truth to the best of our abilities.  This I have done.

If there's anything I've written in my Slade review which you consider to be wrong-- objectively speaking-- tell me.  If you're right, I'll change my text.

RF

To which I responded:

From: Neal, Christopher

Sent: Monday, April 24, 2006 2:25 PM

To: 'Robert Farago'

Subject: RE:

So if you don't set out to be objective, what do you REALLY set out to do? The 'point' of being objective is to not let any undue prejudices or gripes that you have about the subject matter influence your opinion. Objectivity, my ignorant friend, should be the permeating thought for any person setting out to write 'the truth'. Your entire article bashed the 'slade for being a gussied up Tahoe. Newsflash ,my uninformed friend, every luxury automaker in the business that has a parent company of a lesser brand shares platforms, including the acclaimed Lexus brand. (Es330 is underpinned by Camry and has been since its inception). No automaker spends nearly as much on a luxury car as the sticker suggests. That is why the JAPS got into the luxury car business when they did. They saw us and the Germans making a killing and simply decided to do the same. Back to the matter at hand though. It is clear from your article that platform sharing was the TRUE matter with which you took issue and your ignorance is flagrantly displayed throughout the body of your article. I took the liberty of reading a few of your other reviews and I believe you are just another one of those import lover's who will bash anything coming out of Detroit. I say again, I hope I am never redirected to your sight so that I don't give you an undeserved 'hit' as I found nothing of interest for me. As for me re-reading your article to point out the specifics of your unsubstantiated babble, I will decline. I would rather be illiterate than have to be exposed to such non-sense again. -C