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2021 Cadillac Escalade Super Cruise Review | Road trip royalty

There is no better road trip vehicle on sale today than a Super Cruise–equipped 2021 Cadillac Escalade. So long as you have the money to put fuel in it, the Escalade will reward you with the most relaxing and comfortable experience in the business. ItÂ’s simple, really. Sitting back and not having to even worry about touching the steering wheel or pedals for hundreds of miles at a time does the trick. Every other driving-assistance system out there requires some degree of steering wheel interaction — even TeslaÂ’s Autopilot — but CadillacÂ’s ingenious driver-monitoring system solves the problem. You might be wondering why IÂ’m writing a full review dedicated solely to Super Cruise. To answer your question, itÂ’s because GM just rolled out its biggest update to the system ever. I also was planning to drive from Michigan to Buffalo, N.Y., which would put it through a lengthy highway test over a route that is almost entirely Super Cruise compatible — remember, Super Cruise only works on highways that GM has mapped with LiDAR technology.  Super Cruise launched in the Cadillac CT6, a model that is no longer in the Cadillac lineup. This updated, next-gen Super Cruise is rolling out in multiple new Cadillacs, as well as Chevys and soon GMC products, too. Its first home, though, is in the recently redesigned Cadillac Escalade, a perfect product to showcase the systemÂ’s impressive abilities. So, whatÂ’s new? The big feature update is something called “Lane Change on Demand.” Just tap a turn signal stalk with the system activated, and the Escalade will change lanes all on its own. A little graphic pops up in the instrument cluster that says the car is “looking to make sure itÂ’s safe.” It then begins to move over. Once itÂ’s done, another graphic informs you that the lane change was successfully completed.  Moving over one lane takes about twice as long as a human driver would, but exercising caution with automation seems like a wise move. Changing lanes mid-curve works just fine on gentle turns. The Escalade will attempt to change lanes on tighter-radius curves, but it took more than 10 seconds to complete the change on a couple occasions, which just doesnÂ’t feel safe or inspire confidence. I did encounter one big issue with the auto lane-change system, but it was unrelated to the systemÂ’s performance. A “check right rear turn lamp” warning popped up about 100 miles into the trip.

Confident new Cadillac marketing boss ready to take on Tesla, BMW

When there's a former BMW executive heading Cadillac's efforts to boost sales of its only plug-in, it's a pretty safe guess that the marketing emphasis won't be on environmental friendliness and tree-hugging tendencies. The General Motors luxury brand has appointed ex-Bimmer executive Uwe Ellinghaus to be its marketing chief late last year, and the German-born Ellinghaus is now saying that he's targeting potential customers of Tesla Motors, in addition to BMW, for potential growth in sales of the Cadillac ELR extended-range plug-in. Appointed to Cadillac's head of marketing last November, Ellinghaus recently told Advertising Age that GM needs to highlight the Cadillac's looks and performance. He complimented Tesla for putting more emphasis on those attributes in the Model S than on its lack of emissions or lack of refueling costs (but Tesla hasn't shied away from highlighting the EV's savings). Ellinghaus says that trying to gear advertising "for people who are tree-huggers and green-wash an entire brand" won't be successful. You don't say. So far, the ELR hasn't made much of a dent in US car sales. Through May, Cadillac, which spent about $280 million on all of its US marketing last year, sold 293 units, whereas Tesla had been approaching the 11,000-unit figure for the Model S. With that in mind, Cadillac may be working on a sportier version of the ELR, as spy shots of a test vehicle from May revealed larger brakes and wheels. You can read our First Drive impressions of the ELR here.

Infiniti Q50 Red Sport 400 priced at $48,855, AWD at $50,855

Infiniti's most powerful production model, the new Q50 Red Sport 400, now has a starting price. You'll need at least $48,855 for the rear-drive model or $50,855 for all-wheel drive. (Both figures include the $905 destination charge.) A fully loaded, rear-drive Q50 RS400 with Direct Adaptive Steering, navigation, adaptive cruise control, a heated steering wheel, and Infiniti's entire alphabet soup of safety equipment, tops out at $57,045. (Again, add $2,000 for AWD). When it comes to rear-drive competition, the closest base price to the Q50 is the 320-hp BMW 340i. This German undercuts the Infiniti by two grand, $46,795 to $48,855. But the BMW outprices the Q50 as soon as you start selecting options. A 340i with similar equipment to a loaded Q50 Red Sport 400 costs just under $60,000. All-wheel-drive German competitors also lose out in the price war. Like with the rear-drive models, the BMW 340i xDrive undercuts the Q50 RS400 by around $2,000. Add the options, and the Infiniti becomes a better value. The other two big German rivals, the Audi S4 and Mercedes-Benz C450 AMG start at a higher price and only get more expensive. Technically the S4 starts cheaper than the Q50, but only with the standard manual transmission. Selecting the S-Tronic dual-clutch model kicks the price from $50,125 to $51,125, and going for the top-end Prestige trim will bump potential Audi owners up to $57,025. Throw on must-have S4 options, including adaptive cruise control, adaptive dampers, and a sport differential and you'll be shell out $64,425 for the Audi. The Mercedes-Benz C450 AMG is the priciest choice in this group, starting at $51,725, or roughly $900 more than a base Q50 RS400 with AWD. Options, again, are the downfall here. Building a C450 to match a loaded Infiniti will drive the Mercedes' price up to $64,315. While it occupies something of a weird space relative to these vehicles, it's also worth mentioning the Cadillac CTS VSport. It's the only car in this impromptu pricing comparo that can outgun the Q50, with its 3.6-liter, twin-turbo V6 good for 420 hp and 430 lb-ft of torque. It also starts at $60,950, although that includes plenty of standard equipment. All this means that the Q50 Red Sport 400 represents a relative value. It packs more power than the Germans – 80 more than the 340i, 67 more than the S4, and 38 more than the C450 – and a more comprehensive list of options, too.