The Cadillac Escalade is the king of all full size SUVs, and all it takes to find this out is a simple test drive. In my recent test of the 2007 Escalade, I concluded that other SUVs have nothing on the Escalade.

For starters, the Escalade is just simply big, and we as Americans like thing big, in fact the bigger the better! Everything is just big: the grill, the doors, the tailgate, the engine, I mean everything. Even the optional chrome wheels are 22-inch, yes the Escalade rolls on twenty-two’s, so when I see people in Escalades, I like to say that they are rolling thick.

Not only are they rolling thick, but also rolling in style, as the Escalade is all about looking good. The exterior is simply stated as beautiful, and the interior makes you want to just move in. I mean why not? It has the room! Opening the door, you are greeted by an optional power retractable side step that makes it easy to get in and out of the Escalade. It’s like going up stairs to get into your ultra luxury condo.

Once situated in your commanding drivers seat covered in Nuance leather, you have all the controls at reach, which are easy to read and use. The instrument panel has a driver information panel center that updates you with the latest vehicle information and allows you to personalize the car's functions to your liking. The AM/FM Stereo DVD system has a Bose 5.1 surround, and sounds awesome!

Something that I had never tested before was the Intellibeam option, which automatically turns on your bright driving lights when driving on dark roads. At first, it was weird because I thought it was a glitch with the HID headlamps, but no, it was a function of the car. The rear is a paradise for passengers, and they have their own rear audio and climate controls, not to mention extremely comfortable rear seats.

The Escalade is powered by a Vortec 6.2-liter V-8 with variable-valve timing and produces 403 horsepower and 417 pound-feet of torque matched to a Hydra-Matic 6L80 six-speed heavy duty automatic transmission that features two overdrive gears for better performance while providing better fuel efficiency.

While rolling thick, you also need to be rolling with a thick wallet. Unfortunately the Escalade isn’t too fuel efficient compared to other vehicles, receiving 13 mpg in the city and 19 mpg on the highway, but interestingly enough, the Escalade is the most fuel efficient SUV in its class compared to the Mercedes GL and the Lexus LX470 (they don’t have 403 horsepower engines either).

Fortunately, Cadillac has addressed this fuel issue with the introduction of a completely new  two-mode hybrid system for the 2008 model year. Close friend and public relations extraordinaire, Kevin Smith explains that the new hybrid system is called 2-Mode because is will have hybrid capabilities for both city and highway driving. This is the same system available in the Tahoe and Yukon. The system was developed in a joint effort with DaimlerChrysler and BMW. Even though actual figures haven’t been released, we can expect both highway and city driving mpg figures in the low twenties.

Driving the Escalade around town is great, and the Road Sensing Suspension makes each commute a delight. This isn’t a curve-eating machine, but I will say that I put the Escalade to the test with some pretty demanding turns. To my surprise, the Escalade handled very nicely and much better than other luxury SUVs half its size. Parking this large SUV is not a problem with the optional rear view camera that made the smallest spaces a cinch to get into.

The 2007 Escalade has a base price of $57,055 and the test vehicle came in at $66,660 with various options. Considering everything you are getting and the prices of other luxury SUVs, at $66,660 you are getting a lot of value for your money. The Escalade is one of my favorite SUVs and with the new hybrid version, not only will you be rolling thick, but you will be rolling intelligently, too!