Escalade-EXT.com

Courtesy of Edmunds.com

The Cadillac Escalade EXT is a luxury pickup truck, which at first might come off as a strange vehicle classification. But when Cadillac was revamping the Escalade in 2002, the company explored different ways to take advantage of the luxury SUV’s street cred and runaway popularity. So it spun off the model every which way to maximize the Escalade badge — hence, the EXT.

One part full-size luxury SUV and one part crew-cab pickup, the Cadillac Escalade EXT is the only vehicle of its kind in the mid-$50,000 luxury market. Overwhelmingly massive and surprisingly functional, the EXT is the ultimate niche vehicle, and it has found a healthy audience for the limited number that Cadillac builds each year.

Current Cadillac Escalade EXT

Mechanically related to the Chevrolet Avalanche, the Cadillac Escalade EXT has been redesigned for the 2007 model year. It comes in one trim level and one body style: a four-door crew-cab pickup. From the rear doors forward, it is essentially a standard Escalade and is equipped with the same suspension and powertrain. The latter consists of a 6.2-liter V8 (403 horsepower and 417 pound-feet of torque) mated to a six-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive.

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Two Luxury Pickups Face Off

By Michael Jordan, Executive Editor - Edmunds

 Loving trucks is as American as the Marlboro Man. But just as that rough and rugged pitchman has ridden off into the sunset (probably coughing), rough and rugged trucks are a thing of the past. Even the lowliest Chevy Silverado is now packed with the kind of features and luxury once reserved for high-end sedans.

The 2007 Cadillac Escalade EXT and 2007 Lincoln Mark LT are the pinnacle of this new breed of softer and gentler American pickup trucks. Part pickup, part recreational vehicle and part hot-rod sedan, these trucks put bling before balls…er…make that ball hitches. They reinvent the pickup truck as a luxurious recreational vehicle. Each is a grandly stylish device with both adventurous possibility and everyday utility.

If It Looks Like a Truck
Even a pickup truck guy can appreciate style, and these high-profile trucks are meant to make you think about the outdoors and your plans for the weekend. After all, if you want respect in suburban America, you’re not supposed to carry a lunch bucket everywhere you go.

The Cadillac Escalade EXT has enough style for two trucks and maybe a couple of cars besides. It’s angular and aggressive, a machine for driving and not just for hauling. And just so you know it’s a Cadillac, it’s been overlaid with lots of automotive jewelry, including big high-intensity headlights, a retro-style egg-crate grille, and layers and layers of chrome detailing.

On the other hand, the Lincoln Mark LT, is plainly a Ford F-150. But it’s also Ford’s most successful interpretation of the heavy-duty truck look since the Dodge Ram 1500 introduced this style so successfully in 1994. Like the Cadillac, the Lincoln sets itself apart with its own complement of jewelry, only they’re the kind of chrome accents that you might find in a Harley-Davidson accessory catalog. The assembled, customized look is meant to be all about authenticity.

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