I hope anyone taking delivery on this puppy has an airline pilot's license. Lots of systems and buttons to manage at speed. Is it too much?
Ridiculous!!
Is that a keyboard on the steering wheel? So you can text with your thumbs while driving?
Why do they even bother with a steering wheel anymore? Just like the pedals its probably just connected to a computer.
Imagine in 25 years time, finding one of these in a paddock behind a garage, and wanting to restore it? Like we did not that long ago. Or wanting to get a wiring loom to replace the rat-eaten one because someone forgot to put the window up before parking it and the battery went flat.
Bruce. >:D
Ill buy a Tesla humanoid robot to drive the executive model and Ill sit in the rear with a beer.
The appearance of the "dashboard" is stunning. BUT what is needed is a sensible combination of manual mechanical switches for the most-used functions, and the cellphone-like interface only for use when the car is not moving.
A recent report (Cadillac Authority) indicated that the average age of buyers of the latest-generation Escalade is the youngest ever. And for the long ESV model, it is even younger. For those who grew up on cell-phones, I suppose this user-interface may be OK. But safety should be the highest priority, and for that I'll take well-placed manual buttons, rotating knobs, and switches any day. When the car is moving, our eyes should be on the road...
John Emerson
1952 Cadillac Sedan 6219X
That is the biggest reason I won't buy a new vehicle. I specifically ordered mine with no screens. That stuff is nothing but a distraction to the driver and a major cause of highway crashes. I can make any changes just by feel of the switches, knobs and buttons. My 14 year old pick-up still looks and runs as new. If I have to rebuild the drive-train in 5 years, I still come out ahead of spending $90k for a new truck.
Good point that there are drivers now that don't really have experience with anything that isn't a touch screen. Maybe someone (those people?) can come up with some sort of stick on knobs that then touch the touch screen for those of us that prefer that?
Did that report give an actual age range? Or did it literally say youngest?
Those would be interesting stats to see for various models over the years.
Also if 'old' people are not buying Cadillacs anymore what are they buying? Nothing? With the quality of replacement parts these days that's not really a sustainable option like it used to be either.
I love the looks...but I would buy the 2021-24 Suburban over the Caddy only because it's much more analog and older person user friendly.
BTW...screens are cheap and buttons wear out and are more expensive. Bummer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpUp4tSXihs
Tell me, what do I need Hulu, YouTube and YouTube Kids for when I'm driving and should be looking forward? Those were the 3 apps I could see on the screen. I'm sure there were plenty more where they came from.
It's no wonder these high profile accident attorneys are getting to be billionaires. The vehicle manufacturers are the ones that should be sued for putting this crap in a vehicle.
Fins, I 100% agree.
Younger buyers want all that video junk to placate their kids. But accidents will become more frequent when people fiddle with their screens more and more. My wife's Merc has a big screen and it's a nightmare.Our grandkids mess with it.
The question is....does the Escalade have a better satellite connection than most smartphones? If so, it could help with directions and finding places/ But at what cost? You really, really need a copilot for all this tech.
The new Caddy OPTIQ.
Oooooohhh-la-la!
C'est fantastique!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hmqLLFuxLg
What ever happened to driving the car and enjoying the experience, and the scenery as you go?
People these days don't give a crap about that anymore, it seems driving is just something that takes their time away from their video games and internet surfing. They want to get in and surf and let the car take them wherever they are going, and wouldn't look up from their screens unless forced to do so.
It's no wonder why there's so many accidents today. Automakers are designing us out of the equation, but unfortunately the technology isn't good enough to completely remove us. And driving isn't taught in schools anymore.
I remember I couldn't wait until I could take driver's education. Remember those old movies that would show the crashes and how they happened? Those gory films put the fear into you and made you think about what you're doing behind the wheel.
Kids today learn to drive in a video game, and they're not taught the consequences of screwing up. Vehicles like this just reinforce that mindset, let the car drive you, it's got safety systems designed into it,right? But what happens when it breaks? Oops!!!
Rick
More garbage generated by engineering and tech clowns.
I grew up reading maps. I managed to cover all 48 contiguous United States and 4 Canadian Provinces in a tractor-trailer without a GPS. Go to YouTube and see where a GPS unit landed many truck drivers. Lakes, swamps, golf courses, across historical bridges that collapsed sending them into the rivers below.
I planned each leg of my trip the night before with alternate routes, should I not be able to follow the planned route. Imagine that, over 6 million miles without a screen blinding me on the dashboard. Whoda thunk it? Today, it seems, anyone under the age of 40 can't find a grocery store without a phone or GPS.
Old dudes rule!!!
I don't know that I would call screens cheap compared to buttons. Last year the screen started flashing in my 15 which was a base model and I would imagine not nearly as advanced as what would be on a current Cad. Car was practically undrivable especially at night due to the flashing not to mention some features that are only available to change or use on that screen like time change for example.
Used screens were super rare due to them not aging well and having this or an issue with the touch part so only real option was new which was $1400 just for the part, no programming or install and took months to get. I think the programming was like 2 hours labor and an hour to physically install. Lots of things these days seem to need programming, no more plug in and it works.
TJ, I guess you're right. The article I read probably said that repairing buttons was time consuming thus $$$$$.
I could see screens being less costly to the manufacturer. I would guess they could possibly use the same screen on several different models but buttons are probably a lot more custom. Its not like they just bolt into a flat place anymore. By the time they design the buttons and the mount and a place to mount it the time and materials add up. And that panel only covers one function so they have to design another panel for another function and another. And next year the want the dash to curve different so maybe the guts are the same but they need a new mount.