Cadillac’s Crystal Windham walks us through the 2021 Escalade

Nothing says “American dream” quite like the Cadillac Escalade. It’s big, it’s imposing, and it demands a lot of attention. For more than two decades, it’s been the ride of choice for actors, politicians, executives, and sports stars. Rappers and other artists have, quite literally, sung the praises of the Escalade in dozens of songs. With so many famous butts sitting in Escalade seats, it’s no surprise that designers listened to their customers when it came time for a redesign.

“It was very clear from the beginning that what our customers wanted out of their large SUV was for it to feel more car-like,” explains Crystal Windham, director of design for Cadillac interiors. “And as designers, we have to interpret what that means. How do they want to feel?” For Windham’s design team, that meant creating more openness and visibility so occupants would feel more relaxed.

“Every opportunity that we could carve out more space, we took it,” Windham tells me over Skype, as I sit reclined in the second row of a (parked) 2021 Escalade, my laptop resting on the wide centre console in front of me. “We started working on the IP and getting it down as far as possible and getting it away from the passengers. We wanted to create a better connection from the IP to the door – the flow through – [to achieve] what you typically experience in a car.”

The team spent a lot of time streamlining the IP, console, doors and seats. “When you simplify the design, not only do you get all those comfort features, but it allows for more embellishment as well,” Windham says. She points out the chevron-shaped perforation pattern on the seats of our test car, as well as the pattern on the speaker grilles. Some of the woods and fabrics, she says, were inspired by the Escala show car. “I like to have the teams look for layers of discovery so the customer can continue to fall in love with the product over and over again,” she says.

The centrepiece of the new Escalade is a first-to-market, 38-inch curved OLED display, comprised of a 7.2-inch driver information display, 14.2-inch cluster, and 19.6-inch centre infotainment screen. “Being freestanding, it really let us celebrate the OLED screen’s curvature,” Windham says. But installing such a large piece into a production car was a challenge. “It’s so beautiful and delicate, but it had to be robust enough to fit in safely and kept all in one piece,” Windham says. “That took a lot of time and care for designers and engineers to accomplish.”

On the exterior, the Escalade gets updated lighting signatures, a refreshed front end, and new 22-inch wheels. And whilst GM is beginning to roll out EVs (such as the new Hummer and Lyriq) to achieve its goal of selling only zero-emissions vehicles by 2035, the current Escalade is powered by a 6.2-litre, V8 petrol engine that makes 420bhp and 460ft.-lb. of torque. That hearty powerplant, although not always politically or environmentally en vogue, seems perfectly matched for the American limousine, providing plenty of smooth power for cruising down California freeways, with just enough grunt to make us sound as superior as we feel. Even mum and her white maltipoo Paris (“as in Texas, not France,” she’ll tell you) were duly impressed. The only significant problem one might encounter whilst in an Escalade, aside from attracting both envious and hateful stares, is finding a space in Los Angeles large enough to park it.

“I can’t emphasise enough that every Cadillac is an opportunity for us to elevate the brand,” Windham says. “The design team are the best designers on the planet and I’m looking forward to more.”

And by the way, Windham adds, “we’re hiring.”

In contrast to the Escalade, Cadillac recently unveiled its two sporty sedans – the CT4 and CT5 V-Series Blackwings.