Luxury SUVs have gained widespread popularity in the United States, thanks in no small part to Cadillac's most conspicuous display of worldly opulence, the Escalade. The 2006 Escalade is all-new, more decadent than ever, with even more power, more luxury features and bolder styling than any American sport-utility vehicle in history. In addition to providing five-star comfort, it's goal is to be the ultimate symbol of power and achievement, a mansion on wheels. And in that respect, it succeeds.The Escalade is offered in three distinct models; the standard Escalade is a full-size sport utility sharing the same architecture (and roughly the same dimensions) as the Chevy Tahoe. The Escalade ESV is the Suburban-sized model, sharing the latter's architecture. Finally, the Escalade EXT is a sport utility/pickup combination that quickly converts from a pickup with an enclosable eight-foot bed to a five-passenger luxury vehicle, basically, Cadillac's interpretation of the Chevy Avalanche. All three feature a high-performance, 403-hp 6.2-liter V8 mated to a six-speed automatic transmission that includes manual shift control (a rarity in this class). The standard Escalade comes with rear-wheel drive or optional all-wheel drive while the ESV and EXT come only with all-wheel drive.Click here to read more