2012 Cadillac Escalade EXT Total Car Score Analysis

The 2012 Cadillac Escalade EXT doesn't have enough ratings to earn a valid Total Car Score. Overall critics were less than enthusiastic about this luxury sport/utility pickup.  
 
The Escalade EXT uses the same Midgate design as the Chevrolet Avalanche to give it a dual personality -- it can be a five-passenger SUV with an abbreviated bed or a two-seat pickup with an 8-foot cargo box. And while other makers offer luxuriously appointed versions of their pickup trucks, they aren’t a truly premium vehicle like a Cadillac, with its ultra-powerful V8, stylish exterior and high-end interior features.  
 
Yet that mix of luxe and utility proved to be a sticking point with critics, as they pointed out the Chevrolet version of this truck is far less expensive, less thirsty and can tow and haul more. If you truly need a working vehicle, a high-end fullsize pickup is likely a better choice, they said.  
 
The 2012 Cadillac Escalade EXT, now in the fifth year of its current generation, is unchanged for the new model year.

2012 Cadillac Escalade EXT Model Line-Up

The 2012 Cadillac Escalade EXT is what Cadillac calls a “reconfigurable” vehicle: When its Midgate rear bulkhead is closed, it’s a five-passenger SUV with a 5-foot bed. Open the Midgate and the Escalade EXT becomes a two-passenger pickup with an 8-foot bed.  
 
The Escalade EXT is available in one model with features that include heated and cooled leather front seats, a touch-screen audio system with navigation and Bluetooth, and dual-zone climate controls.  
 
Power for the Escalade EXT comes from a 6.2-liter V8 that sends 403 horsepower 417 pound-feet of torque through a six-speed automatic transmission to an all-wheel-drive system. The EPA rates the Escalade EXT’s fuel economy at 13 mpg city, 18 mpg highway and 14 mpg combined.  
 
The 2012 Cadillac Escalade can tow up to 7,600 pounds and has a payload capacity of 1,230 pounds.

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