The Cadillac Escalade is ridiculous — but then, so is my orange 1976 Trans Am. Both have a huge engine and a huge personality. But the Cadillac is quicker than my old muscle car. Plus, it can carry eight people. It gets better gas mileage, too.

What It Is

The Escalade is the end product of giving Cadillac designers a Chevy Tahoe and a blank check.

It has everything a top-of-the-line Tahoe has — plus everything else Cadillac can toss in including a 6.2-liter V-8 engine with 420 horsepower.

Base price for the RWD Escalade is $74,695. The Platinum trim starts at $93,795.

Cadillac also sells version with a longer wheelbase called the ESV. It's the result of taking a Chevy Suburban and giving Cadillac designers a blank check. Prices start at $77,695 for the rear-wheel-drive base trim and crest at $96,795 for the top-of-the line Platinum trim.

What's New

All Escalade trims get a new 10-speed automatic transmission in place of the eight-speed automatic used last year.

What's Good

It has the heartbeat of a Corvette.

It has the most of everything.

What's Not So Good

It can be a handful to park, especially the supersized ESV.

Ride quality with the 22-inch wheel package is on the firm side.

The twin-turbo V-6 engine in the rival Lincoln Navigator has even more horsepower — and can pull more than a V-8 Cadillac.

Under the Hood

Sourced from the Corvette, the Escalade's 6.2-liter V-8 has 420 horsepower and 460 foot-pounds of torque.

When tasked with pulling what amounts to two Corvettes (6,000 pounds), the engine still manages to get this SUV from zero to 60 mph in 5.6 seconds.

That's booming.

The engine is paired with a new 10-speed automatic transmission, all that gearing designed to leverage the V-8s power to accelerate while lowering its appetite for fuel, particularly on the highway; the 2WD version manages a pretty decent 23 mpg. In the city, though, you're looking at 14 mpg. But that's still not bad considering the size, weight and power/performance this eight-passenger SUV offers.

My '76 Trans Am is lucky to manage 12 mpg — and it's not a quick as the Escalade.

On the Road

Thanks to the 10-speed automatic's deep overdrive gearing, the revs at 75 mph are just over 2,000 rpm. This makes it feasible to travel almost 550 miles on 26 gallons of fuel.

That's about as far as a Toyota Prius hybrid will go on a full tank. And the Prius doesn't get to 60 mph in 5.6 seconds.

It also can't pull 8,300 pounds — which the Caddy can.

At the Curb

The Escalade is big, but it's not the biggest.

At 203.9 inches long, it's almost compact compared with the new Lincoln Navigator, which is 210 inches long — and that's the version with the regular wheelbase. The long-wheelbase L version is 221 inches long. That's almost as long as a 1970 Buick Electra 225, and that was a land yacht.

But length isn't everything — if you like to close your garage door, for instance.

The Caddy with standard wheelbase has a bit less capacity behind its third row (15.2 cubic feet) and with all its rows folded flat (94.2 cubic feet) than the new Navigator, which has 19.3 cubic feet behind its third row and 103.4 cubic feet with its rows folded flat.

Third-row legroom in both of these rollers is compromised because they sit on top of the rear axle, which means the floorpans have to be higher in the third row than in the second row. This is the chief deficit of the RWD-based layout — and why FWD-based crossover SUVs are more space-efficient inside. But even though you sit with your legs tucked up a bit, there is decent room for them.

Cadillac has been dialing up some classic-era Cadillac themes. These include very tall — and very thin — taillights whose shape evokes the classic look of Caddys from the late '50s and early '60s. Up front, a massive chrome grille is set off on either side by inverted L-shaped headlights with five stacked individual LED projector bulbs.

Like its classic-era ancestors, this is a Caddy that likes to get attention — and demands it.

The Rest

Base trims come standard with a heated steering wheel (and heated seats), three-zone climate control, power-adjustable pedals, a Bose 16-speaker audio system, five USB ports and a driver-adjustable magnetic ride-controlled suspension. Platinum trims add massage to the front seats, Nappa semi-aniline leather, electrically chilled cup holders and a chilled cooler box in the center console, plus twin Blue-ray players for the second row.

Wi-Fi hot spot take-it-with-you internet access is also on the menu — and the Escalade will even send you text messages when it needs servicing.

One of the few things it won't do is fit in a Prius-sized parking spot.

The Bottom Line

All it needs, really, is a shaker hood scoop — like the one my Trans-Am has. And maybe a Carousel Red paint option.

View the Cadillac Escalade this week.

Eric's new book, "Don't Get Taken for a Ride!" is available now. To find out more about Eric and read his past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.