Mommas Gone City Spends Some Time in Our Cadillac Escalade

September 17, 2012 12:20 pm ET

This is a guest blog post by mom and life guru Jessica from Mommas Gone City.

A wise lifelong New Yorker once told me that the secret to living in Manhattan successfully is to leave often.

So very true, and yet, not quite as easy as you’d imagine without owning a car.

One of our hardest transitions into city life was getting rid of both of our vehicles.  It was convenient, of course, to have two children’s car seats continuously stored and ready in not one but TWO cars at all times, but I also just love to drive, period. There’s a feeling about getting behind the wheel of a car, keys in hand, that will always feel like freedom to me… A feeling that I first experienced at the age of 15 and never quite let go of.

We came to realize that personal vehicles simply were not only unnecessary in Manhattan, but are also quite a financial burden for many that choose to have them (the rent in our building for a parking spot is the same price of the monthly rent on a small apartment in California). This is not to say that I wouldn’t still LOVE to have a car at our disposal at all times. I absolutely would.

With our impending move back to the Bay Area next year and with one more human in tow that when we arrived, our vehicle search is on, and strong. The obvious option of the minivan is of course, always there and very likely, but I think that my husband and I would both prefer an SUV with a third row instead. We’re learning that there’s pros and cons to driving an SUV with many children, but I can tell you in complete honesty that the 2012 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid is a top contender.  We LOVED this vehicle… And who wouldn’t when they come fully loaded and have excellent gas mileage?  This car is dreamy.

For this review, we had planned on taking a little vacation in Cape Cod and driving the Escalade up there.  Unfortunately that trip fell through at the last minute, so instead we were able to pretend that we did have a vehicle at our disposal in Manhattan at all times.

We loaded the three car seats into the second row (they fit comfortably three across!) and used the back of the car for stroller and storage for the 90 million things small people need at all times.

We escaped the city on several occasions to Montauk for berry picking, to Pennsylvania where we visited Sesame Place, to the Mets Stadium for a game, and even more locally right up the FDR for a mega Costco and Target trip in Queens.  Can you guess which was my favorite? Let me just say that those of you with regular shopping trips to stores like Target and Costco have it GOOD!

Several of the 2012 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid’s features came in handy every single time we got into the car:
Dual front headrest DVD screens with rear entertainment system featuring a total of 3 LCD screens
Heated and cooled cupholders
Control center that provides access to the navigation system
Bose® 5.1 10-speaker surround sound system
Automatic tri-zone climate control

We were quite literally riding in the lap of luxury.

Brilliant, jewel-like LED headlamps
Unique front fascia and upper and lower grilles
Dazzling 22″ multi-spoke chromed aluminum wheels7
Exceptionally soft aniline full-leather first- and second-row seats with contrast-color French stitching and embroidered Wreath and Crest logos
A leather-wrapped instrument panel and upper door trim with French-stitched seams
Genuine Olive Ash and burled Walnut wood trim with decorative inlays

This is all obviously spectacular but the Hybrid has some exceptional gas mileage as well. We had the vehicle for 5 days and used one tank of gas, total.

Escalade Hybrid SUV utilizes two types of power: energy created by the gas engine and electricity generated by electric motors. It offers the best fuel economy in its class,33 with an EPA estimated 20 MPG in the city and 23 MPG on the highway.

A favorite feature was the women’s voice that would always alert us of approaching traffic. This especially came in handy as we have two children that regularly get extremely carsick, and when those symptoms are exacerbated in traffic, well, it was nice to have their little plastic bags ready just in case.

We are on the hunt for a large vehicle with third row seating. Because we placed all three children in the second row, it wasn’t the easiest to load and unload little Beau from the middle, but we found that storage was minimal in the back of the vehicle when the third row was utilized for seating. We’d scarcely be able to fit a stroller and much else in that case, making it a serious limitation in daily life with three children. Unfortunately for us (in addition to the cost), this may be a deal breaker for this particular model, as much as we loved it.

I’m obviously not a very understated person, or so I continuously find out about myself. I really loved many features of this car (fancy!)-and my kids did as well.
I do believe my future sugar-daddy dentist husband appreciated the Escalade as well.

I was not compensated for this post. The Cadillac Escalade Hybrid was lent to me for a week by GM Northeast for purposes of this review. All opinions are my own.

Featured photo by Mommas Gone City .

For more information on their time in our Cadillac Escalade and to see all the great photos click HERE .