You Can Now Buy These Two Ultra-Luxurious SUVs for the Price of a Honda CR-V!

Tommy, premium SUV prices are falling faster than Chinese spy balloons. That's a good one, Dad. What we have here are two ultra luxury long wheelbase SUVs that you can buy used for the price of a new Honda CR-V. Yeah, so in this video we're going to answer a very simple question. Well, should you? And if you should, which one do you buy? A 2017 Range Rover or a 2016 Escalade? Now, if you're wondering how much these cost, we've got the price. In fact, I've got the Moroni right here to the Range Rover and brand new. It was $112,430. And new, this Escalade ESV was about $90,000. And at the end, we'll tell you how much of these two behind us cost, because spoiler alert, it's a tiny fraction of that. So let's get right into it. You know, Tommy, these two premium SUVs are very similar. In fact, remarkably similar, but there is a big difference under the hood. Now, the Range Rover has a supercharged V8 that puts out 510 horsepower. Yeah, five liters of displacement. Pretty thirsty, though. The EPA rated this at 16 mpg. In contrast, this Cadillac ESV has a 6.2 liter naturally aspirated V8 with 420 horsepower. Less horsepower, but a quite thrifty 17 mpg. Yeah, but they both have eight speed automatics. And they both, of course, are all wheel drive. Yeah, that's right. However, if you're not careful, you can end up with a two wheel drive Cadillac. So you want to make sure you're buying the right one when you're shopping to use lots. But nevertheless, 510 horsepower gets you a quicker zero to 60 time. This is just around five seconds, which is pretty remarkable. Yeah, and the Escalade is about six. So if you're looking for all out speed, certainly the Range Rover has more to offer. Now, what's really cool about this comparison is both of these cars competed against each other at the same time, more or less. The Range Rover was always a little bit more glitzy, a little bit more expensive. But certainly from a look standpoint, they are both more interesting than a new CRV or Toyota RAV4. Now, this is the L405 generation of Range Rover, one of the best looking of all time, in my opinion. A very simple design, very curvaceous, not over styled. It screams elegance and opulence without being over the top. Now, at the front end here, we've got this silver three bar grill. And of course, the daytime running LED headlights that Range Rover is so renowned for. And the cool thing about these Range Rovers, they debuted in 2012 when production started. And, you know, we're on to another generation after this car. But driving this thing around, most people have no idea that this vehicle can be had for a tiny percentage of what it was when it was brand new. Now, this is the long wheelbase Range Rover. And you can tell that because down here on the door, you got the little L. And you can also tell that because the extreme length of the rear door. So this is kind of the ultimate limo chauffeur version of the Range Rover L405. There's also a short wheelbase if you don't need all that rear seat space. And then out back here, a nice classic tapered Range Rover rear end with a split tailgate, which we'll show in a second. Of course, LED taillights. Now, this vehicle was sold new with 21 inch wheels. We swapped on these 20s to get a slightly more juicy tire on this vehicle. And that's because we want to take this Range Rover off road. And if you want to go off roading, the Range Rover is going to be the option because there's height adjustable air suspension, terrain response, a low range transfer case, all of these things that make it super good off road. Now, this generation Cadillac production started in 2014 for the 2015 model year. And just like the Range Rover, there is a new one that has replaced this gen. Now, there is a bigger difference between this gen, the GMT. It's got some funny name G2XL, something like that. They replaced this gen to the new one. You can definitely tell the difference, but it's still an attractive vehicle. Large, imposing, satin chrome Cadillac grille in the front. You've got these LED headlights with the little jewel crystals all stacked in a row and then turn signals located down there on the front fender. Of course, the Cadillac, which means you got huge wheels, 22 inch wheels. And once again, this kind of dull silver finish with the little chrome inserts. And then I love the look of these ESVs because they just go on forever. And unlike the Range Rover, this is a proper three row. So if you've got a big family, you want to carry a lot of folks and things, the ESV might be the way to go. And then out back, once again, typical Escalade styling, very vertical, squared off. This is like a slap in the face compared to the Range Rover with all of the creases, but the huge upright taillights there. And then, of course, the large chrome grille that accentuates the width and the Cadillac emblem shining proud. Oh, Dad, you are looking comfy back there. Yeah, you're absolutely right. This long wheelbase had about seven more inches or has about seven more inches than the short wheelbase. And look at the amount of room I have here. I mean, I can't even touch the front seat with my knees. This is a classic car to be chauffeured in. It's super comfortable. It's super luxurious. It just feels expensive. And that's because it is. Or at least it was. It sure was. But, Dad, this long wheelbase is only a five seater. So if you want to carry more folks, you're going to have to get yourself another car. Or you could get, I think in this generation for a brief period, they did offer a seven seater as well. But those are pretty rare. Let me sit in the back of the Cadillac because that is even longer than this car to see how much room is in the second row. All right, Tommy, certainly much tighter in the back of the Cadillac. A lot less headroom. A lot less knee room. But how's the third row? Well, it's actually really good back here, Dad. I've got pretty good room. Lots of shoulder room as well. And I think we've got three abreast seating back here. So you've got captain's chairs for the second, a bench for the third row. You want to fold down that TV? That is peak GM 2010s. Look at that Blu-ray. And you got two on the back of every headrest. You got one, two, three. But wait, there's more, Tommy. Yeah, I got another one back here. So I could watch two Blu-rays here. I have a feeling, Dad, that the ones on the headrest are probably aftermarket. But certainly if you want screens, this Cadillac's got screens for days. I think it came with this, if I remember right. You could get these, Tommy. Why? Why do you need four screens for... Well, maybe the better question is, can you even get a Blu-ray anymore? Yeah, I mean, I think the iPad kid generation has made these kind of redundant. All right, let me show you my favorite feature on the Range Rover. Or second favorite feature, OK? Let me show you this, Tommy. Look at that. Talk about tailgating. I love this. Look at this. You can sit here at the next football game, or I guess if you're in a Range Rover at your next rugby match and enjoy a bottle or glass of Pimms. Yeah, but I got some cool stuff on the Escalade, too, in the trunk. Now, this Cadillac may not have that cool split tailgate, but it does have the easy open glass. You can drop your groceries back there without opening the huge rear gate, but push a button that's going to glide on open there. And you're right, Dad, it's not as good for tailgating. But look at the space back here, and it gets even more impressive when you put down the third row all electrically. Oop, that one got a little stuck. But you get the point. You have like a mile of space back here to carry everything you'd ever want. Yeah, I gotta say, if I was at a football game, I'd much rather be... No, I'd still rather be in the Range Rover. Sorry, this is not very comfortable. But how about towing, Tommy? Well, that's a good point, Dad. So the Escalade, depending on configuration, can tow up to about 8,300 pounds. But this one, the Platinum with the 22s, is going to be right around 7,800 pounds, which is roughly in line with what the Range Rover can do. Yeah, the Range Rover can do 7,700. So it depends if your horse is fat or not. That might be the way you determine which vehicle is right for you. Now, the inside of the Range Rover is just as elegant as the outside. Nothing here is over-styled or very flashy, but it's very well assembled, and it's a very nice, pleasant design. This dark wood is the primary material throughout much of the interior. The grain all matches the rest of the inside as well. We have this funny little rise-up selector to choose your gear on the 8-speed transmission. And then I really like these multi-selection knobs, which you use to adjust the temperature, but you also push in to adjust the heated seats. Dad, no ventilated seats? Oh, there they are. Of course, come on. A little slow to respond. Heated and cool seats, and of course, a heated steering wheel. This is, after all, premium luxury to me. Yeah, but slow to respond is definitely the word of the day inside of this Range Rover, because let's be honest, this 10.2-inch screen actually looks really good, but some of the controls are a little slow to get going. Like, there you go. Yeah, yeah. Sometimes you got to push things a couple times. It's a little slow and clunky. Apple CarPlay, though, which is great, so you don't have to worry about it. You know, Dad, I really like this interior, especially all the leather everywhere, like on places you wouldn't expect, up above the dashboard, across these center panels here. Lots and lots of premium materials. And they have done some very thoughtful features. Like, look at this. Like, one, two glove compartments. You know, you've also got an interior that I think has aged really well. It still feels expensive. It still feels premium. And best of all, Tommy, and this is what I love about this vehicle, you've got that command driving position, which basically allows you to feel like you're sitting on top of the world instead of, you know, inside a car. We also have the full glass roof on this car. Push a button, slide that open, and then you've got a great view of the world above. You know, Tommy, there are a lot of letters that I love when it comes to cars like GT, but there's a letter that I hate. Can you guess what that is? What is that? It's Q. Well, okay. Q is spelled C-U-E, Dad, and it stands for Cadillac User Experience. And the cool thing about Q is it prioritized neither the user or the experience. This was Cadillac's attempt at a full haptic kind of touchscreen-slash-physical-button mixture, which didn't work. So what we have here are touch-sensitive buttons that give a little click when you touch them, and it is very unintuitive, and it just doesn't work very well. 8-inch touchscreen display, which is okay. It's the rest of the buttons. I think you're underplaying it. It barely works when you're standing still. It hardly works. I know. That's where you hide your gun. You can't say that word on YouTube. What do you mean? You can say gun or Bible. I'm not sure you can, Dad. Of course you can. Now, look, it's not an easy system to use. I will give you that. However, here's the good news. This Platinum trim has way more features than the Range Rover, like a wireless charger. This one has adaptive cruise control, which was an option on the Range Rover that you don't have. Power adjustable pedals, power running boards, you know, lane keep assist, that kind of stuff that the Range Rover made optional, but wasn't necessarily standard. And the other thing that this vehicle has, too... Heads-up display, too. Heads-up display. Good point, Dad. Look at that good old American-style column shift. True that, dude. It also has this little teeny tiny sunroof. Yeah, sunroof is too small, but the suede on the headliner is nice. And actually, I have to say, I'm really impressed with the quality materials. I mean, look at the full leather dash. Every panel is covered in either leather or wood or both. And this Platinum, at least this top trim, feels really nice in here. Yeah, the only QR I like is the dude in Star Trek. That's an insider reference. But yeah, this thing was just horrendous. And this alone, Tommy, as much as I like the car, this alone would probably give me a lot of pause before I bought this. Fair enough. All right, Tommy, here we are in the Range Rover. Oh, yeah. And you know what the magic sauce is here? The questionable British reliability. No, but that is certainly something that is a storyline and a narrative that you'll see in half the comments in this video. That's 100% sure. That's why I said it then. No, what the magic sauce is, is the fact that when you get behind the wheel of a Range Rover, you feel like everything is OK with the world. Not only that, but you feel like whatever the world can throw at you, be that snowstorms or hurricanes or dust storms, you will be protected in your cocoon of British luxury and you'll be able to easily make whatever trip you're making. You are very insulated in this vehicle. You really can't hear anything going on in the outside world. You also sit on top of the car rather than in it, which is part of that command driving position, which gives you a great view out of these large windows. Now, from a comfort standpoint, we're looking at four-corner independent air suspension, very softly sprung, and this car kind of just floats down the road. Yeah, it does have an incredible ride. Now, we just swapped the 21s for 20s. That was as small as we could go for more off-road worthy tires because we are here in Colorado and we do want to off-road these. And unlike the Cadillac, you could actually off-road this, Tommy. It's got a lot of built-in capability. Yeah, you got the full suite of terrain response, rock mode. You got mud and sand, that kind of thing. Got a bunch of different suspension heights, terrain response. You got all sorts of different kind of off-road cruise control settings. So, yeah, if you do want to go off-road, not that I think a lot of folks will, but you certainly can do it in the Range Rover. You could do it in the Cadillac, too, but you wouldn't feel as confident. Yeah, for sure. Now, of course, you know, you're not going to get the entire family in here and all their entertainment. This is more of a maybe empty nester car would be a better description of it. While that is certainly much more of a, the Cadillac is certainly much more of a family family hauler. For sure. No, I agree. And, you know, the prices are coming down so fast on these Range Rovers. You know, what once was $112,000 car can now be, as we keep saying, for the price of like a small compact crossover. Of course, this is what I was going to comment. You're right. You don't get a warranty and if stuff starts to break, which it probably will in the long term, you are going to have to pay a lot of that out of pocket, which is very expensive in a lot of cases. Now, we've had this car for 2,000 miles and nothing's broken. It's been perfect. We're going to keep it for the rest of the year, drive it a bunch more and see what the longer term reliability is like. Looking from a driver's point of view, this is a lot more fun to drive. In other words, it's a lot more dynamic to drive. So you've got bigger brakes. You've got much more sorted suspension. I mean, underneath the Cadillac is basically a Silverado. Which is good for parts and stuff. And towing. And towing, 100%. But it's not as good for complete refinement. So this is quicker. This stops faster. This rides softer. And this will spend more time at the Range Rover dealership, maybe. You know, here's the thing about any car. If you buy one that's been taken care of, then it's going to treat you well. And I think this is one. And I believe it belonged to Ashley because her name was in the phone directory a number of times. I believe Ashley took care of this. And I believe that in our year of ownership, it'll be trouble-free. Of course, I could be whistling Dixie and, you know, on the way home, something like an air suspension, a bag, a good brake. But I hope not. Well, we'll see what happens. You're going to want to stay tuned. All right, Tommy, now we're in the Cadillac. She's a big girl, Tommy. Yeah, we are in the ESV Cadillac right now. And actually, these seats are like Lazy Boy recliners. They are very, very soft. And it does have massaging seats, unlike the Range Rover. Yeah, it does. I mean, dollar for dollar, you get more features in the Cadillac than you get in the Range Rover. And, you know, that's great, right? Like, adaptive cruise is going to be much more common in the Cadillac than the really expensive option that it was in that Range Rover when it was new. Now, it certainly is not as dynamic. This is definitely more couch-like. And the windows are also much smaller, so the visibility is a little bit more cave-like. I also feel like it's a lot louder in here and things are a little bit less well screwed together. Yeah, believe it or not, it is a little bit more rattly, which is a little bit surprising because it's got less miles. However, let's talk about the platform. This is body-on-frame, 6.2 V8, 8-speed automatic, solid rear axle, right? Really proven technology that's going to last probably a lot longer than that kind of complex Range Rover. Yeah, and, you know, the price reflects it. So the Range Rover from new is down about 60%. What is this down? It's about down about 50%. Maybe a little bit more. Keep in mind, the folks that bought this vehicle, we want to give a shout out to them, Cars R Us. Yes. Great dealer. They bought it at a dealer auction for a little bit less than what you're going to get at market value. But realistically, these are going to be like $40,000 in this kind of shape. Yeah, or maybe, you know, a touch over. I got to tell you, Tommy, and this is just a me thing. Yeah. One of my favorite colors in the automotive world is Fuji white, which is what the Range Rover is in. This white is a little bit more eggshell-y, and I know this is a subjective thing, but there's something about a Fuji white Range Rover that feels elegant, whereas there's something about a white Cadillac that just feels a little refrigerator-y. I don't know about that, Ben. That's just me. I'm just saying. I also really like the burble out of that 420 horsepower V8. It's not very quick, but you get a really good little kind of growl at the back end. Small block GM. I think the value here is incredible in both of these, but you're absolutely right, especially with the Cadillac. The amount of features, amenities. Space. Space, towing, off-roadiness you get in this for the amount of money you paid. It's just incredible, and the question is, you know, why don't more people buy this for fuel economy instead of like a brand new midsize crossover that are like dime a dozen? Well, I mean, look, Ben. This is an enormous vehicle. Not everybody needs these three rows. And it won't fit in your garage. And it probably won't fit in your garage very well. And, you know, people like the feeling of security that comes with a Japanese brand and a warranty. And that is completely understandable and respectable. You don't get that in this Escalade. I also like the feeling of bargain that you get when you get something like this, when it's been so depreciated. Yeah, I feel like I'm in a James Bond movie. That Range Rover's a villain car, and this is like the CIA agent chasing after the villain. That's what it feels like right now. All right, Tommy, before we tell them how much each of these costs today, they both have two critical flaws, right? Q over here is something that is hard to get past. But there is an R word here that is also problematic. What is that? Well, reliability. Yeah, right. When that Range Rover breaks, both these cars are out of warranty. The Range Rover is going to be shockingly expensive to fix, whereas the Cadillac is kind of just a truck underneath, right? It's a Suburban. So that should be a much more affordable long term proposition. And the reason we bought the Range Rover was to see if it breaks or when it breaks. And we're going to have it for a year. We're going to figure that out. But let's talk about how much these two costs. Now, Brendan's brother-in-law just bought that Cadillac at the auction. How much did he pay for it? Well, it was about $37,000 with 43,000 miles. And how much did you buy that Range Rover for? $47,000. But it was more expensive when it was new. 47,000 miles. But here is a general rule of thumb. Both of these cars are 40 for 40 cars. You can get them for about $40,000 with about 40,000 miles. And in often cases now in this market, you can get it for a lot less than that. So definitely keep an eye out. But look, for the price of a top trim CR-V, you get yourself a beautiful luxury vehicle that is kind of worrying to own in the long term. But if you budget a little bit extra, I mean, read a lot extra for maintenance, they are fantastic vehicles. But the question is, as a car guy or car gal, do you roll the dice on these two? Or do you go for a sure thing with the warranty? And for me, I'm going to roll the dice every time because, man, driving either of these, you feel like the king of the road. Well, it's because you have other cars to drive. Let's be honest. Guys, let us know what you think in the comments section below. This has been Tommy. Well, you have another Range Rover, Land Rover to drive. And Roman. We'll see you on another episode. Picking up with two in the shop. Over at alltfl.com. See you guys next time. Ciao.