Cadillac Prices Escalade Hybrid At $71,685

Hollywood celebrities that are tired of driving around in their Prius now have the option to upgrade to a Cadillac Escalade large SUV with a hybrid engine. It does not have quite the MPG performance of the Prius - the Escalade Hybrid is rated at 20/21 miles per gallon (city/highway) compared to 12/18 miles per gallon (city/highway) of the non hybrid 4WD Escalade - but at least it is a hybrid, right ?

More than a dozen "Hybrid" badges plastered on the car come with a big price tag : Cadillac will ask you to fork over at least $71,685, which, according to the company, represents only a $3600 premium over a comparably-equipped (and fully-equipped) regular Escalade. However, you could also say that the 332 hp Escalade Hybrid will cost $15,000 more than the basic 403 hp Escalade, which you can buy today with discounts of more than $10,000.

This could make the Escalade Hybrid a tough sell outside of Hollywood : If you are shopping for an environmentally friendly car, you wouldn’t aim for an Escalade Hybrid anyway, whether it is a hybrid or not. Those $25,000 you can save over a hybrid version can buy a lot of gas and even give you some room for those shiny 22" rims and gadgets like a navigation system.