King of the Hill

Author's Rating:

Pros: Performance, performance, performance. (It's good to be the Cadillac.)

Cons: Expect no quarter from law enforcement or small-minded members of the public.

Handling And Control:

The Bottom Line: 
The extra cost is worth the constant dose of adrenaline.

Author's Review
Once, a long time ago, the personal luxury car was the hottest segment of the automotive market. Contenders like Thunderbird, Riviera, Tornado and Grand Prix offered two doors, high performance and enough prestige to trickle down to their company's entire lineup.
Naturally, at the top of the heap, Cadillac and Lincoln (Lexus and Infinity did not exist yet) squared off in what became Motor Trend's annual "King of the Hill" competition. Quibbles aside, Lincoln's Mark III won hands down over Eldorado with its superior combination of styling, build quality, power & luxury accoutrements.
Today, however, the tables have most definitely turned.
Contemplating a new "family car" purchase, I took pains to drive each and every new SUV in the battleship class. Boiling it down to the 2003 Navigator and Escalade models, I soon found out that while the former possessed possibly the most beautiful and sumptuous interior (in contrast to the latter's gussied-up Tahoe dash) ever imparted to a production vehicle, the performance of the Escalade stood out like Joe Louis in a barfight.
Man, what a powertrain! And just fine around the curves - almost 6000 lbs of steel notwithstanding. This "thing" is a pure delight to drive. Never mind the in-your-face grill and overblown Art & Science emblems bow and stern. The only thing you'll have to worry about is prying the keys out of your wife's hands - sheesh, when did she get a vote?
Truly.
It's a stand-out.
Sybaritic & positively addictive.
And this from a man who still drives a 1970 Mark III everyday (that 460 surprises folks off the line - ha!).
So while you may or may not find truth in what Motor Trend's reviewer said 33 years ago,...

"Where material wealth reposes beyond well manicured
lawns and shrub-lined drives, faint nuances of afternoon
tennis and evening cocktail parties by the pool float
delicately on the air. That's when you see them parked in
the drives, at dusk. A symbol of how and how well a man
has it made, his car is a mobile status beacon flashing
the word to one and all."

...you certainly owe yourself a drive, if only to see what all of the hub-bub is about.
Now, if I could just turn off the headlights....