To celebrate when the Vienna castle walls were scaled December 12, 1602, the "Escalade Festival" takes place annually in Austria. And while they're also sold in Europe, the majority of Cadillac Escalades are sold in the U.S. Whether you're climbing the castle walls, the charts, the corporate ladder, or just family size, the Escalade ESV is one of those aspirational vehicles; only Realtors and livery services would buy one for purely functional reasons.

In terms of sheer mass and chromium added, only a Lincoln Navigator L fills your crib like the Escalade ESV, but the premium ute market also includes three-seat-row-but-smaller-outside units like the Audi Q7, BMW X5, Infiniti QX56, Land Rover LR3, Lexus LX470, and Mercedes GL's.

The ESV is 21 inches longer than a "regular" Escalade, yielding a stem-to-stern length of more than eighteen-and-a-half feet. It may be configured with six individual seats, bench seats in the middle or back row, or both, and carries 46 cubic feet of stuff behind the last row — more than some mid-size utes with the seats folded.

Striking in Raven black and bling, the ESV has generous slabs of chrome trim on the bow, tail, sides and roof and the simple lines cut a clean profile to many eyes better proportioned than the shorter standard version. Chromed aluminum 22-inch wheels help immensely in that regard, the tradeoff being ride quality on bad roads and the $3,000 tab. Cadillac notes the styling produces aerodynamic benefits and a cD of 0.36, but they don't mention the other part of the aero equation — frontal area — and you can plainly see it has plenty of that.

Powering the ESV is GM's newest V-8, a 6.2-liter all-aluminum said to be the first pushrod (old school) engine with variable cam timing (newer school). With 403 hp and 417 lb-ft of torque it dishes up more power than any GM gasoline truck engine to date, and emits an idle burble suitable for a musclecar. Combined with the new six-speed automatic transmission, the ESV will accelerate briskly for its mass (figure about 7 seconds to 60 mph). Of course three tons and 400 hp conspire against fuel economy: the EPA says 13/19, our example's trip computer said 8.6/13.9, and the pump showed an average of 10.2 mpg. On premium, that's a bit under 3 miles/dollar.

Unlike the smaller version, the ESV is offered only with all-wheel drive, a system that is transparent to the driver and requires no action when the rain and snow hit. With ground clearance and a truck chassis, it would be the drive system or street tires that stopped any four wheeling attempts. The brakes are the best to appear in any Escalade, but remember the mass factor counters any advantage you may have in visibility.

As trucks go, the ESV rides very well and quietly, the minimal wind noise usually covered by the stereo or exhaust burble. Steering is quite direct and responsive for this altitude and it commendably takes only a yard more space to make a U-turn than many mid-size cars. With excellent shocks (air leveling in back) the ESV exhibits good ride manners and control, all backed up by electronic safety systems. The 22-inch wheels (four, the spare is steel) come with Bridgestone tires far superior to the standard rubber, but the small sidewall brings more impact transmission, and no truck with a body-on-frame design, including this one, is immune from shudder.

Power-folding mirrors have signal repeaters and the signals now blink three times at one touch for lane changes (six if you have the transmission in tow/haul mode). When programmed, the mirrors tilt two seconds after you engage Reverse, and when you go back to Drive the rear camera screen stays on three seconds perhaps so you can see what you flattened.

Power retracting running boards are an option, and the cleanest way to ease entry for non-NBA riders while maintaining the clean lines. Step inside and you'll find seats get smaller as you move further rearward, but even the third row has as much head and legroom as many sedans. Cadillac has lavished some cash on materials too, with perforated leather upholstery, leather door panels, wood/leather rimmed steering wheel, and the only touch point that's hard plastic is the glovebox door. The "Cashmere" light beige leather has dark brown trim for the wheel and upper dashboard.

With the timber climbing from console to dash, brushed stainless-look trim, and blue gauge needles on brilliant white backgrounds, the interior is very attractive. Many white-on-black buttons handle climate control and a straightforward navigation/sound system, with seat memory and lighting controls to the left. The Bose 5.1 surround sound system is impressive regardless of seat position, although we were amused that FM tuning was weak but it picked up satellite radio in a garage, and the rear entertainment option includes dual eight-inch screens and four headphones.

On this loaded example, front seats are heated and cooled, middle buckets and the steering wheel are heated, and the optional navigation system includes a rear-view camera and Intellibeam headlights. The latter is an automatic high/low beam headlight switch for the bi-xenon headlamps which produce good light and coverage but do not adjust for vehicle angle and irritated a lot of oncoming traffic at night.

Power adjustable pedals, two-position memory power seat, and a manual tilt wheel make room for most, but the ergonomics are a bit odd with the steering wheel offset and angled to the right, and the center of the instrument panel apparently closer yet to the car centerline.

The second row bucket seats are just slightly smaller than the front seats and have plenty of space plus rear climate and sound command. They flip-and-fold forward easily (powered as an option) yet you can just as easily walk around them to the third row; the wider pillar on the right side (for rear air vents) makes a very convenient place to rest a pillow and snooze. The last row can be folded or pulled out for maximum space, and in this row alone there are six cupholdersno wonder they always need a bathroom. Both back rows can be ordered as three-person benches, though don't plan on carrying eight adults simultaneously.

The rear hatch is powered (and the glass opens separately) for easy loading. A cargo cover fits behind either back row of seats, surprisingly it is 3-4 inches below the window line where you'd want to limit prying eyes. Door pockets are big as you'd expect, the lower storage unit under the armrest is not.

An ESV is rated to tow 7800 pounds maximum, slightly less than the shorter 2WD Escalade. However, as the owner's manual wisely cautions, a more realistic number may be 6000 pounds considering your ESV won't be empty and there are other limits within that 7800 number.

The ESV starts at just less than $60,000. Add another 10K for 22s, navi, entertainment, side steps, sunroof, and the ventilated seats and heated wheel. If power, looks, room and features aren't quite enough or your accountant says you need to spend more than $70,000, Oxnard's own Becker Automotive makes limos out of ESV's, and they'll probably do unique colors at no extra charge.

(Whale, a longtime Ventura County resident, has been breaking parts for 29 years and writing about it for 21.)

2007 Cadillac Escalade ESV

Engine: 6.2-liter OHV V-8, 403 hp

Length/width/height (in.): 222.9/79.1/75.5

Weight: est. 5,950 lbs.

MPG city/hwy/observed: 13/19/10.2

Base warranty: 4 yrs/50,000 miles

Price as tested: $70,670

Alternatives: Audi Q7, BMW X5, Infiniti QX56, Land Rover LR3, Lexus LX470, Lincoln Navigator L, Mercedes GL