The sport utility craze shows no sign of abating, even as oil-producing nations turn down the taps and ratchet up the price of crude while watching American moms and dads buy ever bigger and thirstier sport utilities. Auto manufacturers are amazed at what they can charge for these truck based monsters. Rumors of profit margins as high as $10,000 to $12,000 per vehicle abound.

The La Jolla, Del Mar and Rancho Santa Fe mothers are no exception to the world of sport utility lovers. Spurning minivans, they demand the high end models, such as the Cadillac Escalade, the Lexus LX 470 and the Lincoln Navigator, with leather, wood, rich carpet and fine music.

The Cadillac Escalade, based on the GMC Yukon Denali, is a substantial vehicle, weighing in at 5,600 pounds. (By comparison, a Chevrolet Metro weighs 1,895 pounds, a VW Beetle 2,800 and a Toyota Sienna minivan 3,800.) The interior is comfortable and plush, with fully adjustable power heated seats and leather and zebrano wood everywhere; not a bad place to live while on the road.

After the climb to get in, you really do sit high above those other mere mortals down there in their tin cans. It gives you a feeling of impregnability, you are surrounded by big sheet metal and sit on a big chassis with big bumpers, big wheels and big everything.

Air conditioning outlets for the rear passengers, essential for our near desert climate, are standard equipment. A really useful feature allows the kids in the back to listen to their own music by plugging their headphones into the rear radio/tape/CD unit. In addition, as we go to press, GM is equipping all Escalades sold from now on with a rear seat television and a video game system. Dealers are even installing the systems into Escalades that are already in their inventory.

Speaking of traveling with kids in the back, why no third row of seats? No soccer team transportation by Escalade moms. Such a pity, this is a huge vehicle and should have the ability to transport a group of kids. Where the third seat would go is a huge cargo space, with hold downs, nets and cover. Cupholders abound and a huge center console has a clipboard and writing surface for those of us who are right handed.

On the road the Escalade is — umm — a huge truck based sport utility with a somewhat muted truck-like ride, corner sway and not very good brakes. No four-wheel disc brakes? Competitors from Lincoln and Lexus both have four-wheel discs. All we have here is the now old-fashioned disc/drum configuration; adequate, but not great.

Freeway traveling is very pleasant and comfortable and modest curves are handled competently. The interior is modestly quiet on the road, interrupted only by the very good Bose radio/tape/CD player, or if switched off, some wind noise from the windshield corners.

The engine is a 5.7 liter pushrod V-8 which delivers some 255 horsepower and 300 ft-lb of torque to move this beast. Acceleration, although not up to sports sedan standards, is adequate and allows safe passing at highway speeds. At 65 to 70 mph this engine loafs along at 2,000 rpm. The four-speed automatic overdrive transmission is smooth shifting and responsive. EPA fuel consumption, not the best feature of sport utilities, is 12/16 mpg, city/highway.

This is a Cadillac, and one would expect all the very best options and features available, but somehow, inexplicably there are some gaps with this one: no moonroof, no third row seats, no navigation system, no stability system, no side air bags, no automatic climate control and no four-wheel disc brakes.

To be fair though, it does have many useful features that come standard on the vehicle. The four-wheel-drive system is technically advanced, allowing all-wheel or two-wheel-drive on the highway, and four-wheel-drive low range off road; heated front and rear seats, a roof rack, a full 6,000-pound trailer-towing package, a full set of instrument gauges, chrome aluminum wheels, a no-cost option for the rear door configuration (separate window and horizontal door opening or vertical split cargo type doors) and one year of the GM OnStar system, a satellite direct communication system for help after an accident or breakdown.

The good news is that at $46,000 (no options available, comes loaded as is) this is the bargain of the high end sport utilities. The Lexus LX 470 sells for around $60,000, and the Lincoln Navigator with similar equipment sells for around $48,400. The other news is that the new 2000 GMC Yukon, which replaces the older Yukon Denali on which the Escalade is based, costs around $40,000 with the same equipment. You can get a new higher horsepower, all-aluminum 5.3 liter V-8 engine, a moonroof, a third row of seats and automatic temperature control as options. Four-wheel discs are standard.

Apparently a new Escalade is planned based on this new 2000 GMC Yukon chassis and it probably will have the new 5.3 liter V-8 engine. The new Escalade may be introduced later this year or early next year.

As a luxury sport utility with a high end name, the Cadillac Escalade is a bargain and should be looked at and test driven before a decision is made. The helpful and friendly folks at Marvin K. Brown will arrange a test drive at any time.

Motoring since 1952, Austin Lynas has owned 54 cars and at one time raced mini-sedans in England. An aerospace engineer, he was instrumental in developing the anti-skid systems used in British military aircraft that preceded today’s ABS systems. Lynas can be reached by e-mail at osten@aol.com.