Introduced eight years ago as the manufacturer's first truck-based vehicle, the Cadillac Escalade has changed the perception of the more than 100-year-old vehicle line.

Once a status symbol for affluent older drivers, the Escalade is now a Cadillac status symbol for an appreciably younger yet equally affluent buying group.

With its redesign for 2007, the Escalade will likely even further increase its appeal to younger buyers. In its brief tenure, it seems, Cadillacs, specifically the Escalade, have transitioned from the must-have car for bank presidents to the must-have car for professional athletes. Younger buyers will likely want the car and will be willing to pay a premium for it, particularly if it helps them emulate a sporting hero.

Suffice is to say, I'm neither a bank president nor a professional athlete. But with my recent weekly test drive, the 2007 Escalade AWD, it was easy to understand the car's increasing popularity. It's the most luxurious, the biggest and perhaps the most disgustingly glorious of all premium sport utility vehicles.

Matched  primarily against the Lincoln Navigator and Toyota Land Cruiser, the seven-passenger Escalade is a prime example of a car with "attitude." It's hard not to feel in command in the classy and refined car, In short, the Escalade is big, it likes being big and its dares its competitors to say otherwise.

The Escalade AWD features a 6.2-liter, V8, 403-horsepower engine with a six-speed automatic transmission. There's nothing the car does without overwhelming power. Cadillac, in fact, promotes the vehicle as the "World's Most Powerful 7-Passenger Full-Size Sport Utility Vehicle."

Its power is also combined with superior room for passengers and cargo, a good degree of luxury and a good, quiet ride considering its immense proportions.

The Escalade performs as one might expect. Its power doesn't always transform into other areas. The ride is quiet but not particularly smooth. The interior design, however, overshadows the vehicle's l
ack of smoothness. The Escalade is spacious and handsome. The leather interior color is perfectly complemented by the controls, console, instrumentation and others features like the carpet and armrest cushions.

The Escalade's features list is long and varied. It includes, among others items: 18-inch aluminum wheels (extra charge), 14-way power front seats, Bose surround sound, power windows, doors and locks, steering wheel radio controls, XM satellite radio, AM/FM stereo with 6-CD changer and DVD/MP3 features.

My test vehicle also included an Information Package and Climate Package. The $2,495 information option includes a rear view camera and navigation system with CD/DVD. The Climate Package ($625) includes heated/cooled front seats and heated steering wheel.

Premium SUVs will never be known for even marginal fuel efficiency, and that presents the Escalade's primary downside. Its estimates of 13 mph in city driving and 19 mph on the highway are difficult numbers to accept during high-cost gas times and for anyone environmentally concerned.

With its various options, taxes and destination charge, my test drive Escalade's total price approached $62,000. It's a assumption, of course, but in that price range it's likely buyers are particularly concerned about fuel costs.

Safety Features — Dual front, side and side curtain airbags.

Fuel Mileage (estimates) — 13 mpg (city), 19 mpg (highway).

Warranty — Bumper to bumper, 4 years/50,000 miles; Corrosion, 6 years/unlimited miles; Roadside (24-hour) assistance program, 4 years/50,000 miles.

Base Price — $56,405.