Cavalcade

The Albany Cavalcade is a 4-door SUV featured in Grand Theft Auto IV, The Lost and Damned, The Ballad of Gay Tony and Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars. It is common throughout the city and can be found in all boroughs.

Design
The Cavalcade a large but sportier SUV (in comparison to the Landstalker) obviously based on the 2002-2006 Cadillac Escalade (Standard model, as it lacks the extended wheelbase of the Escalade ESV). The Cavalcade comes in a variety of both body and rim colors, though it has one primary body style, and may also come with or without roofrails and runningboards. The name Cavalcade means a procession or parade on horseback, and also sounds like a combination of the names "Cadillac" and "Escalade".

Performance
The Cavalcade is powered by a high-displacement V8, paired to a 5 speed gearbox in a 50% front, 50% rear AWD layout. It is capable of launching itself off the line quickly, and has a very reasonable top speed. Braking in the Cavalcade is very good for a vehicle of its size, however ABS is only available on some models. Wheelspin is minimal too, thanks to the excellent traction control system. The suspension is moderately firm, and will keep the Cavalcade well balanced through the bends, though some oversteer can be felt on longer turns. Crash deformation is also very good, as the Cavalcade holds its shape after multiple accidents, and the suspension seems to hold together better than other vehicles. The engine itself is very sturdy, and will not fail unless significantly damaged multiple times.

Off-road, the Cavalcade is also a stellar performer, with enough torque to climb medium to large-sloped hills and even some medium sized rocks. The AWD system helps keep the vehicle on the straight and narrow in even the worst terrain. With all-round independent suspension, the car often feels like it will roll over. However, if obstacles are tackled with reasonable speed, you would have to be very unlucky to roll a Cavalcade. It's worth noting that if the vehicle is intended for off-road use, especially over boulders, then the version with side steps should be avoided, as these will be damaged easily.

Overall, with its impressive top speed, sturdy design, 4 person carrying capacity, good acceleration, and ease of accesibility, this is one of the best vehicles in the game.

Variants

 * The Cavalcade FXT is the pickup truck variant of the Cavalcade, evidently based on the Escalade EXT.


 * A unique dark grey Cavalcade replaces the Esperanto used by Roman's Taxi service once the player has unlocked the Algonquin Safehouse. However, the same driver will be driving it, and still will throw insults at Niko. However, unlike Roman's Taxi, there is no enhanced performance in this version.


 * A dark red Spanish Lords Cavalcade with special gold rims, a roofrack/roofrail and stereo systems in the rear. These vehicles' stereos feature a noticeable increased bass effect due to the subwoofers. The Spanish Lords Cavalcades are mostly found around South Bohan, as well as Alderney City.


 * A unique black-tinted (the main color varies) Cavalcade with black rims is also available during the mission Deconstruction for Beginners. It is parked in an alley in Castle Gardens where Playboy X has left it with a supply of weapons. The player can drive this Cavalcade to a safehouse to store it, and still return to complete the mission.


 * A similar black-tinted Cavalcade is the target of one of Stevie's Car Thefts; this Cavalcade has a unique green undercoat and dark green trims.
 * In TBoGT there is a version which is internally named "cavalcade2". It is always painted black with black rims and its trunk opens slightly higher than its normal counterpart. Armando sells weapons to the player out of the trunk of this vehicle. This car is easily obtainable, as it is most often left in the street after the Drug Wars missions with Armando and Henrique. It can also be obtained by killing them both at the start of the mission Corner Kids.


 * The FIB Rancher in GTA Chinatown Wars bases itself on the Cavalcade, sharing the same vehicle body but sporting additional accessories.

Trivia

 * Upon completion of all 30 of Stevie's Car Thefts, standard Cavalcades may be sold at his garage for $6,500. Roman's Cavalcades, if sold to Stevie in perfect condition with their original grey body color, will earn the player $20,500; if resprayed, their payout drops to the default $6,500.
 * In GTA IV, the three default radio stations in the Cavalcade are The Beat 102.7,The Classics 104.1, and San Juan Sounds.
 * The car shares the same rim design as the Super Drop Diamond.
 * If a player has owned/driven the Spanish Lord or Armando Torres' varients for several game hours (or by the time it takes you to get to another borough) the special trim affect may wear off and become a normal silver colour

Notable owners

 * Roman Bellic owns a fleet of graphite Cavalcade taxis after retiring his original Esperanto taxis fleet.
 * Armando Torres and Henrique Bardas are seen riding in a black/graphite Cavalcade.
 * Manny Escuela owns a Spanish Lord's Cavalcade.
 * The Messina Family construction worker/s own a Cavalcade that a worker fell on.

Cavalcade Cavalcade FXT Cavalcade Cavalcade Cavalcade FXT