When I first laid eyes on the 2007 Cadillac Escalade on a recent event to introduce the car to the media, it became clear why Cadillac uses "Chrome Couture" as part of its ad campaign. The redone luxury sport-utility vehicle screams "bling," starting with its 22-inch chrome wheels, the biggest ever made for a production car.

Aside from all that flash, the newest model is light years ahead of its predecessor, abetted by its responsive driving, high level of standard equipment, powerful engine and its own resolutely Cadillac character,

Let's start with the interior. In past model years, Escalade shared dashboard, seat designs and just about all else with its lesser Chevy and GMC peers -- and it wasn't well-disguised either. You could see all the mechanical workings of seats underneath, and getting to that third row was a bear of an effort.

All that has changed. Escalade now has its own instrumentation, including the use of wood and aluminum trim that has more precise fit. The gauges use a set of beautiful blue needles trimmed in chrome, and the dash clock is unique to Escalade, too.

And more important, there's a power fold and tumble set of second-row seats that move out of the way at a touch of a button -- without revealing all that ugly metal and fastener stuff under the seats.

Outside, the exterior has been slimmed and pulled taut, to the point that the new Escalade looks much smaller than the old model, when in fact it's a few inches longer. Tasteful bits of chrome around the windows, a spear along the side and on door handles and mirrors provide the sparkle. And there's a new rectangular scoop along the flanks, too.

The new Escalade drives smaller, too, feeling lighter and more responsive. Part of that is due to the strong performance of the 403-horsepower, 6.2-liter V-8 (13 mpg city/17 highway) that can hit 60 in less than 7 seconds. There's also the new rack and pinion steering found on sports cars, and a strong new frame.

Initial criticisms? The Escalade needs a tilt and telescope steering wheel so that smaller people can find a driver's position more suitable for them. Right now, the steering wheel only tilts. Express up and down power windows would be a nice convenience. And I would love to see a third-row power-folding seat, too.

But the new model is undeniably a big improvement over the old Escalade. I look forward to a fuller, more extensive weeklong test later this year. Prices for the two-wheel-drive version start at $54,725, and at $57,280 for the all-wheel-drive version.