Cross an SUV with a crew-cab pickup truck and you get Chevrolet's Avalanche. Cross a luxury SUV with a crew-cab pickup and you get Cadillac's Escalade EXT. And that "luxury" tag adds quite a bit to the features found on the Cadillac's Chevy cousin.

With a nearly 20-inch increase in length over the regular Escalade, the EXT comes closer in overall length to the Escalade ESV. Remove the third row from the ESV, replacing it with a 10-foot, lockable, enclosable, lined 45.5-cubic-foot pickup bed, and you pretty much have the EXT. Then fold down the second-row seats and flip in the cabâ??s midgate, and the pickup box extends to 101 cubic feet of cargo space, but there's no additional partition between the front seats and the cargo â?? except weather.

Like its sibling Escalades, the EXT comes standard with a 6.2-liter V8 that pumps out 403 hp through a heavy-duty six-speed automatic transmission. When properly equipped, the EXT can tow 7,600 pounds. This version of the Escalade comes only in a four-wheel-drive configuration. Standard alloy wheels are 18 inches, with optional 22-inchers available.

The EXT also shares the same luxurious cabin, albeit only for five, with the Escalade line. Leather, faux wood and genuine aluminum trim, and chrome details with a mix of soft padded materials provide for a luxurious and spacious interior - certainly one of the most comfortable crew-cabs on the planet.

Standard safety equipment includes four-wheel disc ABS brakes and an electronic stability system that incorporates rollover mitigation technology. While side curtain airbags are standard, front side-impact airbags are not available. Yet the EXT received five-star crash ratings for frontal, side, and rear collisions. Gas mileage is similar to the rest of the Escalade lineup: 13/19 mpg city/highway. The EXT's competent ride, relatively agile handling, and performance surprised most reviewers.