There are many different ways you can determine a vehicle's success, like sales volume, the amount of days on the lot it takes to sell the vehicle, or the number of rebates (or lack thereof) on the hood. One less desirable measure of a vehicle's cache however, is the rate at which it is stolen. And if you go by that, boy oh boy, is the Cadillac Escalade popular.

Each year, the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) assembles data of the average theft loss rates for vehicles in every price range, which includes everything from the theft of wheels, radios, and other components to the whole car itself. Dan Leinert at Forbes assembled a list of the top seven luxury vehicles in terms of theft loss rates, and the Escalade EXT is far and above the most popular vehicle for thieves. While the mean theft loss rate spanning vehicles of all price ranges carries a score of 100, the Escalade checks in at a staggering 1728. This number, which is highest in the luxury category, is even more impressive when considering that the number two vehicle, the BMW 7-Series, received a score of 431.

Also amazing is that almost one quarter of all Escalade theft reports total over $40,000, which means thieves are taking the whole car. The average claim amount for an Escalade is almost $18,000, which is over $14,000 per claim more than the Ford Taurus, which owns the lowest claim frequency. Big theft items on Cadillac's best-selling SUV are those super-bling 22' rims, and the 'Slade's backseat DVD player.

Of all the Escalade variants, the EXT pickup has the worst theft rate of all, with an overall rate 16 times higher than average. We knew the Escalade was popular, but we didn't think it would go this far. Check out Forbes' list of the luxury vehicles with the highest theft rate after the jump.

[Source: Forbes]
Forbes list of highest luxury vehicle theft rates (with theft loss score)
1. Cadillac Escalade EXT pickup 1728
2. BMW 7 Series long-wheelbase sedan 431
3. Land Rover Range Rover SUV 351
3. Lincoln Navigator four-wheel-drive SUV 351
5. Lexus GS sedan 243
6. Mercedes-Benz S-Class long-wheelbase sedan 227
7. Mercedes-Benz SL-Class convertible 209