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By William Bonds

Cadillac STS 4x4

America’s flagship automaker recaptures its former glory

Photos by William Bonds

In 1984, I bought a brand new Mazda 929. Nothing wrong with that; it was a fine car. For the few minutes that it took to make that decision, it made sense. But in the 20 years since, I’ve been plagued by guilt and disappointment. The reason is simple. At the time, the alternative was to buy a beautiful, huge, white, two-door, late ’70s convertible Cadillac Fleetwood Eldorado for $2,000. The Mazda cost more. Yes, you’re right; I should be shot.

Most Brits are conditioned to despise American cars as something vulgar. I, on the other hand, embrace vulgarity. One drive in my philosophy professor’s early ’50s Cadillac Eldorado convertible—it was gigantic—was enough. When I went to work for an American company in the early ’80s, I was in heaven, swanning around in Buick Park Avenues, Chevrolet Suburbans and Caprices. Those were the days when a 5-liter engine was small.

I ended up buying a 1976 Chevrolet Monte Carlo—5.7 liters, the length of a tennis court, doors the size of my office and swivel seats. It redefined vulgarity; it was beautiful. The strange thing was its performance. I couldn’t understand why a 5.7-liter car struggled to get to 100mph (160kph). It struck me that American cars weren’t crafted, they were carelessly hammered into shape. The engines didn’t perform, fuel consumption was horrendous and the handling was abysmal. But hey, it was huge and it had swivel seats. What more could a guy want?!?

By the early ’80s, GM and the other US manufacturers were being pressured by the Japanese, whose cars were small, didn’t fall apart, used less than a tanker-load of gas to get out of the driveway, and didn’t have 8-track stereos. The Americans decided they should follow suit. Unfortunately, they didn’t know how. They figured if they just smashed in the front, rear and sides, and lopped a few cylinders off the engine, they would have a car to compete with Datsun and Toyota.
The results were disastrous, like botched plastic surgery. But American cars didn’t need pulverizing; they needed refining. The engines didn’t need to be cut in half; they needed to be made efficient. And they didn’t really need to be made as fuel-efficient as Japanese or European cars, because gas in the States was still relatively cheap. Finally, the Americans caught on and started producing cars for Americans once again. So now you have hot tickets such as the Dodge Viper, the Chrysler Crossfire, a decent Corvette, and a Cadillac worth talking about.

Cadillac certainly didn’t survive the ’90s unscathed, but with the dawn of a new millennium, the company started to get things right again. By the end of the last decade, the flagship Seville was looking good and was being powered by a decent engine. The latest version is the Cadillac STS 4x4, and it’s a car that’s certainly worthy of the Cadillac brand. But what is it?

Put simply, it’s an American car with European pretensions (which is not a criticism). It might not be as big as Cadillacs of old, but it’s still about the same size as the top-of-the-range Lexus. Although not an overtly spacious car (the trunk is surprisingly small), it’s certainly comfortable, and surprisingly cozy for a Caddy. The drivetrain takes up plenty of space between the driver and passenger, while leg room in the rear is adequate rather than generous.

That said, the driving position is excellent, with a multi-adjustable electric seat that may fail to swivel but certainly wraps you up with support in all the right places. The steering wheel is electrically adjustable, and forward vision is superb. Looking behind you though, is a different matter as the three headrests on the rear seats and the thick C-pillars obscure a lot of what there might be to see.

The cabin is well-equipped with all the usual mod-cons, including a navigation system, multi-CD player (which is not easy to work, although the sound is impressive), heated seats, an onboard computer, and a keyless ignition and security system (the car locks itself as you walk away). The dials are easy to see, but they look cheap and dated, while the steering wheel is covered in agreeable leather—except for the top third, which slips out of your hands and makes for a confusing tactile experience.

Nevertheless, piloting the STS is a joy. The four-wheel drive, for the most part, gives it the handling of a much smaller, sportier car. The steering is positive, cornering is very sharp, and the ride is smooth without being soft. This is not old America; this is much closer to Europe, although the output of the 4.6-liter engine (320hp) probably could be better, especially as the engine has to push quite a weight (1,910kg) along. That said, the five-speed automatic or semi-automatic gearbox is well-tuned and gives the car a fair amount of kick (Cadillac claims a 0-60 time of 6 seconds; I have my doubts). Unlike my Monte Carlo of old, the STS has no trouble cruising at high speed.

On the street, the STS turns heads. The chunky exterior gives it a very masculine outline, with a high sill and muscular edges, while the vertical front and rear light clusters are a nice touch and gives it a modern feel. At ¥8 million, it might have a tough time beating off both foreign and domestic competition, but the STS certainly makes Cadillac a real player in the market, and perhaps that’s the most significant thing about this car.

Shame the seats don’t swivel, though.

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