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Cadillac Seville recast to compete with world touring sedans
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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The Plains, Va. -- Flying down a tricky hill on a narrow strip of Virginia blacktop, which included a sweeping decreasing-radius bend to the right, a driver seems blinded for a moment by the curvature of the route because of thick stands of oak and hickory growing to edges of the road.
At this speed, one wrong motion from hands on steering wheel or feet on stop-and-go pedals would send several tons of Detroit's finest steel careening headlong off the road on a tangent into the trees.
On this particular run, though, the driver made no mistakes -- but neither did the car.
Rooted in a flat stance which hunkered in turns, the sedan felt totally balanced, as if supported by a center-ship sky hook as it tiptoed through the apex of the dangerous curve, then plunged ahead on an exit line with no protest from big radial rubber. Such sure-footed action quickly instilled an incredible sense of confidence for the driver, as well as for riders.
The car in this test amounted to a radical new design for the Cadillac Seville, whose name traces to a coupe issue of Eldorado in 1956. By 1976, a downsized sedan intended as import-fighter wore the Seville name, and subsequent revisions in 1980 and 1986 brought a platform with drive system applying power to front wheels.
Then in 1992 Seville emerged as an action-oriented touring sedan, eventually receiving the remarkable Cadillac NorthStar powertrain and a host of sophisticated computer-controlled electronic systems, like Cadillac's StabiliTrak chassis control system which can correct potentially disruptive skid movements automatically without requiring a driver's skill to assist manually.
Those earlier iterations for Seville were simply prologue to a new class act, however, because the dynamic Seville of 1998 goes well beyond any other American sedan in terms of its ability to keep pace with the world's best touring sedans coming out of Germany and Japan.
Competing against the world's best sedans becomes a theme for new Seville, as well as a conceptual goal for designers, which explains why Cadillac chose to introduce the car not in America but at Germany's Frankfurt International Auto Show, which showcases the brightest new ideas from Europe and Asia.
To compete on the world market required certain changes to Seville, such as reduction in overall length of the car to less than five meters, or 196.5 inches, for export editions. Sevilles for Americans will measure slightly more -- 200.9 inches -- which is still 3.2 inches less than the 204.1-inch length of the previous model.
Despite this overall reduction in length, Seville's wheelbase actually increases by 1.2 inches to 112.2 inches.
In addition, its track, the distance between right and left wheels, also enlarges by as much as 1.8 inches. The longer and broader chassis which results from these expansions sets up a more stable platform best exhibited by the car's improved agility while in motion.
A new unibody skeleton for Seville begins with the so-called G architecture of General Motors which supports the Oldsmobile Aurora and Buick Riviera. New manufacturing techniques were developed to maximize rigidity of this structure -- such as the addition of a one-piece "megapan" floor panel and an aluminum front hood.
Unique hydroformed tubes stretch from base of windshield and up the roofline over side door openings to rear wheelhouse, uniting the Seville superstructure and bringing significant improvements in unibody stiffness.
New 4-wheel independent suspension components include aluminum control arms to minimize mass. In the rear, switching from a short-long arm arrangement to a multi-link design results in a platform which feels more stable, with little dive or dip noted when braking or accelerating.
Then Cadillac, world leader in automotive electronic wizardry, applies so many electronic sensors to Seville to help modulate the car's movements. These sensors -- checking wheel and steering positions, even powertrain output -- link to microprocessors that measure and govern such components as the continuously variable road sensing suspension, which automatically changes damper rates for each wheel's shock absorber to control body motion and smooth out harshness of ride sensations.
Sensors also work with Seville's anti-lock brakes, traction control and the standard StabiliTrak yaw control.
Two versions of Seville continue with new models.
Seville Luxury Sedan provides elaborate luxury comforts but sets suspension and steering mechanisms to generate a plush ride quality. The Seville Touring Sedan tweaks hardware to create a more lively platform geared for an enthusiast driver who appreciates hard cornering maneuvers and faster throttle action.
Both SLS and STS carry Cadillac's NorthStar powertrain. The aluminum block engine, displacing 4.6 liters and outfitted with four camshafts, produces 275 hp for SLS and, through specific tuning, a boost to 300 hp for STS.
Cadillac's electronically-controlled 4-speed automatic transmission attaches to both SLS and STS.
Examine exterior forms of the latest Seville against the predecessor edition and you may note subtle evolutionary improvements in a design that looks more muscular and aggressive, and more in the vein of international class.
A bold monochrome egg-crate grille separates new running lights with projector beams mounted above a wrap-around front bumper. The aluminum hood notches twin dynamic lines leading up to a hard-raked windshield, followed by the flat roofline and a rear decklid where the back lip retains Seville's full-width ribbon of brake lights.
The interior of Seville has also been changed for the better, with curvy new design for dash and splashes of rich leather upholstery and Zebrano wood ringing the cabin.
New bucket seats feel plush and elegant, and interior mechanisms automatically adapt the seat shape to an individual body. Side airbags lurk inside outboard edges of these seats, while seatbelts also mount directly to seats, boosting safety and applying a new convenience factor.
Instruments include legible analog gauges backlit in a dazzling fluorescent display.
A host of new storage spaces show up throughout the cabin, as do dramatic new lighting elements. And an optional Bose sound package can blow the tweeters off.
Despite so many improvements for Seville, which easily rises to international touring sedan standards, Cadillac's pricing maintains a competitive strategy, beginning around $41,000 for SLS and $47,000 for STS.
1998 CADILLAC SEVILLE
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| Vehicle Specifications: |
| 1998 CADILLAC SEVILLE Specs |
| Description: |
Mid-size luxury sedan |
| Model Options: |
Mid-size luxury sedan |
| Wheelbase: |
112.2 inches |
| Overall Length: |
200.9 inches
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| Engine Size: |
DOHC 4.6-L V8
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| Transmission: |
Auto/4 |
| Drive: |
Front |
| Braking: |
Power 4-disc/ABS/TCS |
| Airbags: |
2 |
| Gas Mileage: |
17/26 mpg |
| Price: |
$ 41,000 to $50,000 |
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