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Cadillac DTS sedan debuts as showcase for high-tech hardware
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Under normal circumstances the prudent driver traveling at high speed would never consider hurling a full-size American sedan into a too-tight corner to willfully upset the car's balance and try to spin it.
However, the circumstances on a Phoenix race track as wiggly as a spaghetti noodle were anything but normal because the vehicle used for a recent series of dynamic tests carried extraordinary mechanical equipment designed to thwart abusive pavement maneuvers by magically correcting the dangerous behavior without direct steering or braking action from the driver.
The equipment -- upgraded version of a complex computer-based stability control system labeled as StabiliTrak -- integrates continuously variable road-sensing suspension damping with throttle response, the steering force, anti-lock brakes and input from sensors which detect lateral as well as linear slippage of the vehicle.
StabiliTrak thinks for the inattentive driver and acts to correct potentially disruptive car movements. It shows up on a new design for the full-size Cadillac DeVille sedan in a performance edition dubbed DeVille Touring Sedan, or DTS.
The car, developed around a different architectural structure with wheelbase extended by 1.5 inches yet length trimmed by almost three inches, contains an array of innovative electronic controls and computer-managed mechanical systems designed to improve vehicle stability and safety, visibility, communications, even passenger comfort.
In effect, this new DeVille represents a mobile showcase for high-tech hardware currently under development by Cadillac, and the majority of these technological innovations, like StabiliTrak, relate to vehicular safety.
DeVille's most unusual tool is a thermal-imaging device that Cadillac calls Night Vision. Sensors in the electronic system detect heat energy emitted by any objects in the path of the car, then project a virtual image of the scene through the windshield so a driver may observe the picture without diverting eyes away from the roadway.
This image of objects in the path ahead of the car extends three to five times further than the range of low-beam headlamps and twice as far as high beams, so it penetrates the darkness and gives the driver precious extra seconds of reaction time to avoid unseen hazards at night.
As Night Vision enables a DeVille driver to see ahead in the dark, another new safety tool checks behind by using audio as well as visual signals as an aid when parking to warn about objects in the DeVille's rearward path.
Known as Ultrasonic Rear Parking Assist, the system sets four ultrasonic sensors in back fascia to locate an object behind the car and determine its proximity to the bumper. Chimes sound and light-emitting diodes (LED) flash as warnings when an object is detected, and these signals increase in frequency as the car approaches it in reverse.
&&& The use of LED lighting extends also to taillamps in the first such application for a passenger car. These LED lamps look brighter than incandescent bulbs and they light up twice as quickly. When applying brakes at 60 mpg, for instance, the quicker flash point for brake lights works out to more than 17 additional feet of warning distance for the driver trailing behind, and that becomes a safety issue.
&&& Of course, safety gear extends to the rigid new unibody superstructure which encases the passenger compartment. High-strength steel was used to reinforce rocker panels, front longitudinal rails, side door beams and pillars, with a magnesium beam extending between A pillars to support the instrument panel and steering wheel.
&&& Inside, air bags mount in dashboard and steering wheel hub to protect driver and a front-seat passenger, and there are side-impact air bags concealed in the front seats.
&&& Side air bags are also available for rear seats.
&&& Anti-lock brakes use a computer to prevent wheel lockup and rein the DeVille in a predictable straight-line path without losing steering ability. A distributor draws on electronic controls to balance the brake force exerted on front and rear wheels.
The unibody skeleton of DeVille begins with the so-called G platform of General Motors which also supports the mid-size Cadillac Seville. New manufacturing techniques maximize rigidity of the structure -- such as a one-piece floor panel, aluminum front hood and hydroformed tubes stretched over door openings from windshield to rear wheelhouse, uniting the body and bringing significant improvements in torsional and bending stiffness.
When linked to independent suspension elements, this rigid structure sets up a superior ride quality with increased ability to turn, accelerate and stop without excessive body roll or dip -- it maintains a flatness through curves with sway checked and tires firmly planted.
To fully appreciate the DeVille's enhanced handling traits, you must first dismiss any hold-over images about previous DeVille behavior -- like a floundering land yacht.
This is not that car, as it represents a new approach designed to lure a younger clientele which appreciates crisp performance and high-tech automotive hardware.
Still, the traditional DeVille customer will find a lot to like in refinements and luxurious comforts packed aboard the new car, which segments into three distinct versions.
The base DeVille uses fabric seat upholstery for a bench-style front seat split in 40/20/40 sections with fold-down center armrest but accommodations for three riders.
The DeVille High Luxury Sedan (DHS) contains the same front seat system but piles on comfort and convenience items, beginning with leather upholstery and extending to memory controls for driver's seat, massaging lumbar adaptive seats up front, rear-seat climate controls and a power-operated rear sunshade, plus a premium Bose audio system with optional in-dash CD changer for six discs.
The DeVille Touring Sedan (DTS) installs two front bucket seats covered in leather with internal heat elements and massaging lumbar action, plus a center console. Standard equipment includes the StabiliTrak chassis controls and Cadillac's continuously variable road-sensing suspension with fast-acting variable dampers, integrated rotary sensors to measure body and wheel positional changes due to varying road conditions, plus a microprocessor which interprets sensor input before commanding dampers to adjust virtually instantaneously for the nuances of varying road surfaces.
Differences between the three models can be detected externally, as the DTS gets a different front grille with foglamps and less adornments on body-colored trimmings.
Powertrains for the new DeVille draw from improvements to Cadillac's Northstar 4.6-liter V8, now rigged to operate on regular-grade unleaded fuel without sacrificing performance. The engine, teamed to GM's four-speed 4T80-E Hydramatic transaxle, produces 275 hp in standard DeVille issue and the DHS but 300 hp for a DTS.
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| Vehicle Specifications: |
| 2000 CADILLAC DEVILLE DTS Specs |
| Description: |
Full-size luxury sedan
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| Model Options: |
Full-size luxury sedan
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| Wheelbase: |
115.3 inches
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| Overall Length: |
207.0 inches
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| Engine Size: |
DOHC V8
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| Transmission: |
Auto/4
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| Drive: |
Front
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| Braking: |
Power 4-disc/ABS/TCS
opt. StabiliTrak
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| Airbags: |
2 (front) + 2 (side)
+ opt. 2 ( rear side)
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| Gas Mileage: |
18/26 mpg
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| Price: |
$ 40,000 to $ 48,000 |
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