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Cadillac STS dazzles as deluxe rear-wheel-drive touring car
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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MILFORD, Mich. -- Prototypes of STS, edgy new performance cars for Cadillac, line an asphalt lot at the Milford Proving Ground, vast automotive test facility for General Motors near Detroit.
These latest Cadillacs, sleek and stylish in bold design featuring angular forms and crisp edgework, pack a powerful V6 or V8 engine and mount exacting mechanical hardware on a rigid rear-wheel-drive (RWD) platform to produce world-class performance and handling traits.
Destined as the centerpiece for Cadillac's 2005 line, new STS marks the next evolutionary step for GM's elite luxury line in a multi-year procession to match the brand with its long-standing motto, "The standard to the world."
For at least the first half of Cadillac's 102-year history, this automaker led the world in automotive style and innovation. During that era, the brand's image topped all others and the word "Cadillac" signified the best.
Today, Cadillac is in the middle of a ten-year plan to return to that favored position, as a string of new products emerge, such as the XLR two-seat convertible sports car, SRX mid-size crossover wagon and CTS (Cadillac Touring Sedan) plus a souped up CTSv high-performance issue.
The sporty STS version of Cadillac's venerable Seville sedan fades with the 2005 line but the name carries forward to describe the new luxury touring sedan, which rides on the RWD Sigma platform which also underpins CTS and SRX.
There are two essential versions, as defined by the V6 or V8 powertrain.
We spend time in each at Milford and find that the STS V6 price leader amounts to a significant car with plenty of power and sporty handling characteristics, while the STS V8 runs head-to-head against elite touring sedans from Europe and Japan.
Styling for STS looks keen and distinctive with taut lines that conform to the appearance of CTS.
The aggressive face features a prominent horizontal louver panel with wire-mesh airfoil grille and piercing optics from round projector-type headlamps that resemble camera lenses mounted vertically on corners above square-stacked foglamps and parking lights.
Flanks are flat, tipping slightly inward below knife-edge shoulders with fenders flaring only minutely around big wheelwells. The wheels stand near front and rear corners, leaving curt overhangs on prow and tail.
Roofline remains low, canting down in front in line with the windshield and culminating at broad sail panels in back before the brief but flat trunk deck.
Tail treatment for STS shows a slick slab bumper in monochrome flanked by tall vertical light-emitting diode (LED) taillamps, a Cadillac hallmark, with twin round pipes in chrome protruding below the bumper.
The low roof and squatty stance of STS work to camouflage the big-ness of this car. It actually stretches for 16 feet from one bumper to the other and spreads more than six feet across the beam. And the wheelbase, nearly ten feet long, rivals many full-size sedans.
Suspension elements -- with short/long-arm arrangement in front and a multi-link rear isolated by sub-frame -- consist of lightweight aluminum to reduce the vehicle's unsprung mass, which makes it stick better on the road and glide more uniformly over bumps.
Steering, through a rack and pinion device, feels dead-on precise and quick.
A premium ZF Servotronic II speed-sensitive steering gear with 18.2:1 variable ratio and speed-sensitive variable assist is optional.
Actually, Cadillac makes STS a showcase of technology.
There are electronic sensors aboard to modulate body movements, brakes and vehicle dynamics. These sensors -- measuring wheel and steering positions, even powertrain output -- link to microprocessors that check and control hardware like optional Magnetic Ride Control (MRC) continuously variable road sensing suspension, or the anti-lock brake system (ABS), panic brake assist (PBA), traction control system (TCS) and standard StabiliTrak yaw control.
The RWD architecture works exclusively for STS V6, although for the V8 variation there's on-demand all-wheel-drive (AWD) equipment available.
The AWD system comes from Cadillac's SRX SUV, as do both of the powertrains.
STS V6 employs GM's 3.6-liter aluminum V6 with dual overhead cams (DOHC), electronic throttle control (ETC) and variable valve timing (VVT) to generate 255 hp at 6500 rpm and 252 lb-ft of torque at 3200 rpm.
Cadillac's NorthStar 4.6-liter V8 carries a four-cam VVT.
It develops 320 hp at 6400 rpm plus torque of 315 lb-ft at 4400 rpm.
Both engines team with RWD-oriented five-speed Hydra-Matic automatic transmissions that add a gated shifter with Driver Shift Control (DSC) for shift-it-yourself action like a manual stick.
Extensive safety measures apply, including air bags surrounding front-seat riders and stretching like curtains in concealment above front and rear side windows.
The passenger compartment, spacious quarters with seats for five including form-fitting front buckets, piles on luxury gear with soft leather upholstery and eucalyptus hardwood trim plus bright touches of aluminum and satin-finish chrome.
Contents range from power controls for windows and door locks to a keyless access system with push-button starter, adaptive cruise control (ACC), a Bose audio system with CD player and a re-configurable head-up display (HUD) in color projecting onto the windshield digital data such as the vehicle's speed and engine speed, clock time and functions of the audio equipment.
With the keyless ignition system, the STS driver totes an electronic fob that automatically unlocks doors and ignition button wirelessly. To fire the engine, simply depress the Start button on the dash panel.
Options are extensive but cluster in special packages.
The popular equipment package brings memory controls for seats, Rainsense automatic wipers, a six-disc CD/DVD/MP3 deck plus XM satellite radio service, and a luxury package adds ventilated seats, heat for rear seats and steering wheel, the Servotronic steering gear, performance brakes, a sunroof and Bose 5.1 navigation system with eight-inch dashboard touch screen and voice recognition, as well as OnStar telecommunications.
Base price begins at $40,995 for STS V6 or $47,495 for STS V8.
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| Vehicle Specifications: |
| 2005 CADILLAC STS Specs |
| Description: |
Mid-size touring sedan |
| Model Options: |
Mid-size touring sedan |
| Trim Options: |
STS V6: Standard, Popular Equipment, Luxury STS V8: Standard, Popular Equipment, Luxury, Sport |
| Wheelbase: |
116.4 inches |
| Overall Length: |
196.3 inches |
| Engine Size: |
DOHC 3.6-L V6 VVT, DOHC 4.6-L V8 VVT |
| Transmission: |
V6: Auto/5/DSC 5L40-E, V6: Auto/5/DSC 5L50-E |
| Drive: |
V6: RWD, V8: RWD, AWD |
| Braking: |
Power 4-disc, ABS/PBA/TCS/StabiliTrak/TPMS |
| Airbags: |
2 (front), 2 (side), 4 (side curtain) |
| Price: |
STS V6: $ 40,995, STS V8: $ 47,495 |
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