Cadillac STS test drive since 2007 sedan

All photos of Cadillac STS since 2007

The hope of the opposition

The premium segment, where everyone used to speak exclusively in Aryan and let each other's blue blood, is definitely a shake. Lexus and Jaguar have already given a strong kick under the ass of smug Germans, one of the most dazzling, most intriguing brands is ready to follow them.

The arrogant Europeans are proud of their history, but the glamorous Cadillac has a story no less impressive, exciting and really enchanting. After all, he was a universally recognized number alone in that golden era when cars had a soul and did not know the boundaries. What to say there is a convertible Eldorado Birritz 1959 of the model year with its incomparable tail keels and a 345-horsepower V8 is generally considered a symbol of automotive freedom. For reference: European stamps at that time did not bloom, but powered existence.

No need to discard Cadillac from accounts today. This is by no means covered with a web from a dusty basement, it is an ambitious and rapidly progressive flagship department of a huge corporation, behind which there is a powerful engineering and scientific and technical resource. The brand development strategy is impressive: the thirst for leadership in the native American market has led Cadillac today to capricious and demanding Europe. Here, the American aristocrat will gain individuality and look for the keys to perfection, entering into direct contact with the invincible competitors at first glance. No wonder they say: to become strong, you need to fight with an opponent who is stronger than you.

The process is already going on. And, as usual, it does not go quite smoothly. Not everything turns out. The new branded style of Art & Science (art and science), whose authorship belongs to Kipu Vasenko, for all its expressive technocracy does not always fall well on the body: in places the cars look rude, in some places they are overloaded with unnecessary details, in many angles they suffer from insufficient visual balance. Experienced stylists from the outside could solve the problem, but the Americans are in no hurry to turn to their services. Although the experience of working together is the case, the design of the ALLANTE convertible (1987-93) was created by the masters of the studio Pininfarina; In Italy, the car was produced.

For an example, you don’t have to go far for a new STS. A car of imperial scope and monumental appearance. In advertising booklets, he is persistently demonstrated in two quarters, in the most advantageous perspective. But in the STS profile surprises with a huge wheelbase, an unexpectedly high boarding body and a short trunk. In practice, the almost three -meter distance between the axes does not bring any dividends: from the point of view of the rear passengers, STS is hardly more spacious than the youngest CTS model. A box front bumper and a backbone do not paint the car, with exorbitant generosity dotted with reflective and reflective elements, which lubricate the effect of lamps with vertical chains of LEDs. But polished discs for 18 inches in any situation look stunning.

In general, there are roughnesses with styling, but this is hardly the main problem. The Americans, for some reason, decided that the drift of the general ideology of the brand towards sports should be accompanied by a radical simplification of the interior decoration. It is curious who told them that laconicism is synonymous with asceticism? Let the design be strict, but only inserts from natural eucalyptus are related to luxury attributes here. The rest is banal skin and depressing plastic. There is very little chromium, which, with reasonable use, can become a quality decor tool, to give elegant solidity to any interior. In his absence, black slippery plastic obviously dominates, sticking out all kinds of underfield, for example, a muddy climate control display. Or a dashboard extreme in its modesty. I'm not talking about naive buttons with stops for fingers. Yes, Koreans would have done better! GM marketers are satisfied that they managed to keep the prices for STS at $ 66,000. In my opinion, if this figure jumped five thousand, and with it the quality of the interior decoration at least to the level of Kraisler's 300C, everyone would only be better. However, there is another option by buying STS, spend the indicated amount on the restyling of the interior in one of the decent studio. What is not a way out?

Are you ready to put a cross on a big cadillac? Take your time. Because then hard high-tech begins. If desired, STS can be equipped with an active cruise control of the ACS, capable of maintaining a distance to the car walking in front, if necessary, dropping or gaining speed. Included with it is a projection HUD display, displaying information about the parameters of movement on the windshield at the eye level of the driver in four -color mode. The electronic key key allows the car to recognize the owner at a distance of up to 60 meters, providing him with the opportunity to start the engine from such a distance and activate individual settings. And these settings include not only the positions of the chair, the steering column and mirrors, but also the settings of the BOSE audio system and the climatic installation. The salon can be trimmed with high -grade Tuscany leather with heated all seats and ventilation of the front.

The 32-valve Northstar V8 engine with the gas distribution phase adjustment system accelerates a heavy sedan to a hundred to a few seconds more slowly than Impreza WRX STI does. It is placed on six supports, which is designed to help the power unit easier to endure alternating loads with active driving. It sounds promising! In practice, the motor turned out to be very responsive, briskly promoting to high revolutions and infinitely elastic. His union with a full -wheel drive transmission and a five -speed gearbox is absolutely harmonious. The machine is also not simple: this is the same Hydra-Matic 5L50, which BMW buys from GM for installation on its X5. He also has a sports regime with the PAL (Performance Algorithm Liftfoot) function, which holds the transmission in a bend to ensure maximum acceleration at the exit from it, and the sequential Drive Shift Control mode. The sports regime was implemented first -class, making the car light and energetic.

I would like to note the magnificent setting of the exhaust system: the engine is always audible, and the emotional coloring of its dense sound directly depends on the revolutions, moving on the uterine grunt to the characteristic groaning fish of the attacking eight. At the same time, the level of extraneous noise penetrating into the salon of noise insulation Americans worked especially carefully, using a number of advanced technologies such as Quiet Steel (double steel partitions).

A full -wheel drive transmission with the distribution of torque is 40:60 in favor of the wheel of the rear axle will bring special benefits in winter, increasing the dynamics of the machine and its stability. It will come in handy in rainy weather. If anything, the STABILITRAK dynamic stabilization system, an analogue of the well -known ESP, will come to the aid at any time. But the work of the unique active suspension MRC (Magnetic Ride Control) is best felt on dry asphalt. Its single -pipe shock absorbers are filled with a magnetoreological fluid containing microscopic particles of metal, and are controlled by electronics that changes their rigidity depending on the condition of the coating with a frequency of up to a thousand beats per second. The suspension has two modes of comfortable Touring and sports Performance. I vote for Touring: even in this, it would seem, mild mode MRC transfers in sufficient detail the road relief to the body and the steering wheel. And controllability in comparison with Performance does not deteriorate.

Cadillac STS will steer pleasantly, and this term will be perhaps the most correct. The car is beautifully included in turns and beautifully comes out of them without demolition, rolls and other absurdities. In other words, it does not burden with its impressive mass. True, there is no talk of special sports: the low sensitivity of the steering and weak reactive effort in the near -Bealing zone is affecting the steering wheel now and then you have to return it to this very zero. But any compartment will envy the brake mechanisms with a short pedal and a dead grip. Not bad! However, this is a logical result of long tests on the German highway Nyurgurgring.

What is the truth of a big cadillac? The fact that he managed to confirm his high status. The product of sophisticated engineering, STS turned out to be completely wealthy in road disciplines, its design in the spirit of an invisible fighter-117a nighthawk is truly inimitable. But the approach to interior design requires an operational and radical review. In any case, STS is unlikely to be able to revive the former splendor of the brand right here and now. However, Cadillac took another right step towards his reincarnation. Interest in Brand flares up with renewed vigor.

Autography
Cadillac STS 4
The predecessor of Seville (1997)
Cadillac CTS platform
Premiere April 2004
Body sedan
Engines 3.6-4.6 l (255-320 l.
US production, Russia
Expected replacement 2011/12

The car was provided by the company -eumticifier, the official dealer of General Motors
During the test, the car is insured by Rosno.

Text: Leonid Klyuyev
Photo: Roman Ostanin