2005 Cadillac STS Luxury Car Reviews & Ratings

The interior of the new STS is much more welcoming than the exterior, with soft leather surfaces complemented by warm wood accents. Those wood accents are not standard, but we much prefer them over the standard brushed aluminum trim, which looks and feels cold and reflects sunlight to the point of annoyance. Get the wood.

Seats are refreshingly supportive, for a Cadillac, without being overly firm. Arm rests and head restraints are a degree or two softer than the cushions and side bolsters, boosting the comfort factor a couple notches. All essential controls are within easy reach, although there could be more clearance between the lower door panels and seat bottom to access the front seat adjusters. For this reason, we were especially grateful for the seat memory feature, which often saved us from having to reach down there. The interior is roomy, fitting in between the marginally smaller CTS and externally larger 2003 Seville.

Instruments are easily scanned, white-on-black round analogs, with a large nested tachometer and speedometer between the smaller fuel and engine temperature gauges. The speedometer changes between English and metric electronically, so there's only one set of numbers around its circumference. Cruise control and running lights are managed via a stalk on the left side of the steering column, windshield wipers and washers with a stalk on the right. Buttons in the steering wheel spokes provide redundant controls for audio and driver information functions. A word of caution: the top-level stereo system, although delivering superb surround sound, is multi-tasked with a navigation system that, in combination, demands an extensive study of the owner's manual to operate with any degree of alacrity and confidence.

All four doors boast map pockets. The front center console is deep and wide and pre-wired for cellular and Bluetooth (to wirelessly tie the cell phone into the car's audio system allowing hand-free operation). The glove box, though, is barely sufficient to hold the navigation DVD case and owner's manual. Two cup holders are provided front and rear. The trunk is fully lined, with articulated, gas-pressurized struts.

Fit and finish are top grade, with notably tight interior trim tolerances. Careful attention was paid to reducing noise, vibration and harshness, with remarkable and commendable success. Specially laminated windshield and front door glass, wind tunnel-tuned outside mirrors and high-density/low-mass sound-deadening padding combine to deliver the quietest interior Cadillac's delivered in memory.

It's sometimes said patience is its own reward. For those who've been waiting, lo these many years for Cadillac to deliver on the promise of the original STS, this has been small comfort. Now, however, the time has come. At last, the STS is everything it should have been from its inception, and more.

The 3.6-liter engine generates 255 horsepower, while the V8 produces 320 horsepower. The V6 does a more than adequate job of moving its 3,857-pound burden down the road. While the accompanying mechanical chorus from the V6 isn't as robust or viscerally satisfying as that from the V8, it's nothing to be ashamed of either.

The sportiest setup is the V8 with the optional performance handling package ($795). Nudging the shift lever over to the right, into the manu-matic gate where the selected gear will hold all the way up to redline, and thoughtfully alternating between the accelerator and brake pedal allow frolicing at extremes heretofore beyond the reach of sedans wearing the wreath and crest. Cadillac's suspension engineers have finally learned the difference between stiff and firm. Thankfully, all the sound filtering and deadening doesn't keep the V8's throaty exhaust note out of the cabin. Who needs a stereo with these tones to enjoy?

Then again, the all wheel-drive packaged with the Magnetic Ride Control supplementing the latest generation Stabilitrak is hard to top, though it adds some weight and isn't available with the handling package. Still, body lean in even the tightest switchbacks is almost non-existent, and mild whoop-de-doos barely give occupants' stomach a flip. Biasing 60 percent of the power to the rear wheels gives the all-wheel-drive STS the sporty dynamics of rear-wheel drive while sending enough power to the front wheels to pull the car through and out of corners with sureness and confidence.

The electronic steering is a delight, with the only shortcoming a slight softness on center. The car tracks well through corners, and turn-in is crisp, especially with the 18-inch, low-profile tires. The brakes are up to the car's potential, with a firm pedal and a feel that's more linear than not. Cadillac has ratcheted the Stabilitrak back a smidgen from its earlier aggressiveness, and it now waits a bit longer before stepping in. And when it does, it does so less abruptly, too.

The 3.6-liter V6 and the 4.6-liter V8 are GM's latest engines with double overhead cams, four valves per cylinder and variable-valve timing, or VVT. This latter system continuously varies valve operation to generate the most power from the least amount of fuel with the lowest emissions possible. Torque is what American drivers really use; torque is what gets a car moving in the first place, like when merging onto a freeway or passing on a two-lane. Recognizing that, Cadillac engineers designed the STS engines to generate lots of torque throughout the rev range for responsive performance at all engine speeds. The V6 gets a dual-stage intake manifold that makes available 90 percent of the engine's 252 pound-feet of torque from 1900 to 5800 rpm. The V8 uses electronic throttle, or drive-by-wire, to match the engine's performance to a variety of driver demands, from sedate interstate cruising to rambunctious backroad motoring. The V8 generates 315 pound-feet of torque at 4400 rpm.

The 2005 Cadillac STS is a five-passenger sedan with a choice of engines, a V6 and a V8. Each gets its own, appropriately calibrated, five-speed automatic transmission. Rear-wheel drive is standard, while all-wheel drive is available on the V8.

Both packages start with a respectable showing of features expected on today's luxury cars: leather trim, dual-zone automatic climate control, Bose AM/FM/CD stereo, the usual lineup of power creature comforts and driver aids, OnStar telematics (with one year's service), Stabilitrak electronic stability control, automatic headlamp high-beam control, and rear park assist.

The popular option package for the V6 includes dual, eight-way power and heated front seats, a six-disc CD changer, rain-sensing wipers, polished aluminum wheels and memory for driver's seat, outside mirrors and steering wheel settings ($2,390); offered as an add-on to this package are satellite radio, programmable garage door opener and eucalyptus wood interior trim ($730). A more elaborate package adds heated rear seats, six-disc CD changer with navigation system, satellite radio (with three months' trial service), wood/leather trimmed steering wheel, power moon roof, rear spoiler, polished aluminum wheels, performance brakes, limited-slip rear differential, tire-pressure monitor and variable assist steering ($6,205); a heavy-duty cooling package ($150) can be added to this. Standalone options include a power moonroof ($1,200) and an engine-block heater ($100). Two of the nine exterior paints, Line Red and Diamond White, cost extra ($995).

Checking the first option box on the V8 order form gets the top-level stereo and navigation system, the satellite radio, high-intensity discharge headlamps with washers, Cadillac's Magnetic Ride Control suspension, the wood/leather steering wheel, moon roof, tire-pressure monitor, a rear spoiler, polished aluminum wheels, rain-sensing wipers, performance brakes and limited-slip differential ($11,065). The second box adds unique aluminum wheels, Tuscany leather seating surfaces, heavy-duty cooling system, variable assist steering and W-rated Michelin tires ($2,050). All-wheel drive can be added only to this latter package ($1,900), while adaptive cruise control is available with either or both ($2,300). A Performance Handling Package ($795) with special springs and shocks is available with rear-wheel drive but not all-wheel drive. The moonroof, engine block heater and extra-cost paints are also available on the V8.

A full spectrum of occupant safety features is standard, including dual, two-stage frontal airbags, front seat-mounted side airbags and front-and-rear side curtain airbags. Four-wheel anti-lock brakes are standard, too, though tire-pressure monitors are available only with the two noted option packages.