Cadillac's Sporty STS

The new STS is more than just an alternative to BMW or Lexus. It's a great car in its own right—with a purely American attitude

by Thane Peterson

Editor's Rating:

The Good: Sweet looks, available all-wheel drive, new V-6 engine

The Bad: Cramped rear seats, less-crisp handling than BMW and Lexus

The Bottom Line: Cadillac's sporty STS just got bolder and better

Reader Reviews

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Up Front

One of the pivotal moments in the recent history of General Motors (GM) was the day back in 2001 when Chief Executive G. Richard Wagoner Jr. started looking around for the auto industry's next Robert Lutz to help infuse his company's products with more pizzazz. Wagoner famously decided that product czar Lutz, then in his late 60s, was himself the next Bob Lutz, and he hired the legendary former Chrysler executive as GM's vice-chairman. The Swiss-born Lutz, now 75, immediately started pushing GM to make more cars in the "I've gotta have it" mold.

Lutz's record at GM has been mixed. Some models he championed, such as the revived Pontiac GTO, have flopped. But when it comes to Cadillac, he has worked wonders. You can see his love of European workmanship, bold design touches, and sumptuous interiors all over the new Cadillac STS, which got a significant freshening up for the '08 model year. Quality also has dramatically improved: Cadillac ranked third in the latest J.D. Power & Associates Vehicle Dependability Study, announced Aug. 9, behind Lexus (TM) and Buick.

I was a fan of the previous STS, in which Lutz also had a big hand, but the '08 is significantly better.

For starters, the '08 STS is the first GM model offered with the company's efficient new 3.6-liter, V-6, direct-injection engine. The new engine, which is coupled with a six-speed automatic transmission, generates 302 horsepower—47 more hp than the V-6 in the previous STS and only 18 horses less than the optional 4.6-liter Northstar V-8, the only other engine choice in the STS.

The new V-6 is a marvelous engine. It uses regular gasoline, for instance, while GM's V-8 and most of the engines in competing models require expensive premium. That's about a 10%-per-gallon savings. The V-6-powered STS also gets decent gas mileage for a big luxury car. It's rated at 17 miles per gallon in the city and 26 mpg on the highway. In a stretch of 574 miles of mainly highway driving, I got 21.4 mpg.

An added benefit: The company says that direct injection—in which gasoline is pumped directly into the cylinders, rather than higher up near the valves—will reduce hydrocarbon emissions by 25%.

Yet the V-6-powered version of the 2008 STS starts at just $43,135, vs. $52,555 for the V-8 version. That's a savings of more than nine grand for giving up 18 horsepower! Gee, that's a tough decision.

Like its European and Japanese rivals, the STS comes with tons of standard equipment at those prices. For instance, standard safety gear includes stability and traction control; front, side, and side-curtain airbags; rear parking assist; antilock brakes with braking assist; and OnStar telematics.

GM also has done a number of things to make the V-6-powered version of the STS more appealing. For instance, it's now available with optional all-wheel drive ($1,900), and with a cool heads-up display that projects instrument and navigation system readings onto the windscreen so they seem to hover out over the hood in front of the driver. The luxury packages available on the V-6 STS include the new $6,500 Platinum Edition package with Tuscany leather seats, olive and ash burl-wood trim, and extra saddle leather on the doors, dash, and center console.