2005 Cadillac STS Test Drive

A Reason to Buy American

Spend five minutes in the 2005 STS and you'll know why Cadillac is bouncing back.

Should You Buy This Car?

For those drivers who longed to buy an American car but felt the U.S. offerings were no match for German and Japanese luxury cars, the Cadillac STS at least deserves a look and a test drive. The STS does a good job of straddling the line between big, brash and comfy American cars and the fine engineering and precise detailing of European and Asian luxury brands. Yet GM hasn't scored a perfect ten on all counts. The Cadillac's interior doesn't have the same elegance as that in a Lexus LS 430 or new Acura RL.

The Cadillac is less a driver's car than European cars like the BMW 5 and 7 series, but that isn't all bad. Even with all its luxury appointments and its new-generation keyless ignition, someone can hop into a Cadillac for the first time and drive it away without first suffering through a 45- minute training session on how to start the car or operate the defroster. There's nothing on the Cadillac that's nearly as confusing as the BMW iDrive system.

American competition? The rear-wheel-drive Lincoln Town Car undercuts the STS by $10,000 to $15,000 on its sticker and is also heavily discounted. But the Lincoln is of a previous age in automotive engineering. Chrysler's new rear-/all-wheel-drive 300C with its wonderfully wicked Hemi engine, is a much better match for the Cadillac. While the new Chrysler can't quite match the STS on every feature or luxury appointment, its sticker tops out at $39,000.

Perhaps the biggest shortcoming of the STS is its $58,000 price tag. The car has been on the market only a few months, so it is too early to say whether it is a sales success. Given that most GM vehicles are sold with big cash incentives, it might have been better if Cadillac had launched the car with more aggressive pricing.