Cadillac STS: the lowdown
A new in-yer-face grille will let neighbours know who’s driving a 2008 Cadillac STS. GM’s luxury barge is bigger than ever, and a restyle gives it a confident American look, sharing elements with the flagship Escalade SUV. The multi-faceted grille was first seen on the Sixteen concept, and incorporated onto both Escalade and the 2008 CTS. The Sixteen’s side air extractors also appear on the STS, too. The STS will be available with a new cleaner direct-injection V6 when it goes on sale in the summer; it’s the first GM vehicle to be equipped with the new 3.6-litre direct-injection V6 delivering 298hp and 268lb ft, and this will be the first V6 mated to a Hydra-matic six-speed auto. The pairing promises to cut cold-start hydrocarbons by a quarter, while improving fuel consumption by 15 percent. Neat.
Ok, but will it drive better than the current STS?
A new performance handling package will be available for V8 RWD and 4WD models, and rear-drive V6s. This includes 18in chrome-plated wheels with summer-only tyres. Brembo brakes with four-piston calipers provide enhanced braking, too. StabiliTrak is standard on V8 models and it now combines active front steering to turn the front wheels into a skid when the rear wheels lose traction. One great new gadget is optional radar-based blind-spot alert. Not so great is lane-departure warning, which has proved extremely annoying on other vehicles. The STS lands in the UK in right-hand drive form at the end of 2007.