From the Archive: 1998 Cadillac Seville Touring Sedan Aims Overseas

Hey, Euro stars, that's a Caddy in your rearview mirror. View PhotosJim Frenak|Car and DriverFrom the December 1997 issue of Car and Driver. Until now, Cadillacs and serious imported sedans had about as much in common as Snoop Doggy Dogg and the Vienna String Quartet. As in mutually exclusive. As in fat-daddy Caddys and hypersonic Bimmers, Mercs, and the zoomy new Lexus GS400s. Never the twain shall meet. Unless, of course, you bolt yourself inside a 1998 Cadillac STS and aim it toward Stuttgart on the E4 Autobahn. For the first time, and following much tiresome posturing, General Motors has created a serious, internationally adept luxury car. This time, Cadillac isn't kidding. What it recently offered up at the Frankfurt and Tokyo auto shows is a machine that is intended to invade the turf of elite four-doors everywhere, ultimately raising export sales in 40 countries to about 20 percent of production (up from five percent today). Moreover, Cadillac will build right-hand-drive models for Japan and other Far East markets. Most of these export models will be "five-meter" shorty versions (196.5 inches long) sans 5-mph bumpers, much as Chrysler is doing with its new Eagle Vision. (The domestic Seville is a still-compact 201.0 inches overall.) All of this comes on yet another iteration of the notably rigid General Motors G-platform that forms the basis for the Olds Aurora and the Buick Riviera—and is widely acclaimed as the stiffest, best-designed GM structure in history. See all results for used 1998 Cadillac Seville for sale near 31225 In the engine bay of the STS is the world-class 300-horsepower, 4.6-liter DOHC Northstar V-8 (the kinder, gentler SLS offers a 275-hp version) that generates lusty performance throughout the range (0 to 60 mph in 6.7 seconds, the quarter-mile in 15.2 seconds at 93 mph, and a top speed governed at 130 mph, or an estimated 150 mph if you opt for Z-rated tires). But it is a plethora of microprocessors that help propel the STS to new levels. In addition to standard goodies like anti-lock brakes, the Seville offers such esoterica as "performance algorithm shifting," a superb stability-enhancement system (StabiliTrak), Magnasteer variable-assist power steering, and a road-sensing electronic suspension. The shift algorithm was developed by a young engineer from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute named Ed Lansinger. It couples GM's silky 4T80-E four-speed automatic with sophisticated accelerometers that analyze braking and cornering force and then automatically select the proper gear for max acceleration out of a corner. It is an interesting and unobtrusive system that the average Caddy driver may never be aware of, which is probably the way it ought to be. Also offered as an option is something called adaptive seating: 10 air cells in the seat cushions and back that adjust themselves automatically every four minutes to maximize comfort for the gluteus maximus and other body parts. See all results for used 1998 Cadillac Seville for sale near 31225 The STS exudes considerable attention to detail, as opposed to the slavish application of effluvia that has cursed many previous Cadillacs. From the capacious glove box to the umbrella storage compartment under the front passenger's seat to the neatly designed shoulder harnesses mounted on the front seatbacks to the front-door side airbags, the STS is the result of intense product planning. To amplify the point, the Japanese versions, with right-hand drive, will offer on-board navigation systems, the current rage in Tokyo, and cloth seats, which are favored over leather in that market. The rear-seat bench has been raised slightly, as has the roof (by 1.7 inches), to offer comfort for two passengers and an occasional third. Like most contemporary sedans in this class, the STS is a four-passenger car, regardless of what the salesperson tells you. The STS interior, complete with the traditional dollops of zebrano wood, is commodious in an understated fashion. Highlights include the ear-popping 425-watt, eight-speaker Bose sound system and the Lexus-inspired, backlit, analog-gauge instrument panel. A "lowlight" is a 12-volt outlet that is hidden in the transmission tunnel, apparently in a politically correct attempt to discourage smokers while angering radar-detector loyalists. Outside, the STS is so derivative of the old version (despite its 1.2-inch-longer wheelbase and nearly two-inch-wider track) that only hard-core Caddy loyalists and committed car geeks will be able to identify the new model. As with the new Corvette, GM opted for a sacrifice bunt rather than a home run when restyling the Seville, which, as Yul Brynner said in The King and I, is a "puzzlement." But make no mistake—the STS ought to acquit itself nicely in the great Autobahn Grand Prix. Although feeling bulkier than the current king of the European four-lanes, the BMW 5-series, the Cadillac's flat, neutral cornering, excellent drivetrain, and superb

From the Archive: 1998 Cadillac Seville Touring Sedan Aims Overseas

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