Cadillac DeVille

Cadillac DeVille Models

The Cadillac DeVille is offered in three distinct models: base DeVille, DeVille High-Luxury Sedan, or DHS, and the DeVille Touring Sedan, or DTS. Each vehicle has its own character and features.

Of the three, the standard DeVille fells like the traditional Cadillac DeVille, balancing luxury and value.

DHS and DTS depart from Cadillac's old ways. They share many features, but as their names imply, one stresses luxury while the other highlights a sportier driving experience.

Both the base-level car and DHS come with a full bench front seat for six-passenger capacity, while the DTS has bucket front seats. The DeVille uses Cadillac's traditional digital instrumentation, while the DHS and DTS get the analog (dial) instruments that are sometimes preferred by enthusiast drivers.

Even the "Nuance" leather on DHS and DTS models is designed differently to match the tastes of different buyers: Where the DHS has elegant gathered leather upholstery, the DTS has stretched perforated skins for a sporty look. Yet both offer a very supple fit and feel.

Driving the Cadillac DeVille

The Cadillac DeVille DTS model's suspension filters out vibration and bumps, but it feels much firmer than Cadillacs of yore. That's good because the DeVille doesn't float around like those older machines, which could sometimes induce nausea in rear-seat passengers. Though not as firm as a BMW 5 Series, the DeVille's suspension settings provide a well-controlled ride. Bumps are felt, but muffled to comfortable levels. Go around a fast, sweeping turn and potholes and bumps won't upset the suspension, a benefit of the DeVille's highly rigid chassis. This makes the DeVille safer and more comfortable to drive in tight quarters, which is important in the big city where you're often surrounded by big trucks and aggressive cab drivers.

Aluminum suspension components reduce unsprung weight (the weight that moves with each wheel as it reacts to the road variations), so the springs don't have to be as stiff to keep the wheels in firm contact with the road. This translates into more comfort on the highway without having to sacrifice handling. The highway ride is as supple as you would expect of a Cadillac. Yet, the new DeVille does not feel like the proverbial boat once associated with big American cars. It's smooth and stable at high speeds. The steering is precise and direct, so the car always goes where intended without having to think about it.

I was thinking about all this while heading out onto a rural road. I accelerated out of a sweeping turn, noticing the well-controlled steering, thinking that the DeVille should be able to hang onto the rear bumper of a BMW 5 Series. All those thoughts evaporated when I noticed way up ahead a state trooper standing next to his car pointing a radar gun at me. I jammed on the brakes. The ABS kicked in, preventing wheel lockup, so all the trooper noticed was a little nose dive as the DeVille quickly moved into compliance of the law. Braking was sure, stable and effective, with nice firm pedal feel. Completely redesigned last year, the system combines large four-wheel disc brakes with a small, lightweight anti-lock system. An electronic brake distribution system helps reduce stopping distances by distributing the braking force front to rear for optimum performance. In normal, everyday, around-town applications, the brake pedal feels smooth and progressive, making it easy to slow the car down smoothly.

The DTS has lots of power and growls under hard acceleration. The DeVille comes with the superb Northstar V8 engine, which develops 275 horsepower in the standard DeVille and 300 horsepower for the DHS and DTS.

What really impressed me was the calibration of the transmission and the way it communicates with the engine. Press the throttle to the floor and instead of accelerating in fourth gear, then violently downshifting to second the way many transmissions do, the DeVille shifts immediately but smoothly to third for smooth, quick acceleration that accomplishes your objective of gaining a position in traffic without upsetting your passengers, or piece of mind. Slam the throttle to the floor, however, and the DeVille smartly shifts to second, the Northstar engine growls to life and the car rockets ahead. In case you're wondering, the DeVille's electronically controlled 4T80-E four-speed automatic transmission uses a viscous converter clutch for maximum smoothness with fuel efficiency. It's a great drivetrain.

Electronics help the driver control the DeVille in emergency maneuvers. Cadillac's StabiliTrak 2.0 skid-control system makes it virtually impossible to get the DeVille to go out of control. We say virtually because nothing can save you if you break the laws of physics. However, we reached some very high thresholds in the DeVille without breaking nature's law. On a closed circuit, we were able to steer into a turn very abruptly, trying to spin the car out. In situations that would have caused most vehicles to pirouette into the weeds, the StabiliTrak-equipped Cadillac DeVille stayed the course. StabiliTrak's computer lightly applies the brakes to individual wheels to keep the DeVille in control. This type of system can be a godsend when surprised on strange roads or caught out in emergency traffic situations.

The DTS adds the Continuously Variable Road-Sensing Suspension (CVRSS 2.0), with transient roll control, lateral support and enhanced stability, which adjusts shock-absorber damping every few milliseconds, providing optimum ride and handling. This enhances comfort by soaking up road irregularities and isolates passengers from the outside elements.

Also available is Cadillac's Night Vision infrared system ($2250). Based on military systems used during the Vietnam and Pursian Gulf conflicts, Night Vision makes it easy to see wild animals, pedestrians, and objects at night. The system allows the drive to see critters way down the road, far past the reach of the headlights. In theory, Night Vision can greatly enhance safety. Here's how Night Vision works: An infrared camera mounted in the center of the grille transmits an image about the size of a rear-view mirror onto the lower portion of the windshield. (It's sort of like the heads-up display used in fighter aircraft.) The image position is adjustable; it can be raised or lowered and the intensity can be changed.

It takes a little adjustment to get used to seeing the Night Vision image projected in the lower area of the windshield. It can be glanced at, sort of like the way you glance at a rear view mirror, glancing at it often to see whether the path was clear. It can add a bit of security by being able to see perpetrators lurking in the bushes, thinking they're out of your vision. But the system can also be a bit distracting. You don't want to try to drive by strictly watching the night vision screen, which is sort of like driving through a television monitor. This is a promising technology, but you should take a good look at it to determine whether it's worth the extra bucks.