2005 Cadillac STS

We tried to unsettle the STS with hard braking and found instead rock steady stopping capability. Likewise, we tried to get the back end of the AWD model to breakaway, and were unable to shake it, even on slick pavement, reaching speeds that were over the limit for everyday driving.

To compete on equal footing with German sport sedans often complemented for their handling, Cadillac has extensively reworked the STS’s suspension. The fully independent configuration uses an unequal length control arm and coil-over-shock setup in the front with a multi-link design employing coil springs out back. Anti-roll bars add cornering stiffness at both ends, while Magnetic Ride Control offers lightning fast electronic damper adjustment in either touring or performance modes. Thanks to this system, the suspension can re-adjust up to one thousand times per second according to road conditions. Cadillac is clearly intent on perfecting its handling.

Cadillac STS V8 are available with Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), a system that maintains prudent distances behind others via radar. When the system cannot adequately adjust vehicle speed to keep the proper following distance, like during emergency braking, it alerts the driver both audibly and visually through the Head-Up Display (HUD). The HUD, another option on the V8 model, projects vital information on the windshield for the driver to read. Cadillac reminds customers, however, that ACC does not substitute for the driver’s attention to traffic.