Cadillac DeVille reviews

1997 Cadillac DeVille Walkaround

This is Cadillac's last refuge for American luxury traditionalists. It's the second-largest production car sold in this country, trailing only Lincoln's Town Car in the dimensional derby.

The front-drive platform has a 113.8-inch wheelbase, overall length is 209.7 inches--almost 17.5 feet--and the curb weight is north of the two-ton frontier.

That's pretty significant bulk, but it moves along smartly, thanks to the sophisticated power of its 4.6-liter V8 engine and excellent four-speed automatic transmission, two elements in the integrated powertrain that Cadillac calls the Northstar system.

It also includes traction control on the standard DeVille and d'Elegance models. But the real wizardry lies in Cadillac's Integrated Chassis Control System (ICCS). The latest ICCS element is called StabiliTrak and it provides an exceptional level of control when driving conditions become something other than ideal--rain, slush, ice, loose sand, you name it.

Before StabiliTrak, ICCS correlated traction control, shock absorber damping rates, antilock brake functions and road surface sensors, to enhance ABS performance. StabiliTrak adds yaw control to the equation, and it's a first in a front-drive car. Yaw is engineerese for any deviation from straight ahead, and the StabiliTrak system incoporates a sensor that detects such deviations, communicating the information, including the magnitude of the deviation, to the computer that governs the ABS system.

A second sensor measures steering wheel angles, down to one degree from dead center, as well as the rate of change, and sends the info to the ABS computer. A third sensor measures lateral acceleration--the amount of centrifugal force generated by the turn.

The ABS computer then performs a remarkable function. It interprets the driver's intentions and intervenes to produce the desired effect.

For example, if the driver turns the wheel and the car doesn't make a corresponding response--yaw angle doesn't equal the interpretation of driver intent--the computer applies the inside front brake to bring the car onto the desired line.

If the driver turns the wheel and the rear of the car shows signs of coming around--yaw angle exceeds intent--the computer applies the outside front brake to restore stability.

We've had opportunities to drive several Cadillacs equipped with this system (it's also offered on the Seville Touring Sedan and Eldorado Touring Coupe) in conditions ranging from sand-covered pavement to solid ice. It's much harder to make a critical mistake in a car equipped with this system, and much easier to restore stability when you do.

Back to basics. As noted, the DeVille comes in three editions--standard, starting at $37,660, including a $665 destination charge; the new d'Elegance version, distinguished by gold exterior trim and chromed wheels, from $40,660; and the Concours, from $42,660.

For '97, the Concours sports a new hood, a revised front end and open rear wheel wells, updates that lend a slightly more sporty appearance.