2006 Cadillac STS

Rather than make this a sweeping overview of all configurations of the 2006 STS, I will focus this on the V6 model, with all wheel drive (AWD), with the popular 1SC (luxury performance package). I have come to know it in-depth as an owner, so my information is based on a bit more than a test drive. And I am not biased against American cars so you will get a realistic review. I am not going to compare it to 10 other models. I love car shopping and enjoyed looking around at BMW, Lexus, Audi, Mercedes, Volvo's, etc, and for the money I thought the STS was the hands-down winner in terms of looks, performance, and features at a better price. Was turned off by both BMW and Mercedes dealers who tried to convince me that its worth it to pay a premium to be able to say I am a "BMW owner"; or in the case of the Mercedes guy who said "don't forget you are also buying the Mercedes name". Talk about pompous crap!

OVERVIEW

This is a what I would call a "mid size" sedan; its bigger than the Cadillac CTS for example, but not as big and roomy as a "full size" sedan where you expect a cavernous trunk and a ton of room in the back seat. This model was refreshed in 2005; last year the AWD version was not available unless you had the V8 engine; this year it is allowed as an option in the V6 engine model as well. The STS is meant to be a mix of sporty and luxurious, and a showcase for Cadillac's latest new technology toys.

FEATURES

I am going to give you the gist of features that are standard on the V6, and then will add in what is included in the 1SC package. You can check the GM web site for the latest and any small details I may have left out. Let me say, this car is loaded with high-tech features that you would expect Cadillac to have in its premium cars. Including push-button keyless entry and engine start, optional advanced heads up display, etc. But here I will highlight what I think are the really cool features that are great value for what you are paying for:

Highlights of standard features are:

- the V6 engine which is a beauty

- 17" polished aluminum wheels

- 4 wheel disc/ABS brakes

- a great 5-speed auto transmission that downshifts as you slow, has a sport mode, and can be switched to manual (tiptronic type) mode

- rear "auto leveling" suspension that senses weight and adjusts the suspension accordingly

- "V" rated Michelin tires, with the rear two tires wider than the front two for performance

- full leather interior (and very nice quality)

- 8 way power front (driver and passenger) seats

- dual zone automatic climate control (and you have a very complete set of controls in the back seat for rear passengers as well)

- power tilt/telescoping wheel (power adjustment on a steering wheel is something I thought I would never want but it works great, and you can adjust this steering wheel to be perfect for you, its very adjustable and the power feature allows the car to "memorize" different positions for when you get in and out of the car)

- "Adaptive" remote start (start the car with a button from your key fob; it will automatically sense the temp inside the car and start heating or cooling it as necessary to a normal level. This is the "adaptive" part. And it works great, I love it).

- keyless access and keyless engine start (all you need is the key fob. If you have it in your pocket, the car will unlock for you when you touch the handle. When you get inside, there is no place to insert a key. You put your foot on the brake pedal, push a button near the steering column, and the engine starts. When you park, you push the button to turn the engine off. When you close the last door and walk away from the car, it automatically locks itself. VERY slick! The only problem now is that I am spoiled and want my house to lock/unlock automatically now, etc.)

- express up/down windows (For all windows on the car, not just the driver window)

- 8 speaker Bose sound system with CD and integrated XM radio

- airbags all over the place, front and side for front passengers, and side curtain, side and curtain for back seat

- Onstar system (which is excellent peace of mind, have used it before on other cars and now I would not want a car without it)

- ultrasonic rear parking assist (which works really well, helps you sense how close the rear of the car is to hitting something when you are parking, also goes off if a kid or something runs behind your car as you are about to back up.)

- theft deterrent system

- auto dimming mirror

Highlights of 1SC luxury performance package, these add to or change the above mentioned "standard" features"

- multi-driver memory settings (allows seat settings, sound system settings, everything to be remembered for each of the key fobs)

- power adjustable lumbar support in the front seats (which are supremely comfortable)

- Heated front and rear seats

- Ventilated front seats (you hit a button and can get cool or warm air blown thru your seat…fantastic in the summer when the seats get very hot! It works really well.)

- Heated steering wheel

- Gorgeous wood trim (on center stack, shifter, doors) mine came with an oak colored "eucalyptus" wood trim, it is beautiful)

- Bose 5.1 channel surround sound system with 15 speakers (you have to hear it to believe it! I am a sound system freak and this is the first time I was ever impressed with a "stock" sound system in a production car. The low end really thumps, you can adjust it as much as you would like, and it plays DTS or Dolby Digital sound.)

- 6 CD in-dash changer and navigation system with 8-inch screen (you can also put DVD's in the changer, and watch them on the screen (when the car is in park) or listen to them while driving. The screen is VERY bright and crisp, and 8-inches is bigger than most you see in the front seat of cars today. The navigation system is very sophisticated, you can set it to a number of difference guidance voices (male or female or British accent, or 5 other languages). The navigation system is DVD based so only one disk is needed. You can find locations by just entering their phone number! Also integrated voice commands that work quite well ( I read write-ups that said he voice system sucks. I have had NO problems with it understanding me, I think it works fantastically; maybe GM fixed whatever the problem was? I could go on and on about the navigation system, it is a very well done. The one in my old CTS was outstanding, this one is even better)

- bluetooth integration for phone that works well!

- Rain sensing wipers (something I was not even sure I wanted, but now that I have used it I love it. Basically you set the system and never think about your wipers again, it turns them one when it rains, sets the speed to intermittent or high speed depending on how hard its raining. Its amazing. The only thing is that you have to remember to turn it off when you go into a car wash.

- Universal "homelink" remote (that you can program to open you garage doors or other features in your house that are wireless. Takes about 10 seconds to program your existing garage door opener into the system)

- 17" polished aluminum wheels (you can't get the 18" wheels if you get the AWD; but the 1SC pakage without the AWD option does get you 18 inch wheels)

- Power sunroof

- Automatic air quality sensor (checks the air coming in to the car, if it is exhaust from a big truck in font of you for example, the system will shut off the outside airflow. I have seen it in action, its great.)

- Automatic tire pressure sensor (tells you the exact pressure on each tire, and warns you if one gets low. It monitors the pressure constantly. Just need to remember that when you rotate tires or get new ones, you have to have the dealer re-set the sensors)

- Performance disc brakes (an upgrade in pads and rotors from the standard; these will be very expensive to replace, cost me a ton on the old CTS for new rotors and pads and you can only get the parts from Cadillac. But this is the same for any upgraded brake systems)

- AWD is now an option on the V6 model (thank you GM), it used to be that you had to buy the V8 model in order to get AWD. Premium ZF steering gear, and performance cooling, and spoiler for rear trunk lid normally come with 1SC, but are deleted if you order the AWD as I did. You get a credit for the price difference. I don't like the look of the spoiler so I am glad I was not getting it.

- Tires are changed from the V rated standard, to S rated and are all the same size versus the standard where rear tires are wider than the front ones; this is due to the AWD package.

EXTERIOR

At first glance it looks a bit like a CTS. But then you see that it is bigger, and the lines are smoother. However it is still low slung and looks aggressive. I really like the look. One might say it's a bit "toned down" from the CTS design, but I don't view it as a watered down CTS. I think its just a cleaner look and one that exudes class. People that hate the CTS may not hate the STS, even though the grill and lights look similar, its smoother. Rear tail lights are LED so they are VERY bright and visible, especially when you step on the brake. There are turn signal indicators on the sides of the car as well as rear and front – a nice touch. Fog lights are included as well as halogen headlights.

Trunk is medium sized inside, and the opening is a bit small. A huge trunk is not a feature of this car. Don't get me wrong, its not small - its enough for a few suitcases. But if you have seen the huge trunks on some of the bigger sedans, this will not compare.

There is only a key hole on the drivers door, not on any other door and none on the trunk either. The keyless entry system is for the trunk and the doors. I carry the key in case for some reason the key fob fails and I can't get in. But in getting into the car, or the trunk, or during driving, or when I get out, I literally never take the keys out of my pocket because of the truly keyless system.

And also note, even if the key fob battery dies, you can still start the car with it by placing it in a special slot hidden inside the center console.

There rear view looks substantial; low slung, with dual exhausts tipped in stainless steel.

Overall a very clean, classy look that is on the sporty side.

INTERIOR

I think the interior is extremely luxurious. Fit and finish is excellent. Certainly you don't see the basis for the over-used complaint about "Plastic" in GM cars. The materials look good and suitable for a luxury sedan. Nice mix of leather, wood, chrome, etc. It looks very classy.

I got mine with the tan leather interior, and with the light colored eucalyptus wood and polished aluminum and chrome trim, it looks very classy. The dash is very well laid out, controls are easy to get to and intuitive. Its also not over cluttered with controls (for a luxury sedan). The navigation system display screen also gives you controls for the sound system and programming of various features of the car. It's a touch screen that works quite well. One nifty thing, you can hit a button to tilt the screen into 3 different preset positions, in case there is sun glare on the screen. Something I have used many times and really appreciate.

Ah…the sound system! Bose, 15 speakers (including 2 integrated into the top of each front seat). Surround sound DTS/Dolby Digital 5.1…you have to hear this to believe it. It is incredible. You can play DVD, CD, XM radio…it all sounds great. For stereo sources like CDs, the sound system has a processor that will simulate them to surround sound. It is fantastic.

I put the car in park and put in a Phil Collins concert DVD and watched Phil perform one of his patented drum solos, cranked up in surround sound, and I almost cried it sounded so good! Hahaha…what a geek I am. But I am at a loss for words so I will just leave you with the statement that this sound system is awesome and a huge feature if you are an audiophile. Oh, you can also play auxiliary sources through audio jacks linked to the system, like your IPOD or plug in a gamecube or something and play it thru the system. There is a jack hidden in the center console that you can plug audio and video auxiliary into.

The voice command system works for the climate control, navigation, and sound system, and also for the integrated phone (you can buy minutes from onstar or you can link the car's integrated phone to an existing Verizon account if you have one, as an additional line and use your Verizon plan minutes).

Steering wheel has redundant controls for the sound system, voice commands, and for turning the steering wheel heater on or off. The wheel tilts and telescopes.

Instrument cluster is an LED based analogue display, so it looks very crisp and classy. There is a driver information system embedded in the cluster, to tell you about any issues that come up, and also show you info on the outside temp, current miles on the car, your fuel economy, etc. It is easy to read the display and easy to use the switch on the left of the steering column to scroll thru the different information items.

At night, controls are lit in a white color. It looks pretty slick.

Climate control is easy to use and understand. Simple controls or you can leave it on automatic, which is what I do. Just tell it what temp you want and forget it. You also have rear window defrost and heated mirrors. Controls for heated/cooled seats are easy to use as well.

Seat controls are intuitive and work well; and both the wheel and the seat can be programmed for memory, so your seat/wheel returns to the way you like it. You can also program an "exit" position for wheel and seat, to move the seat up and forward a bit and move the steering wheel up and out of your way. Front seats are heated and ventilated.

View out of all the windows is good; I see no real blind spots.

Rear seats are comfortable, but not designed for really big people. I mean you can sit two back there comfortably, but leg room can be a challenge for the taller folks. This is one area where the car is lacking – the back seat roominess. You could squeeze 3 in the back seat but I would only do that for short trips. Head room is also going to be an issue for very tall people. In a nutshell, the back seat is suited for small to medium/average sized people. Bigger than that and it gets a bit pinched.

The back seats are heated, and there is a climate control pod that give complete control of the back seat climate to the back seat passengers. It is very nice.

There are ample power plugs, two in the front and one in the rear. Center console is nice and wide for acting as an arm rest.

Storage in the front is just "okay". It's a bit limited. The space in the center console is not huge; the glove box barely fits your owners manual. There is a storage pocket on each door, and leather pockets on the back of each front seat for more storage.

There is a pass-thru to the trunk, in the middle of the back seat. The seats do not fold down for any further pass thru of stuff. But do you really want to be hauling sheets of plywood in your nice new Caddy?

ENGINE and FUEL ECONOMY

The V6 engine in this model is a 3.6 liter, variable valve timing (VVT) engine rated at 255 HP. It has an aluminum block and overhead cam. It is an advanced engine, similar to the famous Northstar V8. Think of it as a Northstar with 2 cylinders cut off. It runs smooth and quiet, with plenty of power. It also has the advantage of being able to run on regular gas, and the expected gas mileage is better than the V8, of course. The window sticker says 17 mpg city and 25 highway. I have averaged just over 20 miles per gallon in a mix of around-town and highway driving. Not bad for a fairly big sedan with the added weight of the AWD. Keep in mind also that if you get a V8 you are subject to a "gas guzzler" tax, which can add $1000 or more to the price of your car.

DRIVING EXPERIENCE

The car handles quite well; steering is nimble. With the AWD it feels very sure footed, and upon acceleration it really feels like it is digging in with all four feet and moving. Its quite different from how a rear wheel drive would feel. Particularly on wet roads - there is no wheel spin. You can really step on the gas on a wet road and the car just takes right off, where as with RWD you would get lots of wheel spin on a fast start on a wet road. The AWD is also excellent in the snow, test that out this winter.

During fast turns it holds well but here is where it shows some compromise between comfort and sportiness. Remember, I am talking the V6 version, not the STS-V. I would say the STS V6 is nimble but I think they have tuned it more towards a middle ground for a comfortable a ride. The seats have side bolsters but not aggressively so; the result is extremely comfortable seats that have good hold on turns, but again not quite set up for "racing" speeds. Which, I thought was perfect as I wanted a mix of comfort and performance, and I did not want a car designed for insane driving – I just don't do that anymore and it would be wasted for me to buy that in a car. But I would say the STS leans just a little more towards sport handling than luxury. To give you an example, I took a u-shaped on-ramp at 55 miles per hour and the car held just fine with no feeling of losing control or feeling like I was flying out of my seat.

The suspension is firm and gives you good road feel. Its not that "floaty" soft feel you get with the big cruisers. It takes the bumps and dips well but you still feel connected to the road. Braking is also excellent. Very smooth and sure.

With the AWD, traction control cannot be completely turned off. Part of that is the sophisticated AWD system, and with 4 wheels pulling all the time, traction control is less relevant. But that did not prevent the car from taking off quickly during fast starts.

The car has a stability control system to help you during dangerous turns where the car might otherwise go out of control. I have seen it in action on my previous Cadillac (a CTS) but have not forced it with the STS just to see how well it works, as that would be a bit dangerous. But GM's "Stabilitrak" system is widely recognized in the industry to be very effective and a good safety feature.

I drove both the V8 version (which adds about $6,000 to the price of the car) and the V6, and I have to tell you I did not notice a huge difference in performance. I mean, yes you could tell the V8 had more "get up and go" (it is rated at 320 HP – and in the STS-V you get 469 HP), but the V6 was no slouch either. When you stomp on the gas the V6 version really moves. I was pleasantly surprised. Actually I was thinking I would want the V8 because I thought the V6 would be underpowered for the bigger STS, but it was not. The V6 STS has widely been confirmed in auto magazines to hit 7.0 seconds for 0-60 mph performance, which is not bad. Certainly plenty quick enough for situations where you need to accelerate on to a ramp, or to pass, etc. Anyway, the car feels "quick". If you are looking for drag racing or some sort of bragging rights, the V6 is not going to satisfy you. But if you want decent gas mileage and good quickness, and don't want to throw away money on a guzzler tax, the V6 will fit the bill. Trust me its speedy, accelerates well and moves well passing at highway speeds. Power is smooth and the engine is quiet.

SAFETY

All in all this car has a ton of safety features built into it. As previously mentioned, there are air bags all over the place in this car. It is built as a "safety cage" for a collision. The stabilitrak and traction control (which both operate at all speeds) are safety features, as are the ABS brakes. There are ample connections for child seats. The front passenger seat has a sensor so that if a small person or child sits in the front seat, the system turns off the passenger front air bag (which could kill a child). Kids under 13 should really sit in the back, regardless. Also, the window controls are designed so that you have to reach underneath the switch and pull upward, to raise the window. This prevents a kid from stepping on the button with a head out the window and closing the window on them. Also the windows sense a "pinch" and will open back up if something resists them closing.

The push button ignition will not work unless you have the key fob in pocket and your foot on the brake. The remote start requires you to hit he "lock" button before you press the "start" button, making it a bit harder for a kid to just push the button and start the car. The car will not lock if you leave the key fob inside it. Also there is a way to still start the car if the key fob battery runs down (it is supposed to be good for 3 years). Finally, Onstar offers features like automatically calling for help if it senses an airbag goes off, one-button emergency help calling, remote diagnostic of engine problems, remote unlock if for some reason you lock yourself out, and will help find you a tow truck or whatever you need if you break down.

PRICING

The sticker base price for a V6 STS is $41,020 as of May 2006. The 1SC adds $8,285 to the sticker. The AWD option adds $1350 to the price. Destination charge is $720. Total sticker was $51,375. Of course I did not pay that price and neither should you. At the time I bought, there was a $5,000 cash back deal and you can usually haggle a bit. I was able to get the overall price for my STS down significantly from the sticker price. Even just with the cash back, a car this luxurious and this loaded, AWD, 15 speaker Bose surround sound DTS/Dolby system that really rocks, 6 CD changer/DVD system, integrated XM radio, navigation system, etc etc at a $47,000 price is hard to beat. You can compare it to luxury Japanese and European sedans of the same ilk, but they will be much pricier. You also read a lot about how the STS "doesn't completely match up" to the luxurious-ness of sedans $10-20,000 more expensive. Somehow the interior is better? Something I did not necessary agree with in comparison shopping. But I don't think those comparisons are apples to apples as the STS is priced much more competitively. Its value for your dollars that STS brings to the table.

WARRANTY

Is 4 years/50,000 miles. Very good.

CONCLUSION

I love this car. Its quick, loaded with cool features, takes regular gas and gets decent mileage. I think its on a par with a loaded BMW 5-series, for a lot less money. The fit and finish is great, and it's a quiet, smooth, classy ride. I think Cadillac has designed another winner.