Road Tests: Long-Term Test

The stately Seville's stay in New Hampshire came to an end this month, as the keys were handed over to Detroit editor, John Clor. The keyfob, upon which said keys hang, still cannot distinguish memory settings 1 and 2, as we mentioned last month. We'll wait until the Caddy goes in for service to check this out. In any event, the Clor family took the Seville back to their home in Michigan after picking it up in Waterloo, N.Y. Clor anticipated: "After a butt-numbing eight-hour drive to the middle of New York in our vanilla Oldsmobile, the Clor family looked upon Edmunds.com's long-term Cadillac Seville as a blessing - an automotive Holy Grail. How cool it would be, we thought, to get this classy, comfy Caddy for the ride home."

Before stopping for some sightseeing at Niagara Falls, Clor praised the seats, saying, "As the driver, it didn't take me long to appreciate the Seville's wonderful lumbar seat adjustments, which I quickly custom-tailored to my weary backside." In addition, the entire Clor family found front and rear seats to be comfy. Hey, anything to keep the kids from getting antsy is a blessing.

After admiring the watery world wonder of the Falls, the Clor family was back on their way to the birthplace of our Seville. Clor found he could simply set the cruise control and settle in for a comfy ride, as the car is such a willing and able long-distance tourer. He was especially impressed with the big engine, noting, "The Northstar makes gobs of passing power and can put the Seville into 'point and shoot' mode in an instant." Many instants later, the Clors arrived back home.

Once home, it didn't take long before the Caddy settled into the Clors' busy family life, shuttling kids to and from school, going grocery shopping, heading to the mall, and performing every type of imaginable errand. Clor noticed that the Seville was doing all these things, but "it was doing them with a sense of style and elegance we hadn't experienced before."

Friends and neighbors in Detroit have all taken notice of the Seville. Clor summed up the high-class feeling he and his family got in the car, saying: "...the Cadillac gave us a sense of self-importance. It's a very nice car that earns the respect of others - even import drivers. We feel ritzy driving it, and have to admit that we like being seen in the Seville. There's an impression that we're much richer than our pay checks would indicate - which says positive things about Cadillac's corporate image. This car has a bit of snob appeal, plain and simple."

Clor acknowledged that although the car has a ton of techno-gadgetry, it takes some time to learn how to use all the features. Clor and wife like the OnStar cell phone, but are unsure of the sliding cargo system in the trunk.

While in Detroit, we've detected a trouble spot that's got us concerned. There is a slight, but perceptible, front-end shuddering upon takeoff under light throttle. We suspect it may be due to the transmission slipping or the suspension being loose. Perhaps, GM's road-sensing suspension is suspect, but we'll have to investigate all of these possibilities further. In addition, the seatbelt retractor housing on the driver's side is loose and is threatening to come undone.

These gripes (and the keyfob issue we previously mentioned) were all that tainted our initial impressions of the Cadillac in Detroit. Clor painted a bright initial picture of the Seville, beaming: "Overall, the Caddy has spent its first few weeks in Detroit impressing us with its superb ride, power, comfort, features, sound system, and general feeling of upscale luxury. This car seems to shrug off Detroit's infamous potholed streets and frost-heaved freeways with equal disinterest. Yet it can feel downright athletic when pushed hard around town or on the highway." And with an entire family finding the Seville's charms endearing so far, perhaps Cadillac really is shedding that classy, old-geezer image.

Current Odometer: 24,838
Best Fuel Economy: 22.9 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 15.2 mpg
Body Damage: $0
Maintenance Costs: $0
Problems: Front-end shuddering under slow takeoff, keyfob button 1 and 2 still activating only No. 2 memory settings, loose seatbelt retractor housing on driver's side.