Road Tests: Long-Term Test

Our upscale Caddy spent a rather pedestrian month shuttling editor John Clor and his family around Detroit's far east side, carting the family to visits with relatives, shopping trips, and out to eat. For all this schlepping around the Caddy proved to be a comfortable hauler. Everyone had plenty of space and luxury in the car -- even the boys admitted fondness for the stodgy-imaged Seville, didn't complain when having to squeeze three into the backseat, and Clor's 6-foot-2-inch 13-year-old reported no lack of legroom.

While the Clor gang had a good ol' time in the Caddy, the car suffered a bit from all its hard work. This month the Caddy averaged between 15 and 16 mpg for most fill-ups, which is not bad for a good-sized luxury car that carries some heft, especially considering its role and time spent in heavy city traffic. But last month the Caddy averaged a little over 18 mpg, albeit with many more pure highway driving miles.

Fuel-sucking was not the only place where the Caddy was hit this month. Its light-colored interior has accumulated some battle wounds from the constant stream of kids getting in and out of the rear seats. The soiled door panels and seatbacks require a fair amount of elbow grease to keep clean. However, Clor commented that the superb weight and thickness of the carpeting makes vacuuming a snap. Likewise, the exterior requires a good deal of time and energy to maintain. Apparently road grime and brake dust accumulate easily, so Clor has been making frequent trips to the car wash. But it's worth it, says Clor, because "this car is one that is meant to look its best."

Our Seville's exterior also suffered minor wounds this month. At least two new, tiny pockmarks blemished the windshield -- no doubt the result of traversing the infamous Interstate 94 Ford Freeway, an east-west cross-town connector with seriously bashed and broken pavement. We're watching the larger mark to see if it should be filled with resin (in order to prevent cracking), as we did with a previous stone chip.

Aesthetics aside, the Caddy is causing some minor frustration for Mr. and Mrs. Clor. Dad expressed irritation that mom's CDs are scattered about the cabin, while mom claims they're all over the cabin because there's nowhere to put them. The door panel pockets are small and the console is rendered useless with the addition of the CD changer and OnStar cell phone. That leaves only the small cubby in front of the shift selector or the wastebasket on the front passenger-side kick panel -- neither of which is practical for CD storage. Uh, we also heard rumors about a serious toothpaste tube issue in the Clor household. But we'll get to that in another update.

Another irritation mom found was that every time she got into the Caddy, her purse accidentally tapped the trunk-release or fuel-release buttons at the lower left edge of the dashboard, inadvertently opening either. To avoid this, mom has begun carrying her purse in the opposite hand and, in one swift motion, swings it well past all possible obstacles and onto the passenger seat, all while getting into the car. And you thought there weren't serious hardships for Cadillac drivers.

Clor reported continued aggravation with the key-fob activation pre-selects, which actually don't pre-select the proper pre-selections. Using the fob marked "driver 1" still engages the "driver 2" pre-selected memory seat, mirror, steering wheel, climate control and audio-system settings. A careful study of the owner's manual hasn't helped, so Clor will have it looked at when the Seville goes in for an upcoming oil change.

Clor repaired the previously reported loose driver-side seatbelt retractor housing by snapping it firmly back into place. Problem solved, but the front-end shuddering upon takeoff is still confounding Clor. He'll keep searching for clues before the car's visit the dealership.

Despite small frustrations, Clor reports there's lots to like about the car. "For one thing, friends and neighbors still look lovingly and respectfully at the deep blue Cadillac as we drive by and wave...all that passing power underfoot makes driving a much more enjoyable task in and around town, and mom just loves the car's overall comfort, and stereo." Hey, it looks good, turns heads, goes fast and has a rockin' sound system. What else matters?

Total Odometer Reading: 26,376
Best Fuel Economy: 17.9 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 15.1 mpg
Body Repair Costs: $0
Maintenance Costs: $0
Problems: Right-front tire needed air. Front-end still shudders occasionally during slow takeoff; use of key fob still doesn't always revert to pre-set driver memory positions.