After nearly five grueling months in the harsh environment of chilly Detroit, our long-term Seville finally found itself back in the more hospitable climes of the Left Coast. You'll recall the Caddy had been hard at work serving the demanding family transportation needs of Edmunds.com's Detroit editor during a demanding time of year in a car's life: winter in the Midwest. But the word from our Detroit office is that the Seville proved wonderfully adept in most every test a family of four could provide.

From mere kid-hauling shuttle work to trunk-filled shopping trips, and from safely plowing through salt-encrusted rush hours to winning the valet's respectful nod when going out for the evening - the STS proved both competent and comfortable, whatever the task. Smooth, powerful and confident on the road, the Caddy is a pleasure to drive. Thanks to its silky Northstar V8, the Seville is one of only a handful of cars that can offer an entertaining blend of luxury and performance. But that's not to say that the car is faultless.

During its stay in Detroit, the long-term Cadillac wasn't able to rid itself of niggling ongoing service concerns, such as an occasional front-end shudder during slow takeoff and the mysterious behavior of key fobs 1 and 2, which didn't always revert to their pre-set driver memory positions. Seatbelts were found to be on the cumbersome side, and with the center console stuffed full of six-disc CD changer and hard-wired cell phone, there was precious little storage space for anything that wouldn't fit in the cupholder.

Over that same period, the car's deep blue finish started to dull and oxidize, while grime added a patina to its light beige interior. Its windshield took four direct stone hits in traffic (resulting in four tiny but noticeable pockmarks), and overall wear and miles forced the replacement of the front brakes while leaving the original set of tires threadbare. But the STS soon became overdue for its return to Edmunds.com's California office, and its time in snow and frigid temperatures would come to an end.

We planned the Seville's trip from Detroit to Phoenix, where we'd meet up with Edmunds.com's road test editor to exchange vehicles and have him pilot the Caddy the rest of the way from Arizona to Santa Monica. We chose the southern route, going over to Indianapolis and down through St. Louis, then roughly following old Route 66 through Springfield, across to Tulsa and Oklahoma City, on to Amarillo and then Albuquerque before reaching Flagstaff. Oddly, we had to dodge some uncommonly chilly weather and freak snowstorms that roared across the southern United States - but our timing was perfect.

Truly - as is the case with most any Cadillac - this car was made to excel on the open, flat roads of America's Interstate Highway System. For long days behind the wheel, the Seville offers a great blend of comfort, features and power. It gobbles up pavement at an amazing pace, has impressive passing power, and with good outward visibility, fully adjustable seats and a fine stereo, highway cruising is effortless. While the stalk-mounted cruise control unit itself could stand to be more intuitive, it's hard to find fault with much else in the cockpit - and those Lexus-like electroluminescent gauges are wonderful at night.

After covering 2,103 miles in a mere three days, we made it to Phoenix wearing our coating of Detroit road salt as a badge of courage. We then decided to take advantage of the mid-'70s weather and have the car expertly washed, waxed and the interior cleaned by the good folks at the Foothills Car Wash. It was also time for an oil change and new tires, but we'd leave those chores to our road test editor, as we had to turn around and get right back to Detroit with the three days left in the work week (See our February long-term Ford Ranger report for that side of the trip.).

Our road test editor noticed that the miles have taken their toll on the Seville, as the paint is chipping off the front bumper cover and the plastic gas cap tether is broken. And he (as all who have driven it to date) also made mention of the comfy seats and how the interior layout resembles that of a Lexus - although switchgear and materials in general are below those found in the Lexus in terms of quality.

While singing the praises of Cadillac's Northstar powerplant, our road test guru yearned for the day the Seville might be redesigned as a rear-wheel-drive luxury car: "This is Caddy's flagship," he noted "at least make this one a rear-driver." He immediately set about to replace the tires - worn down to 2/32 of an inch. We got them replaced at Stokes Tire in Santa Monica, setting us back $863.06 for the set of four new Z-Rated P235/60ZR16 Goodyear Eagle LS replacement tires (including mounting/balancing and installation).

Next up will be an oil change - and, of course, readjusting to a more comfortable life in sunny California.

Total Odometer Reading: 33,665
Best Fuel Economy: 23.6
Worst Fuel Economy: 13.3
Body Damage: $0
Maintenance Costs: $52.98 (professional wash/wax/interior cleaning); $863.06 set of four new Z-Rated P235/60ZR16 Goodyear Eagle LS replacement tires (including mounting/balancing and installation).
Problems: None.