Road Tests: Long-Term Test

Editor-in-Chief Christian Wardlaw continued to get reacquainted with our long-term Seville this month by loading up the family and trekking from Los Angeles to Phoenix, Ariz., in search of golf courses, Native New Yorker hot wings, and Fat Tire on draft. He successfully located all three, and also discovered that while initially appealing, living with our STS on a daily basis is less than satisfying.

"What a POS this car is," he eloquently scribbled in the logbook upon his return. "I cannot believe Cadillac charges so much for it. With just over 37,000 miles on the clock, it vibrates, rattles, buzzes and shudders as it makes its way down the road. The front suspension rattles and clinks over bumps. While showing my brother the fine assembly quality of the interior, I pulled the entire top of the dash apart with my right hand, exposing the passenger air bag's hardware. That can't be safe."

Further dimming his opinion of Cadillac quality are the satellite stereo controls on the steering wheel, whose tan-colored coating has chipped off in numerous locations, allowing a constellation of bright white light to filter through when driving at night. Also noted were crooked decals on the side front window glass and the fuel cap, loose seat post trim that exposed sharp edges to the ankles of riders in the right rear seat, and loose sun visor anchors. A huge gap between the right front leather door panel insert and the door trim, as well as an ill-fitting plastic HomeLink bezel, were uninspiring, as well.

"Is this supposed to be like this?" inquired one rear seat rider as she pulled the plastic power window surround off the car and showed it to Wardlaw as he drove down the highway. Occupants of the Seville also griped about front seatbelts that got jammed and folded in the retractors on a regular basis, and, when resting an elbow on the center console armrest cover, it wiggled excessively. "Oh, nice!" exclaimed Wardlaw's brother upon opening the Seville's front passenger door, whose seals were squeaking loudly in Arizona's dry, desert heat.

After deeming lowly Honda Civics as better-assembled out of higher-quality materials and exhibiting superior attention to construction detail, Wardlaw doled out praise for the Seville STS. Specifically, he finds the "thrilling Northstar V8 engine, trick Performance Algorhythm Shifting automatic transmission, stupefying Bose audio system, tasty Nuance leather, rich Zebrano wood accents, long-distance seat comfort, handsome styling and handy trip computer" pleasurable aspects of our Cadillac.

Our car is exhibiting an irksome driveline shudder. Initially, we could only detect it when powering out of moderate turns, but now the shudder, felt through the steering column, seats, and the center console area, is constant, variable only according to engine rpm. We need to have this looked at. Also, there's a rattle in the sound system that results in distortion when listening to deep-voiced listeners on talk radio stations. That we could even narrow the problem down to such specifics speaks volumes about the clarity of sound in the Seville.

What's additionally bothersome about the sound system is that when you rewind or fast-forward a cassette tape, the stereo defaults to radio play so no loss in aural entertainment is suffered while waiting for the tape deck to complete its mission. But let's say you've been singing "Wheels on the Bus" or "I'm a Little Teapot" with your toddler, and you're blasting across no-man's land (see Mojave Desert on your atlas), and things have gotten a little out of hand with the volume knob as you and Junior belt out the hits at the tops of your lungs. When you hit rewind, lovely static fills the cabin. Doh!

Another problem we discovered had to do with child seat installation. Wardlaw had difficulty installing his infant daughter's rear-facing child seat properly when the front seat was adjusted for his comfort (read: all the way back in the track). The basket handle couldn't be easily folded without forcing it to squeeze between the car seat and the hard front seatback.

Additionally, while traveling east on Interstate 10 in the middle of the afternoon, the sun blazed through the steeply raked rear window right into Claire's six-month-old face. Wardlaw successfully rigged a makeshift canopy for her seat, but wondered why a $55,000 Cadillac doesn't have a rear window shade, even as an option, when a Volkswagen Passat can be equipped with one at half the price.

OnStar also failed to deliver this month. Wardlaw and family, new residents of Southern California, figured they knew the way to Phoenix from their home on the north end of metro L.A. Rather, they found themselves dumped into residential Pasadena when a freeway abruptly ended. OnStar was contacted for instructions. After eight minutes of discussion and driving, the operator had finally gotten our Seville's location pegged and delivered a set of instructions. But by this time, Wardlaw and his family had found signs directing them to the freeway they sought, and the route dictated by Pasadena's road signs did not match the route dictated by OnStar - city planners had mapped a route that was shorter and more direct.

Upon returning to Los Angeles, the Wardlaws decided they wanted to place a take-out order at their favorite restaurant, but they didn't have the phone number with them, so they decided to see if OnStar could help. The operator was asked to get the phone number for the Wolf Creek Bar and Grill in Santa Clarita, Calif. After several minutes, the operator returned, unable to find a listing in the OnStar database or from directory assistance. So Wardlaw gave OnStar a new city to try - Valencia. After several more minutes, OnStar came back to him without success. He disgustedly hung up, charged for another 7 minutes of useless airtime. Wardlaw's wife, Christy, grabbed her handy Nokia cell phone, dialed information, and less than a minute later, had the number for the restaurant and was placing our order.

The moral of this story? We're unconvinced that human operators located in Troy, Michigan, are going to be of much help to anyone needing help with mundane, regionally-specific problems. Having a heart attack? OnStar can help as long as you can open the center console, and press the tiny, red, "ambulance" button on the handset. Broken down in a nest of rattlesnakes? OnStar will be able to send assistance. Lost in Pasadena? Good luck, and if you don't have someone else on board to write down directions, you better hope you've got a good memory if the path requires more than three turns. Want to get a phone number, and you don't have the exact name of the restaurant (it turned out to be the Wolf Creek Restaurant and Brewing Company - but still, directory assistance found it, no problem)? Not gonna happen. For a change, Wardlaw was actually wishing for an Acura-style navigation system instead of human operators.

After 1,000 miles, Wardlaw relinquished the keys to our duct-tape-and-baling-wire Seville without shedding a tear. But we want to know what you think about Cadillac's latest attempt at a "world car." Our Seville test is nearly over, and we want to hear from owners of 1998-2000 models. Send an email to djg@edmunds.com, and be sure to include your VIN, name, vehicle year, vehicle trim level, and city of residence with your commentary. We look forward to hearing from you!

Current Odometer: 37,714
Best Fuel Economy: 22 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 11.5 mpg
Body Repair Costs: $0
Maintenance Costs: $0
Problems: Driveline shudder, broken and loose interior trim, squeaky door seals, deteriorating sound quality.