STS Gets New Cadillac Look

Cadillac’s new look, first signaled on the CTS sedan rolled out in January, comes to the STS flagship with the ’08 model to be unveiled at the New York auto show next week.

The STS’ new face includes the multi-faceted grille that was featured on the Sixteen concept car unveiled at the Detroit auto show in 2003 and since can be found on the new Escalade and CTS. It is surrounded on each end by vertically stacked headlamps with large, dual projector lenses encased in an aluminized, single-piece bezel.

For the first time, the V-6 models will be available with high-intensity-discharge headlamps and General Motors Corp.’s “Intellibeam” lamps, which automatically switch gradually from high beam to low beam when a vehicle approaches or the STS closes on a vehicle in front of it.

Side air extractors – also found first on the Sixteen and Escalade – are incorporated into the car’s front fenders, while aluminum, 3-in. (7.6-cm) exhaust tips accent the rear fascia.

Inside, the STS gets a new steering wheel available in genuine Sapele Pommele wood trim. Sapele, GM says, is an exotic wood found most often in fine furniture and musical instruments. A heated steering wheel also is optional.

Under the hood is the first application of GM’s new 3.6L direct-injected V-6. It delivers 298 hp and 268 lb.-ft. (371 Nm) of torque. That compares with 258 hp and 252 lb.-ft. (348 Nm) with the current V-6. It is coupled to the Hydra-Matic 6L50 6-speed automatic, making it the first time the new transmission has been coupled to a V-6.

A performance-handling package, enhanced variable effort steering with StabiliTrak on V-8 models and a new lane-departure warning system also are among features. The latter employs a camera located in the rearview mirror that reads the lines on the road and warns the driver if the car is drifting into another lane.

A radar-based blind-spot alert system uses the outside rearview mirror to flash a warning to the driver when another vehicle is in a specified blind-spot zone.

GM says the revamped STS will be available at U.S. dealers by midsummer.