by Joe LaMuraglia

Tuesday, May 1, 2007 – It wasn’t too long ago that Cadillac’s STS-V was reviewed by one of our west-coast editors. Yours truly was fortunate enough to have spent time in that high-powered luxury sedan on the roads of southern California as well. So when the opportunity to test the more mundane V8 AWD version of the STS presented itself, I thought it would be a nice comparison and a more real-world example of what Cadillac has available in the mid-size luxury segment.

The timing of the Blue Chip STS’s arrival coincides with a scheduled trip to Orlando so in addition to the normal review, I am going to do a real world test of the OnStar turn-by-turn directions offered standard on this vehicle. Rather than plan my route via Google maps or using the optional DVD Navigation system to get me to my hotel, I will hit that blue OnStar button and put my faith that the advisor and the system won’t get me lost. For a more detailed description of the turn-by-turn navigation offered by OnStar, read our latest article in Tech Talk. More after I arrive in the sunshine state.

Saturday, May 5, 2007 – Typical of my postings of late, my schedule did not allow for regular updates. Alas, my new motto is “better late than never”. My trip to Orlando on Wednesday started out as routine and ended with some tense moments and me cursing technology. Anyone that knows me well knows that I think OnStar is one of the greater inventions in automotive history. There is comfort in knowing that if you lock your keys out of the car or need help wherever you are in the country, your friendly OnStar voice is simply a button away. As a result, my expectations for the turn-by-turn directions by OnStar were set very high. Unfortunately, this experiment didn’t support my expectations.

I left Atlanta on Wednesday for Orlando for a series of meetings. Per my note above, I didn’t use Google maps or even the in-car navigation system to guide me. Rather, I hit the local Starbucks, and set out heading on I-75 south knowing that was the correct way to travel. Once I got out of the insanity of Mid-Town Atlanta, I hit the little blue button and my OnStar advisor came to life. To add to the test, I claimed not to know the address of my hotel and simply said “it is a Sheraton in downtown Orlando”. He quickly found the proper destination and downloaded to directions to my STS. It is a bit eerie to see the information display light up with information and then the computerized voice give you directions out of thin air. I dutifully followed “the voice” and was on my way to sunny Orlando.

I was advised that if I left the route, the voice, who will be henceforth named Bertha, would ask if i needed directions to return to the route. I tested this many times during the next 6.5 hours as the Starbucks and the copious amounts of water I consumed required frequent bio breaks. Bertha came on every time and I was able to interact with her via voice commands. Not too shabby….until she left me. I was traveling down I-75 and Bertha came on to alert me of and upcoming exit to the Florida turnpike on the left. I was thinking how great this feature is when an alien-sounding noise was broadcast and I lost Bertha. When I hit the phone button to recalculate the route, all I heard was another voice saying that turn-by-turn wasn’t available.

Nobody takes Bertha away from me without an explanation! I called up my OnStar advisor and was told that the turn-by-turn feature wasn’t available in the area I was traveling due to low cellular data coverage. The advisor assured me that it would return after a few miles on the Florida Turnpike. I chalked it up to new technology and rationalized that even in this day and age we all hit dead spots with our cell phones. At least I was still able to connect to the advisor.

A few miles later, I tried to get Bertha back and was unsuccessful. Each subsequent attempt yeilded the same result and as I approached Orlando I began to feel like Bertha was avoiding me. Then, like any stalker, I called her best friend (OnStar) to find out what I did wrong. Unfortunately, Bertha and I never reconnected and I had to utilize the OnStar advisor to get me to my destination. At the end of the day, I was never without someone to talk to at OnStar and they were able to get me to the Sheraton but the experiment with turn-by-turn was a bust. I even tried to use it to get out of Orlando and it didn’t work. I have been assured that my experience was an anomaly. We expect to hear back from OnStar with an explanation.

Even considering the Bertha incident, the trip was entirely enjoyable thanks to the STS and all the other technology packed into the car. I’m about to take off to Nashville for the weekend and look forward to seeing how it performs and a familiar route. I’m wondering if I should give Bertha another chance? I’ll let you know.

Wednesday, May 9, 2007 – The STS was picked up this morning after spending the weekend in Nashville and shuttling me back to Hotlanta yesterday. The more time I spent in the STS, the more comfortable I became. It isn’t nearly has fast as its cousin the STS-V but with the Northstar V8 and the transmission in Sport mode, it has some oomph to it. To be very honest, the car felt heavy and a big sluggish when I first drove it. I learned that to make it hustle, you need to stick it in Sport and put a little more effort behind the gas pedal. I reminded myself that this version is AWD and is carrying around a lot more weight than the regular RWD version.

The biggest shock about this car is the price tag. At an as-tested $68,250 this baby is priced right up there with the best from Europe. Granted; it includes unique technologies like OnStar, heads-up display and magnetic ride control in addition to AWD and the $8,190 Premium Luxury Performance Package but is it worth the price? That is a question only you can answer. Cadillac has created an American interpretation of luxury that some will love and others may not. Their brand image has improved over the years but it remains to be seen if they can compete in the luxury sport sedan marketplace. The base STS is an excellent start but when you start moving up the price ladder, things get a lot more competitive. We think Cadillac is a contender in this market and definitely worth a look but for nearly $70K, the Germans offer great products with a much stronger “valet appeal”.

If you want to get an amazing price on a STS, our friends at Classic Cadillac have an awesome inventory and can ship anywhere in the U.S. They have supported gay pride here in Atlanta and are really great people. Tell them Gaywheels.com sent ya!

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