I work at a Chevy dealership, in service, and every so often our used car department will get a cool car in on trade. Yesterday we got a '97 Cadillac Seville SLS in on trade. Now I always liked the 92-97 Sevilles....thought they were beautifiul cars, inside and out. I always thought highly of the power made by the 4.6L Northstar V8, and I always enjoyed the
performance afforded by the engine, transmission and sophisticated suspension design. Then I bought the Benz last summer and sort of forgot about the 92-97 Sevilles. But I'm not one to not drive a nice car like this, especially when there's no obligation to buy and no salesman riding shotgun.
Exterior design:
Winner goes to the Benz. The 140 series, I
MO, is the most beautiful European car produced ever. The 92-97 Seville is an AMAZING looking car too, arguably the best looking American sedan ever, especially the 1992-94 STS, when they had the first type of wheels. The 1992-97 Seville has an amazing profile, but the blackout grille, lack of hood ornament, different wheels, foglamps and lack of chrome really make the STS the more beautiful of the two. The SLS, with the additional chrome, hood ornament and different wheels doesn't look as nearly as good as the early STS's. The Seville looks much smaller and more lithe than the Benz. It looks Italian to the Benz's
very Germanic design.
Interior design:
Again, to the S Class. The Seville, especially post 1995, has a great interior design, but there are some things I don't like about it...the higher dashboard hinders frontward vision for short guys like me, and it lacks that solid, heavy feeling that the 140 has. When looking at the dashboard and center console design in the Seville, you can definitely see the M-B inspiration though.
Engine/Transmission/Suspension/Performance.
Tough call. They are both DOHC, four valve per cylinder designs, but the SLS, obviously, is a fairly good sized V-8, and the S320 is a small I-6. On paper, it seems as though the SLS would be MUCH quicker than the S320, but I gotta admit, after driving the same route in both cars back to back, the S320 is almost as, if not as, fast as the SLS. The SLS gets it's acceleration power from the power of the Northstar. The S320 gets it's power from a slightly less powerful I-6, but a much more useful five speed transmission. The gearing in the Benz is much tighter than the SLS. It's never really out of it's sweet spot, and it's very quick to shift when you need it to be. There were some times when I'd be driving the SLS and I'd punch it, and it would sort of bog down because the transmission was in a dead zone and it wouldn't downshift so you'd have to wait until the motor reached 3500-4000 RPMs to open up and fly by.
I did three different WOT exercises in both cars, from the exact same speeds, at the exact same locations. 20-50 going downhill and 20-70 on an entrance ramp, and lastly, 60 MPH. On the 20-50, it seemed very tight, but I think the SLS might have edged it out. On the 20-70, it seemed the Benz would edge it out because it would just keep pulling at the same rate once it shifted into third, and not bog out. During the 60 mph WOT, it was too close to tell. I was surprised by the SLS though, I did a 60 MPH WOT in a '98 DeVille a few years back, and that thing was FAST from that speed, but this SLS wasn't. I thought 60 was the best spot for the LD8.
As far as the suspension and handling was concerned, I can't really comment. The SLS had worn out struts (or atleast I'd hope that what it was), so every time you'd hit a bump, dip or hump, it would bounce and jiggle like an overweight belly dancer. And then every time that would happen, I'd hear a loud thunk coming from the RF corner.
As far as the transmission goes, the 722.6 does a better job of keeping the M104 in it's sweet spot at all times, and shifts quickly and easily when need be, but sometimes it can act quirky. The 4T80-E doesn't do as well as keeping the Northstar in it's sweet spot, but it's shifting is always predictable and smooth. Not to mention that transmission is as durable as anything. But....the 722.6 has that driver adaptive feature, the 4T80-E wouldn't until a few years later, so for as far as this comparison goes, 722.6 for the win.
Steering.
Benz for the win. They both take the same amount of effort, but it seems as though the S Class has better, more direct, steering feel and therefore enhances confidence behind the wheel. Also, the Seville, like most other GM cars from that era, only has four or five detents the wheel can tilt to...The steering column in my car is electrically adjustable for tilt and reach.
Comfort.
It's a tough call. The Cadillac uses soft, deep, plush seats and the Mercedes uses firm, stiff seats. The M-B has 12 way power adjustable seats and I think the Cadillacs only adjust six ways. So upon first sit, the Cadillac seems more comfortable, but M-B took orthopedics into major consideration when they designed their seats, so I'd safely assume they're more comfortable over the long haul. In the rear quarters, the S Class has much more legroom, so I'd say it's more of a limousine, thereby better for long road trips with many passengers. The Fleetwood's rear seat room is comparable to the S, so it would make for the best comparison.
Quality.
The Seville was slapped together by union slobs. The Mercedes was meticulously assembled in Germany, Stuttgart I believe.
Features.
Mercedes for the win. Double paned glass, self closing doors, xenon headlamps, headlamp wipers and washers, etc etc. But the SLS does have a trip computer, the S does not.
Overall.
The Benz feels better, looks better, is engineered better, but really, it's in a whole different class from the SLS. It's a silly comparison really. The SLS is the value leader, and is much cheaper to own outright, and in the long run.
--Automobile Magazine, May 2004
