I've spent about 2 good weeks with my Seville and have gotten to know my car very well (and still finding out things about it). However, I've also spent my time around the new RWD STS since I work around them all day. This "comparison" test is one that has been brought up many times: 2000 Seville STS vs. 2005 STS V8. I'm going to break it down into categories and at the end the vehicle with the most points takes the cake.
Design
Winner: Seville
Both cars look damn good, obviously not confused with anything else on the road. However, the design award goes to the Seville. It's sleek, elegant, low, and sexy. This car still stands out after 10 years, something that is hard to accomplish. The compliments for this body style never seem to end, as few cars can be so sexy. I adore the flowing body lines of this car: how it gracefully flows from the headlights to the subtle built in spoiler in the rear. Everybody around here knows how much I love the Seville, so i'll move to the STS now. Score: 10 out of 10
Not a bad looking car at all, the STS. 2005 was the first year for STS, and it's a clean looking car. However, from certain angles it looks like a bloated CTS. The car has a slab-sided look, and the front end has been referenced as a "Japanese Cadillac". I don't see this at all, I find the front very attractive with good looking headlights and nice looking turn signal lamps. The rear has neat horizontal taillights and a short decklid. Score: 8 out of 10
Powertrain
Winner: STS
Now you could argue that since they're both Northstar powerplants, they would be about equal, correct? Well, not exactly the case here. See, the new Northstar engine is 80% new, and utilizes VVT (Variable Valve Timing) for smoother operation and a quieter exhaust note. This is obvious in around town driving and highway cruising. The only downside to this is the toned down exhaust, which I'm not a fan of. I love the sound of my Northstar dammit! The transmission is a 5 speed auto unit, which is super smooth and upshifts and downshifts with few issues. Very impressive, along with the manumatic gate function. Kudos to Cadillac. Score: 9 out of 10
The Seville's N* was redesigned in 2000 to run on regular gasoline among other things. However, the same basic design dates back to the 1993 engine which isn't a bad thing. Being able to run regular gas is a huge plus, especially with today's volitale gas prices. At times, the engine runs a little rough, but this is mainly due to age. This particular unit is mated to GM's 4 speed "Hydra-Matic" automatic transmission through a gated shifter. Smooth shift action and predictable downshifts make this a great unit, but could use an extra cog to help with fuel mileage. Score: 8 out of 10
Handling
Winner: STS
This one was obvious: the STS is a RWD vehicle, using GM’s Sigma platform. The handling is balanced, controlled, and quite good for such a large car. It’s not as sporty as the CTS, but that is the point. The STS demographic is the older market, so don’t except a 4 door sports car. The ride isn’t compromised with the STS, with excellent road manners and a only slight bit harsher than the Seville was. Score: 8.5 out of 10
The Seville’s largest downfall is the FWD K-body platform. While it isn’t a terrible platform at all, it’s dated and handling suffers. The car sometimes wallows through the corners, with very little road feel and numb steering. The Seville uses GM’s Magnasteer system that changes steering feel when needed. I can’t tell to be honest; the steering always feels light. However, the Seville STS is an improvement over the SLS’s steering, which is overly soft and none too sporting. The ride on the other hand is super smooth, and always comfortable. The only negative is the way the car sometimes crashes over the bumps; thank the K-body for that. Score: 6.5 out of 10
Interior
Winner: Draw
Wait, Stop! The STS is a newer car, so it clearly has a better interior, right? Wrong. Yes, The materials are greatly improved and the build quality is much better, but the design leaves a lot to be desired. Let's start with the good: smooth and sumptuous leather, elegant wood trim, straightforward controls, more interior space. It stops there. For a car that could sticker close to $70k new, it's too boring inside for this to be a true contender to BMW and Lexus. The center stack is boring, with no kind of character. Controls are easy to locate, with the exception of too many similar size buttons. The gauges are too plain, an obvious downgrade from the Seville. The center console is extremely small, and the cupholders still suck. A few cheap bits and pieces mar the interior, but it is an improvement over Seville. Score: 7 out of 10
Seville impresses at first glance; you're quickly disappointed. Cheap bits ruin a good looking interior. Plastic door sills, cheap headliner, ungainly A-pillar molding, unimpressive build quality? You name it, the Seville's got it. However, it more than makes up for it in design and attractiveness. The leather seats are extremely comfortable, with plenty of adjustment and 2-way memory settings, the Zebrano wood looks elegant, as does the wood steering and shift knob, and the controls are stupidly simple to use. What I like most about the Seville interior is the design. It looks cleaner than the STS and much more elegant. The cupholders are a disappointment though. It seems Cadillac can’t design a decent set to their lives. My old Camry had better cupholders. Storage space is decent, with good side door pockets and a large glovebox, but the center console is taken up with the CD changer. Luckily, it is two tier system so it is larger than the current STS, which plain out sucks for storage. Score: 7 out of 10
Value
Winner: Draw
In the used car market place, both cars are excellent values. The rapid deprecation of these cars help tremendously: you can pick up and ’05 STS V8 w/35k miles for $20k. 3-4 years ago, that same car was easily $55k brand new. In 3 years, the car has dropped $35k? That means the car drops around $12k a year. Damn, I would never buy one of these new. Even now, the newly refreshed ’08 STS is going for as low as $30k with 10k miles.
Again, why is this a draw? A 2003 Seville STS, fully loaded with Magneride and Nav is going for $11-$15k w/ low mileage. Brand new, the same car cost around $60k. However, I’d recommend the STS is you can swing an extra $3-4k. The RWD alone makes it a better car, but there are those people (like me) who would take the Seville bodystyle any day of the week. Score: 9 out of 10 for both.
Seville: 40.5
STS: 41.5
Well, it looks like the STS wins by the slightest of margins. While you would think the STS would blow the doors off the ‘ol Seville, Cadillac didn’t make enough improvements to make the STS an much better car. The style is one area where I think it was a downfall, even though the STS is pretty sexy itself. The interior was also a style downfall, though again the STS has much improved quality. Overall, both cars are on equal footing. Excellent in some areas, poor in others.
