2002 Cadillac DeVille DTS

Comfort and room, front and rear, are superb even for the long and tall. Quality of materials, fits and finishes seem excellent throughout.

Cadillac did not have a DTS available for testing at the time, so I borrowed one from my local dealer. Since it was a brand new demonstrator, I had to keep the miles down and return it the next day. Fortunately, I have a lot of prior experience in the DTS, so I know it well. Unfortunately, it was raining when I tested it.


I tried three 0-60 runs on wet pavement with a hand-held stopwatch. With the standard traction-control working well on launch, the car proved easily capable of sub-8-second runs despite less than 100 miles on the Northstar engine. This state-of-the-art 32-valve V-8 generates a potent 300 hp in the DTS from just 4.6 liters. Combined with a 4-speed automatic transaxle, it's as smooth and quiet as it is eager to please. Post-test, the trip computer indicated just 16 mpg, vs. 17 mpg following a brief freeway drive. With EPA economy of 18-mpg city and 27 highway, this car should deliver mid-20s once the engine and driveline are broken in.


I tried one hard stop on the brand new brakes and found good pedal feel and the four-wheel discs with ABS more than adequate for halting the 2-ton DTS down in a hurry when necessary. Steering is light for my taste, but on-center feel and feedback are better than expected. Hard corner handling tests would normally be ill advised in the wet, but I know from experience that this big sedan gets around surprisingly well for its size.


Hardcore enthusiasts criticize the front-drive DTS simply for not being rear-drive. They believe that rear-driven wheels provide better handling and cite rear-drive M-Bs and BMWs as proof. This is nonsense, in my opinion. Rear-drive handles differently than front-drive, better at some things (like towing), not as good at others, and front-drive has a clear advantage when the going gets slick. These same enthusiasts often laud the handling of front-drive Audis.


The standard DeVille sedan begins at $42,950, while the more luxurious DHS and more sport-oriented DTS both start at $47,880. In addition to the aforementioned and potentially life-saving Stabilitrak, Traction Control and Antilock Braking System (ABS), the DTS's standard equipment list is far too long to detail here, as you would expect in that price range. Important additional safety equipment includes front and front side air bags, tire-pressure monitoring, GM's OnStar Communications System and daytime running lamps.