Pitted against the STS was the Lexus LS 430, which I initially thought was a great deal larger than the Cadillac. As it
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| The Cadillac felt more at ease on the ice than the Lexus LS 430, but both were quite good. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
turns out, the STS is only 30 mm (1.2 inches) shorter than the LS, and its wheelbase is 32 mm (1.3 inches) longer. This makes for superb rear seat legroom in the Cadillac, and an extremely comfortable ride. The STS is also wider than the LS, by 15 mm (0.6 inches), and lower to the ground overall by 26 mm (1.0 inch). So, all totaled up, the Lexus LS actually made a pretty good comparison car, especially considering its curb weight rested in between the V8-powered STS and the much heavier AWD version. I have to admit that I really enjoyed tossing the big Lexus around the track, other than an amazingly annoying habit of
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| The STS was more tossable, even though it is larger than its Lexus rival. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
beeping every time the stability control engaged, which, as you can imagine, was pretty well all the time. No problem, just switch that ruddy driver's aid off and practice smooth steering input levels and even smoother transitions from throttle to brakes and back on the throttle again. OK, easier said than done. I did the same thing with the STS for comparison purposes, defeating the stability control after a lap or two of getting comfortable. The Cadillac felt more at ease on the ice than the Lexus, but both were quite good. The STS was more tossable, though, and after driving both back to back I was certain it was the smaller of the two, which made the realization that this wasn't entirely true quite the revelation.
