Even though Cadillac will never sell more than a modest number of the 2006 Cadillac STS-V model that is primarily the creation of Canadian Jim Taylor, this remarkable sedan is a high-water mark for GM's luxury brand.
The Peterborough, Ontario, native was the vehicle line executive in charge of developing the CTS and SRX models, which are both quite successful in their own way. But Taylor always wanted to turn out a model that would be the absolute performance equal of the BMW 5-Series, which is widely understood to be the best sedan in the world, though shamefully ugly.
With the STS-V, it looks like Taylor (who recently became the general manager of Cadillac) has accomplished his goal, but in a fabulously handsome package and likely for slightly less money.
The STS-V has been tuned for performance on virtually every road condition and environment, says Taylor, including GM's all-new Milford Road Course facility (nicknamed the Lutzburgring) and the Nordschleiffe (North Course) at Nürburgring itself.
At the famous 20.8-km German racetrack, the STS-V posted a time of eight minutes and 31 seconds, which is roughly the same as the times for the M5 and the Porsche 911 Turbo, among other rockets.
Once the engine was ready and mounted in the car along with a standard six-speed automatic transmission, engineers took turns whipping on it, everywhere from GM's test tracks in Michigan and Arizona to the aforementioned German high-speed test track where STS-V posted an eight-minute, 31-second time on the 12.94-mile Nordschleife loop. For comparison, world beaters like the Porsche 911 Turbo, BMW M5 and Mercedes-Benz CLK55 AMG tack up numbers in the same or only slightly better range.
But the STS-V has also been designed as a daily driver, which is something you can't really say about the M5 or the 911.
''The STS-V carries all the craftsmanship and sophistication of its STS sibling,'' says Taylor, ''but does so at an entirely different level. Designed for everyday driving, the STS-V has been developed to deliver supercharged, rear-drive performance with an elegant design statement that is unmistakably Cadillac.''
At the heart of the STS-V is a 4.4-liter V-8 that's new to the Northstar lineup and outfitted with a positive displacement intercooled supercharger. ''The dual overhead cam V-8 delivers the highest horsepower rating of any production Cadillac engine to date,'' explains Taylor -- 440 hp at 6,400 rpm and 430 lb-ft or torque at 3,600 rpm. Importantly, the engine is able to deliver 90 percent of its peak torque between 2,200 and 6,000 rpm.
The supercharged Northstar V-8 generates 120 hp and 115 lb-ft of torque more than its naturally aspirated counterpart, while its specific output of 100-hp-per-liter makes it one of the world's highest specific output production V-8s in the world.
In creating an engine with enough solid horsepower and torque numbers to conquer the Nordschleife in those times, however, Taylor and his team never lost sight of the fact that the engine had to deliver the kind of refinement and quality associated with a luxury marque.
In the real world, with speed traps and points and insurance penalties for Nordschleife driving, the aggressive torque curve in the STS-V makes it capable of going from 0 to 100 kmh an hour in five seconds or less.
The refined shift feel is enabled by careful electronic calibration of both the engine and transmission, Taylor says, and during shifts, power is instantaneously lowered, then ramped back up carefully to make gear changes virtually unnoticeable.
The Northstar V-8 SC is mated to the all-new Hydra-Matic 6L80 six-speed automatic transmission, which is the first but certainly not the last use of GM's new six-speed automatic.
Taylor says the 6L80 -- the only transmission offered on the STS-V -- is one of the most technologically advanced automatic transmissions in the industry, using clutch-to-clutch operation and an advanced integrated 32-bit transmission controller to deliver smooth and precise shifts.
The 6L80 also incorporates a host of advanced driving enhancement features, including advanced Performance Algorithm Shifting and Driver Shift Control.
Taylor explains that the former system lets the electronic transmission controller override the automatic gear selection during closed throttle high lateral acceleration maneuvers, rapidly downshifting with the release of the torque converter clutch for smooth powering up when the throttle is reopened.
Driver Shift Control allows the driver to sequentially shift gears manually via the gearshift lever.
''As a result of this extensive development,'' says Taylor, ''the STS-V has track-capable acceleration, braking and cornering abilities.'' This is due, in part, to increased tire sizes (P255/45R18 front, P275/40R19 rear), increased brake rotor diameters, larger pad areas and larger calipers, increased stiffness stabilizer bars and suspension springs, a faster steering ratio, and chassis tuning aimed at delivering high performance without punishing the driver.
''Exterior elements on the STS-V enable higher-performance capabilities,'' says Taylor, ''yet express the sophisticated elegance associated with the STS name.''
Exterior refinements from the regular STS include:
STS-V also comes with OnStar, which is by far the world's leading provide of in-vehicle safety, security and information services using GPS network and wireless technologies. Some core OnStar services include stolen vehicle location assistance, remote door unlock, roadside assistance, emergency services and automatic crash notification.
GM is the only automotive manufacturer committed to offering a full range of vehicles with safety protection before, during and after a collision, Taylor points out.
All OnStar-equipped vehicles come with Automatic Crash Notification, so that if air bags deploy the system sends a signal to an OnStar Emergency Advisor, who contacts the vehicle to see if help is needed, and can contact an emergency responder to send for help. ''In many cases,'' Taylor says, ''the occupants are severely injured and cannot speak for themselves.''
OnStar's GPS unit allows advisors to tell emergency responders the vehicle's precise location, which can cut down on the time it takes to get emergency care to the scene. Taylor says that OnStar responds to at least one air bag deployment in the US or Canada every hour.
Taylor points out that the STS-V was engineered and executed by GM's Performance Division, which he calls ''an in-house center designed to explore potential enthusiast-oriented versions of production models. No engineering, design or assembly functions were outsourced -- the vehicle is truly an original equipment offering.''
The STS-V is expected to arrive in Cadillac showrooms across Canada in the fourth quarter of 2005, and you can bet no one will be prouder of this car than Taylor and his Canadian relatives.
The Peterborough, Ontario, native was the vehicle line executive in charge of developing the CTS and SRX models, which are both quite successful in their own way. But Taylor always wanted to turn out a model that would be the absolute performance equal of the BMW 5-Series, which is widely understood to be the best sedan in the world, though shamefully ugly.
 |
The STS-V has been tuned for performance on virtually every road condition and environment, says Taylor, including GM's all-new Milford Road Course facility (nicknamed the Lutzburgring) and the Nordschleiffe (North Course) at Nürburgring itself.
At the famous 20.8-km German racetrack, the STS-V posted a time of eight minutes and 31 seconds, which is roughly the same as the times for the M5 and the Porsche 911 Turbo, among other rockets.
Once the engine was ready and mounted in the car along with a standard six-speed automatic transmission, engineers took turns whipping on it, everywhere from GM's test tracks in Michigan and Arizona to the aforementioned German high-speed test track where STS-V posted an eight-minute, 31-second time on the 12.94-mile Nordschleife loop. For comparison, world beaters like the Porsche 911 Turbo, BMW M5 and Mercedes-Benz CLK55 AMG tack up numbers in the same or only slightly better range.
But the STS-V has also been designed as a daily driver, which is something you can't really say about the M5 or the 911.
 |
At the heart of the STS-V is a 4.4-liter V-8 that's new to the Northstar lineup and outfitted with a positive displacement intercooled supercharger. ''The dual overhead cam V-8 delivers the highest horsepower rating of any production Cadillac engine to date,'' explains Taylor -- 440 hp at 6,400 rpm and 430 lb-ft or torque at 3,600 rpm. Importantly, the engine is able to deliver 90 percent of its peak torque between 2,200 and 6,000 rpm.
The supercharged Northstar V-8 generates 120 hp and 115 lb-ft of torque more than its naturally aspirated counterpart, while its specific output of 100-hp-per-liter makes it one of the world's highest specific output production V-8s in the world.
In creating an engine with enough solid horsepower and torque numbers to conquer the Nordschleife in those times, however, Taylor and his team never lost sight of the fact that the engine had to deliver the kind of refinement and quality associated with a luxury marque.
 |
The refined shift feel is enabled by careful electronic calibration of both the engine and transmission, Taylor says, and during shifts, power is instantaneously lowered, then ramped back up carefully to make gear changes virtually unnoticeable.
The Northstar V-8 SC is mated to the all-new Hydra-Matic 6L80 six-speed automatic transmission, which is the first but certainly not the last use of GM's new six-speed automatic.
Taylor says the 6L80 -- the only transmission offered on the STS-V -- is one of the most technologically advanced automatic transmissions in the industry, using clutch-to-clutch operation and an advanced integrated 32-bit transmission controller to deliver smooth and precise shifts.
The 6L80 also incorporates a host of advanced driving enhancement features, including advanced Performance Algorithm Shifting and Driver Shift Control.
Taylor explains that the former system lets the electronic transmission controller override the automatic gear selection during closed throttle high lateral acceleration maneuvers, rapidly downshifting with the release of the torque converter clutch for smooth powering up when the throttle is reopened.
Driver Shift Control allows the driver to sequentially shift gears manually via the gearshift lever.
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''Exterior elements on the STS-V enable higher-performance capabilities,'' says Taylor, ''yet express the sophisticated elegance associated with the STS name.''
Exterior refinements from the regular STS include:
- a larger, polished stainless steel wire mesh front grille that enables the required additional airflow for engine heat dissipation. The wire mesh grille not only signifies the sedan as a V-series, says Taylor, but is also a heritage cue, since wire mesh grilles were applied on the Cadillac V-16, the standard bearer of luxury and performance in the 1930s
- a new, lower front fascia that incorporates a larger lower grille (also wire mesh) for increased cooling capability
- brake ducts for front caliper and rotor cooling
- a splitter to counteract lift created by larger grille openings
- a new lower rear fascia that facilitates smooth airflow under the vehicle for improved cooling
- lower rockers that visually bridge the lowered front and rear fascias
- a specific, fluidly sculpted hood designed to provide space for the engine's supercharger
- ten-spoke, flangeless, painted aluminum alloy wheels that assist in brake cooling, inside front wheels that are 18 x 8.5 inches and rear wheels that are 19 x 9.5 inches
- a higher, more rearward-positioned rear spoiler that enables balanced aerodynamic downforce with the front splitter, and
- V-series badging prominently displayed on the vehicle's rear decklid and front doors along with "Supercharged" block lettering on the doors.
- ''The interior of the STS-V reflects craftsmanship with the addition of more leather-wrapped surfaces to promote a high-quality, tactile feel and distinctive, crafted appearance,'' Taylor says. Interior refinements include:
- wrapped leather surfaces throughout;
- Olive Ash Burl wood appointments;
- kinetic-finished aluminum accents;
- sueded fabric seat inserts;
- V-series badging in the instrument cluster, on the instrument panel, and on door sill plates; and
- a new Tango Red color accent offering that is applied on seat inserts (front and rear), console, center armrest, lower instrument panel and door mid-sections (front and rear).
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GM is the only automotive manufacturer committed to offering a full range of vehicles with safety protection before, during and after a collision, Taylor points out.
All OnStar-equipped vehicles come with Automatic Crash Notification, so that if air bags deploy the system sends a signal to an OnStar Emergency Advisor, who contacts the vehicle to see if help is needed, and can contact an emergency responder to send for help. ''In many cases,'' Taylor says, ''the occupants are severely injured and cannot speak for themselves.''
OnStar's GPS unit allows advisors to tell emergency responders the vehicle's precise location, which can cut down on the time it takes to get emergency care to the scene. Taylor says that OnStar responds to at least one air bag deployment in the US or Canada every hour.
Taylor points out that the STS-V was engineered and executed by GM's Performance Division, which he calls ''an in-house center designed to explore potential enthusiast-oriented versions of production models. No engineering, design or assembly functions were outsourced -- the vehicle is truly an original equipment offering.''
The STS-V is expected to arrive in Cadillac showrooms across Canada in the fourth quarter of 2005, and you can bet no one will be prouder of this car than Taylor and his Canadian relatives.
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