Drivers yearning for the days when plush, four-door V-8s roamed and ruled roadways and six seat accommodations were a must, don't despair. Cadillac's luxurious, full-size DeVille remembers those times. It's big, distinctive, conservative exterior design and crest hood ornament create an unmistakable Cadillac ambiance. The front-wheel drive DeVille is Cadillac's best-selling model. This year, all DeVilles come standard with Cadillac's exclusive 4.6 liter, dual overhead cam V-8 Northstar engine. Cadillac first introduced the Northstar system, which integrates brakes, steering, transmission and suspension together with the powertrain, in 1993. The Northstar engine offers more horsepower than any other front-wheel-drive design. DeVille now goes from zero to 60 in 8 seconds. All front-wheel drive Cadillacs now incorporate the Northstar system. DeVille's Northstar 32-valve powertrain delivers 275 horsepower, up a whopping 75 horsepower from last year's offering. An even more powerful version delivering 300 horsepower is standard in the more palatial DeVille Concours. Platinum-tipped spark plugs and Dexron III transmission fluid help the engine reach 100,000 miles before its first scheduled tune-up. Retail price of our Carmine red test-drive DeVille was $35,995. With options including leather seats, automatic day\night mirror, power reclining seats, theft deterrent system and electronic rearview mirror compass, the bottom line totaled $38,345. This figure included a $640 destination charge. Dual air bags, traction control, anti-lock brakes daytime running lights and remote keyless entry are all standard safety features. Inside, DeVille seats six comfortably. If only two riders occupy the front seat, a center arm rest folds down. Inside is a storage area, and a flip-out dual cupholder. Back seat travelers enjoy the same fold-down compartment design, and have excellent head and leg room. Heating and air conditioning vents keep rear travelers comfortable. Power window and locks operate from the armrest. A recliner switch is located on the seat's side. Trunk and fuel door release buttons are conveniently placed on the dashboard. Some General Motors models locate these levers on the floor. Long, easy-to-grab door straps attached to light-weight doors make it easy to close doors from a sitting position. Ceiling handles help exiting the car too. Cruise control activates from the turn-signal stalk incorporates an all-new electric design rather than a vacuum. This system improves performance on steep hills and when carrying heavy loads. Also new for '96 is road-sensing suspension, which delivers more steering wheel feedback during intricate maneuvers, like parallel parking, and less during highway driving. Dashboard climate control settings are awkwardly placed under the instrument panel. When reaching with the right hand to change a setting, one must maneuver around the steering wheel and steering-column mounted automatic transmission selector. Most of these settings, including fan speed degree settings, can be controlled by the driver from convenient steering-wheel mounted levers. However, some options, like rear-window defroster, must be activated from the dashboard cluster. It's also a reach for the front-seat passenger if they desires a change in cabin temperature. A digital instrument cluster takes some getting use to. Speedometer, odometer and other readouts are illuminated with blue-green numerical back lighting. Tracking the fuel level is also tricky. One digital readout lists the number of gallons remaining, and another lists the range of driving miles left before the tank runs dry. These figures tend to fluctuate slightly, depending if and how fast the vehicle is moving. A backlit needle gauge would help drivers better visualize the fuel situation. One nice touch on the instrument cluster includes an outside temperature reading. Lots of luggage fits into the long, flat trunk, which incorporates an easy-close lid, eliminating the need to slam it several times before it catches. The DeVille handles and accelerates extremely well for a big car and has very good suspension. The Northstar engine packs plenty of power too. Drivers have a nice view of the road ahead and behind; blind spots are minimized. The fuel tank holds 20 gallons of pricey premium fuel. Mileage estimates are 17 miles per gallon city, and 26 mpg highway. Our test car, with 5,200 odometer miles, averaged 19 mpg combined. General Motors assembles the Cadillac DeVille in Hamtramck Mich. |
