chicagotribune.com's view

It would be a shame for such a nice car to be wasted on the old folks.

DeVille, not only the oldest name in the Cadillac lineup dating to 1949, but also the car that has attracted the oldest clientele for General Motors luxury division, with an average buyer age of post mortem, gives way for 2006 to the DTS. That was the designation for the top-of-the-line model for 2005.

Basically the DTS is the next generation DeVille. But Cadillac has opted to drop the moniker in keeping with its CTS, STS, SRX and XLR lettering strategy.

DTS also is the last Cadillac sedan to undergo a remake, and the only one to retain front-wheel-drive. The absence of a drivetrain hump in the cabin allows it to offer a front bench seat, the choice ($250 option) over buckets for older motorists.

DTS sports the same dimensions as DeVille, but is far more fashionable and easily recognized as a member of the Caddy family since borrowing the edgy and dramatic grille from CTS, STS and Escalade.

Based on the demands of DeVille enthusiasts, it keeps the Cadillac crest front and rear, and it’s massive, as well as the vertical taillamps that have been slimmed down.

What sets the DTS apart the most from the old DeVille, however, is GM’s value pricing, under which the sticker in the window comes closer to what people can expect to pay. That, GM hopes, will eliminate the need for hefty incentives.

The sticker has come down about $5,000 on the base model, to $41,990, and by about $1,600 on the Premium, to $49,695, though more content has been added as standard for ’06. That includes side-curtain air bags, dual-depth passenger side bag, remote engine start, heated wiper fluid and IntelliBeam headlamps.

DTS is the first car in the industry to offer a dual-depth air bag. Unlike the traditional large, one-size-fits-all bags, the dual-depth bag deploys small or large based on the severity of the impact (small: low speed; large: high speed), as well as such factors as the occupant’s position (small: leaning forward; large: leaning back) and whether the occupant is belted (small) or not (large). And if no one is in the passenger seat, the bag won’t deploy.

The Buick Lucerne sedan will add it this fall.

Remote engine start lets you stay in the house while the car interior heats or cools. Equally important, it saves time in getting in and going when parked in a dark area. So consider it a safety feature as well.

Heated washer fluid is a first for GM. Press a dial on a stalk along the steering column and within 90 seconds the fluid reaches 176 degrees, sufficient to rid the glass of ice or snow or the remains of bugs.

While these amenities are a blessing, the feature we enjoyed most was IntelliBeam lamps. Set the control in the overhead console and the bright beams go on at night to improve vision and dim when a vehicle approaches to keep from blinding the other motorist. And the magic happens on its own without fiddling with a light stalk.

We tested the ’06 DTS Premium, which differs from the base model in offering larger, 18-inch radials (17-inch in the base, up from 16 on the DeVille), as well as a higher-output 291-horsepower version of the 275-h.p. 4.6-liter Northstar V-8 in the base model.

The higher output V-8 swiftly accelerates without lingering. But you’ll detect a muffled roar, the “sound of performance,” Cadillac says, for the perception of power when you want or need it.

The Performance version also comes with a heated steering wheel to keep the paws cozy in the wintertime.

Road manners are outstanding. No more float like a boat or lean and sway like a tank on the road. The trouble with any Lexus sedan is that it becomes boring after a short time. DTS starts out and stays enjoyable. You relax, but you aren’t lulled to sleep like in a Lexus.

DTS comes with StabiliTrak stability control and anti-lock brakes as standard as well as magnetic ride control, which regulates shock dampening 1,000 times a second to change settings from soft to firm based on road surface. So, the cabin is well cushioned from any irregularities in the pavement.

But DTS doesn’t offer Night Vision like the DeVille, which uses infrared lights to detect objects–from a stray deer to a wandering cyclist–ahead at night. The objects were visible in a tiny screen in the lower windshield.

“Few ordered the option. It may return if we can bring the cost down,” said Alan Gagne, DTS product manager.

While last up for a remake, DTS still benefited from attention to detail, one being extra-wide door openings to make it easier for those in evening wear to enter or exit without messing up the duds. However, the openings are so wide that those with short arms may have to ask someone outside to nudge the door so they can close it.

Other neat touches include 1-more inch in front-seat travel to satisfy those with long legs; heated/cooled and massaging (driver only) front seats; creased outside mirror housing to reduce wind noise coming into the cabin; laminated glass in the side windows to reduce cabin noise; park assist that lets out a beep if you get too close to cars ahead and behind while parallel parking; and LED taillamps that light quicker and brighter for those behind to see sooner and LED lights in the cabin.

Among the options, adaptive cruise control, which automatically applies the brakes and/or reduces engine speed if you approach another vehicle too closely from behind, runs $1,000; power sunroof adds $1,200; and a DVD-based navigation system that allows you watch a movie on the screen when parked (never when moving) is a $1,795 option.

The ’06 DTS Premium starts at $49,695. Options added to the test car you can do without were cashmere leather seats at $1,200, chrome wheels at $795 and pearl paint at $495.

Jon Brancheau, Cadillac marketing director, is counting on DTS to continue what Escalade and CTS started, a renaissance that has seen the average buyer age drop to 55 from 65.

“Cadillac now has more buyers under 45 years of age than either the Mercedes-Benz 600 sedan or Lincoln Town Car,” which isn’t surprising though it is encouraging. “Folks are giving us a look now that the image has changed.”

He expects even more will check out the new DTS, thanks to the influence of the first two folks to purchase a 2006–George W. Bush and Donald Trump.

While the government wrote the check for the president’s DTS in limo version, Trump covered the bill for his non-bulletproof DTS limo.

– – –

TEST DRIVE

2006 Cadillac DTS Premium

Wheelbase: 115.6 inches

Length: 207.6 inches

Engine: 4.6-liter, 291-h.p. V-8

Transmission: 4-speed automatic

Fuel economy: 17 m.p.g. city/24 m.p.g. highway

Base price: $49,695

Price as tested: 52,185. Includes $1,200 for cashmere Tuscany leather seats, $795 for 18-inch chrome wheels and $495 for crimson pearl paint. Add $795 for freight.

Pluses: Oldest member of Cadillac lineup finally restyled–though it stays front-wheel-drive–with grille borrowed from CTS. Higher-output V-8 than base model. Price reduced about $5,000 from ’05 yet more content, such as heated wiper fluid, remote start, side-curtain air bags, larger radials and dual-depth air bags that regulate size of bag at deployment as standard. Adaptive cruise control is an option. Front bench seat available.

Minuses: Will folks warm up to DTS rather than DeVille moniker? Can new design stop sales decline for the car?

– – –

Read Jim Mateja Sunday in Transportation and Wednesday and Friday in Business. Hear him on WBBM Newsradio 780 at 6:22 p.m. Wednesdays and 11:22 a.m. Sundays.

jmateja@tribune.com