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New name, almost the same car.

That pretty much sums up the story of the 2006 DTS, Cadillac’s full-size, flagship luxury sedan that until this fall had been known as the DeVille.

There are some changes, of course, that accompany the new name, and I’m sure most DeVille owners would find these changes to be quite palatable.

But don’t expect anything drastic. This is not a market segment that is happy with radical changes.

Just as with the DeVille, the new DTS is aimed almost entirely at the over-60 crowd, with no obvious features to appeal to younger buyers.

This is understandable, as Cadillac already has a full stable of new vehicles designed for younger buyers.

Its older, traditional customers have been getting a bit nervous of late, wondering if the DeVille would get the same kind of youthful styling that has made Cadillac the darling of the thirtysomething and baby boomer sets these days.

No need. The company has taken care of those new customers very well, and therefore can afford to keep a car in its lineup aimed directly at its loyal older buyers. To that end, the DeVille mostly just gets a new name that follows in the same pattern as the other alphabet monikers of recent new Cadillac cars — such as CTS, SRX, XLR, STS — but otherwise remains very much the big boat that its predecessor was.

It also retains its front-wheel drive, while all of the other Cadillacs now come with rear- or all-wheel drive.

There was some restyling involved with the DTS, even though its overall look is clearly DeVille-like. The “art and science” design theme of other recent Cadillacs is evident in the front and rear of the DTS.

The front end has all-new sheet metal, along with a new grille, fascia and high-intensity-discharge Xenon headlamps. Cadillac says that the decklid, rear quarterpanels, rear fascia and taillights also are new.

That’s pretty much the extent of the changes on the outside, and they’re so subtle that when I first saw the car, I was unsure that anything had changed from 2005’s DeVille. Inside, the DTS has new seats that GM says are “optimally engineered for comfort and support”; a new instrument panel; and new wood trim.

Standard or optional high-tech features include four-channel antilock brakes and traction control, four-channel StabiliTrak with brake assist, and Magnetic Ride Control. The base model is called the Luxury I, and begins at $41,990, including freight. Our test car was the next step up the ladder, the Luxury II, starting at $44,490.

Massaging front seats come on the uplevel Luxury III ($48,490, including $795 freight) and Performance ($50,490) models.

Under the hood of all three Luxury models is a 275-horsepower version of Cadillac’s 4.6-liter Northstar V-8 engine.

The Performance model, though, gets a 291-horsepower version of this engine. Besides automatically getting all of the features of the lesser models and the 291-hp. engine, the Performance version also comes with burl walnut interior trim and a Bose premium audio system.

Both engines come with a four-speed automatic transmission.

EPA fuel-economy estimates are quite delightful for a car this large: 17 miles per gallon in the city and 25 mpg on the highway with the 275-hp. engine, and 17 city/24 highway with the more-powerful one.

Many DeVille owners have reported getting even better highway mileage than the EPA estimates suggest, though, probably because these are drivers who usually take it easy and conserve fuel with their driving habits.

We tested only the 275-horsepower engine, but found it to be quite peppy and certainly more than adequate for this heavy car.

Rather than give this sedan a sportier driving experience as we would expect to find in the STS and CTS sedans or SRX wagon, though, this car gets an even cushier suspension system for a softer ride. Bones get more brittle with age, and the older we get, the softer we like the ride of our cars.

Cadillac says the tuning of the chassis “focused on achieving a smooth, quiet, refined ride.” Not that the previous version didn’t already have that, mind you. The new one is just better, and even on some of the jarring speed bumps that dot our neighborhoods these days, the car rode quite comfortably.

My only complaint with the DTS, other than the quite stodgy exterior styling, was with the door openings, which seemed smaller and less-easy to negotiate than the ones on most SUVs and minivans.

The back seat was especially difficult to get out of because of the small door openings. Maybe I’m just spoiled from driving sport utilities and minivans, but I would have thought that a car this large, with a clientele of consumers who aren’t as nimble as young people, would have been easier to get into and out of.

Once inside though, the seats are quite comfortable, even in the back. Leather is standard, of course, and our Luxury II model had bucket seats up front.

A favorite among older customers is a front bench seat that holds up to three passengers, and you can still get this in the DTS, if you so choose.

The trunk is just cavernous, as you would expect. It holds 18.8 cubic feet of cargo, and the lid opens to a fully vertical position, leaving a large opening for easy loading and unloading of large objects.

The car’s high-tech features — which largely go unnoticed by the driver and passengers — include four-channel antilock brakes and traction control, four-channel StabiliTrak vehicle stability-control system with brake assist (included on our Luxury II model), and General Motors’ Magnetic Ride Control (standard on the Performance model).

For comfort and driving convenience — as well as safety, in some cases — our Luxury II model came with heated and cooled front seats; heated rear seats and steering wheel; standard three-zone automatic climate control (driver, front passenger, and rear seat have separate controls); and heated windshield washer fluid.

Also included were power, heated folding outside mirrors; front and rear ultrasonic park assist; remote starting system; standard dual-stage (driver) and dual-depth (front passenger) air bags, roof-rail curtain air bags and front seat side-impact thorax air bags; cruise control; OnStar; XM satellite radio; and a tire-pressure monitoring system, among other things.

Standard are 17-inch wheels, while the Performance model gets 18-inch wheels. On our test model, we had the optional 17-inch chrome wheels ($795).

A “Sun & Sound” package ($1,795) on our test car added an “express-open” sunroof, as well as an AM/FM/compact-disc stereo with MP3 capability and six-disc in-dash CD changer.

The only other option we had was crimson pearl exterior paint with cashmere interior ($495). With options and freight, our test vehicle’s sticker totaled $47,575.

Cadillac says the 2006 DTS comes with a “body-frame integral construction; strategically engineered crumple zones in front and rear; and comprehensive use of high-strength steel,” designed to help protect the occupants in a collision.

All 2006 Cadillac owners — not just DTS buyers — get 12 months of access to the “Cadillac Virtual Advisor” through the OnStar system.

This feature gives the driver three-day weather forecasts and traffic reports in most major markets.

The system also monitors traffic on as many as three personalized routes and reports on up to 10 selected stocks, GM says — at the touch of a single button.

The fuel tank holds 18.5 gallons of gasoline, and regular unleaded is acceptable.

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G. Chambers Williams III is staff automotive columnist for the San Antonio Express-News and former transportation writer for the Star-Telegram. His automotive columns have appeared regularly in the Star-Telegram since 1995. Contact him at (210) 250-3236; chambers@star-telegram.com.

2006 Cadillac DTS sedan

The package: Full-size, four-door, five- or six-passenger, front-wheel-drive, V-8 powered luxury sedan.

Highlights: Using Cadillac’s new “art and science” design theme, the flagship DeVille sedan has been redesigned and renamed for 2006. It’s still pretty much the same as it was, though, with lots of interior space and creature comforts, and a choice of two V-8 engines.

Negatives: Still has the same boatlike styling of big Caddies of the past, and still has front-wheel drive, not the optimum system for a large sedan.

Engines: Two versions of Cadillac’s Northstar 4.6-liter V-8.

Transmission: Four-speed automatic.

Power/torque: 275 hp./295 foot-pounds (Luxury models); 291 hp./217 foot-pounds (Performance model).

Length: 207.6 inches.

Base curb weight: 4,009 pounds.

Brakes, front/rear: Disc/disc, antilock standard.

Towing capacity: 1,000 pounds.

Trunk volume: 18.8 cubic feet.

Fuel capacity: 18.5 gallons.

EPA fuel economy: 17 miles per gallon city/25 highway (base V-8); 17 city/24 highway (optional V-8).

Major competitors: Lincoln Town Car, Chrysler 300C, Acura RL, Lexus LS 430.

Base price range: $41,990-$50,490, including freight.

Price as tested: $47,575, including freight and options (Luxury II model).

On the Road rating: **** (four stars out of five).

Prices quoted are manufacturer’s suggested retail; actual selling prices may vary according to manufacturer and/or dealer rebates, discounts