2008 Cadillac CTS Long term test verdict

The last time Cadillac could properly be regarded as "the Standard of the World," Elvis was still wearing blue suede shoes. Well, Elvis has been dead more than 30 years now, and for most of that time GM's luxury division has been quietly motoring down a dead-end road to irrelevance while Germany's luxury automakers raced past on the autobahn, en route to global domination.

We knew the 2008 Cadillac CTS was a game changer from the moment we first drove it. The CTS wowed us with its edgy exterior design, classy interior ambience, and civilized road manners. Here for the first time was a Cadillac that attempted to combine the sassy style of America with the sophisticated demeanor of Europe -- and made it work. The CTS was the judges' enthusiastic choice for Motor Trend's 2008 Car of the Year.

As with all our COTY winners, the CTS automatically earned a place in our long-term fleet. We reached straight for the top shelf and ordered the 304-horsepower, direct-injected 3.6-liter V-6 engine and the $2980 Performance Package, which gave us the sporty FE3 suspension tune, Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 summer tires on 18-inch alloy, a limited-slip differential, HID headlights, and foglamps. We toyed with the idea of a six-speed manual, but opted for the six speed auto on the basis that most CTSs would be spec'd that way.

We didn't scrimp on comfort or convenience -- hey, this is a Caddy -- opting for the $8165 Premium Luxury Collection. That got us the Luxury Level One Package, consisting of rain-sensing wipers, an alarm system, and accent lighting, plus the Level Two Package, which added heated/cooled front seats, a split-folding rear seat, power adjust on the steering column, keyless entry, and ultrasonic parking assist.

The Collection included the UltraView glass roof; the Seat Package, which gave us leather trim, a 10-way power passenger seat and two way power lumbar control for both front pews; and the Wood Trim Package, which gave us Sapele wood accents on the dash, center console, and doors. Topping it all off were a 10-speaker Bose 5.1 surround-sound system with CD/DVD player, MP3 playback, 40gig hard drive, USB connectivity, and HDD-based nav.

Throw in $995-worth of sparkling Crystal Red Tintcoat paint-the launch color featured in the TV ads-and we'd added a hefty $12,140 to the CTS's $36,290 base sticker. Ouch! But in the context of Mercedes-Benz E-Class, BMW 5 Series, and Audi A6 prices that started at similar money for relatively modestly equipped cars, our $48,430 CTS represented solid value.

We put more than 20,000 hard miles on our CTS in the year it spent in the Motor Trend long-term fleet. And the fundamentals more than lived up to the promise shown during our initial testing. "The FE3 suspension is perfect," wrote Ron Kiino after just 854 miles, "taut and responsive, but not at the cost of comfort and civility."