2004 BMW 545i vs. 2005 Cadillac STS

The corporate world isn't always the best role model. Some of us are still smoldering from the idea of fat-cat Enron and WorldCom executives helping themselves to millions of dollars in stockholder and employee cash while merrily adding to their inventory of beachside mansions, flagship luxury machines, and ocean-going yachts. But America Inc. is the game a lot of us play fair and square. And when we've clawed our way to a certain level on the corporate ladder, it's only fitting that we should reward ourselves with a more fulfilling driving experience. For a lot of people and for a lot of years, the BMW 5 Series has been a benchmark of what a midsize luxury sports sedan should be.

Apparently, the planners at Cadillac feel the same way. The BMW 5 Series, along with the 7 Series, Lexus GS 430, Jaguar S-Type, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, and Audi A6 lie squarely in GM's target sights. After 20 years of wandering in the front-drive wilderness, Cadillac again has a rear-drive premium luxury sedan to wear its crest. The new 2005 STS is the heir apparent to the long-running Seville, built on the same Sigma platform that sired the edgy CTS sedan and wedgy SRX crossover wagon. It takes Cadillac's chiseled Art & Science design architecture to its most-pleasing, best-proportioned place to date. Though the car is available with the same 255-horse 3.6-liter DOHC V-6 that powers versions of the CTS and SRX, we opted to test the 320-horse 4.6-liter Northstar V-8. The STS is also offered with the all-wheel-drive system from the SRX, a feature aimed at Snowbelt--and Audi--buyers.

Compared with the smaller, more sculpted CTS, the new STS is about six inches longer and wider as well as approximately an inch taller. On paper at least, this translates to more rear-seat head- and legroom, more front and rear shoulder room, and greater trunk space for the newer Cadillac.

Our preproduction STS V-8 test car carried a base price of $47,495. Although Cadillac was still jiggering prices as this story went to press, the car's significant option load tallied thus: adaptive cruise control and head-up display ($2300), Xenon automatic headlamps ($705), 18-inch polished wheels and performance tires ($1200), performance brakes ($395), performance cooling ($150), Magnetic Ride shocks ($1850), ZF performance steering ($250), Bose surround-sound audio with six-disc DVD player, XM Satellite Radio and Bluetooth wireless communications ($3370), limited-slip diff ($300), decklid spoiler ($350), premium wood trim ($595), memory presets ($300), four-way lumbar ($295), front and rear heated seats, heated steering wheel and ventilated front seats ($1500), and extra-soft Tuscany leather seats ($1200). This resulted in an estimated as-equipped price of $63,455.