Pros:  Interior Comfort, Engine power, Build quality

Cons: Gas mileage, Handling, Steering response, Price

Cadillac has long been America’s premier luxury car, competing with brands like Mercedes and BMW. While those brands have evolved into vehicles with world-class road manners, style and panache, the Cadillac DTS soldiers on as a throwback to another era using the same basic formula in chassis design, layout and execution. If the car were many thousands of dollars cheaper than its competition, it could be forgiven. But you pay a premium price for what feels like an old car that the competition blows out of the water.

The 2008 DTS retains the same signature Cadillac comfort and luxury with a soft suspension that ruins its handling. The cars competitors will literally run rings around it. It’s a pity that someone should pay so much money for this slow-steering wallowing boat that will let them down in some not-very-demanding driving situations that other cars in this class deal with very easily.

Additionally, in these days of record setting gas prices, the 4.6 liter V8 is a guzzler of the highest order. At least an SUV gives you lots of passenger and cargo room while it prodigiously wastes fuel.

If there’s one saving grace it’s that the DTS is built extremely well; solid, tight with no squeaks and rattles. But, it’s an anachronism whose time has long past. The same engineering expertise that has gone into other Cadillac models, which are very good indeed, needs to be applied to the DTS, and in a hurry.