Cadillac has released the final horsepower quotes for its upcoming STS-V sedan - and the supercharged four-door will sport 469 horsepower when it goes on sale early in 2006. The STS-V's 4.4-liter supercharged V-8 also will spin out 439 pound-feet of torque under the new guidelines for measurement adopted recently by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). The STS-V will be the most powerful Cadillac ever, and will accelerate to 60 mph in less than 5.0 seconds, GM promises. The same engine will be used in the XLR-V roadster but in that vehicle, it will produce slightly less horsepower: 443 hp and 414 lb-ft of torque.

The Cadillac STS has a facelift in the works, likely for the 2008 model year. The big four-door gets a new, Escalade-inspired grille treatment, with a more detailed chrome treatment and a subdued mesh grille. The STS's new face looks much lighter and more expressive than the current model's - a subtle but effective update. New taillights ditch the full red lenses, in favor of styled LED lamps that complement the STS's chiseled lines. The clear lenses have only a sliver of red reflector at the inside edges, but separate vertical LED strips glow red (braking) or orange (turn signals) in a truly eye-catching display. It appears that two additional reflective red strips have been added between the tailpipes, but it's unclear whether this is a final production application, or merely a safety add-on for testing purposes. We expect similar updates to be applied to the CTS and SRX models, to tighten up Cadillac's revamped family look.

The Cadillac STS will be undergoing a mild facelift for the 2007 model year, and we've caught a very good example of the changes. The STS shown here is powered by a 3.6-litre High Feature V6, and now sports an Escalade-style grille and euro-style tail lights. Expect to see this freshened STS at dealerships this coming autumn.

STS: The reskinned 2008 STS gets an Escalade-inspired grille featuring a more detailed chrome treatment that includes a subdued mesh housed within individual grille slats. The taillight design ditches the full red lenses in favor of clear, smoky covers that showcase the light-emitting diodes.

GM might introduce a higher-horsepower STS-V.

The STS Platinum sedan extends the luxurious look and feel of the STS with elements such as 18-inch chrome-finish wheels; a brighter chrome-finish grille; a Glacier Gold exterior finish; bright chrome inserts on the exterior door handles and Platinum badging.

On the inside, STS Platinum features hand-cut, sewn and wrapped instrument panel, door trim and center console areas. The seats are fully leather, a semi-aniline variety called Tuscany. Luxury touches include chrome accents on the instrument panel and doors, a leather-wrapped and heated steering wheel, olive ash burl wood accents with a saddle-stained shade, premium floor mats and a Platinum badge of the door sill. STS Platinum comes in either a Cocoa over Cashmere or an Ebony interior color scheme.

The Cadillac STS Platinum will be available in the first quarter of 2007, in either the V-6 or Northstar V-8-powered versions of the car.

NEW YORK – The 2008 Cadillac STS, featuring refreshed signature styling inside and out; a new, standard 298-horsepower (222 kW) V-6 engine; and a host of new vehicle technologies, debuts at next week’s New York Auto Show, April 6-15, at the Jacob Javits Convention Center.

“For the past two decades, the Cadillac STS has been a showcase of luxury, performance and technology,” said Jim Taylor, Cadillac general manger. “The new 2008 STS extends that heritage with a bold new look, the debut of a new, high-tech standard engine and some of the industry’s most advanced safety technology.”

Refreshed design, inside and out

With overall dimensions slightly increased, the new STS conveys more of the design flair that has become a Cadillac signature. Up front, the dual-textured, multi-faceted grille first seen on the Sixteen concept and incorporated on both the Escalade and soon-to-be-launched 2008 CTS, has been adapted to the STS, giving the luxury performance sedan a more sophisticated appearance. Vertically stacked headlamps with large, dual 70mm projector lenses are encased in an aluminized, single-piece bezel. High Intensity Discharge (HID) headlamps are now available on V-6 models.

Also available on V-6 models for the first time are Intellibeam headlamps. The headlamps automatically switch gradually from high beam to low beam when vehicles approach or the vehicle is approaching taillamps. The lower front fascia is a new design, with a new intake and grille patterned after current Cadillac ‘V’ cues. New, narrower side marker lamps are added.

Similarly, side air extractors, again inspired by the Sixteen and Escalade, are now incorporated in the front fenders of the STS.

New styling touches also include chrome-plated door handles and new lower rocker moldings that blend into the lower line of the vehicle for more presence and refinement.

At the rear, the new fascia is now body-color, and is highlighted with the addition of polished, aluminum three-inch exhaust tips.

New, polished 18-inch by 8-inch aluminum 14-spoke wheels are available. For these available wheels, Michelin W-rated, 235/50R18 tires are used up front, and the rear wheels are fitted with 255/45R18 all-season radials.

Inside, STS’s luxurious interior includes a new steering wheel with available genuine Sapele Pommele wood trim. Sapele is an exotic wood more commonly used in fine furniture and musical instruments. A heated steering wheel also is available. The center stack of the instrument panel is revised with the addition of wood trim that has new metallic surroundings.

New, available features for the STS include a head-up display on V-6 models. The head-up display projects key driving information (such as speedometer ratings) onto the windshield, enabling drivers to keep their eyes on the road.

STS adds direct-injection V-6

For 2008, STS will be the first GM vehicle equipped with a new 3.6-liter direct-injected V-6 engine. The new base powerplant, with 298 horsepower (222 kW), delivers 40 more horsepower; and torque is increased to 268 lb.-ft. (371 Nm) – up from 252 lb.-ft. (348 Nm) on the current base engine.

The new direct-injected 3.6L will be mated to the Hydra-Matic 6L50 six-speed automatic transmission, the first pairing of this transmission with a V-6 engine. Additionally, the STS V-6 will continue to be available with all-wheel drive (AWD) for 2008.

Advantages of the new direct-injected engine include a 25-percent reduction in cold-start hydrocarbon emissions. Additionally, despite the 15-percent increase in power, fuel economy is expected to increase slightly.

Lane departure technology debuts

Continuing Cadillac’s commitment to using advanced safety features, the 2008 STS will offer new features including a new performance handling package; enhanced variable-effort steering with StabiliTrak on V-8 models; and new lane departure warning and blind side alerts.

The new performance handling package will be available for V-8-equipped rear-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive models and V-6-equipped rear-drive models. The package includes 18-inch by 8.5-inch aluminum alloy, chrome-plated wheels fitted with new P255/45R18 Michelin Pilot Sport summer-only tires.

Brembo brakes with four-piston calipers provide enhanced braking, with front rotors measuring 14-inch by 1.2-inch (355mm x 32mm) coupled with 14.4-inch by 1.1-inch (365mm x 28mm) rear rotors. All four rotors are vented.

In addition to controlling brakes and reducing engine power, the latest iteration of StabiliTrak combines active front steering to turn the front wheels into the skid when rear wheels lose traction. The system includes a new steering motor assembly combined with computer-driven electronic controls that measure wheel slippage at all four wheels independently during acceleration, braking and adverse road conditions.

To help alert drivers to maintain their position on the road, the STS will be available with a new lane departure system. Controlled by a camera located in the rearview mirror that reads the lines in the road, the system will alert drivers when they have strayed into another lane. Drivers will get both audible and visual alert cues.

Another new feature is an available blind spot alert system. The radar-based convenience feature will provide drivers with a visual alert that appears on the outside rearview mirror when vehicles appear in a specified side zone.

The 2008 STS is expected to be available in Cadillac dealerships by mid-summer. Introductory pricing will be announced at a later date.