Published Date: 3/7/05

“We should give the win to the Cadillac right off the bat just because it doesn’t have iDrive,” said one tester, only half-joking. But love it or hate it, electronics is here to stay, especially at the high end of the luxury-performance sedan segment. Plus, the battle for supremacy in this segment is more complex than just electronics. Sure, it’s not as complex as iDrive, but it is complex.

Consider: The BMW 5 Series has been the king of luxo-sporty sedans for longer than most actual, living kings have been in power; it corners better than them, too. For decades, if you had the coin and wanted the best sedan on the planet, the choice was the 5 Series. It communicated the right amount of road feel, was superbly balanced, smooth and stable in corners, and had more power than dictator-for-life Kim Jong-il.


Cadillac was king of the hill for even longer than BMW, like more than half its 100-plus years. But that was long ago. While BMW may have held the sedan crown the last 20 or so years, Cadillac was “The Standard of the World” for the first half of the 20th century—and then some.

Now both marques are applying all their marketing and engineering acumen to this crazy modern market in which we all shop. We could not think of a better idea than to take these well-dressed icons to the drag strip and have at it.

We chose the high-zoot versions of each model, as we’re sure you would, too, right?

For the Cadillac we took the 4.6-liter, 320-hp Northstar V8 version. The STS also comes with 3.6-liter, 260-hp V6 power, but choosing that would have been like buying tickets to the IBF Cruiserweight fight when you could see the heavyweights duke it out.

And while BMW’s 5 Series comes in three engine configurations and three transmission choices, we again went straight to the top of the spec chart with the 4.4-liter, 325-hp V8 and six-speed manual. The 2.5-liter, 184-hp and 3.0-liter, 224-hp straight-sixes, we figured, are for those for whom world domination is not a goal.

But what is the state-of-the-state of this segment?

Let’s start with the Bimmer. BMW has always known that change is the only constant in the car market. Trouble is, when designing a car, an automaker has to anticipate what the market will want five or so years down the line. BMW believes electronics is the future. That is both good and bad. While we always loved BMWs for their precise feel and smooth power, bit by bit BMW has added electronic functions and computer-controlled features to its cars that steadily pulled it away from the analog wunderwagens we loved for generations. The current 5 Series has more computer controls than the average rocket scientist had back when the car first appeared. While most of these electronics are aimed at increased safety and convenience, they represent an evolution of the marque away from its Alpen pass-cresting roots.


For instance, Active Steering with variable Servotronic Assist came standard on our 545i. Through a set of electrically actuated planetary gears, Active Steering varies the steering ratio from 20:1 to 10:1. On a road course or nice mountain road, it can be disconcerting as it changes the ratio right as you brake into a corner. Time behind the wheel makes it more manageable. We like it best in our subterranean Byzantine parking garage, where snaking through impossibly narrow corridors is made much easier with the wheel input boosted.

Dynamic Drive twists the antiroll bar to counter the car’s natural tendency to lean to the outside of corners. This was easier to get used to, but still disconcerting at first.

And of course there were all the stability programs that run through the ABS to keep the car from under- or oversteering, spinning out or generally flopping around.

All these were different from the BMW 5 Series we first fell in love with so long ago. The changes make for safer cruising but leave out some of the seat-of-the-pants feel we’d always loved.

Cadillac, meanwhile, counters with more traditional performance. After 20 years of front-wheel drive, the V8 in our STS drives the rear wheels through a limited-slip differential. (In the same vein, the slightly smaller CTS offers a manual, too.) In our enthusiast estimation, Cadillac is headed in the right direction.

On paper, the engines of these two luxury sports sedans are well-matched. The Northstar V8 makes 320 hp at 6400 rpm and 315 lb-ft of torque at 4400. The BMW makes a few more despite its 200 fewer cubic centimeters of displacement: 325 peak hp at 6100 rpm and 330 lb-ft of torque at 3600. The difference is the power and torque bands before they reach those peaks.

Even though the Cadillac offers variable valve timing on both intake and exhaust cams, BMW has the lead underhood, with everything from Valvetronic elimination of throttle butterflies to VANOS controls for electrohydraulic valve actuation and variable intake plenums. The result is an engine that adjusts itself so perfectly for every throttle position and load that it finds power where other engines have yet to look.


“There’s more power than you’d expect, and more power than the numbers say,” is how one tester described it.

Likewise, transmission choice goes to BMW, with a 3-1 advantage in the number of choices alone. Bringing it all together is a perfect 50/50 weight distribution for the 545, vs. the Cadillac’s slightly more nose-heavy 54/46 balance.

Take them both to the track and the battle continues. Neither one was any slouch.

On the drive to the track the Cadillac felt comfortable, with wide seats and lots of electronics, including XM satellite radio, which seems to have less New York-centric programming than BMW’s Sirius option. That’s not a knock, just the facts.

The Caddy’s control panel is simpler and more intuitive than that on the Bimmer, too. The much maligned iDrive is better now than it was when introduced a few years ago on the 7 Series, with a new four-menu display and a menu-return button making it less maddening to operate. Both cars come with head-up displays, a gimmick the continued existence of which makes us wonder aloud: Why?

At the track it was—sorry Cadillac—all BMW. That wide, flat power and torque
diagram isn’t just pretty to look at: The 545i outperformed the STS at every turn. Not by gaping margins, but decisively enough.

Zero-to-60 came up in 5.63 seconds for the 545 vs. 6.27 for the Cadillac. Quarter-mile was 14.14 at 100.6 mph vs. 14.71 at 95.2. Times for 20 to 40, 40 to 60 and 60 to 80 were all BMW by a half-second or more.

Even braking was better, with BMW’s four-wheel vented discs with ABS and Dynamic Brake Control stopping from 60 mph in 121 feet vs. the Caddy’s four-wheel vented discs with ABS in 124 feet.

In the slalom the Cadillac’s Michelin Pilot HX 235/50R-17 fronts and 255/45R-17 rears held well around the skidpad and through the cones. It displayed a bit more safe, mid-level understeer than the 545. Go directly from the Cadillac to the BMW and the handling prowess of the 5 Series was
unmistakable.

Once we got used to the Active Steering in the high-speed slalom, the BMW felt less spooky, though it is interesting to note that this feature will not be on the M5.

Riding on performance-oriented Dunlop SP Sport 01 DSST tires (245/40R-18 in front, 275/35R-18 rear), the BMW is smoother and far more precise than the Cadillac, with little chassis roll and no drama. The BMW turns in instantly and can almost be steered with the throttle alone.

The manual gear selector on the STS stopped working partway through our test and then reappeared like a college roommate who owed us money—and paid up.


In the showroom the cars also are close. When it comes to pricing, the devil is in the details, and options packaging can hide
a lot of cost. But there was only abour four grand difference in as-tested pricing for the two cars, $58,560 for the Caddy and $62,620 for the Bimmer. Again, juggle your options and you can come up with your own ballpark figure. A good rule of thumb is that anything rubber or metal is good, anything that pops up or requires additional luminescent gauges you might not need.

Where does that lead us? While the Cadillac is one serious luxury sports sedan and the best-looking of the new art-and-science cars (after the show car, Cien), the BMW still has our hearts. Thing is, with all its electronic controls, our hearts seem to be more and more run by pacemakers.

So it’s still Munich over Motown for now, but come back and ask that question again in a few short years and the answer may well have changed.


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MORE VIEWS

> The STS is the best car Cadillac has produced in my driving lifetime. The simple fact that we are taking it to the track and comparing it to an icon—the BMW 5 Series—speaks volumes about Cadillac’s resurgence. For me, the STS is the best American-made sedan you can buy. —Roger Hart

> The performance and refinement of BMW’s world-class eight-cylinder engine alone is enough for this young shoe to opt for the 545i. But the STS’s potent Northstar V8 is by no means a slouch. The Caddy is a milder take on sporting luxury and foregoes the electronic gizmos (à la iDrive) that some people, like my parents, would never get comfortable using. It really all comes down to which one suits your driving style best, and for me that’s the Bimmer. Either way, though, you’ll end up with a smile. —Andrew Luu

> Despite the frumpy styling and still overly complicated iDrive, I have to vote for the 545i because of its classic blend of power and handling. I also like its impressive manual shifter and its sweet six-speed. Being able to really drive the BMW helps to offset the
offensive nature of the car’s too-many electronannies and their intrusiveness. —Joe Kovach

> I would take the STS over the 545i. Blasphemy, you say? Let me explain: The Cadillac’s powertrain is sublime. The V8 is smooth, powerful and sounds wonderful. The five-speed automatic shifts as smoothly as any out there. The brakes feel best-in-class, or near it, stopping this car with zero drama. The suspension is German-like in its firmness. Yes, you could say all that about the BMW as well. But then there’s the price difference—and no iDrive. —Wes Raynal


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BMW 545i

Base price (includes delivery): $55,695
As-tested price: $62,620
Horsepower: 325 @ 6100 rpm


ENGINE
Front-longitudinal 4.4-liter/268-cid dohc V8
Output: 325 hp @ 6100 rpm, 330 lb-ft @ 3600 rpm
Compression ratio: 10.5:1
Fuel requirement: 91 octane

DRIVETRAIN
Rear-wheel drive
Transmission: Six-speed manual
Final drive ratio: 2.93:1

CHASSIS
Unibody four-door sedan

DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 113.7 in
Track (front/rear): 61.3/62.3 in
Length/width/height: 190.6/72.7/58.0 in
Curb weight: 3803 lbs

SUSPENSION
Front: MacPherson struts with coil springs, twin-tube
gas-charged shock absorbers, antiroll bar

Rear: Four-link with coil springs, twin-tube gas-charged
shock absorbers, antiroll bar

BRAKES/WHEELS/TIRES
Vented discs front and rear, ABS with EBD; aluminum
245/40R-18 front, 275/35R-18 rear Dunlop SP Sport 01 DSST

CAPACITIES
Fuel: 18.5 gal
Cargo: 14.0 cu ft

OPTIONS AS TESTED
Sport package, with power sport seats, active roll stabilization,
active steering, 18-inch wheels, sport suspension, chrome trim
($3,330); premium sound, with six-disc CD changer ($1,800);
park distance control ($700); electric rear sunshade ($575);
folding rear seats ($475); satellite radio preparation ($75)

STANDING-START ACCELERATION
0-60 mph: 5.63 sec
0-100 km/h (62.1 mph): 5.96 sec
0-quarter-mile: 14.14 sec @ 100.6 mph


ROLLING ACCELERATION
20-40 mph (first gear): 1.7 sec
40-60 mph (second gear): 2.5 sec
60-80 mph (third gear): 3.8 sec

BRAKING
60 mph-0: 121 ft

HANDLING
490-foot slalom: 44.9 mph
Lateral acceleration (200-foot skidpad): 0.81 g

FUEL MILEAGE
EPA combined: 19.85 mpg
AW overall: 19.33 mpg

INTERIOR NOISE (dBA)
Idle: 42
Max first gear: 73
Steady 60 mph: 63


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CADILLAC STS


Base price (includes delivery): $47,495
As-tested price: $58,560
Horsepower: 320 @ 6400 rpm


ENGINE
Front-longitudinal 4.6-liter/278-cid dohc V8
Output: 320 hp @ 6400 rpm, 315 lb-ft @ 4400 rpm
Compression ratio: 10.5:1
Fuel requirement: 91 octane

DRIVETRAIN
Rear-wheel drive
Transmission: Five-speed automatic
Final drive ratio: 3.23:1

CHASSIS
Unibody four-door sedan

DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 116.4 in
Track (front/rear): 61.8/62.3 in
Length/width/height: 196.3/72.6/57.6 in
Curb weight: 3921 lbs

SUSPENSION
Front: Independent short/long-arm with coil springs,
gas-charged shock absorbers, antiroll bar
Rear: Multilink with coil springs, pneumatic load leveling
shock absorbers with magnetic ride control, antiroll bar

BRAKES/WHEELS/TIRES
Vented discs front and rear, ABS; aluminum 235/50R-17 front,
255/45R-17 rear Michelin Pilot HX MXM4

CAPACITIES
Fuel: 17.5 gal
Cargo: 13.8 cu ft

OPTIONS AS TESTED
Luxury performance package, with heated/ventilated seats, Bose
audio with DVD changer and navigation, XM radio, rain-sensing
wipers, bi-xenon headlights, 17-inch tires with pressure monitor,
magnetic ride control, sunroof, spoiler, limited-slip diff ($11,065)

STANDING-START ACCELERATION
0-60 mph: 6.27 sec
0-100 km/h (62.1 mph): 6.73 sec
0-quarter-mile: 14.71 sec @ 95.2 mph


ROLLING ACCELERATION
20-40 mph (first gear): 2.3 sec
40-60 mph (second gear): 3.1 sec
60-80 mph (second and third gear): 4.4 sec

BRAKING
60 mph-0: 124 ft

HANDLING
490-foot slalom: 43.1 mph
Lateral acceleration (200-foot skidpad): 0.86 g

FUEL MILEAGE
EPA combined: 20.13 mpg
AW overall: 18.6 mpg

INTERIOR NOISE (dBA )
Idle: 44
Max first gear: 73
Steady 60 mph: 64

So it’s still Munich over Motown for now, but come back and ask that question again in a few short years and the answer may well have changed.