This was something new for me - a heatable steering wheel. Everyone's done heated seats, and the warm airscarf in Merc's SLK was (if you'll forgive the expression) quite cool, but heatable steering wheels are my new thing.
I'd only ever found one in the Bentley Continental GT Speed we had on test a few weeks back so you can imagine my surprise in finding another in Cadillac's flagship STS. The almost 40º temperature and 70 percent humidity in Durban didn't tempt me to use it much but hey, it's different.
And the styling on the STS is probably just as different. Okay, it's not everybody's glass of bourbon but boy, does it pull a crowd.
I'm not entirely sold on the vertical headlamps, the narrow LED tail lights or the oversized front grille but lotsa people are. Many, many brothers and sisters asked what we were driving and admired the presence the STS oozes.
The 18" rims are fine but why did they have to chrome them and why did the rear have to be so vertical?
But what I was sold on was the interior. It's plush and Governator-like, with dent and mark-resistant aluminium and real wood finishes on the steering wheel, centre console, instrument panel and door armrests.
The interior pillars and roof liner are covered in a "Monaco woven" fabric. Nice. The seats (yup, heatable) are seriously comfortable, offering great support on a drive from Durban to Jo'burg. I also quite liked the chunky steering wheel.
On the downside the satnav was missing (you would expect one in a flagship car), there was a bit of wind noise at high speeds, and the indicators didn't have a one-touch function (you know, you push it and it blinks three times for a lane change).
And there are a few quirky things on the security side. For starters, after you switch the car off the trip data computer asks you if you would like to switch the "intrusion" system off. In this country, no, double-arm it please.
The key also offers the option to remote-start the car; I tried it but it seemed to be deactivated, which is probably a good thing - wouldn't want to make it that easy for car thieves.
My favourite, though, which surprised petrol attendants, was a key to open the fuel cap. A security measure I agree, but can you imagine Mrs Plett in her fur coat and range- topping Caddy fumbling around for this little silver key with the word Fuel engraved on it.
Just not the right feel, especially as the ignition system is keyless. The safety latch inside the boot is a great idea, though; it was probably put there for naughty kids who get over-adventurous, but works better here thanks to naughty hijackers.
Thumbs up as well for the panic button on the remote that sets off hooters and lights.
4.6-litre V8 engine
Under the bonnet you'll find the most advanced compact V8 in the General Motors range. The aluminium, 4.6-litre, 32-valve, DOHC mill spits out 239kW and 425Nm, taking ther STS to 100km/h in 8.3sec on the reef (the manufacturer claims 6.2sec at sea level) and on to a top speed of 250km/h.
Mated to this is a six-speed semi-automatic box with shift control. Hats off to the Yanks here - in so-called manual mode the STS holds its gears and won't change at limiter for you, meaning you have more control than usual.
In auto mode, however, you really have to flatten the accelerator to get a proper kickdown; it usually just drops one gear. The box was silky smooth, ideal for highway cruising or sitting effortlessly in traffic.
Part of its cruising comfort was thanks to the all-wheel independent suspension with magnetic ride control that continuously adapts each damper to driving conditions; we hit a couple of potholes and a few dodgy roads, but the ride was consistently soft.
We did pick up a "service suspension" warning towards the end of the test, but it never affected the handling.
VERDICT
The American-built STS is a very different car to the smaller Cadillac BLS which is a Saab in drag; it's more refined and a real pleasure to drive. The looks may take a bit of getting used to, but you will no doubt stand out from the German brigade.
Is it better overall than the Audi A6, BMW 5 Series or Mercedes E-Class? In my opinion, no. To beat those, GM will have to raise the bar a little, especially in areas such as satnav.