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2010 Cadillac STS Safety Review

November 8, 2009

SAFETY | 7 out of 10

Expert Quotes:

enhanced StabiliTrak with active steering
Cars.com

stability control "among the least intrusive of its kind
Car and Driver

The 2010 Cadillac STS lags in safety crash-test scores, though not in its ample safety features and options. The low safety score indicates TheCarConnection.com's philosophy that expensive luxury cars should offer world-class safety, regardless of their origin or mission.

It comes down to the stars. The STS's crash-test results are off the pace set by newer GM sedans, not to mention the Mercedes fleet. NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) gives the STS four stars in all but side protection for rear-seat passengers (five stars). The IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) gives the STS "good" results in frontal-offset protection, "acceptable" results in side impact, and a "poor" grade for rear-impact tests.

The STS is fitted with standard safety gear like dual front, side, and curtain airbags; anti-lock brakes; and traction and stability control. All-wheel drive is an option.

Intellibeam headlamps are also on the options list for the 2010 STS; they sense approaching taillights or headlights and dim themselves accordingly. On the Cadillac STS V-8 with all-wheel drive, adaptive cruise control and "enhanced StabiliTrak with active steering" are available as options, Cars.com adds.

Other technological upgrades include revised stability control, a lane-departure warning system, adaptive cruise control, and a blind-spot warning system. Car and Driver finds some of these annoying, as they bleep too many alerts in the cabin (though the lane-departure feature doesn't sound off until the car is "almost on the lane lines"). The blind-spot system proved nearly useless to their editors: "We had to look at the mirror so intently to see if the icon were illuminated, we might as well have just turned our heads a little farther and manually checked the blind spots."

As for the STS-V, "a limited-slip differential, antilock brakes, stability control and traction control are all standard on the STS-V," Edmunds reports, along with Cadillac's "rear parking assist, a lane departure warning system and blind spot warning system." Cars.com likes the STS-V's Intellibeam headlights, "which adjust their intensity based on the oncoming or leading vehicles."

Conclusion

The 2010 Cadillac STS has the safety goods, but its crash-test results come up short.

SAFETY | 7 out of 10Expert Quotes:enhanced StabiliTrak with active steeringCars.comstability control "among the least intrusive of its kindCar and Driver The 2010 Cadillac STS lags in safety crash-test scores, though not in its ample safety features and options. The low safety score indicates TheCarConnection.com's philosophy that expensive luxury cars should offer world-class safety, regardless of their origin or mission. It comes down to the stars. The STS's crash-test results are off the pace set by newer GM sedans, not to mention the Mercedes fleet. NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) gives the STS four stars in all but side protection for rear-seat passengers (five stars). The IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) gives the STS "good" results in frontal-offset protection, "acceptable" results in side impact, and a "poor" grade for rear-impact tests. The STS is fitted with standard safety gear like dual front, side, and curtain airbags; anti-lock brakes; and traction and stability control. All-wheel drive is an option. Intellibeam headlamps are also on the options list for the 2010 STS; they sense approaching taillights or headlights and dim themselves accordingly. On the Cadillac STS V-8 with all-wheel drive, adaptive cruise control and "enhanced StabiliTrak with active steering" are available as options, Cars.com adds. Other technological upgrades include revised stability control, a lane-departure warning system, adaptive cruise control, and a blind-spot warning system. Car and Driver finds some of these annoying, as they bleep too many alerts in the cabin (though the lane-departure feature doesn't sound off until the car is "almost on the lane lines"). The blind-spot system proved nearly useless to their editors: "We had to look at the mirror so intently to see if the icon were illuminated, we might as well have just turned our heads a little farther and manually checked the blind spots." As for the STS-V, "a limited-slip differential, antilock brakes, stability control and traction control are all standard on the STS-V," Edmunds reports, along with Cadillac's "rear parking assist, a lane departure warning system and blind spot warning system." Cars.com likes the STS-V's Intellibeam headlights, "which adjust their intensity based on the oncoming or leading vehicles." ConclusionThe 2010 Cadillac STS has the safety goods, but its crash-test results come up short. 2010 CADILLAC STS STYLING | [7 out of 10] Edmunds: "high-class ambience" ForbesAutos: "we think it's handsome" Kelley Blue Book: "edgy styling" Cars.com: "elements are in proportion" The Cadillac STS and STS-V are aging gracefully, but no longer have the cutting-edge appeal they ...

Read More of this Review:

  1. styling
  2. performance
  3. quality
  4. safety
  5. features

Other Choices:

With a choice of rear- or all-wheel drive and V-6 or V-8 engines, the 2010 Cadillac STS/STS-V slots right alongside the mid-size luxury sedans from Germany and Japan, but both those vehicles are new for 2010 and 2011. The new E-Class takes a turn to the edgy, and its styling doesn't win many friends, though it feels lighter and more adept than ever before. A new 5-Series arrives early in 2010, and a preview in the form of the 5-Series Gran Turismo shows a refined interior, a handsome new design outside, and likely, more fits for Cadillac and Mercedes. Yet another STS rival is the new Jaguar XF/XFR, with a stunning new body, a boutique-hotel interior, and massively powerful V-8 engines but no all-wheel drive. The Infiniti M models are due to be replaced in 2011 with a svelte new shape, but the 2010 models have a surprisingly roomy interior-including a spacious backseat, which is somewhat hard to find in this class-along with available all-wheel drive.

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See the Cadillac STS in Other Years:

2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005

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