http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/review...ts_x.htm?csp=34

Overall a good review but....

DTS' engine doesn't have quite that perfect sound. The four-speed automatic transmission's sometimes clunky shifts don't match the smoothness of the best five- and six-speed automatics becoming common, even on lower-price cars.

This part is odd. The Northstar has always seemed smooth and quiet when gramping around town and Indyracer willing when shumachering it. One of the few things that has consistantly been great on past Cadillac reviews was the Northstar. The reviewer may have trashed the rest of the car but they'd usually end with "but at least the engine is great!".


The four speed may be missing a gear in some people's eyes. But even with just 4 speeds, I'd never describe it as clunky.

The four speed may be missing a gear in some people's eyes. But even with just 4 speeds, I'd never describe it as clunky.

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Transmission refinement isn't a direct function of the number of gears. Maybe he was commenting on the driveline that was clunking when he floored it.

The DTS styling (inside and out) is growing on me. I've seen it in person and really think that I could be happy with it if I ever decide to step up from Buick... However, for the price, I think I'll be VERY happy with the Lucerne. I can't wait to test drive both. The DTS received some very good compliments in the article. The written acknowledgement that the DTS is considerably less expensive than an LS430 (yet still comparable) was nice to see.

The drivetrain jerks startlingly in an on-off-on maneuver on the gas pedal. Caddy says that's a result of softer engine mounts to isolate vibration and give the car an extra-smooth personality. Cadillac believes that DTS drivers never will notice because they aren't likely to nail the gas, let up suddenly, then get back on it hard.

But how about blasting out from a side street into a brief hole in traffic, then letting up because you just spotted a speed cop or a kid running across the road, then jumping back on the gas when you notice in your mirror that the dump truck behind isn't slowing? Lots of combinations possible in real life could result in that on-and-off jerkiness.

I think I'd be kissing the ground after avoiding being run over by a ten ton dump truck...not necessarily complaining about how jerky the vehicle that just saved my life felt.

From owning a similar vehicle with a similar tranny and a Northstar-derived V8, I can say that, sure, there is some jerkiness, but nothing disturbing and nothing I'd really find as a big complaint.

And I agree with Maynard - it would be an issue if there was jerkiness but a lack of power, something I've learned almost the hard way with several other low-output cars.