1997 CADILLAC Seville 4.6L V8 4AT (275 HP)

Vehicle Overview

In 1997, Cadillac was ready to attack the European market and produced the Seville as a contender for the BMW 7-Series and the Mercedes-Benz S-Classe.

While the European brands were cutting big chunks of the U.S. premium car-market, Cadillac was in a defensive position, but still, lead the segment. But GM didn’t give up and tried to hit them in their home market as well. It even obtained a type approval number for the Seville and launched the car in Europe.

With its sleek design, the Seville was far from the rigid German design language. Its headlights looked narrow on that wide grille, and the raked windshield continued the aerodynamic theme. In the back, Cadillac abandoned the vertical windscreen and installed a raked-forward one. Its designer tried to make a shorter trunk, but not too short.

Inside, it was luxurious. It was on par with the leading competitors from Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz in terms of the front seats. The curved dashboard design and the green illumination for the instrument panel invited the driver to embark on long journeys and spend more hours at the wheel. The specially designed power-seats weighed and calculated the driver’s size and adjusted the bolstering and the seatback for better support. But the raked-forward windscreen led to a smaller rear room for passengers. There was not enough headroom or legroom. The front seats were just too thick, and the bench was not that slim either.

While the leading European premium carmakers were focused on a real-wheel-drive solution, Cadillac chose a front-wheel-drive drivetrain. The same system was used by Audi as well. But unlike the four-ringed carmaker, the Seville featured a transverse, 4.6-liter V-8 engine. Its Magna-ride electronically controlled suspension offered a comfortable ride, but it stiffened on curves to improve handling.