It wasn't very long ago that the words Cadillac and performance were rarely used in the same sentence. But that was before the Cadillac STS zoomed onto the scene and opened up a whole new world of possibilities for General Motors' luxury-line division. And although we wish the Concours was fueled by the same 300-hp powerplant as its Seville and Eldorado cousins, it performed impressively during various acceleration, steering and passing maneuvers.For instance, its 0-to-60 mph time of 8.2 seconds would be nothing to sneeze at even in cars significantly lighter than the 2-ton Concours. And during a bracing 65-to-85 mph push in a passing situation, the Northstar engine engaged with authority, emitting a full-throated roar that was like music to our ears. The old saw about Cadillac owners - that they may love their Caddy, but they hate the road itself - is addressed by the Concours' suspension, which offers a beatific, floating-on-air ride. But unlike the mushy suspensions of yesterday's highway hogs, the Concours protects its passengers from the road without causing the driver to actually feel cut off from it. One negative note: Although the speed-sensitive steering cuts down on the wobble and float of the old days, there's still a bit of drift to the steering. In fact, a few times on the freeway, we took our eyes off the road for a second or two and found ourselves travelling in whatever direction we were gazing in. Needless to say, that's not safe. But the Concours is a perfect car for taking a drive in the country - which is exactly what we did. The Concours' ride was so unobtrusive, even serene, that it didn't get in the way of our car full of nature lovers soaking up the beauty of some lush late-autumn colors.
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