Cadillac has come a long way since the NBA stars and the hip-hop crowd discovered the Escalade and saved that GM division’s bacon. The turnaround was sudden and unexpected. Escalades were turning up in rap videos, and Cadillac dealers were blessed with a whole new clientele overnight.

Now the CTS has become a better car than the STS. Fuel economy concerns and the steady anti-SUV drumbeat from the chattering classes have caused the Escalade to lose some of its appeal as a fashion leader. And the front-wheel-drive DTS has become a sort of redheaded stepchild in the Cadillac family. In fact, when we called to arrange a DTS for a 1400-mile round trip to Connecticut, the PR person double-checked to be sure we wouldn’t really prefer a CTS.

Our test car was a DTS Platinum model—new this year. It is a handsome car, with special chrome exterior accents and a very accommodating leather interior. All DTS models benefit from a decision to clean up the rear aspect by dropping the license plate into the rear bumper. This helps a lot.

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Magazine Issue: Winding Road Issue 29