Cadillac SLS Vs. Lexus ls 400 Vs. Mercedes-Benz E420

Cadillac has been in business since 1903. And on and off for about the past 85 years, that Detroit automaker has unabashedly referred to itself as the "Standard of the World." In other words: the luxury car by which all others are judged. That's a big brag to live up to, especially in this epoch of techno-luxo alchemy, which has brought us powerful sedans from Lexus and Infiniti, gorgeous V-12 Jaguars, a sultry Lincoln Mark VIII, and a whole slew of drop-dead-fabulous BMWs and Mercedes-Benzes. (And we're not even discussing the rarified air in which Rolls-Royce and Bentley exist.) So, does Cadillac rightfully qualify as the Standard of the World?

There was certainly a period in history when that statement was true; the company's prewar V-12 and V-16 machines were pure art. The postwar era also had its bright points. The impressive Kettering V-8 gave the '49 Caddy the firepower to reign as America's fastest production car. In '67, the Eldorado blazed the luxury trail to front-wheel drive. With the slowest moving assembly line in America, and with engines as massive as 500 cubic inches and 400 horsepower, Cadillac was, at the very least, the standard by which domestic luxury cars were judged.

Today, the wreath-and-crest division serves up one of the fastest and most technically advanced luxury sedans ever built in the USA. The Seville Luxury Sedan (SLS for short) is a five-passenger, front-wheel-drive, super-supple tour de force propelled by a 275-horsepower version of the 4.6-liter Northstar DOHC V-8. Subtle design improvements have added five horses for '95, but the torque stands pat at a heady 300 pound-feet-the highest of any production front-drive vehicle. Combined with the excellent 4L80-E four-speed transaxle, this engine delivers acceleration that'll humble all but the hairiest of '60s musclecars: 0-60 mph in 7.3 seconds, and the quarter mile in 15.4 seconds at 94.4 mph. A new Integrated Chassis Control System interfaces the Road Sensing Suspension, anti-lock brakes, and traction-control systems with a steering-angle sensor to improve vehicle response.

But, above any other component, it's the Northstar engine that gives the SLS its personality. Romp on the gas and an instantaneous push in the back is accompanied by the roar of four camshafts and 32 valves rampaging toward the 6100-rpm redline. Drive it hard, drive it soft, but, damn it, just drive it. The first tuneup and transmission-fluid change isn't scheduled until the odometer reaches 100,000 miles, EPA fuel-economy ratings are 16/25 city/highway mpg, and it'll cruise down the highway in library-quiet fashion. Is this a great powertrain, or what?

The newest competitor to the Cadillac SLS is the reformulated-for-'95 Lexus LS 400. Although Lexus is loathe to instill in its flagship anything approaching rowdy performance, myriad improvements made to this five-passenger, rear-drive luxury liner have resulted in faster acceleration, better fuel economy, stronger braking, more passenger room, and a larger trunk. Despite the use of a 1.4-inch longer wheelbase, the overall length of the LS 400 didn't change. The new body is also more rigid than its predecessor, despite the shedding of 209 pounds. In a word: Wow!

Then there's the styling. The body may look much the same, but 90 percent of the exterior is new. The door cuts are larger for easier entry, the prow is more angular to improve parallel-parking sight lines, and the decklid is higher to provide 0.5 cubic feet of extra capacity. A direct benefit of the body shaping is a stellar 0.28 coefficient of drag-an improvement from the old 0.30 Cd, and the lowest number of any production car sold in North America.