2006 Cadillac STS-v

Cadillac will expand the bandwidth of its "v" sub-brand when it appends that letter to the STS this fall. While the CTS-v packs the Corvette's rip-snorting pushrod V-8 coupled to a six-speed manual transmission, in the BMW M3/Audi S4 vein, the STS-v will take on the Jag XJR and Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG. Its 4.4-liter, 440-horse, 430-pound-feet supercharged Northstar V-8 is the most powerful engine ever bolted into a production Caddy. The CTS-v should hit 60 mph in under five seconds, top out at over 165 mph, and circumnavigate the famous Nuerburgring in less than eight minutes, but its mood and manners will be quieter, more comfortable, and genteel than the CTS-v's.

Larger 14x1.3-inch front, 14.3x1.1-inch rear discs are grasped by four-piston calipers all around.

Will it be too mellow? The E55 AMG packs a 469-horse wallop, and BMW's impending M5 will boast a nice, round 500 horsepower, meaning Caddy owners will only be able to talk trash to drivers of 390-horse Jags. Cadillac officials will insist, of course, that their car isn't about trash-talking or drag-racing. Nevertheless, expect to see the Northstar expand back to the 4.6-liter displacement of the naturally aspirated car within a few years to improve the STS's standing.

Pricing has yet to be announced, but the STS-v should ring the registers at about $70,000, undercutting the primary competition by at least $5000 to $10,000.