Perhaps it's because it's American, and people over here feel that Americans can't build cars properly. Or perhaps it's because it's front-wheel drive, and luxury cars aren't meant to be that way.Whatever the reason, a large proportion of the British motoring press has reacted with a disdainful sneer to the Cadillac Seville STS. In my view this is the clinching proof that you should never believe what you read in the papers, because the Seville is one of my favourite cars.It looks good, with lines that to some extent disguise just how massive it is. And thanks to the 4.6-litre, 32-valve Northstar engine it also sounds good - Americans know, and are comfortable with, big V8s, and there is simply no equivalent European engine that makes such a stirring noise.The Northstar produces nearly 300bhp, which is far and away the greatest amount of power fed through the front wheels of any production car on the planet, and I suspect this has created a mindset among many critics that the car must be difficult to control, regardless of the evidence.That would certainly explain why the Cadillac has been criticised for understeer, torque steer and all sorts of other unwelcome steers which have led to its handling being described in print as "inexcusable". But after several hundred miles behind the wheel I reckon that, as long as you don't force it, the Seville is a remarkably sweet handler. A friend of mine who failed to keep up while driving a more obviously performance-oriented saloon over a challenging country road was forced to agree with that opinion.It's comfortable, too, especially if you throw another £1000 on to the list price and specify the adaptive seating system which monitors your body attitude every couple of minutes and instructs the seat to alter its shape accordingly. Being of a tall persuasion I can't normally drive for more than two hours without feeling as if I had turned into a pre-Cambrian fossil, but three hours in the Cadillac was no sweat at all.I'd be the first to admit that the Seville is a long way from being ideal. The fuel consumption is so horrendous that you could eat your dinner off the inside of the petrol tank within 220 miles of the last fill-up. The brakes are already starting to wilt after two heavy applications. The speedometer rather bizarrely reads up to a maximum of 250mph, a speed the car could reach only if fired from a missile launcher. And although there is a footrest, the obvious place for your left foot to lie is in the recess intended for the parking brake.But hey, did I say the Seville was perfect? Not me. What I will say is that, silly niggles apart, it's a wonderfully fast, agile, comfortable machine, and that as soon as the money comes through from the bank job I'm off to buy one.Second opinion: Not much to disagree with here. If you "go with" the Seville, instead of trying to wring its neck - and there's something utterly pointless about trying to get brutal with a car of this power - it's a fine machine which doesn't like too many emergency stops. Imposing presence on the road, for the people who notice it at all. The year 2000 mods don't involve power or handling changes. Ross Finlay. Engine 4565cc, 8 cylinders Power 305bhp Transmission 4-speed automatic Fuel/CO2 19.8mpg / 330g/km
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