Cadillac's recent comeback has to rank right up there with the 2004 Boston Red Sox winning the World Series after an 86-year dry spell.

Fact is, it's a miracle Cadillac survived the 1980s, when the company stained its reputation with a string of disasters, such as the variable-displacement V8-6-4 engine and the Chevy Cavalier-based Cimmaron.

Once known as the Standard of the World, Cadillac is again producing some solid product. Case in point: the Cadillac SRX, which recently won our midsize luxury V8 SUV comparison test against such class faves as the BMW X5 4.4i and Mercedes-Benz ML500.

Cadillac's latest effort, the rear-wheel-drive STS luxury sport sedan, is looking to woo customers away from the Lexus LS 430, Mercedes-Benz E-Class and BMW 5 Series. And it has the hardware to do so. It looks good on paper and, more importantly, it feels good on the road. It's all here, and it's wrapped up in signature styling that unabashedly states, "I'm a Cadillac, and proud of it."

It Can Dance if It Wants to

If you still think a Cadillac handles like an ocean-going vessel, you're living in the past. The STS comes with an independent, sport-tuned suspension with performance shocks and automatic rear leveling.

Our test car had the optional Magnetic Ride (MR) suspension, which is included in the Premium Luxury Group and the Luxury Group option packages, both of which list for over $8,000. It offers two modes, Touring and Performance, and works by automatically changing the damping force by electrically charging particles in the shocks' hydraulic fluid. When charged, the fluid's viscosity increases and firms up the suspension, when discharged the viscosity decreases and softens the ride.

In practice, it's all transparent and it works. Attack your favorite road and MR tightens up the STS' shocks instantly to provide more response.

Initially, we left the STS in the Touring mode, which provides a cushy ride and composed handling. The STS dives into the turns with unwavering composure and never felt sprung too softly.

We even tested the STS at the track in this mode, where it posted an impressive 61.5 mph speed through the slalom, falling between an E500 (59.9 mph) and a BMW 530i (63.9 mph).

We assume an STS fitted with the optional Performance Handling package, which is essentially 18-inch wheels and high-performance tires, would handle even better.

Switching to the Performance mode brought to light one of the Caddy's ergonomic downfalls. To switch modes, you must wade through various prompts on the multiuse navigation screen and ultimately pick the desired suspension setup under "Occupant Info." Yeah, made no sense to us, either.

In the Performance setting, the handling was a little sharper and the ride a bit stiffer, but the STS handles so well in Touring we question the necessity of the two settings. Overall, this large car feels three-fourths its size when driven with enthusiasm, yet it rides like a luxury car when you're spinning up the miles on the highway.

A quartet of big disc brakes keeps all that kinetic energy in check. At the track we recorded a 120-foot stopping distance from 60 mph, a number we'd more associate with a compact sport sedan than with a two-ton luxury cruiser. Coming down out of our favorite twisty canyon roads off the Pacific Coast Highway, there was no brake fade from the stout binders.

Our only complaint with the STS' dynamics is with the steering, which is too light and lacks road feel. However, there is a ZF Servotronic II variable assist system that's included in the Premium Luxury Group that promises more communication.

Carrying a Big Stick

The 320-horsepower, 4.6-liter V8 in the STS packs a helluva punch. Sure, the raw stats are impressive, zero to 60 in 6.3 seconds and the quarter in 14.4, but the way the power is delivered is even more so. At any speed, nailing the gas pins you to the seat, and the subdued growl is at once aggressive and refined.

The Benz E500 is quicker still, 5.8 seconds and 14.2 seconds, but the Cadillac pulls away from an LS 430.

The intelligent five-speed automatic transmission delivers quick yet seamless gear changes, and works just fine when left on its own. When you're feeling sporty, however, you can change gears yourself, after moving the shifter in a separate gate to the right.

Like the old Hurst "His and Hers" ratchet shifters from the '60s, you flick the lever up to upshift and back to downshift, but there's an annoying delay from the instant you move the shifter to when the shift occurs.

Great Cruiser

The STS makes a great road trip companion. The heated and cooled seats are roomy yet supportive and the cabin is hushed at freeway velocities. Even the grooved concrete slabs of L.A.'s 405 freeway don't ruin the tranquility within the car.

With its Eucalyptus wood trim, handsomely stitched leather and waterfall-style center stack, the STS' inner sanctum looks and feels top shelf. One editor even compared it to the LS 430. However, we were still able to ferret out a few small defects such as an unfinished edge near the nav screen that you might catch your finger on.

A generous wheelbase measuring 116.4 inches, which is longer than its rivals, promises that rear passengers in an STS have plenty of room. Rear legroom trumps the space in a 5 Series and E-Class and even edges out the spacious LS 430.

On the other hand, at 13.8 cubic feet the luggage capacity falls a bit short of the Germans and is shamed by the enormous 20.2 cubes of the Lexus.

Plenty of Gizmos

What would a Cadillac be without its bells and whistles? How about heated seats front and rear? Don't know where to set your intermittent wipers? No worries with the STS' Rainsense wipers that automatically adjust their speed. And for old times' sake, there are automatically dimming headlamps, which Caddy has had since the 1950s.

Most of the luxury features are easy to use, with the exception of the confounding memory setting procedure for the driver seat, mirrors, radio and climate controls. In most cars, a driver sets the memory by adjusting everything to his liking and then pressing a couple of buttons on the door, dash or console.

Not in the STS.

Like the suspension modes, you must dive deep into the nav screen to set the memory. Trust us, you're not going to figure it out by just looking around. To set the memory in the STS you must hit a button marked "config" on the audio system and then click on nearly a half-dozen buttons in sequence through the nav screen. Frustrating, but if you owned the car, you wouldn't have to do it often.

Fully Competitive

In years past, when comparing American luxury cars against those of Germany or Japan, the home team always seemed to fall down in the areas of dynamic balance and overall quality. The STS does not. Apart from a few minor ergonomic glitches, the STS is strong in all the areas that matter in this high-brow segment: performance, style, comfort and luxury.

With pricing ranging from the low 40s for the 255-hp V6 model to the low 60s for the V8 with all-wheel drive, it looks like Cadillac's latest all-star is going to cover all the bases.

Bottom Line:
The Cadillac revival continues; the STS deserves strong consideration if you're shopping E-Class and 5 Series. Maybe pigs can fly after all….

What Works:
Powerful, fluid performance; excellent ride and handling balance; comfortable seats; great stereo.

What Needs Work:
Counterintuitive controls for memory and suspension settings, steering is devoid of road feel, a few minor cabin trim flaws.

Vehicle Tested:
2005 Cadillac STS AWD 4dr Sedan (4.6L 8cyl 4A)
MSRP of Test Vehicle: $58560