This is the car modern Cadillac always should have built..

[64\/54Cadillacking]

As someone who simply loves cars with a smooth isolated ride, V8 powered RWD luxury barge such as our vintage Cadillacs, my current daily driver is completely missing the Mark in that regard.

Although it's a wonderful well built car (2017 Chevy Impala) it's a FWD sedan that is tuned for a more firm suspension and it does not do well over very rough roads out here in SoCal. As we all know, FWD suspension doesn't articulate all too well in comparison to a RWD SLA front suspension which allows for far greater wheel travel and a greater flexibility of wheel movement.

So after doing some researching of a sedan that hits all the marks, I've found that the 2007-2012 Lexus LS460 and 460L is the closest thing in terms of ride quality, V8 power, smoothness of operation of our big ole Cadillacs. But it does it much better with features that even today is simply amazing.

I went to go test drive an 07 LS460 L edition yesterday which is 4 inches longer in length and 4.5 inches longer in wheelbase vs the standard LS460.

This car was simply amazing to drive OMG! Although this car is 14 years old, it drives and feels like a brand new car and even drives better than new cars I've driven. It completely blows away my Impala from ride smoothness, power, quality of materials, and its interior space especially rear seat legroom and knee room is even bigger than any Cadillac Fleetwood you can think about. It had even larger rear seat legroom than a Lincoln Town Car L edition IMO.

The 4.6L V8 engine is dead silent and I honestly could not tell that the engine was running! It's that smooth. This car was the top of line then, a $71,000 sedan that you can get today for around 10-15K.

It has reclining rear passenger seats which I found very comfortable, heated/cooled front and rear passenger seats, automatically adjusting rear headrest. Rear seat air purifier filter, passenger seats rear window sunshades and a host of other truly advanced features that even today many vehicles on the road don't have.

This Lexus is truly a car that Cadillac should have built and competed against, its ironic how Lexus actually promoted a serene, soft comfortable ride it's in sedans, while Cadillac went the opposite direction. Lexus sorta of copied the old American luxury sedan from the past, but refined and improved it a thousand times better than what American automakers  could ever accomplish.

I'm dead set on buying one now, I have to have one after the test drive. Sure this generation of LS460 styling is a bit bland and uninspiring, however, once behind the wheel you truly feel like a million bucks, a chauffeur, or someone of importance is the right words in the L model. Plus with Lexus reliability, these cars can run practically  forever without much fuss.

[Big Apple Caddy]

Cadillac built a car like that in the CT6 but despite outselling the Lexus LS by a wide margin in the U.S. during its run, especially considering Cadillac was also selling a second large sedan (XTS) at the same time, it didn't achieve enough sales or profits for Cadillac to continue the model.  There is simply far less appeal for large sedans these days.  The CT6 was a very nice car in a poor market for that type of car.  Lexus LS sales are also in the toilet compared to what they used to be when sedans had a lot more appeal.  Over the last five years, the LS has accounted for less than 2% of total Lexus sales in the U.S.

The CT6, LS and others were/are all fine cars but that's not the segment currently bringing the sales and profits the automakers want.  Hopefully sedans will make a comeback but for a while now, crossovers, SUVs and pickups have been driving the market.

[dinhnguyen57]

I think there are a lot of luxury cars out there that drive just as smoothly as the older Cadillacs.  My Mercedes S550 certainly does.  I am sure all the flagship cars from the major automakers will do as well. 

What is remarkable to me is that there is a more basic suspension in the older Cadillacs that can provide that smooth ride, whereas the modern cars require a lot more sophisticated suspension system with higher maintenance requirements to achieve the same.  One advantage with the modern suspension systems is it makes the car handle much much nicer in turns.

[James Landi]

 Our old Cadillacs were HEAVY, and with the right tires inflated to factory specs, Cadillacs were extraordinarily smooth even with a TRADITIONAL suspension system.  James

[64\/54Cadillacking]

You guys are right, Cadillac did have a basic suspension setup, yet they rode so smooth and are ultra comfortable. The modern luxury flagships do ride very well, but yes, they all have this crazy suspension linkage design that are prone to failure because of their complexity.

My father owns a 2012 S-Class, and an 2004 Lincoln Town Car. He actually prefers the ride in the Town Car including the very large padded seats that is more comfortable than the S-Class. The one thing the Benz has over the Town Car is quality of materials. The Benz materials feel much nicer inside while the Lincoln feels plasticity.

As far as the LS 460 goes, their front end suspension is complex, for instance they use 8 control arms. Unlike having one upper and one lower arm in our Cads, Lexus uses 2 individual uppers and 2 individuals lowers with bushings and ball joints in between, this allows for greater wheel flexibility and articulates on different road surfaces better.

But even with that, although that Lexus was buttery smooth, it didn't handle some small road impacts as nicely  like my old Cadillacs or Lincoln's do. The problem with all of these modern vehicles today is the low profile tires. They can only compensate so much from harsh road impacts. The basic suspension in the old cars , with large diameter tires, and its body on frame construction didn't allow for those
impacts to be felt as much, it was a simple idea that worked very well. Now automakers have to design and construct suspensions so wildly in order to obtain and achieve what the old luxury cars from past did but with a lot more added cost.

[Andrew Trout]

What is remarkable to me is that there is a more basic suspension in the older Cadillacs that can provide that smooth ride, whereas the modern cars require a lot more sophisticated suspension system with higher maintenance requirements to achieve the same.  One advantage with the modern suspension systems is it makes the car handle much much nicer in turns.

Modern luxury have a strong performance component to them, so the cars have larger disc brakes to help stop in an acceptable distance from highway speeds. That means larger wheels, which require larger tires. To give more of a performance look, lower profile tires are used, which reduces their effectiveness in absorbing impacts.

[64\/54Cadillacking]

Modern luxury have a strong performance component to them, so the cars have larger disc brakes to help stop in an acceptable distance from highway speeds. That means larger wheels, which require larger tires. To give more of a performance look, lower profile tires are used, which reduces their effectiveness in absorbing impacts.

Very true, just like my fathers S-Class, although it rides nice, it has low-pro tires that make some tire road noise on certain pavement. And you can feel some harshness too. But the car wouldn't look as nice with fatter tires.

His Town Car in comparison is much more isolated and simply rides like you're driving on a cloud. It's much more comfortable. The Benz definitely feels more planted on the road and isn't floaty at all, but the ride is tuned for comfort and the suspension isn't firm or stiff at all.


The Lexus LS however is the Japanese luxury car that was definitely designed and built for Americans with its default soft disconnected ride that I truly enjoy.