- 2010
2008 Cadillac STS
- Used Cadillac STS
Cadillac STS Safety Review
Safety - 7.6 (Good)
The 2008 Cadillac STS also does very well in federal government crash tests and comes equipped with many standard safety features. However, optional safety features available on the higher trim levels draw mixed reviews.
The STS earned 4 out of 5 stars for driver protection in front impact crashes and 4 out of 5 stars for front passenger protection. In side impact crashes, the STS earned 4 out of 5 stars for front seat occupant protection and 5 out of 5 stars for backseat occupant protection. While the 2008 Cadillac STS has not yet been crash tested by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the 2007 STS earned an overall evaluation of "Good," the best possible, in frontal offset tests. However, the 2007 model doesn't do quite as well in side impact tests, receiving a second-best rating of "Average."
Accident Avoidance
New for 2008, the Cadillac STS V8 Luxury Performance trim and the V8 Premium Luxury Performance trim can be fitted with an optional Driver Awareness Package, which includes a side blind zone alert, lane departure warning system and heads-up display (HUD). The Adaptive Cruise Control and the Bose stereo upgrade are also required in order to get these optional systems.
The majority of auto writers find the lane departure warning system tedious. The system has a camera behind the rearview mirror that detects lane markers and detects when the car is moving out of the lane by a green light and a warning sound. AutoWeek recognizes that the system is a safety feature on two-lane roads, but reviewers find it "annoying" in most situations. Edmunds agrees, saying, "It would seem the only people to benefit from such a system are exactly those people who shouldn't be on the road in the first place, such as the sleepy, the drunk or the terminally uncoordinated." But a vocal minority finds the system effective: Cars.com says it works "well," adding that "I drove over plenty of diagonal ruts and old lane markings, and the system never sounded a false alarm." Car and Driver reviewers agree, calling it "among the least intrusive of its kind" and adding that it is easily deactivated.
The side blind zone alert system is not well-liked and many found it to have glitches. Car and Driver says the small icon that indicates if something is in the driver's blind spot is "easily washed out by sunlight. We had to look at the mirror so intently to see if the icon were illuminated, we might as well have just turned our heads a little farther and manually checked the blind spots." Editors at Cars.com add, "One editor found the system didn't light up until the cars were plainly in his view, so its effectiveness could depend on where you position your mirrors." Cars.com editors also mention that the system "picks up faster cars as they pass, but it isn't designed to detect slower cars as you pass them."
All trim levels of the 2008 STS come with four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes and StabiliTrak, a computer-controlled stability system.
Crash Protection
The 2008 Cadillac STS comes standard with driver and front passenger front dual stage air bags with a passenger sensing system and safety belts with pretensioners. The STS also comes with one year of OnStar services, which includes, but is not limited to, roadside assistance and emergency services, automatic notice of air bag deployment and vehicle diagnostics.
