Subtlety is a trait that has been traditionally absent from performance-car design, what with huge hood scoops, garish wings, and those go-fast racing stripes. However, Cadillac is taking a different stance, appropriately blending luxurious sophistication with just enough sport to create a genuine sleeper. Design upgrades for the 2006 STS-V include a chrome mesh grille above and below the bumper that aids engine cooling by 34 percent; integrated front fog lights; a raised dome hood that hides the supercharger and gives the Caddy a more powerful appearance; rocker panels and front and rear fascias that sit lower to the ground; dual chrome exhaust tips; a deck lid spoiler that’s 14-mm higher than normal; and 10-spoke alloy wheels. Fellow motorists may never notice this as anything other than a traditional STS, that is, until it hauls tail away from a stop light with its V-series and supercharged badges just a blur.

For the interior of the 2006 Cadillac STS-V, designers decided to run a little experiment. Recognizing that luxury cars require an extra-level of refinement, they fitted each model with a hand-sewn, 100-percent genuine leather interior (the same is being done with the 2006 XLR-V). Ultra-suede inserts are stitched into the seats to keep driver and passengers firmly planted during spirited cornering, and olive ash burl wood trim is used on the instrument panel, shifter surround, and door grab handles. The craftsmanship is above and beyond what buyers may be used to in a Cadillac, and is frankly surprising from the typical tight-gaps-are-for-sissies General Motors. Overall, all of the panels in our test car felt tight and secure, leaving only complaints about the loose headliner around the sunroof. Where there wasn’t leather there was padded plastic, except for more remote areas like the rear panel of the center console. On a very positive note, Cadillac reps suggest that this new approach of using quality materials to construct a quality interior will make its way across the lineup.