Cadillac's way of showing it off was to let us drive a conventional '07 and the new car with active steering around a handling course. Cadillac only let out the rear-drive '08 STS on public roads for initial impressions. Yes, the DI V-6 felt like a V-8, although its six-speed automatic hiccupped a few times, either a pre-production problem or lack of break-in miles.

The kicker is that with its all-new interior and sheetmetal, the '08 CTS could render the STS V-6 as superfluous as an STS V-8.That car gets the same DI V-6 with slightly different power and torque numbers due to different intake and exhaust tuning.

With its 11.3:1 compression ratio, it has 47 more horses than the 3.6 on which it is based. The '08 STS V-6 is just 18 horses shy and 22 pounds trimmer than the STS V-8. Keep the hood shut and no one will know. Cadillacs need V-8s, at least. We know that. Except that GM's most potent V-6 ever, a new direct injection 3.6-liter, has come along.