To most Brits, the mention of the name "Cadillac" is sufficient to conjure up images of huge, flashy cars that drink fuel like it's going out of fashion.  My American friends tell me that over there, Cadillacs are the sole preserve of pimps and old people.  I can safely say that the Cadillac BLS wouldn't appeal to either stereotype.  For a start, I didn't recognise it as a Cadillac until I saw the badge on the back of the car, and since mine had a diesel engine, it managed no less than 44 MPG in the time I had it.

The first thing I noticed when driving the Cadillac is that it was an incredibly comfortable car, with soft seats and soft suspension that soaked up the bumps on English roads.  What Car magazine over here states that the BLS is has numb steering, soggy handling but a very firm ride.  I would disagree.  Clearly the Caddy is not designed to be thrashed down country lanes, but I thought the levels of comfort and stability were just fine.  Bearing in mind that it is a diesel, noise levels were very quiet inside the car.  The stereo was very good too, with the best bass that I have ever heard from a standard factory fitted stereo.

The diesel engine was something of a mixed bag.  It was rated at 148 BHP and 236 lb-ft of torque, and while it certainly helps the Caddy to deliver good fuel economy (something that is growing ever more important here in Europe with the current rises in fuel prices), it just seemed out of keeping with the level of sophistication of the car.  Even the quietest diesel engines can't match the refinement of a good petrol engine, and it just seemed that the Caddy should have a V6 petrol engine sitting under the bonnet. having said that, the performance of the Caddy was pretty good, with reasonable acceleration and overtaking power.  The Caddy would benefit from automatic transmission too, as the manual gearbox fitted to my car was pretty awful, with a heavy change and a clutch pedal positioned in such a way that I kept getting my left foot trapped between the pedal and the bottom of the dashboard..

All things considered, I enjoyed driving the Cadillac BLS.  Since it's not a particularly common sight on British roads, it did attract some looks from people, and it was admired by one of the police at the gate where I work (he was doing a "compulsory search" on me at the time).  I think it's the rarity of the Cadillac that would dissuade me from buying one of my own.  I would worry too much about getting it repaired if it went wrong and the availability of spare parts.  That doesn't detract from the fact that it is a very good car, though, and I would certainly consider buying one if it were more mainstream in this country.