Catera is Cadillac's well-kept secret

Every once in a while, we Americans who enjoy the road manners of European cars get to drive autos that General Motors and Ford build across the Atlantic for sale over there.

For us, it's a rare treat, but these cars unfortunately haven't been well enough appreciated on this side of the Atlantic to justify the trouble it takes to get them here.

Then there's the Saturn LS line, assembled in America but based heavily on a car GM sells in Europe as the Opel Vectra. A driver's car, it nevertheless has been met with a collective yawn in the American marketplace.

Then there's this week's subject, another car I enjoyed driving and would be happy to call my own: the Cadillac Catera, in essence a version of the Opel and Vauxhall "Omega" sold in Great Britain and on the continent.

Although the Catera has done a good job of winning new customers for General Motors - its owners include a higher percentage of formerly non-GM owners, 45 percent, than any other Cadillac car - it is Cadillac's weakest-selling model, which bodes ill for its resale value.

There's another reason to think twice about a Catera as a purchase: Consumer Reports' annual survey of readers/owners found the Catera much worse than average in reliability. Jeff Pritchard, Cadillac's assistant brand manager for the Catera, contends the rating primarily reflects problems with early models.

In any case, I enjoyed driving my tester so much that I'm suggesting you at least consider a Catera - but under a lease, thereby letting Cadillac take the financial bath if this car follows the Cimarron (a gussied-up Cavalier promoted in the early 1980s as Cadillac's import fighter) into oblivion and your Catera becomes the approximate equal in value of a ham and cheese sandwich.

GM said it plans to begin producing the German-built Catera domestically in a new plant in Lansing, Mich., toward the end of next year. And Cadillac has confirmed that the Catera is due for major styling and functional changes, reportedly for the 2001 model year.

I'd also suggest you consider the version that I had in my driveway for a week: the "Sport," even though it's $2,000 more than the standard Catera, which begins at $30,860..

The Catera's appeal is in no small measure due to its engine, a 200-horsepower V-6 that delivers strong acceleration (zero to 60 in 8.5 seconds, says Cadillac), with a pleasant growl - at least to my shell-like ears.

The tester's engine was so smooth at idle that I had to glance at the instruments to make sure it was still running. Premium is recommended for the Catera's smallish 16.5-gallon fuel tank but I'll tell you a little secret if you promise not to tell Cadillac: I put a tank of regular into the tester to save myself 20 cents a gallon and saw no difference in performance.

The traction-control system sometimes got in the way of quick starts and the transmission sometimes hesitated for a fraction of a second before effecting the downshift I requested through the accelerator but, overall, this is a drivetrain that should please most drivers.

The firm ride might raise the eyebrows of those expecting the traditional Cadillac ride, but the tester's was annoying only on a badly pockmarked road, and then mostly because of the tester's hard Goodyear Eagle RS-A tires - 235 45R/17's.

The Catera's driving appeal is enhanced by its rear-wheel drive, which makes for a better front-to-rear weight balance, which makes for better handling overall, which is why automakers like BMW and the manufacturer of Mercedes-Benzes, DaimlerChrysler, have tended to stick with rear-drive.

Inside, there's an attractive dash with some brushed silver accent trim and with most controls large, well-marked and easy to locate even at night. Gauges are white letters on black backgrounds and include one for oil pressure.

Other welcome features include flip-open map pockets in all four doors; a shoulder belt for the center-rear-seat passenger and a pass through from the trunk to the rear seat for long items such as skis. For larger cargo, the rear seat backs fold down.

The glove box is very small; Cadillac says it's air conditioned but I'm not sure what you'd be able to put in there that needed to stay cool, except maybe your pet frog.

A long list of standard items includes General Motors' excellent "OnStar" satellite and cellular-telephone-based travel concierge and roadside-assistance system, accessible with the touch of a button in a small pod glued to the windshield just to the left of the rearview mirror.

Also standard are electronic level control, side-impact air bags, leather seating surfaces, and, in our Sport tester, high-intensity-discharge headlamps, heated seats, rear spoiler and "sport" suspension. A sunroof is $995; a Bose sound system is $935.

The toughest hurdle for the would-be Catera buyer, or lessee, might be the very tough competition - in particular the new Lincoln LS V-6, which begins at $31,475 with an automatic transmission and is well equipped. (Unlike the Catera, the slightly longer and wider LS is even available with a stick shift for you enthusiast types.)

In the same price neighborhood, called "near luxury" in the industry, are the newly redone Infiniti I30, the soon-to-be-redesigned Mercedes-Benz C-Class, the Volvo S70 and the decidedly more sedate and dated Lexus ES 300.

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2000 Cadillac Catera Sport

Base price: $33,000

Price as tested: $35,468

EPA mileage: 18 mpg city, 24 highway

Finance note: Assuming a 10-percent down payment and a five-year new-car loan at the prevailing national rate of 8.76 percent, monthly payments for the tested car would be $658.92.