1997 Cadillac DeVille Review
1997 Cadillac DeVille Review
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Edmunds' Expert Review
by the Edmunds Experts
Pros
- Huge interior, traditional luxury, side-impact airbags, fresh interior ergonomics, Northstar V-8 engine
Cons
- Rides like a cruise ship in 20-foot swells, low and unsupportive seating positions
What’s new
DeVille undergoes a substantial revamp for 1997, including revised styling, the addition of standard side-impact airbags and a fresh interior that is actually functional. Concours receives stability enhancement and road texture detection as part of its Integrated Chassis Control System (ICCS), while a new d'Elegance model picks up where the defunct Fleetwood left off. Finally, the OnStar Services package provides DeVille owners with security and convenience features that will pinpoint the car's location at any given time or allow you to book a flight to Paris from the comfort of your driver seat.
Cost to DriveCost to drive estimates for the 1997 Cadillac DeVille D'elegance 4dr Sedan and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.36 per gallon for regular unleaded in Ohio.
Monthly estimates based on costs in Ohio
$220/mo for DeVille D'elegance
DeVille D'elegance
vs
$213/mo
Avg. Large Car
Vehicle overview
Poised to take over Big Kahuna duties when the Fleetwood departs at the end of the 1996 model year, the De Ville certainly looks the part. With its eggcrate grille, slab-sided flanks and long, thin, horizontal tail lamps, the De Ville is unmistakably a Cadillac.
The big news for 1996 is the addition of the Northstar 4.6-liter V8 to the De Ville. The new engine puts out 275-horsepower; a whopping 38 percent increase over the old 4.9-liter V8 under the hood of the 1995 model. With the new engine comes a new transmission, and long-life engine coolant designed to last for 100,000 miles. Also standard for 1996 is Cadillac's Integrated Chassis Control System and Road-Sensing Suspension.
Concours models get a power boost to differentiate them from basic De Ville models. The 300-horse unit from the Cadillac STS sits under the hood of the Concours, and a higher final drive ratio ensures that this sporty Cadillac feels faster than its whitewall trimmed sibling. Unique to the Concours is Rainsense, a system that can sense when raindrops are falling and turn the wipers on automatically, at the right speed to keep up with the rate of rainfall. Magnasteer variable effort steering replaces the De Ville's Speed-Sensitive gear on the uplevel Concours, and a Continuously Variable Road Sensing Suspension is standard as well.
Both De Villes change interior trim color to "Harmony Gray." New radios debut for 1996, and an integrated voice activated cell phone is available in portable or non-portable format. Customers can personalize door locks and seat positions for up to two drivers, and climate controls get an air recirculation function. Located in the glove box are new switches for valet lockout and turning the traction control system off. Daytime running lights make these behemoths more visible on the road.
In this class of American luxury automobiles, buyers have three choices: the De Ville, the Lincoln Town Car, and the Chrysler New Yorker/LHS. We'd take the De Ville Concours. It is quick, silent, somewhat agile, and offers scads of luxury in a tastefully restrained package.
Consumer reviews
Read what other owners think about the Used 1997 Cadillac DeVille.
5 star(49%)
4 star(38%)
3 star(8%)
2 star(5%)
1 star(0%)
37 reviews
Trending topics in reviews
Most helpful consumer reviews
3.75 out of 5 stars
A good deal for the $$$
gm owner 4 ever, 09/08/2008
1997 Cadillac DeVille D'elegance 4dr Sedan
I bought this car last year and have only put about 5K miles on it since. It is used mainly for long trips. The car only has 74k miles on it. I have had no problems other than the power ant stopped working and now I have to hand wash the car. Very smooth ride and strong V-8. I paid $4100 for the car and never looked back.
3.75 out of 5 stars
Pretty good, but why any problems?
Storm22, 06/27/2002
1997 Cadillac DeVille 4dr Sedan
This Deville makes one quart of oil
disappear every 1400-1800 miles
...considered within normal tolerance
by Cadillac ...have seen this over and
over again on internet sites. A truly
free economy would produce an immediate
corrective response by the manufacturer
to their hoped-for future customers.
However, car is very comfortable and
still gets a reasonable 17-27 mpg … for a
4,000 lb. car.
4.63 out of 5 stars
'97 deville
cp, 06/02/2007
1997 Cadillac DeVille 4dr Sedan
I loved this car. Luxury, good mileage 19-21 mpg. Excellent ride. I'm not a kid, and I'm not in a hurry, I'm into comfort. We live 20 miles in a rural setting in California. We drive a lot. I also have a Prius for my sales job, 45 plus mpg, 40,000 a year, but when we go out, we always take the DeVille.
2.5 out of 5 stars
GM pulled the wool over our eyes...
wordofmouththeonlywa, 08/22/2003
1997 Cadillac DeVille 4dr Sedan
GM sold us a bill of goods here. As
soon as the warranty was up (only 4
years) this p.o.s. started falling
apart. The name CADILLAC used to mean
quality that you could trust. I have
seen nothing but problems with this
car. From headlights literally falling
off to fuel sensors or pumps or
something shorting out IN the gas tank
causing the electrical system to go …
haywire??? You tell me why I should
pay over $40g for this again??? Very
disappointed and of course GM
says, "Thank you for purchasing a
Cadillac and we appreciate your
informing us of how to improve our
products." Basically "screw you
sucker. We got ours."
1997 DeVille Highlights
D'elegance
Engine Type | Gas |
---|---|
Combined MPG | 18 MPG |
Cost to Drive | $220/month |
Cargo Capacity All Seats In Place | 20.0 cu.ft. |
Drivetrain | front wheel drive |
Safety
NHTSA Overall Rating
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration offers independent analysis.
- Frontal Barrier Crash RatingOverallNot RatedDriver4 / 5Passenger4 / 5
- Side Crash RatingOverallNot Rated
- Side Barrier RatingOverallNot RatedDriver4 / 5Passenger4 / 5
- Combined Side Barrier & Pole RatingsFront SeatNot RatedBack SeatNot Rated
- RolloverRolloverNot RatedDynamic Test ResultNo TipRisk Of RolloverNot Rated
IIHS Rating
The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety uses extensive crash tests to determine car safety.
- Small Overlap Front Driver-Side TestNot Tested
- Small Overlap Front Passenger-Side TestNot Tested
- Moderate Overlap Front Test – Original0
- Moderate Overlap Front Test – UpdatedNot Tested
- Side Impact Test – OriginalNot Tested
- Side Impact Test – UpdatedNot Tested
- Roof Strength TestNot Tested
- Rear Crash Protection / Head RestraintNot Tested
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