I never thought I could say these words without laughing out loud: “This is a darn nice car,” especially when the car in question is the Cadillac DTS. In years previous, the car was called the Deville and appealed to folks headed for, or already in, their twilight years. It was a car, in short, woefully out-of-step with Cadillac’s new personification of performance. Now it’s not only in-step, it’s a clear indication that there is subtlety and dimension to Cadillac’s chosen image.

(An aside about that image: Before the DTS what did Cadillac stand for other than speed shots played to Led Zeppelin’s song Rock and Roll? That’s not enough to establish a lasting image. However, the steps taken to update the DTS from its prosaic Deville roots just might be.)

The DTS has morphed into a respectable full-size American sporting sedan with a mellifluous exhaust note courtesy of the L37 Northstar V8 that promises refined power and delivers it. The Magnetic Ride Control dampers use magnetorheological fluid to adjust damping quickly and efficiently, and allow the use of the softer Luxury package springs and anti-roll bar to preserve ride comfort. It’s the classic suspension set-up: relatively soft springs that don’t restrict wheel travel or introduce undue harshness, and stiffer dampers to keep the wheels from launching themselves into orbit. And it works very well on the DTS to keep the wheels in touch with the road under most conditions.

The steering, on the other hand, is a bit light, though that isn’t unexpected given that this is a powerful front-drive vehicle. Driving the steering wheels can cause degradation in feel, especially when a large amount of power – like the 291 hp in the L37 Northstar – is being applied to provide forward motion at the same time the front wheels are setting up for the next corner. Stir in a modicum of rearward weight shift – something that happens despite the best efforts of the Magnetic Ride Control to lessen this by stiffening the rear dampers – and you have a recipe that puts a limit on traction and front end cornering bite. It’s why rear-drive is the choice of serious sporting sedans, and why the DTS will never worry BMW or Mercedes.

What often is missed, however, is that most drivers don’t charge up on each corner, the car balanced on a knife’s edge under braking, as forces are traded off between acceleration, braking and cornering. Also, long-time drivers of front-drive vehicles have learned to adapt their styles to the limitations of the chassis, even to the point of using weight shift under hard braking to dampen understeer. Do these tricks work with the DTS, an admittedly large vehicle? Yes and the Stabilitrak stability control system helps in this mischief by not cutting in too soon or too hard, and rounding the edges of its digital response. The DTS emphatically does not corner or change direction like a Mini Cooper, but it also doesn’t plow like a tractor on the back forty or float like a 1960s land yacht (many of which carried the Cadillac name).

Then there’s the exhaust note. Performance models have a deeper, sweeter, throatier sound that is surprisingly sophisticated and refined, but unmistakably American. Stomp on the throttle, and this intoxicating sound fills the comfortable cabin without becoming intrusive. Yet its persistent tone lets you know there is a layer of serious intent to this car. And that intent shows itself in the way the DTS gathers speed. Could it be faster, quicker, and more powerful? Yes, but that’s not the point. This isn’t a new car, but a heavily revamped version of a car from Cadillac’s recent past. Before the CTS. Before the STS. Before anyone at Cadillac could dream the dream of rear-drive platforms. It’s a carryover that has to fit into a mold made after its birth.

And that’s where the reincarnation of the DTS sets the tone for what Cadillac can be. Unlike the image set in the division’s advertising, the DTS has an air of quiet confidence and discretion, two things not often found in the luxury offerings of mass market manufacturers. It is this maturity combined with a degree of mischievousness, wrapped in a muted suit of American style that holds a great deal of promise for GM’s luxury brand. For too long it has tried to pick a fight with BMW and Mercedes, Lexus and Infiniti in order to prove its self-worth. Yet, all along it has downplayed its strengths, and forgotten that being “equal” doesn’t mean being the “same as.” Perhaps, because of the effort spent on transforming the Deville into the DTS, Cadillac will learn that quiet confidence is a whole lot more appealing than brashness – and more convincing to its customer base.