The Generation Game: Cadillac Seville

[Liquid]

The Generation Game: Cadillac Seville

1976-1979 Cadillac Seville

Bodystyles: 4-door saloon
Engines: 5.7L V8
Drivetrain: RWD
Length: 5.18m / 204in
Weight: ~1,998kg / 4,406lbs

1980-1985 Cadillac Seville

Bodystyles: 4-door saloon
Engines: 4.1L V6, 4.1L - 6.0L V8
Drivetrain: FWD
Length: 5.2m / 205in
Weight: ~1,998kg / 4,406lbs

1986-1991 Cadillac Seville

Bodystyles: 4-door saloon
Engines: 4.1L - 4.9L V8
Drivetrain: FWD
Length: 4.8m / 191in
Weight: ~1,660kg / 3,659lbs

1992-1997 Cadillac Seville

Bodystyles: 4-door saloon
Engines: 4.6L - 4.9L V8
Drivetrain: FWD
Length: 5.19m / 204in
Weight: ~1,730kg / 3,813lbs

1998-2004 Cadillac Seville

Bodystyles: 4-door saloon
Engines: 4.6L V8
Drivetrain: FWD
Length: 5.1m / 201in
Weight: ~1,807kg / 3,985lbs

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ENTHUSIA.AVI

 

[05XR8]

I’ll just quote what I posted August 2023:

Anyway, years later, I along with other owners, were invited by Potamkin Cadillac, to test drive the new family of Northstar V8s, at the Meadow Lands. I was totally surprised, since I bought a Passat from Potamkin Volkswagen. Cool part was inviting my brother as a plus one and the “instructors” were digging his E30 318I/M3 conversion.
Everyone’s favourite were the Eldorados.

 

[MedigoFlame]

Thank you for all these Generation Game threads @Liquid, been rather enjoying seeing the discussions about each vehicle that's been posted so far. Looking forward to see what other vehicles will be featured!

Mostly been voting on what I think is the "definitive" generation to myself at least. The one that comes to mind when mentioning the model name and for this one, I can't help but always picture that awkward sloped rear of the second generation Seville when it's mentioned. Can't say the Seville name stood out to me much to think of each generation, but this one always stood out.

 

[GranTurNismo]

Final generation Seville is definitely the best from an enthusiast POV- sleek, handsome styling, decent performance, and much more refined and a better value than its predecessor despite it still being largely an evolution. One of the few GM cars of the era to not have an interior that was either hopelessly outdated, ergonomically frustrating, or a complete parts-bin special. Really a shame that the reliability issues associated with the Northstar carried over from the 4th to 5th generation- more than anything else, this reputation is what killed the Seville. Unlike the 4th gen though, it really just wasn't a competent enough rival to cars like the 5-Series or Lexus GS, as shown by its disappointing sales numbers. Despite being a better car in every way, it just didn't feel all that new despite its OnStar and magnetic ride and navigation system, even in 1998, when sales dipped by over 11,000 units.

The 1st gen car is though, without a doubt, the most influential. It really was the car that kickstarted the entire downsizing (or, "right-sizing" as GM's marketing team would have preferred) of the American car. Cadillac sold a pretty solid amount of these "internationally-sized cars" despite them being nearly two feet longer than any of their actual European rivals throughout the four years, and at the price of a whopping Series 75 Fleetwood. Sure, the Seville was no Nova, but nothing about it other than a pretty pricey trip computer option was particularly revolutionary- it felt like a ritzy Cadillac, just less giant, which is what buyers wanted, at the behest of GM upper management who were skeptical of a downsized Cadillac being green-lit even as late as 1975.

 

[TheCracker]

Not something we got in Europe and not something special enough for anyone to go out of their way to import privately. So on a (car) cultural level i can only rate it on its aesthetics. The late 70's and 80's were not golden years for US car design, the blockiness of the 70's going into the scaling down in proportions of the 80's mean those first 3 generations are unappealing to this european's eyes, even ironically. The 4th and 5th gens are very similar, 5 doesn't look much more than a freshened up face lift of 4, so i went with 5 as it appears the most modern.

 

[Pupik]

To me, the 2nd generation Seville has always been a truly weird styling exercise; these were really common 35-40 years ago, and even to this day I'm still not sure if it was a dapper and daring choice for its time or the result of an awkward accident, depending on the viewing angle.

Looking back, I would have called it the Cadillac Trompe l'oeil.

 

[wfooshee]

The first gen might as well have been a Chevy, Buick, or Oldsmobile. They were all the same except for trim and price. At least the second gen was an attempt, however misguided, at a unique identity. My employer at the time bought one, said he absolutely loved it, which basically confirmed for me everything I'd wondered about him and his... leanings.

 

[CTznOfTime]

Thanks @Liquid

This was very unexpected but much welcomed.

I have always like the Seville nameplate and cars from Cadillac, but at the same time, i have always Hated the second generation for its weird drooping rear end.

The only droopy rear end that I can accept is and the prettiest is the 911, but otherwise everything with a droopy rear end is horrid.

Now back to my selection, and like I said, generally I like all Seville.

Having all of the lines up like this, it is even harder to choose.
I like each one of them for slightly different reasons:

First Gen: I like how square it is
3rd Gen: I like how compact it go (fuel shortages era)
4th gen: love the 3 box look, classy, stately, respectable
5th Gen: modern version of 4th gen duh... Although it looks better than the 4th gen, with the correct proportion s for a stately look, but it also looks too plasticky, less exclusive and less luxurious than the previous gen, and it's a FWD ?!


I would rank them as such:

1st: 1st Gen
2nd: 4th Gen
3rd: 5th Gen
4th: 2nd Gen


I don't like 2nd Gen.

 

[Liquid]

The final Seville is one of the very best looking saloons of its time. It's up there with best looking American car ever in my opinion. On pure looks alone, it just has that desirable something that the rest do not.

Rest of the gens are caddy_old.png

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

For god knows what reason, I have a soft spot for the 5th gen Seville. The proportions and detailing are spot on and they are somewhat decent to drive, despite being a FWD V8.

 

[Tornado]

The answer is obviously the 5th generation, but if you don't want to read an essay of the 5th generation and its complicated relationship with the contemporary DeVille or its complicated relationship with the 4th generation I'll sum it up:


"Congratulations GM. You finally did it. You spent 2 decades trying to make a legitimate bona fide Euro-fighter sport sedan that can stand on its own merits in style and refinement and design and (initial, perceived) quality; and now (several years later than it should but still) it has a fully modern and stiff chassis and a top of the line suspension unlike the previous generation. Hopefully nobody beat you to the market by launching what is constantly argued as the best car ever made in the segment you're trying to compete in."

"Oops."

The first gen might as well have been a Chevy, Buick, or Oldsmobile. They were all the same except for trim and price. At least the second gen was an attempt, however misguided, at a unique identity.

That's not really true. The Seville not only came first and debuted that GM styling direction that stuck around more or less in some form until 1997 (and thus was the unique identity when it debuted) but it was basically completely unrelated to the similar-sized A-Body (Malibu/Regal/Cutlass) cars that came out a couple years later. The Seville in comparison was much more akin to a Camaro/Firebird with a wheelbase stretch.

Not something we got in Europe and not something special enough for anyone to go out of their way to import privately.

The final generation was actually designed from the start to be a world model. Factory RHD models and EU/JDM compliant lighting worldwide and a design that was easily trimmed to fit in the 5m length and everything.




I'm sure that was not development money well spent, but...

 

[-Fred-]

The 5th gen is like a really hot chick wearing Crocs... it's just about perfect, but that little detail (the Northstar) just kills it. I want to like it, but I can't. Wonder if the LS4 from the Impala/Monte Carlo SS would fit.

Also @Tornado I can't help but read that post in the style of Urinating Tree from Youtube, congrats. 👍

 

[Liquid]

To me, the 2nd generation Seville has always been a truly weird styling exercise;

Hmm, yes. Interesting.

 

[TheCracker]

The final generation was actually designed from the start to be a world model. Factory RHD models and EU/JDM compliant lighting worldwide and a design that was easily trimmed to fit in the 5m length and everything.

Perhaps we did get it. Just no body bought it.

After a quick check there are actually 58 Sevilles still registered on UK roads. There are 97 Ferrari F40's.

 

[Strittan]

Perhaps we did get. Just no body bought it

After a quick check there are actually 58 Sevilles still registered on UK roads. There are 97 Ferrari F40's.

Here in Sweden, a country with 10 million people, there are 1080 Sevilles apparently. Yes, we are crazy about American cars here, and I’m not proud of it.

 

[Wiegert]

Perhaps we did get. Just no body bought it

Fewer than 500 sold here over 4 years. This was during a brief period when GM tried to shift some of their US models in Europe and dropped a few RHD conversions in the UK. The late S10 Blazer was another one we got and managed to sell about as well as the STS over a similar period.

At the very least, we ended up with the peak Seville.

 

[Pupik]

The 5th gen is like a really hot chick wearing Crocs [...]

I mean, there's more expensive shoe habits out there.

Full disclosure: I own a pair of Keen Newports, which are basically Crocs for people who actually go outdoors

 

[wfooshee]

That's not really true. The Seville not only came first and debuted that GM styling direction that stuck around more or less in some form until 1997 (and thus was the unique identity when it debuted) but it was basically completely unrelated to the similar-sized A-Body (Malibu/Regal/Cutlass) cars that came out a couple years later. The Seville in comparison was much more akin to a Camaro/Firebird with a wheelbase stretch.

It may be a different, slightly smaller platform than the big cars from the other divisions, but stylistically it's almost indistinguishable from the Caprice, Ninety-Eight, Bonneville, and Park Avenue. The front end of the Bonneville is actually quite nice compared to the others, but the general body shape is the same three boxes.

 

[Tornado]

Stylistically, the first generation Seville (which, again, debuted that design language to begin with) wasn't closely copied by the Caprice/Bonneville/Eighty-Eight/etc and Malibu/Cutlass/Century/etc until after the Seville was redesigned for its second generation and the other two platforms got their mid-cycle face-lift. The Century and Cutlass infamously weren't even available as traditional sedans at first. It's not the fault of the Seville that it debuted a new styling direction for the company as a whole (and quickly the rest of the domestic manufacturers) that GM ran into the ground the following decade.



The Seville also wasn't a "slightly smaller" car than a Caprice, nevermind a C-Body like the Ninety-Eight. It's a foot shorter than one and five inches narrower even though it's on a similar wheelbase (putting the wheels in very different spots on the two). A Seville is no more indistinguishable from a contemporary (meaning not post-1980) Caprice than BMW's model range was at the time. You want indistinguishable contemporary GM cars you want the disastrous third generation of the car.

 

[05XR8]

All ‘78 models. I’d say the Seville without any crests would look more like a Ford LTD Crown VIC in the nose, than a GM product.

 

[Tornado]

meaning not post-1980

The original Seville:

The cars that debuted using its design language for their downsizing efforts that GM sold alongside it:

And the versions of those GM sold after the Seville got its second generation:

The 2 door versions of the B-Bodies in particular were ruined when GM changed them to crib from the Seville directly:

 

[TexRex]

Bustleback's a guilty pleasure and third gens are fine enough provided they have a metal roof, but I have to go with a first gen.

Snowflakes on these crack me up.