Edition: U.S. / Global

As Apple Pie as Tail Fins and Burning Rubber; Cadillac DeVille: Lost Generations

Published: July 5, 1998

AFTER decades in which Cadillac represented the epitome of American luxury cars, it plans to sell its first truck this fall, a sport utility vehicle akin to the Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon. Cadillac dealers are overjoyed. At last they will have something for a hot part of the market.

Actually, the other sizzling part of the market is the luxury segment, though you might not be able to tell by hanging out in a Cadillac showroom. Sales of luxury cars rose last year more than sales of sport utilities, mini-vans and pickup trucks.

Sales of Cadillac DeVille, though, were scarcely up from a year earlier. It seems few people under 60 aspire to own one.

What has happened to this American icon underscores a marketing adage: Great brands don't die; they kill themselves.

When foreign competitors began to redefine luxury cars by melding performance with the ride and handling of a sport sedan, Cadillac dawdled. Then, after a few self-inflicted wounds -- the chintzy Cimarron and the pricey Allante -- younger buyers avoided Cadillac altogether.

It has been 20 years since Cadillac had a record sales year. Back then, Lexus didn't exist and Mercedes-Benz and BMW were mere blips. Lincoln, long the No. 2, added a luxury truck last year, the Navigator, and is now outselling the General Motors nameplate. Cadillac has offered both a restyled Seville and the smaller, German-made Catera to lure sedan buyers from the foreigners. It has even put a bigger engine in a DeVille, firmed the ride even more, and crowned it the Concours. None of these have dramatically revived the brand.

Yet Cadillac ranks with the Japanese and Mercedes in many J. D. Power & Associates customer satisfaction listings.

The DeVille, a four-door, six-passenger, front-drive cruiser is heir to the memorable Cadillac beasts of a generation ago. The problem with it is not that it handles or rides like the boats of yore. It mercifully does not. The successful Northstar 4.6-liter V8 engine achieves its 300 foot-pounds of torque at surprisingly low speeds. Here are 275 horses with 0 to 60 acceleration in less than eight seconds. That is comparable to a BMW 740iL and a Jaguar XJ8, which make the nearly $40,000 Cadillac look like a bargain.

But don't get the idea that you can toss this brute around. The problem is that DeVille styling comes straight from Boston Whaler. The bulging sides and swollen rear provide one of the biggest trunks on the road, but also an oafish look that is painfully blind to luxury styling today.

At just over two tons, the DeVille could stand some treadmill time. The Lincoln Town Car, which is longer and wider, weighs less than a DeVille. The Cadillac's girth also makes you think the big car is going to be difficult to control. Inside there is so much empty space between the driver and the door that when you first get behind the wheel you are certain you will sway with every turn. But the improved suspension and handling allowed a lot less bucking and swaying than I had expected.

The interior, however, is dated. It is quiet, and the generous seats are sculptured and comfortable for four people, roomy enough for two more. Armrests sport cup holders and storage bins. Air bags in the dash and the front doors tag all the essential bases.

But imaginative touches are few. A fake veneer crosses the dash and doors. A computer gives data about fuel economy, mileage, even engine oil life. Leather upholstery, heated seats and lumbar support are expensive extras. A temperature control for the front passenger is a cheap plastic knob.

About five years ago, Cadillac updated the DeVille's boaty ride and handling by giving them a firmer, more precise feel. This is always a tricky balance: the softer and quieter the ride, the mushier the handling. And the more precise the steering, the rougher the ride. The body was made more rigid and the suspension firmed up. What was offered in 1994 was a good compromise for a big American car, but the design was a dud. The rear wheels were partly hidden, the sides were bulky, and the car lacked panache.

Back at the drawing boards, Cadillac stylists opened up the rear-wheel wells and moved the wheels out a hair to make the 1997 car look less chubby. The 1998 retains that design. A major restyling, probably a leaner, European look, is a year or so away.

(Production of the 1998 DeVille stopped in June because of the auto workers' strike but inventories are fairly plush.)

Cadillac recently got a new, 40-something boss. He had the styling department design a 1990's version of the 1959 Cadillac, the one with big fins and huge V8 power that is popular with collectors. It may never be built, but that is an encouraging sign that Cadillac may yet have something boomers will want.

Photo: The DeVille boasts ''X Files'' engineering, but the container is still all Lawrence Welk.