Driving Impressions
reviewed by
We brought a typical set of assumptions about luxury-car performance and handling to the test-drive portion of our evaluation: adequate but deliberate acceleration, soft but mushy ride and so on. The CapriceLS exceeded all of our expectations.
This was due in no small part to its optional 5.7-liter V8 and sport suspension, coupled with the standard four-wheel anti-lock braking system. The Caprice LS impressed us with its power, agility and smooth braking performance.
From a standing start to highway passing tests, the Caprice LS continually reminded us that the S in LS could very well stand for surprising. The big V8 and smooth four-speed electronically controlled automatic transmission with overdrive took us from 0 to 60 mph in a mere seven seconds-35 to 55 mph in 4.5 seconds-and we breezed through a 55 to 70 mph highway passing simulation as if we were driving a high-powered sports vehicle.
The smooth ride was everything we anticipated from a luxury automobile. The Caprice LS seemed to float over the road, isolating us from bumps, jolts and outside noises.
With the optional sport suspension, we never lost a sense of communication with the road. The Caprice LS negotiated turns with an absence of lean, rock and roll often found in a luxury car's performance. In short, the Caprice LS wowed us with handling abilities more typically associated with a nimble, midsize sedan.
Braking tests produced pleasant and reassuring results. The four-wheel anti-lock braking system brought the vehicle to swift, sure, straight halts without lockup and with only the slightest hint of pedal pulsation.
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