2000 Cadillac DeVille The latest technology with contemporary styling. By Ron Moorhead, New Car Test Drive .com

When you first spot Cadillac's all-new DeVille you may mistake it for a Mercedes. But this will only last a moment. Quickly you will realize it is indeed a Cadillac. Yet it's like no Cadillac you've seen before. You may be slightly embarrassed that you made the mistake. You may even be embarrassed when you admit to yourself that you like the looks of this car.

But there's no need for red faces here, for the new DeVille is worthy of your admiration. The DeVille has been totally redesigned and re-engineered for model year 2000. Cadillac says it has melded art and science into an automobile that is reduced in exterior dimensions yet offers an expansive, comfortable interior.

The 2000 DeVille is offered in three distinct models. The lineup begins with the DeVille ($39,500). It moves up through the DeVille High-Luxury Sedan or DHS ($44,700) and the DeVille Touring Sedan or DTS ($44,700). Each vehicle has its own character and features.

The standard DeVille has attributes aimed toward the traditional DeVille owner who wants to balance luxury and value.

Both DeVille and DHS come with a full bench front seat for six-passenger capacity, while the DTS has dual bucket front seats. Traditional Cadillac buyers prefer digital instrumentation over analog, so the DeVille receives digital while the DHS and DTS get analog (dial) instruments that are sometimes preferred by enthusiast drivers.

The "Nuance" leather on each model is designed differently to match the tastes of different buyers, yet all of them offers a very supple fit and feel. Where the DHS has elegant gathered leather upholstery, the DTS has stretched perforated skins for a sporty look. The DHS and DTS share many features including their retail prices. As the names of these two upper scale DeVilles imply, one stresses luxury while the other highlights a sportier driving experience.