Thuli Zungu

Thuli Zungu

Since 1989 I have always associated the name Cadillac with the superstar Dolly Parton.

For me it was a car for the rich, bold and famous - the crème de la crème of the world.

But, not anymore. I drove one last week and now understand why Dolly composed Pink Cadillac. That jalopy sure makes you sing with joy.

You should also see the business cards I received from the envious men I met in the past seven days while driving a Gold Mist Cadillac.

I don't blame them, who would not want to drive the best high-performance luxury sedan on the road today?

I must confess, it made me "pronk".

I don't like too much speed, but if I did it would have been like flying to the moon.

From zero you can easily clock a speed of 80km in only a few seconds.

A warning: Collecting traffic fines would be very easy if you didn't constantly check your speedometer because you barely feel the speed.

The Cadillac, which my brother named "umkhumbi" (a ship) - because of its spacious interior and speed of lightning, made me hate my own car. When petrol was hiked up recently I decided to give it a run again - it had been packed away for days while I was test driving the Cadillac.

My goodness, it felt like I was steering a rock. That's how stiff the steering wheel felt. It also made me feel muscles I had forgotten existed. Worst still my car moved like a tortoise.

I always thought my car had good power steering until I drove the Cadillac.

Its steering wheel is as light as a feather. You can actually turn it with a touch of the finger.

Adjusting one's side mirrors to eliminate the blind spots is a thing of the past with a Cadillac. When reversing, they automatically adjust to give you a full view of the back.

You can only hit objects if you don't listen to the warning signs because it beeps when you are too close to an object- or even to another human being.

Also, I would not have known its seats can be heated if I had not been driving with my nine-year-old daughter Mpumi every day.

She also found the four-way power adjustable lumber support which is ideally placed for passengers and the driver.

The STS is powered by a 4,6litre V8 engine. This engine produces a power output of 239kW at 6400rpm and peak torque of 425Nm at 4400rpm.

This beautiful baby is huge. You will need a big parking space.

The Cadillac commands respect and even prompts the law enforcers to double check if the car has not been reported stolen.

On the second day I drove it, a police van followed me for at least 15 minutes while checking if it was not stolen.

The police officer eventually gave me a salute, confirming it was not stolen goods.

Damn, do I look like a thug? But I'm sure seeing me behind the wheel gave him a whole new respect for women. Well, at least for women driving powerful cars.

I will definitely work hard to buy and drive a Cadillac before I meet my Maker.