The Cadillac division of General Motors (GM) is in a similar situation. It has been trapped in an aging demographic while import competitors have taken custody of a large part of the younger market, establishing brand loyalty among those who in the past may have considered a Caddy.

Over the past decade or so, Cadillac has tried to convince those import buyers that it built better equipped, more comfortable, more powerful, lower priced cars that are as safe as any Mercedes, Volvo or BMW. And to a large extent, it’s true. But judging from sales numbers, no one got the message.

Aside from the Cimarron fiasco in the 1980s and more recently the ill-fated Catera, Cadillac has always built really great, powerful cars that are competitive in every aspect with the upscale imports. In my view, the Seville STS is arguably the best American car built in my lifetime and the Northstar engine the best since the small block Chevy debuted in 1955.

However, it’s the 2003 CTS that has really created a new buzz and has people noticing Cadillac again. Cruising the Pacific Northwest from Seattle to Portland in an Onyx Blue version of the CTS, I got lots of attention from other drivers ages away from the nursing home. In a place where the SUV and pickup is king, but also has a strong affinity for Lexus, Mercedes, Volvo, BMW and Jaguar, I got more than one “thumbs up.” That’s nothing but good news for Cadillac.

Listen up; the new Cadillac CTS is a serious, cutting edge machine. It’s beveled and chiseled styling, inspired by the stealth designs of military aircraft, is impossible to ignore in a market crowded with rounded import luxury wannabes. The last time in recent memory Cadillac enjoyed such notoriety, Elvis has a couple of huge tail-finned, pink Caddy ragtops.

The CTS combines sharp geometric styling with tradition, such as its egg-crate grille and vertical head and taillamps. It features short overhangs on both ends with wheels near the far corners and the sides tucked in slightly. The hood slides up into the fender line in a sweeping profile for a totally tailored appearance that makes the CTS look like its doing 100 mph standing still.

Inside, the geometric theme continues, using a minimalist design that is reminiscent of European cars. It offers pleasing instrumentation with ventilation and sound controls that manage to combine style, function and ergonomics superior to most European cars — not an easy task.

The steering wheel has four fingertip-control programmable buttons to personalize the CTS. The functions include climate and entertainment controls as well as traction control.

GM used the BMW 528i as its benchmark in designing the CTS — including using rear-wheel-drive — which except for Audi, German manufacturers remained true to in an age of front-drive competition. The Northstar-powered Seville is front-wheel drive as are the majority of GM cars.

The new, 220-horse, 3.2L V6 that sits under the hood of the CTS is a completely re-engineered version of the 3.0L V6 used in the Catera. It features a stiffer, stronger block, aluminum heads with an improved combustion chamber design that reduces unburned hydrocarbons, higher fuel pressure delivery to improved fuel injectors, a forged steel crankshaft, improved lubrication, better cooling and a drive-by-wire throttle system for better emissions performance.

The CTS offers a choice of a five-speed automatic transmission or a five-speed Getrag stick, meant to prove Cadillac is gearing the CTS towards the true driving enthusiast.

Our test model was equipped with the five-speed electronically controlled, 5L40-E Hydra-Matic. This is the first GM automatic to include options for “sport,” “winter” and “economy” driving. Another GM first is an electronic feature providing engine braking in all five gears, giving the automatic the same feel as a downshifting stick.

Under the heading of safety, the CTS has six air bags, including dual-stage frontal and head-curtain side air bags to help protect front and outboard rear passengers Also featured are Xenon high-intensity discharge (HID) halogen headlamps, Cadillac’s StabiliTrak system and OnStar.

Options include front sport seats with articulating head restraints with eight-way power-adjustable driver’s seat. The Luxury and Luxury Sport packages come with an eight-way power adjustable passenger seat, as well as a memory system that handles seat and mirror adjustments, radio programming, etc.

One cool option is XM Satellite Radio with the Bose premium audio system. It features 100 coast-to-coast digital channels, including 71 music channels (more than 30 commercial-free) playing everything from jazz to country, rock, hip-hop, blues, opera, classical and bluegrass, plus 29 channels of talk, sports, and other entertainment.

Whines: Fuel economy could be improved. On a trip from Seattle to Portland, I averaged 22.5 mpg, although most of that was at 80+ mph. However, in town it seemed to be a bit of a guzzler. Although it’s base-priced at under $30,000, it doesn’t take much to run the price up — our loaded test model stickered at over $37,000.

Applause: Even though I doubt many buyers will choose it, by installing a manual transmission, Cadillac has demonstrated a real commitment to performance. I hope Cadillac will continue to sharpen its cutting edge.

Bottom Line: This isn’t your old man’s Caddy — it’s an exciting, stylish, cutting edge automobile and perhaps the most exciting American car in at least two decades. The CTS could reverse the trend of aging Cadillac buyers and it’s easy to see why dealers are reporting conquests of Lexus, BMW and Mercedes-Benz owners. It’s just a great car — drive one and see for yourself.