IF our cousins across the pond are famous for anything, it is for their cultural pride in having the biggest, the loudest and the best of absolutely everything.
Subtlety and understatement, something we Brits pride ourselves on, are not virtues associated with, or at all valued in the US.
This is after all the land of bling, super-sized fast food, seven-litre yellow taxis, and of course the Cadillac.
This year sees this uber-American carmaker beginning a major push into Europe and the UK in particular - it is opening a Manchester dealership in the next few months.
In entering the car market at a tough time with sales sliding amid tough economic conditions, General Motors, Cadillac's parent company, will have to throw some serious cash at advertising the range if they are to succeed.
Why? Because it is up against some of the most revered names on the road - the Cadillac 3.6 V6 CTS costs £29,850 - roughly the same as an E-class Mercedes 220 Cdi or a BMW 525.
It'll be a tough nut to crack if GM, and its Dutch partner Kroymans - handling sales and marketing in Europe - are really serious about this European adventure, but dislodging the dominant German manufacturers is by no means impossible.
For a start, the CTS looks unlike anything else on the road, which if you're a non-conformist or someone liking to break the mould will be a definite plus.
The present rarity and exclusivity of the Cadillac is another virtue - I even got a fair few admiring glances driving through Wilmslow, where gleaming saloons, 4x4s, and sports cars are 10 a penny.
Its iconic front grill, giant headlights and massive bonnet makes it look like an extra from a Batman film while its rear is, by contrast, wholly uninspiring.
Inside, greeted by acres of leather and myriad controls, one feels a little like a NASA scientist.
But while first impressions of the interior were very favourable, as time wore on, I was a little concerned over the quality of some of the finishing. For example, the plastic moulds around the doors look and feel cheap. In fact, my 2000 VW Polo has a more solid feel to it.
Driving the CTS 3.6 V6 Sports Luxury, to give it its full name, is a thrilling experience. The sound of the engine - a throaty roar - complements acceleration worthy of a sports car.
This is one heavy beast though, and the price of such performance comes with quite woeful fuel consumption. Around town it was 16mpg.
Handling is generally very good... most of the time.
The CTS corners effortlessly in the dry, but less so at speed in the wet, where the winter driving mode - in the form of a small button with a snowflake emblem - should be used to prevent a quite frightening loss of control when accelerating.
Unlike many rivals, the cruise control is simple to use, and is a must to avoid speed cameras, such is the temptation to put your foot down.
The CTS is fully automatic, but I did have some concerns over its slow kick-down, which makes acceleration uncertain, and driving on winding country roads felt stilted rather than smooth.
Americans are famously the most demanding of consumers, and it's no surprise that comfort is a big part of the Cadillac's appeal.
In the back there's room for a couple of beefy Texan ranch hands, while the front seat passenger can enjoy at least two feet of legroom.
You get a lot of car for your money with the Cadillac CTS and enough on-board toys - including a TV, DVD player, and satellite navigation system - to satisfy even Bill Gates.
The car is unashamedly American - the onboard computer even says "TRUNK OPEN" if you've not shut the boot, and the badging of the Cadillac motif in the middle of the steering wheel is far too conspicuous and "in your face" for my liking.
The Cadillac is different from other cars on the market, it's bigger, wider, heavier, thirstier and louder than the rest.
So if you're fed up of the low fat, caffeine-free motoring that is the norm these days, buy into the American dream and take the plunge.
It'll be a lot of fun.
