Cadillac XLR Kicks It
Yet another entry from Cadillac to show the world it’s serious about competing with the top European and Japanese luxury brands. The two-seat Cadillac XLR roadster is the company’s flagship vehicle. Though the XLR has the same platform as the Corvette, well, actually,the Corvette makes better us of it. This caddy is more like a land yacht than a nimble little sports car. The Caddy’s responses are softer and comfortably refined. The XLR puts under the hood a softer 4/6-liter, 320-horsepower V8 engine rather than the Vette’s edgier 6/2-liter, 436-hp V8 power generator.
The XLR makes good use of lightweight parts, such as aluminum suspension pieces, that keeps the XLR’s weight pretty reasonable. Furthermore, the defacto Magnetic Ride Control adaptive suspension system automatically adjusts ride smoothness, based upon how bumpy the road is. Adding this up provide smooth and responsive maneuvers. The joining of forces between the space-age rocket designed exterior and carbon interior make this a go-go car. The XLR’s retractable hard top provides a great trade off between hard top and open top. Whenever you pull back the hard top, then you should have a windscreen.
The Cadillac XLR does indeed make a stunner, but it’s not worthy of it’s self named, world class status. Though its styling and Cadillac badge will appeal to those looking to roll up to the valet in something different from the status quo, the XLR comes up short in terms of maximum performance. The interior is especially disappointing when compared to its similarly priced rivals from Germany and Great Britain. Furthermore, the XLR doesn’t really offer that much more than a fully loaded Corvette, which is about $20,000 cheaper and 116-hp more powerful.
As fast as the XLR is when pushed, those expecting a true Cadillac sports car will be disappointed. Acceleration, though certainly quick, is not as forceful as its corporate cousin. The XLR isn’t notable on the chassis, which rolls to heavily into curves and pitches to far down when breaking fast. Even with its adaptive suspension’s split-second response, the Cadillac XLR still feels less willing to tackle turns than the more athletic European contenders. The XLR does its best performance on the highway, where the car can practically drive itself. If you ever want to talk on your cell phone, then you better get a windscreen.
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Tags: Cadillac XLR, Convertible, Top Down, windscreen