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A new gold standard
Cadillac XLR refines finer image for GM's luxury marque
By Joe Knycha
Thursday, January 22, 2004
The XLR is so radical relevant to Cadillac's traditional product profile that it's hardly an understatement to say there's never been another like it.
There have been great Cadillacs in the past, but never one even remotely like this. The XLR combines power, stunning design, top-shelf build quality and perhaps most importantly, ride and handling that equals the best of such cars available regardless of price.
At $110,000 as tested, it's also the priciest production car ever to wear the crested wreath.
The 2-seat luxury/performance roadster represents a measure of automotive greatness that GM's prestige division hasn't enjoyed since the 1950s. It is just the 'halo' vehicle needed to boost the marque's appeal for many who over the last 40 years would never have considered Caddy ownership.
Cadillac's renaissance from a purveyor of oversized, under-engineered land yachts to one of more lithe and sophisticated luxury/performance vehicles began with the STS (Seville Touring Sedan) in 1995. It was a smaller, lighter, full-size craft with sharp, modern styling, front-wheel drive, Northstar V8 engine power, plus crisper ride and handling than any Cadillac in recent memory.
The revolution intensified in '01 with the mid-size, rear-wheel drive CTS sedan and accelerates even more forcefully this year with the CTS-V, equipped with an upgraded suspension, bigger and stronger brakes and a deep breathing 5.7-litre V8 liberated from the Corvette.
Bubbling from the latest engineering alchemy comes the XLR roadster, and suddenly Cadillac's future looks nothing less than golden. A new rear-drive STS (with optional all-wheel drive) announced last week will help sustain the lustre.
The XLR is a delight to behold. It shares its lightweight yet rigid chassis with the sixth-generation Corvette. Unique and edgy styling speaks to Cadillac's new "science and technology" posture. Power from a 4.6-litre Northstar V8 with variable valve timing drives the rear wheels.
This 24 carat roadster bristles with innovation, too, from its power retractable hardtop roof to keyless access with push-button starting, adaptive cruise control, heated and cooled seating surfaces, head-up display and GM's own advanced Magnetic Ride Control.
Compared to its main competition, the Jaguar XK8, Lexus SC 430 and Mercedes-Benz SL500, the XLR (at 1656 kg) is not only the lightest, but also boasts the longest wheelbase, widest track, lowest height and has the most horsepower.
It also adopts the angular, edgy design features of the CTS sedan and the new SRX sport-utility charger but, to these bespectacled eyes, improves on both.
With its 18-inch wheels pushed far out toward each corner, overhangs front and rear are short, adding to the car's purposeful, racy look. Few roadsters look as good with the top up as they do with it down, but in either mode the XLR ably passes the 'handsome' test.
Rear visibility is compromised by a shallow glass window and thick C-pillars when the roof is raised. And the power-activated trunk lid in our tester closed every time with a disconcerting thunk from somewhere inside, whether the roof was being raised or lowered.
The dash seems plain, even with silver 'BVLGARI' script stretched around the perimeter of the speedometer, although all is quickly understood. Minor controls and switches fall within easy reach of the driver. The head-up display - projecting speed and turn signal information onto the windscreen just below the driver's sight line - is clear and readable even in the brightest light.
Touch-screen controls for navigation, radio and CD in the centre instrument panel are more intuitive and user friendly than many competitors' mouse-like controls - and require fewer steps, too.
Brushed aluminum accents and surrounds contrast nicely against the black plastic trim and rich eucalyptus wood ingrained in the door pulls, steering wheel and centre console.
Seats are multi-adjustable and power-adjust foot pedals allow drivers of varying sizes and proportions to easily find a comfortable position.
In-car storage is limited to small map pockets in both doors, the centre console and at the back of the cabin. With the top down, there's limited trunk space available for anything more than a medium, soft-sided suitcase. A Caddy without a gaping maw of a trunk? Who'da thought. The 4.6-litre, 320 horsepower V8 has been extensively reworked for the XLR and marks the first time GM has used the Northstar system in a rear-wheel drive application. The engine never felt strained under even the hardest acceleration and ran smoothly to the higher reaches of its rev range. Low-end torque is ample and the XLR moves off briskly, though the Corvette's 5.7-litre V8 would endow the XLR with even greater performance, making it the King of the Hill among modern roadsters by a country mile.
Power assisted disc brakes at each corner, supported by 4-channel ABS, offer good pedal feel and dramatic stopping power. Front brake squeal was evident in low-speed stops - it disappeared temporarily after a couple of high-speed stops, but eventually returned.
Drivers can have it both ways in the ride department. With double wishbones at each corner combined with transverse-mounted composite leaf springs front and rear, the stiff chassis resists both bending and twisting. Magnetic Ride Control instantly adjusts not only to road conditions, but the driver's approach to getting down the road, adjusting for both firmness and softness at real-time speeds approaching one millisecond.
It's good to be different.
It's even better to be unique.
Immediate competition:
Acura NSX,
Jaguar XK8,
Lexus SC430,
Maserati Spyder,
Mercedes-Benz SL500,
Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet
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