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Writer's Notes
2004 Cadillac XLR Specifications
Base price: $76,200
Engine: 4.6-liter, DOHC V-8 with four-cam variable-valve timing; 320 hp/310 lb-ft
Drivetrain: Five-speed automatic transmission with sport and manual modes, rear-wheel drive
Length x width x height (in): 177.7 x 72.3 x 50.4
Wheelbase: 105.7 in
Curb weight: 3647 lb
Fuel economy (EPA cty/hwy): 17/25 mpg (est)
Safety equipment: Dual front and side airbags, anti-lock brakes, electronic stability control
Major standard equipment: Power retractable hardtop, AM/FM/CD player, power windows/locks/mirrors, leather seats and eucalyptus wood trim
Warranty: Three years/36,000 miles
5 questions about the 2004 Cadillac XLR
What chassis is the Cadillac XLR built on and who are its chief competitors? The rear-drive XLR is based on the C5 Corvette chassis, along with some of the suspension components of the next-generation C6. It comes with an updated version of the highly-regarded Northstar V-8, XLR is expected to compete with those also considering the Mercedes-Benz SL roadster and the Lexus SC430.
What is "keyless technology"? The keyless technology found in the XLR is the first application for The General. This new roadster has no door handles, but, if your key fob is in your pocket, purse or nearby, you can just push buttons on the door. Once inside, you also press the Start button, and shift into gear.
How does it handle? Thanks to Cadillac's MagneRide computer-controlled suspension system, the XLR has a great road feel. This system reads the road as well as driver input. Power sounds good and moves the Caddy in ample fashion, with a competent transmission and great brakes. Steering has a very good on-center feel, but requires a bit of manipulating in the corners (some "numbness".)
How is the interior? The interior is well-appointed and charmingly attractive. Leather seats are comfortable and the eucalyptus wood trim is appealing. The Heads-up Display (HUD), shows a number of key functions, including active (radar-guided) cruise control. The navigation system has a large screen and gauges and controls are easy to read and reach.
Any complaints? The only transmission available at the present is a 5-speed automatic. A 6-speed manual would appeal to many, including our testers at Autobytel.
Comments or suggestions about this review? Send an e-mail to: editor@autobytel.com
Autobytel Inc. operates the popular automotive websites Autobytel.com, Autoweb.com, Carsmart.com, and Autosite.com. | | xxx | |
Milan, Michigan --
I'm convinced that simply getting behind the wheel of the Cadillac XLR and zigzagging the narrow and twisty two-lanes of rural Michigan has taken ten years off my life. As such, I imagine that this new model will become the "gold chain" for ageing Baby Boomers, though it's clear that the XLR will also appeal to the young as well as the young at heart. Just be prepared to open up the bank vault.
Almost half a decade since Cadillac unveiled its Evoq two-seater convertible at the 1999 Detroit Auto Show, the original American luxury carmaker brings XLR, a hot little roadster, to dealer showrooms this summer.
The XLR has been a long time coming, and it carries heavy hopes for the Cadillac brand, whose strongest seller in recent years has been the Escalade SUV series. While Escalade provided a badly needed adrenaline shot (not to mention street credibility) to GM's lethargic luxury division, its roadster roots had yet to be successfully tapped.
The XLR could change all that. With a V8 motor and a price tag in the $70,000 range, XLR is unabashedly a posh performance car. Its lines are lean, its footing is sure and its hardtop - and this is key - retracts in less than 30 seconds. Overall, Caddy's newest offering shows far more promise than its late-80s predecessor, an infamous flop called the Allante - and enough guts to go toe-to-toe with the segment-leading Mercedes SL.
One glance tells you this is not your grandparent's Cadillac. Dominated by angles and squared-off edges, this new model has just enough curve to keep its sex appeal. The brand's new-signature grille, with its horizontal slats, grins from the front end, which holds oversized wraparound diamond-shaped headlamps, an open-mouthed scoop and big, rectangular fog lights. The hood is a broad, flat plane accented by a subtle spine running through its center.
Double wishbone suspension front and rear helps provide support enough for a lateral G-force rating of 0.9.
The XLR's roof is a retractable hard top that looks good- both in place and tucked away in the compartment behind the seats. A button inside the cabin raises, lowers and stows the top.
Wheel wells are at all four corners of the vehicle, and they are large enough to nearly meet the hood, with only a sliver of side body panel between the bonnet and the top of the styled curve. The sides stretch back, defined by an almost invisible beltline, to a squared-off rear end that features large, rectangular taillights, a narrow horizontal trunk-mounted brake light and a chubby body-color bumper. Standard 18-inch wheels are spun-cast aluminum.
The powerplant in the new Cadillac roadster is an updated version of the 4.6-liter V8 Northstar engine that GM also uses in the Cadillac SRV sport ute. Producing 320 horsepower and 310 lb.-ft. of torque, the DOHC motor is matched to a five-speed electronically controlled automatic transmission, with manual shift capability. This engine marks the first longitudinal application of the Northstar model, with a rear-mounted transmission layout that helps evenly distribute weight and increase legroom in the cabin. Zero-to-sixty mph time is a snappy 5.8 seconds.
A sophisticated high-speed local area network (LAN) controls communication within and between the engine and transmission. Variable Valve Timing (VVT) and electronic throttle control are other technologies that boost the engine's efficiency.
Inside, the XLR is a major step up the luxury ladder for Cadillac, whose GM-derived fit-and-finish has lagged behind that of German and Asian makers in the past. The driver's space feels like a pilot's cockpit, with a center console that stretches continuously into the dash and holds a joystick-style shift lever. Eucalyptus wood trim adds an unexpected note of distinction in a segment awash with bird's eye maple.
Luxury amenities abound in this roadster, with keyless entry standing out as a key technological feature. Drivers use only a fob that communicates with the computer system via antennae under the body of the car; the fob opens doors, unlatches the trunk and operates the ignition. As long as the fob is within a close radius, doors are opened by touching a pad on the door and the ignition is controlled through a button on the dash.
Seats are heated, cooled and upholstered in leather. A 6-disc in-dash Bose audio system is standard and a 7-inch color touch screen mounted in the center dash controls DVD navigation. Another high-tech convenience/safety feature is radar-guided adaptive cruise control, which tracks the speed of the vehicle (or object) ahead of the car. An audio and visual alert is sent to the driver through the screen when the car is getting too close to what's ahead. OnStar is standard on the XLR; the only factory option is an XM satellite radio.
XLR is built for a confident, performance-oriented ride. The hydroformed steel frame helps form an aluminum cockpit structure with balsa-cored floors (similar to the construction of GM's 'other' sports car, the Corvette). Double wishbone suspension front and rear helps provide support enough for a lateral G-force rating of 0.9.
In addition, this roadster uses magnetic ride control, a newish technology that provides real time damping through an electronically controlled magnetic fluid. The system uses wheel-to-body displacement sensors to measure wheel motion and adjust shock damping. This helps maintain tire contact with the road surface and to keep the body on an even keel under intense driving conditions.
Overall, the XLR seems to deliver what Cadillac has always promised: bona fide roadster legs and a lap of luxury.
--Photos Courtesy of Cadillac North America
--Story by Sue Mead
Sue Mead works as a photojournalist and features writer for more than two dozen publications. She has written for Parade, Popular Science, Open Road, the Road & Track Buyers Guide, Men's Journal, Popular Mechanics and Diversion and she has worked as an auto editor for CNN/fn. Sue has co-driven in two of the world's toughest off-road races, the Baja 1000 and the Paris-Dakar Raid. She attended four Camel Trophy adventures for Land Rover North America and has participated in several long-distance adventure drives. She recently completed her first book, "Monster Trucks and Tractors" published by Chelsea House. Sue lives in New England.
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