gavriil

By Gail Kachadourian
Automotive News / April 14, 2003

Cadillac's 2004 XLR roadster will have a $76,200 MSRP, including destination, when it arrives at dealerships this summer, the automaker said on Monday.

Standard equipment for the XLR, which has a 4.6-liter V-8 engine, includes a power retractable hardtop, keyless access with a push-button start and adaptive cruise control.

The only option not included in the $76,200 MSRP is XM Satellite Radio, which costs $325 for hardware and installation and $9.99 for monthly service fee. GM pays the $14.99 initiation fee.

XLR's competitors include the Mercedes Benz SL500, Lexus SC430 and Jaguar XK8, GM says.

XLR production starts in June at GM's Bowling Green, Ky., assembly plant.

Red Nj-s

Way too expensive. It will flop after a couple years, unless they have some kind of supercharged engine in store for it.

Rod

That's what I'm thinking.

gavriil

I think, a price of low $60s would have been more reasonable.

bkknight369

Yea i saw this car in an episode of autoweek...and vented my anger

jimcol711

wow, yeah, you guys are right, the car is nice as hell and very respectable, but that price...ouch, they are really out of their league with that price....maybe 65k TOPS, but 76 is ridiculous. it wont be long till that car is available WELL under invoice with 0% financing, etc.

NOVAwhiteTypeS

76 for a domestic convert.? you gotta be shitting me .

Sarlacc

WTF

Thats just absurd. I would take anyone of those competitor cars before a domestic. specially the SC430 mmmmmmmmmSC430 drool...

EdgarFanCLS

I'll add to the "way too expensive" sentiment.

A few options will push that car over $80k. There are better cars for that much money.

INFAMOUS-TYPE-S

Sounds like another Allante to me. Remember in the late 80's Cadillac had the balls to ask 56k for a car that had 200hp. that was way before the northstar motor. Just because Merces was getting 60k for its 560sl convertibles didn't mean caddy could get the same money. this car needs to be the same price as th lexus coupe, hell it needs to be less. with 76 I would get 2 more doors and it would be a base 7 series

Zoot

i remember that car. My neighbor actually bought one. It had a breaklight in the Caddy symbol.

1SICKLEX

If I would not pay 30k for a CTS, why would I pay 75k for this?

Red Rider

I agree, can you say Allante. They've let sales of that bloated Escalade go to their heads.

gavriil

This review comes from Autoweek. Pretty interesting...

By WES RAYNAL


TRUE CONFESSION: WE WENT out to drive Cadillac’s new flagship, the XLR, fully prepared to come back and call it a complete and utter loser. We expected to meet a car that was too heavy, too slow and poorly built. We anticipated squeaks and rattles, a power convertible top that was a nightmare, a wobbly steering column and shaking rearview mirror. In short, we expected we’d have to call the whole thing a big mess, just like Cadillac’s last two-seater, the unloved Allante.


2004 CADILLAC XLR
ON SALE: Summer
BASE PRICE: $76,250
POWERTRAIN: 4.6-liter, 320-hp, 310-lb-ft V8; rwd, five-speed automatic
CURB WEIGHT: 3643 pounds
0-60 MPH: 5.7 seconds (mfr.)



When we said as much to the Cadillac officials at the launch, the reply was quiet: “Well, we can’t really blame you. We’ve only done everything to earn your skepticism over say, oh, the last 30 years.”

We were encouraged to hear Cadillac recognizes the truth of its situation. And then we were even more encouraged to hit the road and discover this is one of those times when our expectations are proven wrong.

We’ve now spent a day driving the Cadillac XLR and all indications are it’s good.

To refresh your memory, the 1999 Detroit show saw the unveiling of the Cadillac Evoq concept, which spawned the Tom Peters-designed production XLR. The XLR was shown 99 percent finished at the 2003 Detroit show, but Cadillac’s wild Sixteen concept pretty much overshadowed the two-seater.




Our day driving the XLR took place in and around Palm Springs, California. Our route included some freeway driving on Highway 10 as well as the more twisty roads up in the mountains. Cadillac brought along for comparison a few other luxury cruisers: a Jaguar XK8, a Mercedes-Benz SL500 and a Lexus SC 430. That Cadillac was not afraid to let us drive the XLR back to back with those cars, especially the mighty Mercedes, made us think there might be something to all the XLR hype we’ve been hearing over the last four years. It was also refreshing to go to a new-car launch and not hear, “Now remember, these are pre-production prototypes, so the quality levels aren’t quite up to what you’ll see in production...”

We heard none of that.

Cadillac basically said, “Get in, drive our car and compare.”



The same company that produces the power top for the Mercedes SL does the XLR’s power top as well. It takes about 30 seconds to lower, all at the touch of a button.


The XLR more than held its own. The 4.6-liter Northstar dohc V8, also used in the SRX sport/utility vehicle, is about 80 percent new, producing 320 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque—more power than any of the three competitors mentioned. The engine uses continuously variable valve timing and polymer-coated pistons to cut vibrations, as well as electronic throttle control. The V8 is coupled to a five-speed automatic transmission with a manual mode. There is no manual transmission available. The automatic is a version of the CTS’s transmission, made stronger to handle the extra power. It offered up ultrasmooth shifts, and was designed specifically for the XLR and SRX.

There’s push-button start, and once running it proved to be a smooth engine, with a nice snarl when we jumped on it, a smooth throttle response and a fluid buildup of power. GM says 60 mph arrives in 5.7 seconds. It didn’t exactly feel explosive, but plenty quick enough, we thought. Top speed is electronically limited to 155 mph. Those numbers look strong, a clean second quicker to 60 mph than were the SL500 and SC 430 we tested, both of which ran to 60 in 6.68 seconds.

A supercharged V-Series XLR is rumored to be under development at GM’s Milford proving grounds.

We drove the XLR fairly hard and found the steering crisp and properly weighted. (In fact, a few Cadillac engineers are concerned the steering might be too heavy for the country-club/gated-community set. We told them to leave the steering alone, and let the country clubbers drive Segways.)

The magnetic ride control suspension, a joint GM and Delphi venture, seen previously on Sevilles and 50th anniversary edition Corvettes (AW, June 3, 2002), helps engineers sort the ride/handling compromise tremendously. The XLR’s 49/51 weight distribution doesn’t hurt either. The magic of the suspension is found in the shocks containing magnetorheological fluid. Sensors measure how much damping is needed and adjust the viscosity of the shock fluid accordingly. The result is the car feels plush at low speeds—not too soft, but comfortable on what few road bumps we could find—becoming more firm as speeds increase. The steering communication also felt better the harder we pushed the car. The XLR never lost its composure during our drive, and the body motion was minimal. The brakes were smooth and consistent all day.



The interior looks like it is built of high-quality materials.


The car is as flingable as the Benz, and Stabilitrak keeps things in line, sensing wheelspin at any of the four corners and applying a little brake if necessary. Still, we felt the XLR, riding on 18-inch Michelin ZP run-flats, was a little under-tired. Visually, the wheel wells could stand more meat to fill them out, but it was occasional tire-squealing understeer, a little earlier than we would have hoped, that suggested the car could use bigger tires. (We felt the same way about the SL500’s performance when we put that car through our AutoFile test.) The XLR doesn’t feel heavy though, and indeed, at 3643 pounds, weighs less (thanks mostly to the composites and the use of aluminum) than those competitors GM brought along to compare.

Forget our Allante-based worries about the top, too. The XLR’s retractable hardtop, from the same supplier that does the Mercedes SL wonder-lid, worked fine. Operating it was painless, taking about half a minute to lower with the proverbial touch of a button. Wind noise was minimal with the top up, even at a steady 80 mph on the freeway.

There’s oodles of technology making it all happen. In addition to the magnetic ride control and Stabilitrak, the XLR has the next-generation, ultrastiff hydroformed frame rails it will share with the C6 Corvette, balsa-cored wood-composite floors, heated and cooled seats, keyless access and adaptive cruise control, which adjusts your speed according to how fast the car ahead is going.

Cadillac officials call the XLR cabin “the best interior we’ve ever done at GM.” In recent memory, at least, we’d have to agree from a quality standpoint. The inside is trimmed in leather, eucalyptus wood and aluminum with Bvlgari-designed instruments. The cockpit is sharp-edged and angular like the exterior, and the quality levels looked good (as did the exterior’s quality—body panel fits, for example, were tight and consistent end to end), as good as the competition’s. There was plenty of room inside to spread out a little, and the composite-frame leather seats were comfortable and supportive. There were no shoddy-looking surfaces, and the insides of storage areas, such as the door pockets and glovebox, were nicely finished—no rough edges here.


A color touch-screen high on the center console gives access to the navigation system, a nine-speaker Bose stereo (which provided terrific sound) and a DVD entertainment system, which only works when the car is parked. OnStar is standard, and you can add the Virtual Advisor service to get stock quotes, weather news and e-mail in your car.

The whole ball of wax costs $76,250, including the $815 destination charge. The car comes basically loaded to the gills, the only factory option is XM Satellite Radio, at $325.

Cadillac will build seven XLRs a day, “starting sometime this summer,” or no more than 5000 a year at the start of production, officials say, at GM’s Bowling Green plant in Kentucky. If you’re in the market for an upscale two-seater, all of a sudden the local Cadillac dealer isn’t a bad place to start.

Red Nj-s

Woohaa GM. Now bring back the damned Camaro!

heyitsme

sounds good, i hope they can get that same reaction from all the new cars they are going to build. i like it inside n out.

cusdaddy

Gavriil: you responded to me in the C6 concept thread when I said hopefully the C6 will have a nice interior:

After seeing the reviews of the XLR with pictures of the interior, I have to disagree. I think the interior is very very nice and definitely competitive. Maybe no class leading, but getting there

1SICKLEX

It's based off the Vette Platform. For 76k.. No thanks. I don't like the SC 430 much but I'd get that before it and save money. Hell, I'd get the S500 and pay more for it.

Red Nj-s

I wouldn't.

Go American cars.

Six Shifter

for 76K I expect at a minimum better tires than a the same thing that comes stock on our CL-S.

ItalianStallion

it looks cool.

heyitsme

why? cause of the badge on the hood? i think home builders should start putting badges on houses, could make a hell of a lot more money off people who don't bother to look at the specs.

jimcol711

well said, some people are fucking morons....to diss an entire product line of ANYTHING simply based on the name, is fucking ignorant.

Red-CL

They already do!

gavriil

cusdaddy you are right. I did write that. The reason was this: I read a previous review from an English magazine (Autoexpress) and they came out with the above impression. That the XLR's weakness is its interior quality when compared with the German cars of the class. I know that Europeans have much higher expectations when it comes to quality of interiors and that's to be expected when we look at Audi, Mercedes and BMW.

So who is right?

Well, I did see and film the car at the Chicago Auto show but from 3-5 yeards away. They did let people sit in it, but I did not. I could say that the design of the interior is inferior to that of an Audi, for example. But as far as, quality? I have no idea.

I wish this car were par in interior quality with the Germans. I hope it is. I hope it gets better than the Germans in everything. Time for us to see some USAmerican cars surpass the Japanese and European offerings in EVERY department. GM and Ford have the resources to achieve that. It's a matter of hiring the right people to implement it. I see GM moving that way, but not enough evidence of that yet.

Sarlacc

They should have the have the cars built in japan and europe incorporating their work ethic and quality craftsmanship and then import them here.

imported domestics

Seriously american companies suffer cause our work ethics and pride in our jobs sucks. We truly are a lazy country comparatively. Hell we all know american built hondas still arent as good as the japanese the TSX proves that one. Something needs to be done to figure out how to get our factories here to provide better work and craftsmanship.

Moog-Type-S

I doubt the skeptisism over the Cadillac XLR is base on the badge on the car, but rather the crappy 30 year reputation...even the article stated that, and even Cadillac acknowleged that.
Cadillac will have to prove itself with good products to shake the old image.

gavriil

Sorry if this comes out strong, but you dont know what you are talking about, if you think we are lazy and Europeans have better work ethic than ours.

I am very sensitive to this matter, because I have lived both. I am born and raised in Europe for the first 22 years of my life. My folks and all relatives live in Europe to this day. In the USA for 10 years. So I know what I am talking about.

The average USAmerican worker works WAY harder than the average European. I am not sure about Japan, so I wont comment.

The difference between USAmerican and European workers is not small either. I am talking about a significant difference in the work ethic department.

Work ethic is not the reason why USAmerican made cars, suffer from interior quality. The matter is way more complicated than that.

Also:

People talk about USAmerican cars and European cars. Well, it's not that cut and dry either.

GM owns a bunch of ex-European companies. LIke Opel, Saab, Vauxhall, etc. Ford builts cars for the European market mostly under the same nameplate. FOrd. They also own Aston Martin, Volvo and others.

So when we refer to USAmerican cars, people refer to cars that are made by USAmerican companies (the 2.5 that remain, GM, Ford and Chrysler) FOR THE USA MARKET! That's key!

My point, is that, THAT'S NOT ALL THE USAMERICAN CARS. If you are talking about a comparison between USA and European cars, then, for the comparison to be fair, we should take into consideration the cars that USA companies make for the European market, in addition to the ones they make for the USA market. Volvo, Saab, Aston, Opel and others, ARE USAmerican cars also.

Like I said, the matter is way more complicated than most think.

1SICKLEX

Damn, you know less about homes than cars. Builders have been doing this for YEARS. There are many AVERAGE or even SUB-PAR builders that people buy there homes in droves cause of the name. Especially those cookie-cutter homes all over, you know, the ones with one lil bush in the front yard, it's sodded and the palette of colors in the neighborhood are white and beige with your choice of navy or red shutters.
I disagree, stereotypes are good sometimes. Cadillac has A LOT to prove before I even consider one of their cars. Let alone a 76k one. Have you driven an Escalade and their competition. They are seriously behind. Do you have any friends with Caddy's? Well me neither, they got rid of them (reliability problems) for another luxury car maker. School him please.I saw it 2 inches away, but we could not sit in it. The exterior is different and polorizing (like the SC 430, love or hate) but the interior left me cold. This is a 76k car.I agree and disagree with this statment. THe Camry and Accord have been built here for years and are the most reliable in their respective classes. On the other hand, the Taurus is built down the street from me and it's average at best.

Sarlacc

I'm not saying they arent the most reliable, they are, I totally agree there, but you can still tell a HUGE difference in terms of build quality between american made hondas and japanese made hondas. Even when I sold, most Techs even admitted there was a drop in quality between the us/jdm cars. Albeit they are still a great car and I'll still buy them, but they could be that much better.

Small example, my 89 prelude (japanese) was a smaller 4 cyl engine, older technology not as refined buzzy engine and built to be a sports car. still loved that car to death. Now, my 99 CL (strictly american) the glorified accord that it is has Vtec 4cyl, 10 years newer, more refined quieter engine. Now which of these two cars do you think had a quieter cabin??? The prelude did, it picked up less road/wind/tire noise it just felt more solid and quiet where as my CL is actually fairly noisy. And the Accord in general is supposed to be a more refined family car. Just so shows its the little things that make something what it is, in my opinion anyway.

heyitsme

it was a joke clueless in alanta, i mean toll brother exec. and i'm glad you polled all the home buyers in your area to see that they were buying a home because of the builder and not the location or what the house offered just like you polled all the cadillac buyers to determine a stereotype.

i love when people bring to the table that their friend had this and that unreliable domestic car so the whole brand is all of sudden unreliable, but if someone picks up a turd of an import its a fluke.

the cl vs prelude example has nothing to do with where they were built, thats honda engineering. if they wanted the car quieter, they would have put more money into the development of the car. and of course the tsx is more reliable than any accord, its jdm yo.





doesn't look like they're doing too bad, consistently finish above bmw in dependability of cars 4-5years old but its ok that bmw build cars 70k plus, mad german car building skills.

Sarlacc

That was my point if you read. The jdm is built better then usdm. Both are extremely relaible but the jdm is that much better built and reliable.

cusdaddy

You are so completely wrong on this fact. The American workforce is by far the most productive workforce in the world.

Europe is far behind us. France for example has a government mandate that workers can work no longer than 30 hours a week. Companies that violate this rule face still penalties.

Sarlacc

It doesnt matter how many hours a week they work, its what they get accomplished in that time and the care and quality it shows.

Sides we all know the french suck

Hell anyone can pump out millions of anything be called the most productive.

Would rather own product A that is mass produced at a disgustingly fast rate and slapped together, OR would you rather own the similar product B that doesnt have the same production numbers but at least has quality behind it?

1SICKLEX

Whoops, my bad, been PMSing today. Well can't say I drive or have driven a Camry or Accord but the rentals I've been in have been solid. Funny thing is the TLs and CLs I've been in are worse in build quality just by looking at panel gaps. Weird.

But since they are BUILT in America and are way more reliable than GM or Ford products built here, it is not the American people. It's the company.Yes, my 1989 Sentra has way less problems than any Taurus my family owned. The Japanese have less tolerance for issues, no matter built in AMERICA or in JAPAN.

It is known that the TAHARA Lexus plant though, is one of the most advanced in the world. THat is a choice the company made, GM could do the same if THEY WANTED TOO (that is their problem).It's true though, mostly. Why take a chance? Not for 76k.My only problem with this theory is more work=more when it's work smarter, not harder.

In conclusion, America did not become THE NATION of the world by being lazy and sorry.

cusdaddy

Almost completely off topic, but I thought you might find interesting considering the topic about European vs. US labor

-------------------------------------------------

WASHINGTON, May 14 (UPI) -- Europe is predicted to become a second-ranking economic force over the next 50 years, its share of world output almost halving from its current 22-percent share to 12 percent, a top French think tank reported Wednesday.

Over the same period, the United States is expected almost to retain its 25-percent share, which will by 2050 be matched or even outpaced by China as the world's dominant economy.

1SICKLEX

Yo, Cusdaddy and company, this was a great informational thread. I meant to say that earlier.

Yes, Europe is in trouble. They are too, too divided over there. Just cause they share money now does not mean they are equal.

China and India are coming. Fast. They got space, people and soon resources. Hell, they are coming here to learn everything.

heyitsme

i think thats exactly it, has less to do with american work ethic than it does american car company ethics. why is it that a toyota built in the us tops the quality list and a ford built in the us doesn't? theres obviously a reason why some companies excel and others don't, don't go blaming the workers (although unions probably aren't the best thing for quality either).


people are already paying 50k plus on gms-hummers, escalades, vettes, etc. a cadillac car is no different and its not like they are selling these things without a warranty.

gavriil

So what are you saying? That we work hard but we are not as productive as the Europeans?

gavriil

Gabriel's thinktank answers this to the above:

NO economy can EVER be the world's "dominant" economy if democracy and capitalism are not thriving in that country!