Great Machines: Annual Report: One More for the Road
June 1, 2008
When Cadillac presented their daring 2004 XLR to a community of jaded automotive journalists, the General and its development team had to know that their task paralleled that of Sisyphus. For no sooner had their designers pushed that sports car to the pinnacle of cutting-edge design—as a styling exercise it is brilliant—than it rolled back to the drawing board begging for a more powerful drivetrain; one that could deliver performance commensurate with the XLR’s groundbreaking shape.
So the XLR-V—the high-performance version introduced in 2006—was eagerly received by those who admired its precursor but prefer their performance cocktail spiked with a little more horsepower. Four hundred and forty-three, to be precise, spooled up quickly by way of a supercharger feeding a proven 4.4-liter, 32-valve, all-aluminum Northstar V-8.
Flagship really is the most appropriate term to describe the XLR-V. With the XLR-V, Cadillac takes aim at two-seat Euro-benchmarks like Mercedes-Benz’s SL, and four-seaters (in name only) like Jaguar’s XK. Not only does the XLR-V represent the best General Motors has to offer, at $100,000, it is the most expensive series-production automobile—except for perhaps the upcoming Corvette ZR1—ever marketed by the Detroit giant. Expectations and stakes were set high.
It’s no exaggeration to say that everyone at Robb Report was looking forward to a long-term relationship with the new personal sports-luxury Cadillac. And what a year it has been. After enduring some less-than-delicate right-foot treatment by our editors (and they having been subjected to some bad behavior on the part of the XLR-V), reviews reflect everything from "I love you" to "I want a divorce." Thankfully, neither party called the police, though the mechanics were occasionally summoned.
The XLR-V looks like no other car, and it is beautiful in the bargain. Its Crystal Red metallic paint job is superb; easily the equal to some very expensive automobiles. Love it or not, its crisp and unpretentious shape is tasteful, exquisitely proportioned and simply unmistakable. Drivers and pedestrians stared in approval. Observers with a mature eye for design—those who have tired of BMWs and Mercedes-Benzes festooned with gills, slats, cartoon air dams, and splitters—will find the XLR-V’s clean lines refreshing.
At the same time, drivers spoiled by today’s crop of 400-plus hp GTs will find the XLR-V every bit as exciting and capable under the hood as anything short of a Bentley Continental GT. Additional compliments must be paid to the 6-speed automatic transmission and a sophisticated electro-magnetic suspension system that rewards capable drivers with excellent handling, and makes the two-seater a perfect choice for passengers on long-distance drives. Here, we shall end the chapter entitled "Glass Half Full."
The other half of our tale recounts a litany of greater or lesser frustrations that began with our first drive. Initial impressions of the XLR-V’s interior will not reassure those who have experienced the competitions’ cabins. The XLR-V eschews rich leather seats in favor of velour-like upholstery, more to be expected in an economy sedan than a luxury automobile, and a huge expanse of rubbery dash, where leather and pleasantly tactile synthetics are expected.
Then the nagging set in. The Traction Control light indicated service was required at 700 miles. Errant warning lights were a recurring theme. The keyless entry fob failed to open or start the car on numerous occasions. At 1,002 miles, the driver-side fog lamp disgorged the entire assembly from its socket, hanging like one of Rat Fink’s eyeballs. We’d smack it back in place every week or so.
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