Spotted: a Cadillac XLR
The spotted specimen
Sometimes we don’t even have to leave the house to spot cars. This Cadillac XLR just drove past our editorial office in Bodegraven. Unfortunately, we only have this one photo and even then the car has green dealer plates. So we can’t tell that much about this particular XLR, but this spot is a good reason to tell what kind of car the XLR was again.
Cadillac XLR as top model
The XLR entered the market in 2003 for the 2004 model year. It was Cadillac’s top model in terms of positioning and, with ten years in between, the successor to the Allanté, which was sold from 1986 through 1993. Under the skin, the XLR is largely identical to the Chevrolet Corvette C6, but it does have its own interior, body, powertrain and suspension setup. Whereas the Corvette is a true sports car, the XLR was marketed primarily as a luxury roadster.
Scoop for Cadillac XLR
As the top model of the Cadillac lineup, the XLR was the first Cadillac with adaptive cruise control. The head-up display, adaptive suspension and voice controls for some functions were also real standouts at the time. By far most of the equipment was standard; the options list contained mainly items for visual decoration, such as rims and interior and body colors.
The XLR was powered by Cadillac’s own 4.6-liter Northstar V8, with 239 kW (325 hp) and mated to a five-speed automatic or an optional six-speed. The drive always went to the rear wheels.
Extra sporty: Cadillac XLR-V
For the 2006 model year, they introduced the extra sporty XLR-V. This received a 4.4-liter Northstar V8 under the hood. A slightly smaller engine, therefore, but thanks to a turbocharger, it delivered a greater output of 330 kW (450 hp). With the XLR-V, the six-speed automatic transmission was standard. The 60 mph was reached in 4.6 seconds and the top speed was electronically limited at converted 249 km/h.
Subtle facelift
For model year 2009, another very subtle facelift was implemented with slightly different grille, bumpers and instrument cluster. Model year 2009 was also the last for the XLR and a successor did not arrive. However, there was still a production stock left, so new XLRs were sold through 2011.
Sales were disappointing
That production stockpile was partly because sales were disappointing. Some 5,000 to 7,000 XLRs were expected to be sold per year, but only 3,730 were sold in the best year. A total of 15,460 were sold. The likely explanation for the disappointing sales will be the starting price. That was already more than $ 85,000 and the XLR-V even went over the ton. This in a country where cars are generally relatively cheap…
The Cadillac XLR in the Netherlands
The Cadillac XLR was also officially delivered in Europe, including the Netherlands. Here the starting price (somewhat depending on the year) was around 115,000 euros. For the XLR-V, you spent almost 140,000 euros. You understand that the car was not a sales hit here either, but they are there. Currently, there are 22 Cadillac XLRs on Dutch license plates, about half of which are original Dutch.
