CADILLAC

The History of the Cadillac XLR

June 12, 2019 by admin 1 Comment

Declining Cadillac sales in the 1990s forced General Motors to take a hard look at its luxury division and that marque’s model offerings. New models were soon conceived including an Evoq concept, a two-door roadster that made its debut at a 1999 Detroit auto show. Five years later the Cadillac XLR was introduced, a model underpinned by the same platform used by the Chevrolet Corvette.

From Concept to Reality

The 1999 North American International Auto Show in Detroit featured the Cadillac Evoq, a concept vehicle created by a design team headed by Wayne Cherry, Vice President of General Motors Design. Cherry oversaw the design of several other noteworthy vehicles including the Chevrolet SSR, Pontiac Solstice, and the Cadillac Sixteen concept.

The Evoq concept was based on the fifth-generation Corvette platform, a rear-wheel-drive roadster with a retractable hardtop roof. The Evoq featured Cadillac’s Northstar V-8 engine and was paired with a four-speed automatic transmission.

Auto show attendee reaction to the Cadillac Evoq was highly favorable with GM soon committing to build the new model. However, the eventual production vehicle was not released until 2004 when the sixth-generation Chevrolet Corvette was also introduced. Like the Corvette, the Cadillac XLR was built at the Corvette manufacturing plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Cadillac XLR Essentials

General Motors outfitted the Cadillac XLR with a 4.6-liter V-8 engine. Its Northstar engine was found in other Cadillac models of that era and differed from the 6.2-liter V-8 that powered the Corvette. The XLR engine was rated at 320 horsepower and 310 foot-pounds of torque, and was teamed with a five-speed automatic transmission. Beginning in 2007, a six-speed automatic transmission was made standard.

The XLR and Corvette shared the same hydroformed frame-rail architecture, with the XLR utilizing components from both the C5 and C6 Corvette. Like the Corvette, the Cadillac XLR featured aggressive styling with a long hood and a chiseled body, with 18-inch wheels and outfitted with clustered quad exhaust pipes. Its base price was approximately $20,000 above the Corvette, starting out near $77,000.

Standard equipment with the Cadillac XLR included keyless entry, a tilt and telescoping steering column, a heated steering wheel, steering wheel mounted controls, power accessories including a power trunk lid, eight-way power seats, and dual climate control. Leather trim was used throughout the cabin on seating surfaces, across the dashboard, on the doors, and around the steering wheel. Alloy and wood trim accents were standard.

Cadillac XLR-V

Beginning in 2006, Cadillac introduced a V-Series model to the XLR line. The V-Series is a line of high-performance models that were also found in special versions of the CTS and STS sedans. The XLR-V was priced from just under $100,000.

The Cadillac XLR-V was powered by a 4.4-liter supercharged V-8 engine making 443 horsepower and 413 foot-pounds of torque. It was teamed with a six-speed automatic transmission that could also be shifted manually. This model featured magnetic ride control and an enhanced suspension system. Key amenities included temperature-adjusted seats with heating and cooling features, Zingana wood trim, and aluminum accents.

End of the Road

After a six-year model run, GM announced in 2009 that the Cadillac XLR would be discontinued. GM had also stopped making the 4.4-liter V-8 engine for the V-Series, “due to market conditions.” The timing of the XLR’s demise coincided with GM’s bankruptcy and restructuring, a move that enabled the automaker to quit making low volume and unprofitable vehicles across its multiple brand lines.

Approximately 15,400 XLRs were sold for its entire model run. The vehicle was considered less refined than competing European models including the Mercedes-Benz SL500 and the Jaguar XKR. Its cramped interior, uninspiring steering feedback, and large gaps between some interior panels were among the deficiencies cited by industry analysts.

Cadillac’s flagship roadster is no more, but its high-end performance lives on in other vehicles. The V-Series continues in the CTS, a line of vehicles powered by Corvette’s supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 engine.

Photos copyright General Motors Company.

Not Again! Cadillac’s Naming Convention Adds a New Designation

March 14, 2019 by admin

This 1960 Cadillac de Ville offers a classic design and a memorable name.

Remember when a Cadillac was easily identified by its model name? Among those vehicles, we had the Cadillac Eldorado, Coupe de Ville, Seville, and Escalade, with each one representing something distinct in our own minds.

Well, the traditional Cadillac naming convention was tossed in the early 2000s, as the Seville became the STS and the DeVille was renamed the DTS. Those changes brought a European-style nomenclature to GM’s luxury marque, aligning the brand with Germany’s finest, including Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz.

Naming Convention Theater

Once again, Cadillac plans to adjust its naming convention, something it already did a few years back when the previous three-letter nomenclature was replaced by a three-digit alphanumeric arrangement.

Thus, all utility vehicles, except for the Escalade, now begin with an XT, followed by a number (as in Cadillac XT4), while all car models are identified by a CT and are also followed by a number (as in Cadillac CT6).

The new arrangement will keep the current naming convention, but add a series of numbers, which will identify the engine, according to The Detroit News. As a result, the upcoming 2020 Cadillac XT6 has badging that’ll identify it as the Cadillac XT6 AWD 400. AWD, by the way, is for all-wheel drive.

The latter three-number designation explains the engine’s performance, although that number is rounded up. Perhaps of much more significance is that the new number is based on the engine’s torque as measured in newton-meters, not pound-feet. Torque represents an engine’s pulling power and is always mentioned after a vehicle’s horsepower, which is how we measure engine power at peak RPMs.

So, a Cadillac XT6 400 represents a model powered by a 3.6-liter V6 engine with 310 horsepower and 271 pound-feet of torque. How does the 400 designation fit in? Well, with metric the pound-feet becomes 373-newton meters, therefore Cadillac is simply rounding up as it badges this model.

From US Customary to Metric

Using newton-meters aligns Cadillac with the European style, with the latter based entirely on the metric system. It changes the current measuring arrangement, which blends the US customary (and imperial) measuring system with metric — engines are no longer measured in cubic feet, but in liters. Even so, most of a vehicle’s dimensions are measured in inches and feet, such as the wheelbase, a truck bed’s length, and interior legroom.

Oddly, just as Cadillac switches to newton meters, it is leaving the way it measures horsepower alone. Visit Cadillac’s media site and you’ll find two sets of numbers for horsepower. The second one measures it in kilowatts, thus 310 horsepower becomes 229 kilowatts. But that first number has no impact on badging. Only the torque does.

2016 Cadillac Escalade — The Cadillac Escalade is the lone model to escape the brand’s modern naming convention.

Here Come EVs

So, why the change? Is it simply to make our heads spin? According to GM, there is a method to this madness.

Indeed, there is. Like other automakers, GM is in the process of electrifying its fleet as it expands its EV offerings. Specifically, electric vehicles produce a tremendous amount of torque, a performance number GM will emphasize going forward.

That number will be fixed to the rear of its vehicles just as you’ll find the “400” label on the back of the XT6. Because engine displacement is not a factor with EVs, GM apparently believes it needs some way of easily identifying a performance number and affixing it to its electric-propulsion vehicles. Thus, it creates a common number that unifies its electric and non-electric offerings, and may aid in the transition from gas to electric.

Help Us, Please

GM believes that the expanded naming convention will assist consumers, while giving owners something to brag about.

At the same time, the change won’t cover every model. Thankfully, Cadillac’s performance V-Series will simply include the V as in the CT4-V. Oh, by the way, the CT4 will replace the current ATS and CTS sedans. Yes, yet another model name to remember.

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