2004 CADILLAC XLR COUPE/CONVERTIBLE

CADILLAC Brand Reviews:    • XLR CONVERTIBLE COUPE    • SRX WAGON    • CTS SEDAN    2004 CADILLAC XLR COUPE/CONVERTIBLE:    Description:    Luxury sports coupe/roadster    Model options:    XLR    Wheelbase:    105.7 inches    Overall length:    177.7 inches    Engine size:    DOHC 4.6-L V8 NorthStar VVT    Transmissions/speeds:    Auto/5 Hydra-Matic 5L50-E    Rear/front drive:     Rear    Steering:    Power rack and pinion    Magnasteer    Braking:    Power 4-disc    ABS/StabiliTrak    Air bags:    2 (front) + 2 (side)    EPA mileage est. city/hwy:    17/25 mpg    MSRP    $ 76,200   Read Feature Story   Read New Car News   Read Brand Reviews   Read Car-Truck Test Reviews   Return to Guide's Homepage

CADILLAC BRINGS CONCEPT CARS TO LIFE

Cadillac, showcasing the best in styling and technical sophistication from General Motors, unwraps two all-new vehicles in a 2004 line that also includes a souped-up CTS. Recent Cadillac show-car designs with names like Evoq, Imaj and Vizon serve as the harbingers of a new age for Cadillac promising cutting-edge designs and high-tech gear for superior vehicular performance, stability and safety. The two-seat Evoq, a hardtop coupe that converts to a daring convertible, is the first of these futuristic Cadillac concepts to spawn a street-legal production model and it's badged with Cadillac's new alphabetical nomenclature as the XLR.

Built on the rigid rear-wheel-drive (RWD) platform that also supports Chevrolet's racy Corvette, the new Cadillac sports car wears sharp but clean body forms marked by angular shapes and crisp edges combining in a sleek package that looks like no other vehicle on the road. The Vizon show-car wagon also springs to life as Cadillac's SRX sport-utility raised on the unitized Sigma architecture used for the CTS sports touring sedan. SRX packs aboard as many as three rows of seats in a spacious cabin with either rear-wheel-drive (RWD) or all-wheel-drive (AWD) traction and a choice of Cadillac's 4.6-liter NorthStar V8 engine or a new 3.6-liter V6 version. The CTS -- Cadillac Touring Sedan -- made history with its 2004 debut as the first RWD vehicle in Cadillac's fleet since 1979 and the first to offer a manual transmission on a rear-drive platform in half a century. For 2004 CTS gets that new 3.6-liter V6, while a souped-up CTSv coming later in the model-year will push a high-performance V8 to make the most powerful Cadillac ever.

XLR CONVERTIBLE COUPE: Cadillac's new two-seat sports car, dressed with composite body panels featuring chiseled forms and angular features, is a luxurious hardtop coupe that converts to an airy convertible through the push of a console toggle. The conversion event, which consumes less than 30 seconds, drops sideglass windows, lifts the metal lid with electromechanical muscle and tucks it neatly into the trunk, leaving a smooth and flat bonnet trailing integrated roll bars positioned behind seatbacks. Keen lines on composite body panels linking tail to face look clean but shapely with several sharp character lines stretching the length of the vehicle and wheelwells flaring over huge Michelin run-flat tires on gleaming seven-spoke aluminum wheels. The high-tech look foretells a high-tech slant to technical features. For instance, cruise control on XLR is a computerized system with on-board radar. It draws on the Doppler effect in radar to measure the distance to a car ahead in the coupe's path, then adjusts the throttle or applies brakes to maintain a pre-set distance between the two vehicles. Further, there are motion sensors to detect lateral as well as linear slippage of the vehicle and communicate with a computer to magically correct the dangerous movements without direct steering or braking action from the driver. And XLR is the first GM vehicle with keyless technology. Just put the car's keyfob in a pocket or purse and the car will recognize you electronically. Driver's door unlocks automatically when you touch the door handle. To start the engine, simply step on the brake pedal and depress the Start button. Turn the engine off with the same button, and as you exit the fob will lock the doors. Go power for XLR is best in class, thanks to a new version of the Cadillac NorthStar 4.6-liter V6 engine with four-cam variable valve timing (VVT). It develops 320 hp through a new RWD-oriented five-speed automatic transmission with gated shifter stick on the console. The two-person cockpit is a luxurious space featuring sculptured bucket seats clad in leather with trim work in polished aluminum metal and lacquered hardwoods. A driver may view instruments as reflected off the windshield in a head-up display that includes digital data indicating the vehicle's speed, real-world clock time and functions of the audio equipment and active cruise control.

SRX WAGON: A new mid-size sport-utility wagon for Cadillac rolls out for the 2004 line with car-like driving traits and a luxurious cabin design in wood and leather with seats for as many as seven. It looks bold and daring, applying Cadillac's new styling elements to an aggressive face featuring a signature egg-crate grille and piercing optics with stacked round projector-type headlamps that resemble camera lenses mounted on vertical corners. SRX rides on the RWD Sigma architecture also underscoring the CTS and is available in RWD and AWD applications. With its car-based structure and weight distributed almost evenly over front and rear wheels, plus the low center of gravity and some juicy powertrain choices, SRX feels nimble and lively with a fun-to-drive attitude. Engine options include the new 4.6-L NorthStar V8 VVT also used for XLR or a new 3.6-liter V6 VVT shared with CTS. A five-speed automatic transmission adds a driver shift control (DSC) for clutch-less manual shifting. Layout of the cabin shows twin buckets in the front row and a bench for three on row two. An optional bench for two as a third row raises the rider count to seven. Then select the UltraView sunroof, which spreads above first and second rows of seats, for the largest sunroof in this class.

CTS SEDAN: The RWD Sigma platform for CTS features an extended wheelbase and wide track with wheels set on outside corners for a sure-footed stance. In a spacious cabin fit for five, the exterior theme of chiseled forms and angular features is expressed in a monochromatic treatment on CTS that appears contemporary. The base CTS continues with a V6 engine that displaces 3.2 liters and makes 220 hp as linked to a manual five-speed by Germany's Getrag. CTS with a four-speed automatic transmission earns the new 3.6-liter V6 VVT engine, which runs up to 255 hp. A sport package with 17-inch wheels, variable assist steering, high-performance brakes and StabiliTrak vehicle controller becomes an option for any CTS trim. At the end of 2004 the new GM Performance Division will release a new CTSv, the most powerful Cadillac production car ever with a version of Corvette's LS6 V8 stuffed under the hood and pumping up 400 hp.