New Car Profile of the 2004 Cadillac XLR Luxury Sports Coupe
Description: Luxury Sports Coupe
Base MSRP Range: $75,385
Invoice Price Range: $69,731
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 event, which consumes less than 30 seconds, drops sideglass windows, lifts the metal lid with lectromechanical muscle and tucks it neatly into the trunk, leaving a smooth and flat bonnet trailing integrated roll bars positioned behind seatbacks.
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 minimum distance between the two vehicles. Further, there are motion sensors all over XLR that 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 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.
