The robot like car racing down the roads where farm fields and silos wave a nostalgic sigh truly captures a feeling of time past and present, mirroring your use of the history of Cadillac in the introduction of your segment. Brilliant!
Damn, I'm a V owner and that base model sounds fantastic. You got some good laughs out of me here too Edit: got to the exhaust part, now it all makes sense. I was starting to feel a little slighted with my exhaust 😂
hehe, yea that's not a stock exhaust, as you obviously figured out. Great upgrade on the car I have to admit. I couldnt believe how nice of a ride and how responsive and fast it felt, even if by todays standards its not exactly blistering. I'm sure the V is amazing, but the standard car is certainly no slouch, especially for what they are going for these days
As Beef Janky says, "he's not a fan of silver cars." And neither am I. But I bought this silver XLR, simply because it really does work with this particular overall design. However, if I had an absolute choice in the matter (and if buying it new - $76K+), I think I would have to literally internally fight with myself between white and blue... not sure... and it would've been a V model. This car was purchased as somewhat of a daily driver to replace my Pontiac G6 GTP coupe. Initially, I had a "deal" working with a blue 2015 RWD V6 2-door Cadillac ATS that was WAY overpriced during COVID. I ended up passing on it, and I'm so glad that I did, because I wasn't "floored" by the ATS when I drove it. I genuinely love this XLR; as well as saved over $10K. And a great review, as always, by Janky AF. Oh, and "head studs" are men with good-looking heads. "Head gaskets" are those paper things you put down on the toilet on a boat.
Heard it hear first folks, an XLR daily driver. I absolutely love that people out there daily drive cars like this, complete antidote to the commodity car buying and selling market that has taken off in recent years. Buy it cause you like it, drive it cause you bought it. At least that what a head stud told me once. We were sitting on our head gaskets in opposite stalls the men's room, think we both had oil pan leaks, judging by the amount of toilet paper flying off the roll.
2024 I just bought a BLUE XLR.. Like a stray kitten, I didn't choose her by color.. she chose me by being both within my state and low mileage and relatively affordable. I like the blue best of all anyway because that is the way she came. Blue and black show road dirt more than silver, grey or even white.
The so called novelty cars like the prowler. Was revolutionary in its aluminum lightweight architecture. The XlR was basically a Vette with a Caddy skin. And performance, the non V XLR with its V8 was much slower in than the Prowler with its V6…
I absolutely love the Prowler, as well as the Chevy SSR, Ford Thunderbird, VW Beetle, and even PT Cruiser, I grew up in this era and loved the retro designs, and more broadly just love that automakers took risks and made these crazy halo cars. That being said I think the XLR had the Prowler nipped in the performance arena, from what I've seen 0-60 in the Prowler was initially 7.2, then with its power bump when up to 5.9. The stock XLR base did I believe 5.8. 0.1 second doesnt really matter to me so I think they could be basically seen to be equally quick, which I think is cool, coming from two very different cars. I think the engineering that went into the Prowler was very impressive, especially the front suspension. They are very different cars and yet very much the same in some ways, both sort of dart-like angular bullets, one harkening back to the past in its styling, the other looking into the future, but both marketed probably to the same demographic. It would actually make a very interesting comparison test. I do think the XLR stands apart from a corvette though, its bodywork alone is a feast for the eyes, especially in person, and I think the driving experience is surprisingly refined. I may actually take a Prowler over an XLR, although whereas in the XLR I don't mind an automatic transmission at all, in the Prowler I think I would really want one, and I think it only has a 4 spd box in it if I'm not mistaken. Its a shame it was never offered with a 5 spd manual from the factory, I think this would have really set it apart as a driver's car. Anyhoo sorry for the late response, janky do thanky for your comment, I respect your enthusiasm for the Prowler, if you know anyone with one I'd love to drive it!
Cadillac made similar mistakes with the XLR as Plymouth made with the Prowler. THE IRONY IS, unlike Plymouth, when Cadillac SHOULD have borrowed from the parts ben they didn't. Cadillac SHOULD have borrowed the LS3 Engine from the Corvette C6 and dropped it into the XLR. Plymouth had no choice but to borrow its engine for the Prowler from the Dodge Intrepid. They were a struggling company short on funds.
I can totally understand why Cadilliac didnt use the LS, and yet at the same time I feel like there is no excuse for them not too. I think it comes down to making the car different enough from the Corvette both to sell XLR's, and generally to keep the peace within GM. You hear stories of the folks within the Buick department being told to stop making their products to such a high standard because they were starting to become better than Cadillacs, and because of the hierarchy of brand status Cadillac had to be at the top in everything. Ironically, the LS is obviously a much more reliable engine than the Northstar, but sometimes even though a lot of GM stuff is badge engineering, those individual marks still mean something, and I think if they had used the LS, people would be less wrong in calling it a corvette badge job, despite the quite radical departure in the styling. What I'm actually most shocked about is that the V version didnt get like the Z06 supercharged engine, because you figure at that point like just go for it, for such a pricey car. I'm not sure the supercharged Northstar in the XLR V went into anything else, which I suppose makes it bespoke and cool, but with all the head-bolt issues and everything else, you would think the practicality and performance would win out in the "performance" version of the V car. In terms of the Prowler, I think where they really messed up was not even the engine but the transmission. The XLR makes sense as an automatic-only performance cruiser, but the Prowler was crying out for the manual, and not only did it get only an automatic, but according to most accounts I've read the 4-spd auto is so uninspiring and sloppy. I think the base engine made over 220HP, and more after the 1st year, but they must have had something in their parts bin they could have used to get a 3 pedal car out of that thing. Janky do thanky for the comment, its a fascinating conversation, and I kind of like the XLR vs the Prowler as a comparison. They are actually about the same price these days too...
@@JankyAF- Actually, GM informed Buick to tone it down a bit, because the Grand National was actually better in performance than the C4 Corvette which was considered the star of GM. Unlike Plymouth, Cadillac had plenty of money to design its own special engine (The Northstar) for their flagship car, the XLR. The Northstar Engine would eventually make its way into the Oldsmobile Aurora in 1995-1999 and 2001-2003 model years, the Pontiac Bonneville in 2004 for a two-year run, as an optional engine in the Buick Lucerne CSX and Super edition in 2009. The 1995-2005 Northstar Engines were notorious for failure due to a design flaw involving the use of torque-to-yield bolts in the head gasket. The first year Plymouth Prowlers came with an iron block, 214 horsepower engine. There were no Prowlers being made in 1998, but between 1999-2002, the Prowlers being made during those last years came with a remanufactured, lightweight, aluminum block engine and 253 horsepower. This was their most reliable, most powerful engine at the time, and it was more powerful than the Hemi Engine in the first Gen Dodge Magnum. In 2002, an aftermarket company remanufactured some of the Prowler's parts that would have been on recall if Plymouth survived. Among these parts are a new exhaust system and a new Transmission Gear that propels the Prowler north of 300 horses, but these parts are sold separately. A Prowler owner would have to buy the part(s) and have them installed by a mechanic.
Janky do thanky for this wealth of information. Seems like with a lot of high-end cars, the XLR development still relied on existing engineering to keep the costs down. I love that you find ordinary switch gear and window switches in a Jaguar XJ220 (actually the key is the same as my Ford Transit Connect) - I think its resourcefulness and I applaud it. That being said, the LS engine was also "lying around" so to speak, so they could have easily used it, I think it goes to your point with the Grand National, you can't upset the Corvette people because they hold so much sway in the brand's fandom. They continued to sell the "Chrylser Prowler" after Plymouth was eliminated if I'm not mistaken. I like when a car progresses through its run, not sure if that makes 1st year Prowlers more or less desirable, less power but more rarity.
@@JankyAF - The 1997 Plymouth Prowler is actually the most valuable to collectors. It was the launch year of the Production Prowler, and it came only in purple. Unfortunately, the 1997 cars had the stiffest suspension, bumpiest rides, lowest horsepower, and the signature Iron block engine known for sludge and varnish build-up inside. When Plymouth went under, its sister company Daimler Chrysler picked up the last two years of production run (2000-2002). During that time, 1,436 Prowlers with the badge Chrysler were made. Too bad Plymouth and Chrysler's other sibling company, Dodge, had no interest in the Prowler. I guess impracticality just isn't in their vocabulary. LOL
![Every Car Is A Great Car: Cadillac XLR - The Corvette That Went To College. [PART 2]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/WGLMLk6v0b0/mqdefault.jpg)
![Every Car Is A Great Car: Cadillac XLR - The Corvette That Went To College. [PART 2]](/img/tr.png)
The robot like car racing down the roads where farm fields and silos wave a nostalgic sigh truly captures a feeling of time past and present, mirroring your use of the history of Cadillac in the introduction of your segment. Brilliant!
Robot car is a very fitting description, especially with the matrix connection, good observation, very organic meets digital environment.
Damn, I'm a V owner and that base model sounds fantastic. You got some good laughs out of me here too Edit: got to the exhaust part, now it all makes sense. I was starting to feel a little slighted with my exhaust 😂
hehe, yea that's not a stock exhaust, as you obviously figured out. Great upgrade on the car I have to admit. I couldnt believe how nice of a ride and how responsive and fast it felt, even if by todays standards its not exactly blistering. I'm sure the V is amazing, but the standard car is certainly no slouch, especially for what they are going for these days
Good work great analysis
Janky do Thanky Mr Johnson
As Beef Janky says, "he's not a fan of silver cars." And neither am I. But I bought this silver XLR, simply because it really does work with this particular overall design. However, if I had an absolute choice in the matter (and if buying it new - $76K+), I think I would have to literally internally fight with myself between white and blue... not sure... and it would've been a V model. This car was purchased as somewhat of a daily driver to replace my Pontiac G6 GTP coupe. Initially, I had a "deal" working with a blue 2015 RWD V6 2-door Cadillac ATS that was WAY overpriced during COVID. I ended up passing on it, and I'm so glad that I did, because I wasn't "floored" by the ATS when I drove it. I genuinely love this XLR; as well as saved over $10K. And a great review, as always, by Janky AF. Oh, and "head studs" are men with good-looking heads. "Head gaskets" are those paper things you put down on the toilet on a boat.
Heard it hear first folks, an XLR daily driver. I absolutely love that people out there daily drive cars like this, complete antidote to the commodity car buying and selling market that has taken off in recent years. Buy it cause you like it, drive it cause you bought it. At least that what a head stud told me once. We were sitting on our head gaskets in opposite stalls the men's room, think we both had oil pan leaks, judging by the amount of toilet paper flying off the roll.
2024 I just bought a BLUE XLR.. Like a stray kitten, I didn't choose her by color.. she chose me by being both within my state and low mileage and relatively affordable. I like the blue best of all anyway because that is the way she came. Blue and black show road dirt more than silver, grey or even white.
Lol “build more aerostars” 😂😂😂
Had to sneak it in there somewhere. This is probably becoming... an insidious trend...
The so called novelty cars like the prowler. Was revolutionary in its aluminum lightweight architecture. The XlR was basically a Vette with a Caddy skin. And performance, the non V XLR with its V8 was much slower in than the Prowler with its V6…
I absolutely love the Prowler, as well as the Chevy SSR, Ford Thunderbird, VW Beetle, and even PT Cruiser, I grew up in this era and loved the retro designs, and more broadly just love that automakers took risks and made these crazy halo cars. That being said I think the XLR had the Prowler nipped in the performance arena, from what I've seen 0-60 in the Prowler was initially 7.2, then with its power bump when up to 5.9. The stock XLR base did I believe 5.8. 0.1 second doesnt really matter to me so I think they could be basically seen to be equally quick, which I think is cool, coming from two very different cars.
I think the engineering that went into the Prowler was very impressive, especially the front suspension. They are very different cars and yet very much the same in some ways, both sort of dart-like angular bullets, one harkening back to the past in its styling, the other looking into the future, but both marketed probably to the same demographic. It would actually make a very interesting comparison test.
I do think the XLR stands apart from a corvette though, its bodywork alone is a feast for the eyes, especially in person, and I think the driving experience is surprisingly refined. I may actually take a Prowler over an XLR, although whereas in the XLR I don't mind an automatic transmission at all, in the Prowler I think I would really want one, and I think it only has a 4 spd box in it if I'm not mistaken. Its a shame it was never offered with a 5 spd manual from the factory, I think this would have really set it apart as a driver's car.
Anyhoo sorry for the late response, janky do thanky for your comment, I respect your enthusiasm for the Prowler, if you know anyone with one I'd love to drive it!
Cadillac made similar mistakes with the XLR as Plymouth made with the Prowler. THE IRONY IS, unlike Plymouth, when Cadillac SHOULD have borrowed from the parts ben they didn't. Cadillac SHOULD have borrowed the LS3 Engine from the Corvette C6 and dropped it into the XLR. Plymouth had no choice but to borrow its engine for the Prowler from the Dodge Intrepid. They were a struggling company short on funds.
I can totally understand why Cadilliac didnt use the LS, and yet at the same time I feel like there is no excuse for them not too. I think it comes down to making the car different enough from the Corvette both to sell XLR's, and generally to keep the peace within GM. You hear stories of the folks within the Buick department being told to stop making their products to such a high standard because they were starting to become better than Cadillacs, and because of the hierarchy of brand status Cadillac had to be at the top in everything. Ironically, the LS is obviously a much more reliable engine than the Northstar, but sometimes even though a lot of GM stuff is badge engineering, those individual marks still mean something, and I think if they had used the LS, people would be less wrong in calling it a corvette badge job, despite the quite radical departure in the styling. What I'm actually most shocked about is that the V version didnt get like the Z06 supercharged engine, because you figure at that point like just go for it, for such a pricey car. I'm not sure the supercharged Northstar in the XLR V went into anything else, which I suppose makes it bespoke and cool, but with all the head-bolt issues and everything else, you would think the practicality and performance would win out in the "performance" version of the V car.
In terms of the Prowler, I think where they really messed up was not even the engine but the transmission. The XLR makes sense as an automatic-only performance cruiser, but the Prowler was crying out for the manual, and not only did it get only an automatic, but according to most accounts I've read the 4-spd auto is so uninspiring and sloppy. I think the base engine made over 220HP, and more after the 1st year, but they must have had something in their parts bin they could have used to get a 3 pedal car out of that thing.
Janky do thanky for the comment, its a fascinating conversation, and I kind of like the XLR vs the Prowler as a comparison. They are actually about the same price these days too...
@@JankyAF- Actually, GM informed Buick to tone it down a bit, because the Grand National was actually better in performance than the C4 Corvette which was considered the star of GM.
Unlike Plymouth, Cadillac had plenty of money to design its own special engine (The Northstar) for their flagship car, the XLR. The Northstar Engine would eventually make its way into the Oldsmobile Aurora in 1995-1999 and 2001-2003 model years, the Pontiac Bonneville in 2004 for a two-year run, as an optional engine in the Buick Lucerne CSX and Super edition in 2009. The 1995-2005 Northstar Engines were notorious for failure due to a design flaw involving the use of torque-to-yield bolts in the head gasket.
The first year Plymouth Prowlers came with an iron block, 214 horsepower engine. There were no Prowlers being made in 1998, but between 1999-2002, the Prowlers being made during those last years came with a remanufactured, lightweight, aluminum block engine and 253 horsepower. This was their most reliable, most powerful engine at the time, and it was more powerful than the Hemi Engine in the first Gen Dodge Magnum. In 2002, an aftermarket company remanufactured some of the Prowler's parts that would have been on recall if Plymouth survived. Among these parts are a new exhaust system and a new Transmission Gear that propels the Prowler north of 300 horses, but these parts are sold separately. A Prowler owner would have to buy the part(s) and have them installed by a mechanic.
Janky do thanky for this wealth of information. Seems like with a lot of high-end cars, the XLR development still relied on existing engineering to keep the costs down. I love that you find ordinary switch gear and window switches in a Jaguar XJ220 (actually the key is the same as my Ford Transit Connect) - I think its resourcefulness and I applaud it. That being said, the LS engine was also "lying around" so to speak, so they could have easily used it, I think it goes to your point with the Grand National, you can't upset the Corvette people because they hold so much sway in the brand's fandom.
They continued to sell the "Chrylser Prowler" after Plymouth was eliminated if I'm not mistaken. I like when a car progresses through its run, not sure if that makes 1st year Prowlers more or less desirable, less power but more rarity.
@@JankyAF - The 1997 Plymouth Prowler is actually the most valuable to collectors. It was the launch year of the Production Prowler, and it came only in purple. Unfortunately, the 1997 cars had the stiffest suspension, bumpiest rides, lowest horsepower, and the signature Iron block engine known for sludge and varnish build-up inside.
When Plymouth went under, its sister company Daimler Chrysler picked up the last two years of production run (2000-2002). During that time, 1,436 Prowlers with the badge Chrysler were made.
Too bad Plymouth and Chrysler's other sibling company, Dodge, had no interest in the Prowler. I guess impracticality just isn't in their vocabulary. LOL