This car makes a lot of sense if you don’t think of it as a sports car. Instead, compare it to the Mercedes Benz SL500. This car had 20 more horsepower and looked way cooler
Finally someone who gets this car's appeal. This is a GT/sports tourer, an amazingly cool looking cruiser and thanks to the corvette underpinnings one of the few american cars you can also enjoy in the bends.
the reason for the flopping of the XLR was less dependant on the powerfigures and more on the lack of range. Just like the allante you had minimal choice of engines and transmissions, while the car they envisioned as their target: the MB SL-series had an amazingly large range of engine and transmission options, meaning you could go for the smaller engine, a manual, spec it up and configure your perfect car, which wasn't possible for the XLR. In terms of reliability...they were on par, the early 2000's SL was a farcry of the long standing 1989-2003 SL's reliability.
We had a red 2008 XLR-V. Great car that I wish we'd kept, but got two dogs and it was impractical for them. Everywhere I drove it, people commented how cool it was!
the fact that it was red makes it all the more special, as far as I remember, the vast majority of those were in one or another shade of silver (the mid 2000's had a real silver-craze)
That's because it IS cool. It's a beautiful take on the Corvette employing Cadillac's "Art & Science" design language. The XLR-V was even more spectacular with its supercharged Northstar and that awesome mesh grille replacing the 5-blade razor grille from the base XLR.
The LH2 engine in these cars are a great engine, they get a bad wrap because of early northstar motors. My 06 STS with same drivetrain has been great and very good performance for car of its age and size. I just pulled a Veloster N last weekend with it,very happy with that.
Imagine GM developing a spiritual successor to the XLR based on the C8 chassis, with less issues like the horrendous head gasket issues common in the Northstars! Part of the V series of course.
I don't think it would work as a mid engined car if the premise would be the same. Though to be fair, they could use the C7 chassis for it, which was already quite an amazing platform.
This is the modern Allante and just as quirky! Very neat to see on the channel! Didn't know about this cars Italian roots, more Allante ties. An XLR-V was also offered (and would be an awesome review) but was extremely rare.
The original xlr concept was based on the longer wheelbase c5 Corvette and that gave the car the longer lines that made it look so much better than the later production version that was based on the c6 - that may have been better for the Corvette but it did not help the xlr in my opinion
Interesting. One o fthe main reasons I"m not buying an XLR is that I'm seeking a convertible grand tourer where i can drive to the ocean, put the top down, recline the seats back and watch the stars come out. THe XLR is too stubby to allow a decent recline before the seat hits the interior panels,. The other big reason is the horror stories about getting repair parts. But if you find a good one, they are a dream to drive.
I beg to differ. While on paper I definitely wouldn't be interested in the XLR. Getting to drive one is still a dream of mine. I think Cadillac did get the last laugh since these cars are few in between. The value is high. It is rare for me to find one for sale that's under $15k. Even harder to find is the XLR-V.
These are good looking cars inside and out. Cadillac's sharp angular early 2000s design aged well. I think by this point GM had finally figured out how to build a Northstar that doesn't blow up but it was too late and overall quality still was poor. The Corvette was better than this in just about every way with more options to spec how you'd like it so this was a hard sell. This was supposed to be more of a luxury grand tourer than the Corvette but GM sucks at differentiating rebadged cars using anything other than price. It's like when Cadillac had an ugly bulky coupe version of the Volt.
The original northstar development was led by Oldsmobile, Cadillac took over and ruined it by over boring. The Oldsmobile aurora got an Oldsmobile northstar, the L47, which had none of the Cadillac's headgasket problems. It was bored at 4L and tuned to ~ 240 HP, but hot rodders have taken it much farther
@@Stressless2023 18 more horse than the EARLY R230, keep that in mind. By the time the XLR was in its final year, the 500 had over 360 bhp and the V6's were reaching 300 bhp as well...and lets not forget the 600 and the AMG models.
@@TheChill001 Oh I knew that... But when the XLR "debuted" in 2004 it was still more powerful on paper than the base SL500 (although with less torque, but from what I remember reading in publications the XLR was always still a smidge quicker than the SL 0-60). The SL didn't gain more standard horsepower until years later in 2007 when the XLR was practically dead and irrelevant lol.
The Roman alphabet originally didn't have a separate "U" character and used the "V" character for both "V" and "U", so you'll sometimes seem that represented in signs on Roman inspired architechture and the like.
I never knew there was only 1500 made, one of my hs teachers had one that looked fairly new, never knew she had it till I saw her getting out in the parking lot one day lol I always thought they looked great but knowing more about them its kinda sad how they turned out All they really had to do was put the z06 engine in it and whether the interior was changed or not I'd bet it would have done much better than having the tragic connection to northstar
I love the look of this car and got to drive it when I used to do valet work at a hotel. I totally agree that if it had an LS engine, it would be collectors potential and go up in value.
late northstars get way too much crap imho. It's mainly the early ones that had issues, the later ones were actually decent engines, but the image had been ruined already...
I want to buy this car, but I am afraid of the retractable roof because they say it is complicated and the cost of repair is very high. I also want to ask about the effectiveness of the air conditioner. Is it good in summer? I want to use the car on a daily basis to go to work.
eh no...not rly. The bad policy was purely in the fit and finish and the lack of options and engine choices. The LS in itself would not have saved this car.
If the Northstar was reliable and they supercharged it to 500 HP it would have been worth the price, I like that they gave the Cadillac a unique engine but not an engine with questionable reliability.
@@paulm6481 Its a shame, I like that they made the Cadillac with a more refined and exclusive engine, I would have preferred they fixed the issues with the engines and continued to develop it to generate even more power.
They absolutely screwed an incredible opportunity to make a true modern classic. They cheaped out as GM does and put that insufferable boat anchor under the hood. No wigglestick option. Really just a massive flop and waste of engineering.
Cadillac tried to catch some R230 SL glory but that didn't translate as well at the dealerships. Cadillac didn't have the patience to cultivate a luxury roadster flagship identity decade on decade like Mercedes and that's the problem.
Had one & luved it, ya missed a couple things regarding the trunk sys, but im confident you'll figure that out, no biggie Bottom line is there exclusive, like the Allante limited production vehicles here to please & pleasure, that they did quite well 😊
Apparently, the rear brake lights on the XLR aren't made anymore, so working examples are rare to find and expensive af that the car can be totaled.😬Good thing I went for a Cadillac XTS rather than the XLR.😆
The name over the speedometer is pronounced BVULGARRY not BICAREE. Why make a video about a car if you can't read certain names? That gives Americans a bad look, don't you think?
the trunk space thing is true for most if not all Convertibles and some coupes with the partial Landau Vinyl roof as well I.E. your Lincoln Continental Mark 6,7 and 8. also the luxury tax on cars that cost over either 50,000 or 55,000 I.E. a mid optioned Cadillac CT5 V and this car definitely had that Luxury tax as its base price was $75,400 and that was when the 2004 models came out in Sept/Oct of 2003 the inflation rate in 2003 was 2.3%
now imagine the fact that they actually tried to sell it in europe over 100k euros (with at that time, the euro peaking at being 20% more valuable than the dollar). For that price we actually had its suggested rival, but outfitted with all the spec we needed. (the SL, duh)
depends: engine is easy, anything underneath the body's easy. The only issues will be bodypanels and stuff unique to the XLR like the motor for the roof and ofcourse the roofpanels themselves.
People forget the fact that Northstar started improving it's flaws in 2003. Of course the harm was done and the image tarnished. But by 2007 those issues were completely overcome. We should not be reminded of the past unless it is stated as the past. That double overhead cam variable intake 24 valve engine was not created just to have a complicated engine. I have an old DeVille. I get over 24 mpg AVERAGE with this engine within this big car by driving normally. I KNOW that if I put my foot in it.. that Northstar will perform better than most.. but it will suck up an extra pint of gasoline doing so Just sayin'... that same engine in a car that only weighs 500 lbs. more than a corvette will be more than sufficient for the type of person who wants an XLR.
Cadillac's early 80s to early 00s existence was a tragedy, largely as a result of GM meddling. I mean, when they came up with a Northstar, it was a deal where they jumped onto an Oldsmobile R&D project with whatever funds they had in their development budget - all because their only remaining proprietary engine, the HT, was an even bigger pile of crap. And the Northstar? They prioritized wacky "exhibition" systems such as the limp-home mode above reliability, didn't develop a longitudinal version until this car and the STS came along, and there wasn't nearly enough potential to expand the displacement. All because GM didn't actually shell out nearly enough to develop a good engine.
tbf, Cadillac's entire existence since the 2000's is to be considered a tragedy as well. It's main seller is the most gaudy and hated SUV on the market, sold mainly to people without taste. Serious, the brand went from old people associations to the rich and raunchy.
Another example of GM's failed leadership and poor decision making that contributed to their demise. That's part of their culture - they don't like to change, slow moving.
This car makes a lot of sense if you don’t think of it as a sports car. Instead, compare it to the Mercedes Benz SL500. This car had 20 more horsepower and looked way cooler
Finally someone who gets this car's appeal. This is a GT/sports tourer, an amazingly cool looking cruiser and thanks to the corvette underpinnings one of the few american cars you can also enjoy in the bends.
As a viewer I really HATE this waste of electrons
@@davidh4244😂😂😂
the reason for the flopping of the XLR was less dependant on the powerfigures and more on the lack of range. Just like the allante you had minimal choice of engines and transmissions, while the car they envisioned as their target: the MB SL-series had an amazingly large range of engine and transmission options, meaning you could go for the smaller engine, a manual, spec it up and configure your perfect car, which wasn't possible for the XLR. In terms of reliability...they were on par, the early 2000's SL was a farcry of the long standing 1989-2003 SL's reliability.
Pretty sure that the R230 didn't have any manuals. The SLK still did.
@@ImmortanDan maybe not in the US...they did exist as manuals practically everywhere else in the world.
The car looks fantastic. That’s my favorite era of modern Cadillac design.
We had a red 2008 XLR-V. Great car that I wish we'd kept, but got two dogs and it was impractical for them. Everywhere I drove it, people commented how cool it was!
the fact that it was red makes it all the more special, as far as I remember, the vast majority of those were in one or another shade of silver (the mid 2000's had a real silver-craze)
That's because it IS cool. It's a beautiful take on the Corvette employing Cadillac's "Art & Science" design language. The XLR-V was even more spectacular with its supercharged Northstar and that awesome mesh grille replacing the 5-blade razor grille from the base XLR.
screw the dogs , they can hang out in the back yard .
put you're stupid ass bottle in the door pocket or whatever... Center console no one cares.
there's a place for it figure it out.
"hey, you know the corvette?"
"Yeah?"
"What if it had a northshart?"
Looks very modern for a car from 2004
I don't know what he's talking about but everywhere I drive mine everybody it turned heads they love it
The LH2 engine in these cars are a great engine, they get a bad wrap because of early northstar motors. My 06 STS with same drivetrain has been great and very good performance for car of its age and size. I just pulled a Veloster N last weekend with it,very happy with that.
This was actually one of the very few unbiased in depth reviews of an XLR and its appreciated. I'll be keeping this in mind as I look for one.
Imagine GM developing a spiritual successor to the XLR based on the C8 chassis, with less issues like the horrendous head gasket issues common in the Northstars! Part of the V series of course.
I don't think it would work as a mid engined car if the premise would be the same. Though to be fair, they could use the C7 chassis for it, which was already quite an amazing platform.
They fixed the head gasket issues in 2005, after that they were pretty solid engines
This is the modern Allante and just as quirky! Very neat to see on the channel! Didn't know about this cars Italian roots, more Allante ties.
An XLR-V was also offered (and would be an awesome review) but was extremely rare.
and less reliable xD
The original xlr concept was based on the longer wheelbase c5 Corvette and that gave the car the longer lines that made it look so much better than the later production version that was based on the c6 - that may have been better for the Corvette but it did not help the xlr in my opinion
Interesting. One o fthe main reasons I"m not buying an XLR is that I'm seeking a convertible grand tourer where i can drive to the ocean, put the top down, recline the seats back and watch the stars come out. THe XLR is too stubby to allow a decent recline before the seat hits the interior panels,. The other big reason is the horror stories about getting repair parts. But if you find a good one, they are a dream to drive.
I beg to differ. While on paper I definitely wouldn't be interested in the XLR. Getting to drive one is still a dream of mine. I think Cadillac did get the last laugh since these cars are few in between. The value is high. It is rare for me to find one for sale that's under $15k.
Even harder to find is the XLR-V.
These are good looking cars inside and out. Cadillac's sharp angular early 2000s design aged well. I think by this point GM had finally figured out how to build a Northstar that doesn't blow up but it was too late and overall quality still was poor. The Corvette was better than this in just about every way with more options to spec how you'd like it so this was a hard sell. This was supposed to be more of a luxury grand tourer than the Corvette but GM sucks at differentiating rebadged cars using anything other than price. It's like when Cadillac had an ugly bulky coupe version of the Volt.
The original northstar development was led by Oldsmobile, Cadillac took over and ruined it by over boring. The Oldsmobile aurora got an Oldsmobile northstar, the L47, which had none of the Cadillac's headgasket problems. It was bored at 4L and tuned to ~ 240 HP, but hot rodders have taken it much farther
Always thought it was funny that this Mercedes SL competitor had a smaller displacement than the SL.
These also made 18 more horsepower through that smaller displacement than an SL500. Not to say this was a better car by any means.
@@Stressless2023 18 more horse than the EARLY R230, keep that in mind. By the time the XLR was in its final year, the 500 had over 360 bhp and the V6's were reaching 300 bhp as well...and lets not forget the 600 and the AMG models.
@@TheChill001 Oh I knew that... But when the XLR "debuted" in 2004 it was still more powerful on paper than the base SL500 (although with less torque, but from what I remember reading in publications the XLR was always still a smidge quicker than the SL 0-60). The SL didn't gain more standard horsepower until years later in 2007 when the XLR was practically dead and irrelevant lol.
The company that designed the gauge cluster is pronounced Bulgari. They just use a weird roman "V" character for the U.
The Roman alphabet originally didn't have a separate "U" character and used the "V" character for both "V" and "U", so you'll sometimes seem that represented in signs on Roman inspired architechture and the like.
I never knew there was only 1500 made, one of my hs teachers had one that looked fairly new, never knew she had it till I saw her getting out in the parking lot one day lol
I always thought they looked great but knowing more about them its kinda sad how they turned out
All they really had to do was put the z06 engine in it and whether the interior was changed or not I'd bet it would have done much better than having the tragic connection to northstar
15 k not 1500
Seeing how much struggle The Car Wizard has with fixing his, it's a real shame GM didn't put an LS in the XLR, as Zack said.
Another GREAT video! You sure keep ‘em coming! Love it!
I love the look of this car and got to drive it when I used to do valet work at a hotel. I totally agree that if it had an LS engine, it would be collectors potential and go up in value.
I have always loved the XLR.
Damnnnnnn used to want one of these SO BAD back in the day lol a weird classic
I have an STS with the LH2 northstar. Excellent engine. Super reliable.
late northstars get way too much crap imho. It's mainly the early ones that had issues, the later ones were actually decent engines, but the image had been ruined already...
WHY. JUST. WHY. ALL THE. CHANNELS. ARE. LIKE. THIS. IS. SUPER. AWESOME. TNKS. SIR
Should’ve used an LS
Ugh, when did GM lose their swag! Man These were the glory days!! 🔥
bool-gar-ee the V is a U , italian ya know lol
I want to buy this car, but I am afraid of the retractable roof because they say it is complicated and the cost of repair is very high. I also want to ask about the effectiveness of the air conditioner. Is it good in summer? I want to use the car on a daily basis to go to work.
XLR is a victim of bad business policy. The underbody should have been the C5/C6 with the LS motor. What a special car this would have been.
eh no...not rly. The bad policy was purely in the fit and finish and the lack of options and engine choices. The LS in itself would not have saved this car.
The Italians are laughing their asses off. That’s the worst Italian interior I ever seen.
If the Northstar was reliable and they supercharged it to 500 HP it would have been worth the price, I like that they gave the Cadillac a unique engine but not an engine with questionable reliability.
They did supercharge it and made it more reliable…
@@gloopytunes1346 I just looked into it, amazing, how can it be more reliable though running with boost? 🤔
Lol like Fiero GT. They make it reliable at the end and then cancel it, point is LS was the way to go and is reliable.
@@paulm6481 Its a shame, I like that they made the Cadillac with a more refined and exclusive engine, I would have preferred they fixed the issues with the engines and continued to develop it to generate even more power.
This engine was much smoother and more sophisticated than an LS. It has good power but was much "adult" compared to the SBC.
They absolutely screwed an incredible opportunity to make a true modern classic. They cheaped out as GM does and put that insufferable boat anchor under the hood. No wigglestick option. Really just a massive flop and waste of engineering.
It’d be nice to see someone do a nice LS engine and manual transmission swap on one of these.
and basically ruin the entire car's value and original appeal xD... but in all honesty...yes.
I'd rather have the FWD Allante for the novelty to have a christmas day winter convertible and still have a N* V8
The caddy vette!!! Art & Science at its peak!
Cadillac tried to catch some R230 SL glory but that didn't translate as well at the dealerships. Cadillac didn't have the patience to cultivate a luxury roadster flagship identity decade on decade like Mercedes and that's the problem.
I really like my '04. Had it three years and it's solid.
Cadillac made a Corvette version coupe back in the 50's as well as every other division at gm but none were ever green lighted for production
Had one & luved it, ya missed a couple things regarding the trunk sys, but im confident you'll figure that out, no biggie
Bottom line is there exclusive, like the Allante limited production vehicles here to please & pleasure, that they did quite well 😊
I kinda love how it looks honestly...
Have to say , you could do with getting a graphics designer to spruce up the sticker pack. The ones on sale are lackluster tbh.
Apparently, the rear brake lights on the XLR aren't made anymore, so working examples are rare to find and expensive af that the car can be totaled.😬Good thing I went for a Cadillac XTS rather than the XLR.😆
It had freaking adaptive cruise in 2004???? That is nuts for an American luxury car, usually us Americans were focused more on comfort at the time
Very nice I love your vids man
These are cool!
they tried again with the ELR
Someone in my town has one and I see it a lot. It’s dirty and looks really used, wouldn’t doubt they daily drive it. That’s Florida for you !! Haha
75,000 makes it suck at the time but now at around 10,000 its a fun bargain
The name over the speedometer is pronounced BVULGARRY not BICAREE. Why make a video about a car if you can't read certain names? That gives Americans a bad look, don't you think?
"I really wanted to hate you!!" Sounds like several conversations I had with one night wife's in my life...
i liked my Allante regardless of dogs,cats,fish,ex wives, ostriches, elephants, etc...
O. JACK BLACK. GOD. SIR. YOU LOOK LIKE. HIM. TNKS. FOR THE VIDEO
It's pronounced "bull-GAR-e"
You did not even mention the supercharged V8 version of the car?
Imagine if you reviewed an xlr v. Those are even more rarer faster and more expensive lol. Only reason I know these cars is from midnight club lll
the trunk space thing is true for most if not all Convertibles and some coupes with the partial Landau Vinyl roof as well I.E. your Lincoln Continental Mark 6,7 and 8. also the luxury tax on cars that cost over either 50,000 or 55,000 I.E. a mid optioned Cadillac CT5 V and this car definitely had that Luxury tax as its base price was $75,400 and that was when the 2004 models came out in Sept/Oct of 2003 the inflation rate in 2003 was 2.3%
now imagine the fact that they actually tried to sell it in europe over 100k euros (with at that time, the euro peaking at being 20% more valuable than the dollar). For that price we actually had its suggested rival, but outfitted with all the spec we needed. (the SL, duh)
I always thought they were pretty darn cool!
All they had to do was put the LS in it and it would have sold like hotcakes
Want to have some fun? Put up the top, close and lock the doors, then disconnect the battery, then try to get back in the car.
Insert key in rear bumper, open truck, pull drivers door cable, you're in.
No diff than the C6.
I have a 2005 XLR. CAN YOU REVIEW IT?
2:21 Bulgari the watch company
One Cadillac that was a failure with that engine is the Cadillac Caterra
The Catera had a north star engine?
@@damilolaakanni maybe not.
Good luck getting replacement parts for this car.
depends: engine is easy, anything underneath the body's easy. The only issues will be bodypanels and stuff unique to the XLR like the motor for the roof and ofcourse the roofpanels themselves.
People forget the fact that Northstar started improving it's flaws in 2003. Of course the harm was done and the image tarnished. But by 2007 those issues were completely overcome. We should not be reminded of the past unless it is stated as the past. That double overhead cam variable intake 24 valve engine was not created just to have a complicated engine. I have an old DeVille. I get over 24 mpg AVERAGE with this engine within this big car by driving normally. I KNOW that if I put my foot in it.. that Northstar will perform better than most.. but it will suck up an extra pint of gasoline doing so Just sayin'... that same engine in a car that only weighs 500 lbs. more than a corvette will be more than sufficient for the type of person who wants an XLR.
I like your channel
RATE. SUPER. AWESOME. VIDEO. PUMMMMMMMM
2:28: B V L G A R I . . .The "V" is Latin for "U" so it's "Bulgari"
The NorthStar engine was bad to me, and I lost lots of money. Never again.
Cadillac's early 80s to early 00s existence was a tragedy, largely as a result of GM meddling. I mean, when they came up with a Northstar, it was a deal where they jumped onto an Oldsmobile R&D project with whatever funds they had in their development budget - all because their only remaining proprietary engine, the HT, was an even bigger pile of crap. And the Northstar? They prioritized wacky "exhibition" systems such as the limp-home mode above reliability, didn't develop a longitudinal version until this car and the STS came along, and there wasn't nearly enough potential to expand the displacement.
All because GM didn't actually shell out nearly enough to develop a good engine.
tbf, Cadillac's entire existence since the 2000's is to be considered a tragedy as well. It's main seller is the most gaudy and hated SUV on the market, sold mainly to people without taste. Serious, the brand went from old people associations to the rich and raunchy.
The Cadillac corvette is what I think they are
there is so much gm plastic in the interior, if you bought it new you got ripped off for sure!
Another example of GM's failed leadership and poor decision making that contributed to their demise. That's part of their culture - they don't like to change, slow moving.
Does he know they made an XLR-V?
Yes, but it was even worse value. over $100k for 440hp
Those are so rare that most people don't even know that they exist.
@@ShootingCars nearly 200K euro in europe...guess the alternative was much better :D
Hater...
The V is pronounced like a U, the name is Bulgari.
just buy one ... Forget the BS....
It's pronounced Bulgari, lol. The u looks like a v for some reason.
The reason is Latin. Latin didn’t have a U, so they used V for it.
✌️
Bulgari
Naperville cadillac sucks!!
I think you should stick to history videos. Not really liking the copying of Doug and straight pipes content