- Car brand: Cadillac
- Convertible roof type: Hardtop
- Cadillac XLR Convertible
- Cadillac XLR-V Convertible
GM had the Mercedes SL and Jaguar XK convertible clearly in their sights when they designed the luxury Cadillac XLR Convertible sports car. Its performance is admirable with plenty of power and grip from a stiff chassis. The mechanics were based on the Corvette Y platform, but the Cadillac was a more refined and luxurious car with a power folding aluminium hardtop.
Power came from the Northstar V8 with a 4.6-litre displacement and sent power to the rear wheels through a 6-speed automatic transmission.
As one of the first cars to feature Magnetic Ride Control adjustable suspension, it could automatically adapt to different road surfaces and driving styles.
Build quality is good although perhaps not class-topping, however, the equipment level is. The Cadillac XLR has a cabin design could be better but works well enough, however the luggage compartment is a rather unusual shape due to the folding hard top. This interesting alternative was made available as left-hand-drive only with the US its main market.
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