2009 XLR with no camo

[Chris_Doane]

Take your pick:

http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/14/spy-sho...ht-in-the-buff/

http://www.leftlanenews.com/cadillac-xlr-future.html

http://www.thecarconnection.com/blog/?p=1173

[97regalGS]

oh look, some new chrome side vent. never seen that before on any other car (yawn)

real question is did they re-do the interior?

not that either will translate into a significant bump in sales.

[Drew Dowdell]

Oh look, Cadillac got the latest J.C. Whitney catalog.....

[pow]

Cadillac Yuq

[Northstar]

That side vent looks like its from the VUE. Eww.

[Brougham-Holiday]

The current XLR-V is a car I would sell my soul for, this isn't.

[Paolino]

real question is did they re-do the interior?

New wood and gauges... that's about it.

[z28luvr01]

Maybe now we can kill the "fake side vents" trend. It ruins this car, which is a shame because the new grille is actually quite nice.

[Bimmer325]

Cadillac Yuq

LOL.

[ZL-1]

I was hoping they would do something else to the rear end. Maybe some Provoq-like minifin taillights...

[SuperSport623]

i ws hoping for something much more substantial

[Blake Noble]

The fender vents look as if they are made from aluminum foil.

[K.C.]

Yeah, pretty much what I expected. CTS inspired grille, and I also wish something more coulda been done with the taillamps.

[toesuf94]

My phone call to GM Corporate on the '09 XLR:

"Hello, GM?? Yes? Hi. This is John Q. Public calling and I was wondering who I can talk to somebody with a brain at the Cadillac Division...does such a person exist? O.K. well here is my complaint about the 'new' 2009 XLR...THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE YOUR FU*&ING FLAGSHIP CAR AND YOU STICK A SET OF SIDE VENTS OFF OF A WRECKED VUE SUV AND SOME CHROME AROUND THE GRILLE AS A 'MAJOR UPDATE'? YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! OH, AND LET'S TALK WHEELS: THESE WHEELS HAVE BEEN ON THE CAR SINCE THE DAMNED THING WAS INTRODUCED IN 2004. CAN YOU NOT DO ANY BETTER THAN THOSE UGLY, CHEESY WHEELS? COME ON! HOW CAN THIS CAR BE BUILT IN THE SAME PLANT AS THE UBER HOT CORVETTE AND NOT HAVE SOMETHING RUB OFF ON THE CADDY GUYS? GET YOUR HEADS OUT OF YOUR ASSES AND PUT SOME WORK INTO THIS CAR - OR IF YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE F-ING SIDE VENTS TACKED ON - ADD THE ONES FROM YOUR DAMNED PRODUCT LINE! ESCALADE, CTS, STS...THEY ALL HAVE THEM, GO LOOK AT ONE AND PUT THOSE ON THE DAMNED FENDER IF YOU FEEL THAT IS WHAT THE PUBLIC WANTS. WHAT YOU DID HERE IS A TRAVESTY AND IS BENEATH THE CAR THE XLR SHOULD BE. Thanks for listening. Take care. Bye!"

[Intrepidation]

Meeyup...that's a pretty mild refresh. I like the new exhausts, the rest is meh. The idea of vents don't bother me, but these look cheap. If you're going to do fender vents take lessons from Jaguar.

I hope they spent some time with the driving dynamics of the car because from what I hear it's quite a letdown. Also hope the interior gets some significant revisions. New wheels would also help.

Edited April 14, 2008 by Dodgefan

[Croc]

Very disappointing. The rear looks especially tired. GM needs to redesign the rear decklid to remove the cheap plastic license plate insert and smoked reverse lamps. Those looked cheap in 2003 on the CTS and they look glaringly cheap on the XLR. The interior refresh sounds more promising, but overall this is a disappointment. I actually think it looks cheaper than it did before, overall.

[turbo200]

agreed agreed. this cars represents one of the ugliest elements of old GM......it's so underdesigned, so dated....I'm at a loss for words on how I can describe this. In 2001/2002 this would have been a cool design, and that is like when it was shown isn't it? Around then, but going back to what I was saying, it's a simple cardboard kind of design with very simple surfacing elements, hardly any creativity or boldness, and just a 'different' and unique fascia. That fascia after years of being seen on the cheaper Cadillac, CTS, literally everywhere, is now tired. We've all seen it, it's done, it needs to move on, move forward.

Let's not even get into the cheap and tired wheel design they're still pushing on production models, not to mention if that's what they plan on producing next year, that have been so severly outclassed and outmoded by cars $50k cheaper. Then there's the interior with complete lack of again fine sculpting or imagination.

This car in its present form just does not belong in the $70k price range. Upgrade the design, give the powerplant a 450 hp standard model, rework the suspension/driving features, and then price it and segment it correctly. The Cadillac roadster needs to be about precision, quality, sophistication, high end design, for reasonabler pricing. I say discount the price 7k, to about $67k and then we're talking.

But first upgrade the car. One principal improvement should be the design and operation of the hardtop, this should be improved with the major redesign. In the meantime, a meaningful upgrade would include what I've mentioned.

[regfootball]

My phone call to GM Corporate on the '09 XLR:

"Hello, GM?? Yes? Hi. This is John Q. Public calling and I was wondering who I can talk to somebody with a brain at the Cadillac Division...does such a person exist? O.K. well here is my complaint about the 'new' 2009 XLR...THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE YOUR FU*&ING FLAGSHIP CAR AND YOU STICK A SET OF SIDE VENTS OFF OF A WRECKED VUE SUV AND SOME CHROME AROUND THE GRILLE AS A 'MAJOR UPDATE'? YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! OH, AND LET'S TALK WHEELS: THESE WHEELS HAVE BEEN ON THE CAR SINCE THE DAMNED THING WAS INTRODUCED IN 2004. CAN YOU NOT DO ANY BETTER THAN THOSE UGLY, CHEESY WHEELS? COME ON! HOW CAN THIS CAR BE BUILT IN THE SAME PLANT AS THE UBER HOT CORVETTE AND NOT HAVE SOMETHING RUB OFF ON THE CADDY GUYS? GET YOUR HEADS OUT OF YOUR ASSES AND PUT SOME WORK INTO THIS CAR - OR IF YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE F-ING SIDE VENTS TACKED ON - ADD THE ONES FROM YOUR DAMNED PRODUCT LINE! ESCALADE, CTS, STS...THEY ALL HAVE THEM, GO LOOK AT ONE AND PUT THOSE ON THE DAMNED FENDER IF YOU FEEL THAT IS WHAT THE PUBLIC WANTS. WHAT YOU DID HERE IS A TRAVESTY AND IS BENEATH THE CAR THE XLR SHOULD BE. Thanks for listening. Take care. Bye!"

yup. x2

[turbo200]

Obviously others get the disgust I feel for some of the decisions GM makes. Design is the most basic element to a car, what you do with every shape, every line, every choice you make is an outline for what kind of consumer you will appeal to. consumers in this segment demand more than this plain jane XLR lacking any fine detailing and truly upmarket design choices. this car is far outmoded it's not even funny and displays a careless and laisez-faire attitude from GM concerning the rest of the market. That this outmoded, unfashionable set of design themes could still exist at Cadillac , under the guise of a $70k super luxury car, displays a total and complete misunderstanding of what this market is demanding.

Look at a freakin Audi TT!!! $40k, and that car has fine detailing and sculpting over every ounce, including the damn attractive wheels. Cayman! Look at that fine interior with great shapes and sculpting everywhere. Where's the XLR? at a boring cardboard and square market, nothing but flat shapes with unimaginitive details here. Cars costing $40k regularly get the luxury car market right, and this car can't even begin to think it gets it right for $70k, no wonder there is a lack of value in the used car market, no one really is moved to own these cars.

Why I started writing this post was to focus on the poor wheel design coming from GM. this is a most basic element to a car design, and GM has consistently paid no attention, like the class clown, they figure getting a D- is okay because you're not totally failing with the project. with the expensive and supposedly upmarket CTS competing in a fierce luxury car market with great choices, you get two wheel designs: come on down for the everyday model ladies and gentlemen featuring a geriatric look, flat surfaces, absolutely no design innovation, continuing no Cadillac tradition, other than appealing to the exacct polar opposite of sport sedan buyers, and offering almost no sculpting, so simple a 4 year old could draw, and on the other hand $3000 'upper crust' design that almost completely fade into the night, offer no advancement for Caddy design, also lack fine sculpting, but most importantly are too demure and mature for the mid-market CTS.

They have to realize every decision they make either heightens the brand or messes with the perception people have.

[Sixty8panther]

Yup.... those Jaguar vents are horrible. Cheap, not well thought out at all.

The (very mildly) refreshed XLR looks good but dated.

[CSpec]

Blorf. 6er, SL, XK, or XLR? One of those is not like the other.

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

I'm all for side vents on LUXURY cars and SPORTS cars. BUT, the key is to integrate the design into the car instead of tacking it on like GM has donw with the STS and XLR.

It's a shame... Both of these cars (STS & XLR) were pretty attractive pieces when they came out. Now they're just gawdy. GM, either put some effort into it, or leave it the hell alone

[Cory Wolfe]

Hmm.. It's... interesting. I was hoping for more, but...

[gm4life]

Aside of the vent which I haven't made my mind up yet on, I like it the front and the tail pipes all look nice. But it could use more...

[-Camaro-]

I don't see what's so bad about the design. It looks pretty much JUST like it always has. I agree that the Vent is "meh", but that's all. Still is sexy.

[Turbojett]

I don't see anything wrong with it. the vent does look a little low-rent, but it's nothing I can't get past. It still looks old, it needs a more extensive redesign.

[Chris_Doane]

New wood and gauges... that's about it.

...or not.

[toesuf94]

...or not.

'esplain Lucy!

[siegen]

Cadillac Yuq

You mean "Cadillac Yuque", to give it that French feel.

Of course the XLR has always looked like a Corvette with Cadillac body panels hastily slapped onto it. It's going to take a complete FMC to fix that.

[frogger]

Ah so thats where the stick on fake vents that were going to get used on the 09 Focus went.

[Croc]

...or not.

How's that? Did they change the dealer order guide?

[Chris_Doane]

Ive seen the finished product and I can't really see a difference. If that guide is correct the changes must be ultra-subtle.

*shrug*

[The O.C.]

Ive seen the finished product and I can't really see a difference. If that guide is correct the changes must be ultra-subtle.

*shrug*

Funny.....apparently at the Caddy store I'm going to work for, they can sell an XLR-V-Series WAY easier than they can a "normal" XLR, even considering the added cost.

Apparently the basic XLR is a dead-duck......but the V-Series is desired simply because of it's blistering performance and more "rare" status.......

[InvictaMan]

Of course the XLR has always looked like a Corvette with Cadillac body panels hastily slapped onto it. It's going to take a complete FMC to fix that.

My sentiments exactly. This car has always looked like a quick fix for the "why does Chevrolet get to have the most desired performance car" blues. I thought this car looked half-baked when it first debuted. If I were Cadillac, I'd ditch it until I could have a true car that fits this segment, not a Corvette in dated, creased sheet metal. Remember Evoq? Blow some dust off of those plans and you are half way there.