The XLR-V is Cadillac's most expensive model to date, costing some $23,000 more than the next priciest Cadillac, the STS-V, and it's a huge risk for a division still in the midst of mustering a credible threat to the European luxury marques. But the focus cannot be on whether or not a $100,000 Caddy should exist-since one indisputably now does-but rather on whether it lives up to the lofty expectations created by its six-figure sticker price.
Ponying up all that dough secures the speediest Cadillac ever, thanks to a powerful, 443-hp, supercharged V-8, which accelerates the XLR-V from 0 to 60 mph in a claimed 4.6 seconds-an improvement of 1.2 seconds over the base XLR and just a tick behind the recently discontinued Mercedes-Benz SL55 AMG. In order to handle the higher pressures and temperatures produced by the Roots-style blower, Cadillac engineers had to substantially revise the base car's powerplant, a task that included decreasing displacement from 4.6 liters to 4.4 liters and adding beefier components, including a new block and heavy-duty pistons. It's nearly the same setup found in the STS-V, but there the Northstar pumps out 469 hp due to freer-breathing intake and exhaust plumbing that won't fit in the XLR-V, which requires a prominent hood bulge simply to make room for the supercharger.... Read full article