Filed under: Convertibles, Cadillac
2009 Cadillac XLR refreshed, coming in July
by Alex Nunez on Jun 6th 2008 at 9:57AM 
Click above to enlarge
We'd seen spy shots of Cadillac's halo roadster before, and today, GM officially announced the updates made to its luxury brand's halo vehicle. The range has been winnowed down to the Platinum and the supercharged V-Series. Look for the V-Series hood on all models and revised front and rear fascias with unique grillework for each trim level. The Platinum (above) wears the CTS egg-crate look, while the $100K V-Series presumably soldiers on with the mesh visage that is the V signature. New fender vents have been added, and a number of tweaks have been made to the cars' interiors, including Alcantara headliners, new instrumentation (say good-bye to the Bulgari-designed gauges), and a leather cut-and-sew treatment on the instrument panel. Drivers will also now get Bluetooth connectivity with the car's OnStar package. Look for the new XLRs to hit showrooms in July. Whether you see many on your local streets is another matter; XLRs are a bit of a rarity in most neighborhoods.
[Source: Cadillac]
PRESS RELEASE:
2009 XLR: More Dramatic Design and Technology for Cadillac's Roadster
Detroit, Mich. - Since its inception in 2004, Cadillac's XLR has been a fresh face in the elite club of the world's finest luxury roadsters. Today Cadillac revealed the new 2009 edition of the XLR Roadster, featuring styling and model enhancements providing more dramatic design and technology.
Only the finest editions of Cadillac's retractable hardtop roadster will be offered in 2009: The luxurious XLR Platinum and the high-performance XLR-V. The XLR Platinum is equipped with a 320-horsepower (239 kW) 4.6L Northstar V-8 engine. The XLR-V, part of Cadillac's V-Series of high-performance models, is powered with a 443-horsepower (330 kW) 4.4L Supercharged Northstar V-8 engine.
The 2009 XLR includes a new front fascia, new rear fascia and new side fender vents. The revised design is inspired by the award-winning CTS sport sedan, delivering more detail and aggressiveness to Cadillac's roadster. The front fascia includes new fog lamps and specific upper and lower grilles for the Platinum and V-Series models. Also, both '09 models feature the distinctive hood with a raised center section that was previously exclusive to the V-Series.
"XLR has been a catalyst for the dramatic design and technology driving Cadillac's ongoing renaissance," said Jim Taylor, Cadillac general manager. "The enhanced 2009 model exemplifies the continued development of Cadillac's approach to design, performance and craftsmanship."
The ultra-luxury XLR Platinum model receives additional exterior identifiers, including a revised rear fascia with more pronounced new exhaust tips and a new 18-inch wheel design (painted wheel finish is standard; chrome is optional).
Inside, the '09 XLR lineup delivers more luxury and technology. Alcantara™ - a suede-like microfiber material - is used for the headliner material, in either Ebony or Cashmere color. Also new is hand-cut and sewn leather used on the upper instrument panel. This hand-stitched and wrapped leather lends tailored elegance to the cabin, representing Cadillac's new approach to modern and elegant interior craftsmanship.
The updated cabin includes new instrument cluster trim rings and graphics, new wood grain trims (Natural Olive Ash Burl for XLR Platinum and Black Olive Ash Burl for XLR-V) and new metal trims (Quartz for XLR Platinum and Bermuda for XLR-V.)
Advanced technology has always been a trademark of XLR, and that legacy continues in 2009. This includes Cadillac's acclaimed Magnetic Ride Control system and amenities such as Keyless Access with push-button start, DVD navigation and entertainment, heated and cooled seats, head-up display and heated steering wheel. XLR's advanced technologies also include Adaptive Forward Lighting that enables the headlamps to swivel in concert with vehicle steering, and Adaptive Cruise Control.
XLR is factory-equipped with OnStar 8.0 with Bluetooth capability. The next-generation OnStar 8.0 system (OnStar subscription is not required for Bluetooth) features enhanced hands-free voice commands, Turn by Turn navigation and Emap powered by MapQuest. This includes the industry-first Destination Download feature, in which directions can be downloaded from OnStar directly to the car's navigation system - eliminating the need to stop the car to manually enter a destination.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Richard 10:11AM (6/06/2008)
I have liked this car. It - to me - is pure American design and it cannot be confused with any other car anywhere on the road.
But, fender vents?
Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Reply
JZeke 10:14AM (6/06/2008)
agreed. Fender Vents? Seriously??
Richard 10:25AM (6/06/2008)
It is just that this car looks so unique...and, heck, you can have fender vents on a Taurus.
I scanned the release and saw no mention of them. Do they work or are they "falsies?' THAT would cheapen the integrity of the design - IMO.
Torrent 11:12AM (6/06/2008)
Even worse-a Focus.
golly 11:25AM (6/06/2008)
Agree! Unfortunately fender vents is the latest styling craze/fad that's appearing on so many models. I hope these tacky vents disappear before I buy my next vehicle!
srDRIVEN 11:45AM (6/06/2008)
like the others, I completely agree; I was most surprised, also, to not see the inclusion of what I thought might extend itself over the entire model range with each refresh, the LED"light pipes" in the headlights. I think they add a much needed and much appreciated hint of high design and class, but I don't see them applied here, a bit of a downer
Sandok 4:41PM (6/07/2008)
Why do so many American cars have chrome? We're not children that go "Ooooooooooo, Ahhhhhhhhhh, shiny!!"
While it may not look like anything else on the road, I find the XLR brash and fugly.
DanMan 9:53PM (6/08/2008)
Hey the classic 50s models had falsies too, remember those bumper protrusions called "Dagmars" after a popular well endowed actress of the day? Oh wait that would be a different type of falsie and she was all natural as far as I know. ;)
If Caddy brought those back into its design, which actress would have the honor today?
Andrew L 10:13AM (6/06/2008)
I don't see that much of a difference for looks
Reply
Vetmstr 10:17AM (6/06/2008)
I like it, fender vents and all. The execution came out better than I thought it would
Reply
Juan 10:21AM (6/06/2008)
I like the looks of this XLR. It looks much better in person than it does in pictures. And the V-series model looks 10x better than the Platinum edition...
Reply
PiCASSO 10:22AM (6/06/2008)
I really wished they did more to the front face. Enlarged the grille as they have done on the STS refresh. Here, the bumper breaks up the in-our-face Cadillac grille that I'm used to courtesy of the 2nd gen CTS.
Reply
ML 10:24AM (6/06/2008)
Okay, let's see . . . Cadillac's designers looked at the Jaguar roadster, saw the vertical side vents and decided that they would look better on the XLR than the Jag? What are they, stupid or something? The XLR's look is all about horizontal lines and angles. Now it looks like someone at GM ordered a bunch of side vents from J.C. Whitney and just stuck then on Cadillac's sports car. And to make it WORSE, they bought the chrome ones! Next year, it'll be fake wire wheel hubcaps, a vinyl roof, and opera lights.
Reply
Chris 10:24AM (6/06/2008)
The chrome in the lower air intake reminds me of those people who put chrome door guards along every panel gap on their car. In other words, chrome for the sake of adding chrome where it doesn't belong. Considering the awesomeness that is the CTS, this is bad.
Reply
elprogramer 12:33PM (6/06/2008)
A Cadillac and chrome? Perish the thought!
Menice 10:48AM (6/06/2008)
i saw a new caddie on the road yesterday with a huge stock spoiler... looked like a V.
style of the spoiler was cool, but it looked
stupid.
Reply
why not the LS2LS7? 11:54AM (6/06/2008)
There is no Caddy offered with a stock spoiler. Not now or I think ever.
So rest easy.
Menice 1:19PM (6/06/2008)
i see it listed as an accessory.. but from the dealer
I saw another today at lunch
found this pic
http://www.cardata.com/spoilers/images/DN_Spoilers/2008_Cadillac_CTS.jpg
http://www.cadillacforums.com/forums/cadillac-cts-forum-2008-beyond/117160-2008-cts-spoiler.html
why not the LS2LS7? 1:40PM (6/06/2008)
I weep.
Tourian 6:50PM (6/06/2008)
The old CTS-V, the STS-V and sport packages of of the regular STS and old body CTS come stock with a spoiler, thought there is a spoiler delete option on the CTS-V. IF they do a sport package for the new CTS it will most likely come with a spoiler and most likely the new CTS-V will too.