2009 Cadillac XLR-V

2009 Cadillac XLR-V – Click above for high-res image gallery It's not a good time to be any other car in Cadillac's lineup besides the CTS. While the brand's new sedan racks up accolades and fresh converts, the other vehicles wearing a wreath and crest badge stand around like the siblings that didn't grow up to be president. Then there's the 556-hp CTS-V, Cadillac's brand new halo car, a role that used to be played by the XLR hardtop convertible. The XLR has a V version, too, but it has only 443 units of whoopass under its hood. It was, however, refreshed for the 2009 model year and can now be found resting comfortably in the shadow created by everyone crowding around the CTS-V. Let's see if the 2009 Cadillac XLR-V deserves its fate in the shade. %Gallery-32989% All Photos © Copyright John Neff / Weblogs Inc. The XLR-V doesn't deserve a day in the sun until Cadillac lowers the cost to get in one. It takes a big pair to play in the six-figure segment, and this domestic luxury brand has them on display by pricing the XLR-V at $100,690. It is the most expensive Cadillac of all time, and for that kind of money should leave flaming bags of poop on the doorsteps of its competition. It doesn't, but the XLR-V does have a few qualities that match the caliber of its price tag. It may look like the business end of a spatula, but park the XLR-V anywhere and it will hold court like Emeril in the kitchen. There's just nothing around that looks like it, perhaps because most cars can't cut cheese with their fenders. That's Cadillac's "Art and Science" design ethos at work. Introduced on the 2003 CTS and since applied to the rest of the lineup, A&S refers to the sharp, slab-sided, anti-jelly bean appearance of modern Caddies. Though the 2008 CTS sedan debuted wearing v2.0 of this design language, the refreshed 2009 XLR-V features an evolution of the original and is none the worse for it. Imagine the Corvette getting dressed up in a hand-tailored William Fioravanti suit and you're there. The 2009 XLR gets new front and rear fascias, though only aficionados will notice the difference. Since there are no XLR aficionados, the refreshed model's big tell is a pair of chrome fender vents that weren't there before. Grandma and Grandpa shall know not to pit their XLR Platinum against your XLR-V – the only two trims available for 2009 – thanks to a few more tip offs. The V gets big 19-inch, many-spoked wheels, a mean set of centrally mounted quad tailpipes, a ground effects package that adds a couple dozen more sharp edges and the V division's trademark chain link grille. The whole package shouts to passersby that you both A) have money and B) can go fast enough to be jailed for the remainder of GM's five-year warranty if caught. Fortunately, if A) is true then you've got …
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