2009 Cadillac XLR [Spied again]

May9

april2008/cadillac-xlr-spy-nc-ri.jpg

With an updated version of the Cadillac XLR reportedly scheduled for a July launch, it appears as though General Motors' luxury division is hard at work readying the new model. Previous spy photos showed the updated XLR cloaked in light camouflage, but the latest round of shots shows the 2009 model completely uncovered.

Up front, the XLR will see a revised grille opening and more CTS-like headlights. Previous spy shots were of the high performance XLR-V model — indicated that it will bow along side the base model — but this car appears to be a standard-issue car.

New side vents can be seen just aft of the front wheels. The vents — which look look to be inspired by the Cadillac Provoq Concept– will be covered in chrome, but we're not completed sold on this finish. Compared to the rest of the car, the chrome gills just look out of place.

Other details look to have been updated for the new car, such as new side mirrors and a slicker exhaust treatment. The taillights look like they've received a slight revision, too.

In our previous spy shots, you can see a Supercharged badge affixed to the prototype. The current XLR-V uses a 4.4L supercharged Northstar V8 — good for 443 horsepower — but it remains unclear if the new car will retain that setup or switch to the CTS-V's 550 horsepower supercharged 6.2L unit. However, because the new XLR-V is already testing, that short lead time would lead us to believe that Cadillac will stick with the Northstar powerplant.

May 9, 2008

April 14, 2008


March 21, 2008




 


66 Comments

  1. am I the only one that is amazed at where cadillac is now, compared to where they were a decade ago. I mean some of these cars are just shocking and passionate.

    Comment by kagon, posted on March21 at 11:19 am
  2. They are beautiful, they are powerful, they are fast in the straight line, but they are cheaply made, handle like a pudding and too expensive.

    Comment by BlackX, posted on March21 at 11:22 am
  3. cant the inside fight the sl or xk because if it cant not its pointless in doing it over

    Comment by bigp, posted on March21 at 11:23 am
  4. kagon; Thats me, this nameplate was dead to me just ten years ago. They still arent my favorite but they are becoming respectable again.

    Comment by SwerveEarly, posted on March21 at 11:35 am
  5. Cadillac is up there…..with BMW, Mercedes & Audi?? NO…but better than Acura & Infiniti. Lexus & Cadillac are in a league of there own they are not with the faux-luxury group but not in the premiere luxury group either they're kinda "SQUEEZED iiN THE MIDDLE…PACK DOWN iiN THE MIDDLE"

    Comment by Zo0M 6 Zo0M, posted on March21 at 11:52 am
  6. swerve early fuck off.

    Comment by agent09, posted on March21 at 12:18 pm
  7. Where are the fins? Where are the little ducks in the logo?

    Comment by howsmydriving, posted on March21 at 12:21 pm
  8. lol about sums it up BlackX. Cadillac is definitely improving and as Kagon said they made a 180 degree turn from a decade ago. Are Cadillacs just as good as BMW and Mercedes? No, not yet, maybe in the future, maybe never. But their performance and for the price is almost unbeatable.

    I think the XLR-V gets the Magnetic Ride that is offered on the Corvette and standard on ZR-1 I had the opportunity to take one of these on a short drive and it was amazing. A very quick car. It also has a very soft ride compared to the Corvette. But it's luxury so because of the softened suspension it won't corner as well as a Corvette. I really hope they switch the 4.4L Northstar S/C V8 for the LSA platform. Imagine 550hp in this thing.

    Comment by SS4LIFE, posted on March21 at 12:25 pm
  9. were can i get one.

    Comment by corvette, posted on March21 at 12:37 pm
  10. corvette > in your dreams :D

    Comment by BlackX, posted on March21 at 12:43 pm
  11. I hope they put CTS style in this

    Comment by richt62167, posted on March21 at 12:50 pm
  12. This is a GR8 car!

    Comment by ktulu, posted on March21 at 12:58 pm
  13. I am glad that they are indeed looking ahead to developing a second gen-XLR, something that honestly I was doubting for a while now. Hopefully this one will be a bit better developed and will have an interior befitting of a car costing 6 figures, I want so bad for it to succeed I really do.

    Comment by LexusSoarer, posted on March21 at 1:12 pm
  14. If they really fix the interior, they'll have something. I'm no big Caddy fan, but I always like the way these things look on the road. Very unique and sinister, especially in black. I know it doesn't have top-level performance, but frankly it's good enough for 99.9% of the driving we can do on the street. I'd also like to see them get rid of the Northfart powertrain too. I think it only makes sense to put the Corvette powertrains in them since they are made on the same line, and they are also more efficient.

    Comment by golf4me, posted on March21 at 1:13 pm
  15. I didn't know they still made these things

    Comment by Badass Z51, posted on March21 at 1:38 pm
  16. "Cadillac is up there…..with BMW, Mercedes & Audi?? NO"

    Ehhhh, wrong there buddy. You are selling Cadillac short because they ARE not only "up there" they are well above those POS German cars. Not only do you get superior luxury and quality in the latest Cadillac models, but you also get reliability, dependibility in decades and hundreds of thousands of flawless miles. Try saying that about any one of those overpriced yuppie-mobiles! Those things are in the junkyard by 50 thousand miles, or right about when the lease is up.

    This is a great update to the hottest convertible on the market today. It's too bad Caddy cannot build enough of them to meet the high demand.

    Comment by Need more oil for GM, posted on March21 at 1:39 pm
  17. @golf4me,
    Switching from Northstars, to Chevy small blocks will make the XLR have class-leading engines with reliability none of the competition can touch.

    Comment by frylock350, posted on March21 at 1:39 pm
  18. BlackX is right.

    Cadillac has to concentrate MUCH MUCH more on quality.

    Cadillac also has to concentate on dealer customer service, you bought the Cadillac…NOT….the Cobalt at a Chevy dealership.

    People expect to be treated the best if they buy the best.

    Comment by Get Real, posted on March21 at 1:40 pm
  19. Get Real / Black X,
    What your saying is a matter of opinion and theirs no legitemacy behind what you are saying…w/ customer service, sure, if your gonna dish out the big bucks you would expect the best of service. Quality, i've herd horry stories about both BMW and Lexus and i think Cadillac is on par with its competitors.

    ** Need More Oil for GM ** lol i agree…

    Comment by AmericanMade, posted on March21 at 1:59 pm
  20. @ need more oil for GM

    Yes you are right "they are well above those POS German cars". I mean look they are selling like hot cakes, the demand is so high there is a waiting list like Ferrari. I mean look at how many I see of them on the road, I mean its like I'm driving around a big Cadillac dealership all the time. How do they do it???

    / sarcasm

    I didnt sell them short and gave them just enough credit. Until i see some good numbers about the XLR or maybe see more than at least 2 per month and I live in the city with the most exotic cars driven probably in the world besides Europe in Los Angeles, then I would give them credit. But as of right now I see more Ferrari's and Aston Martin's than XLR's. But im glad you have good faith in them every team does need that DIE HARD FAN.

    Comment by Zo0M 6 Zo0M, posted on March21 at 2:49 pm
  21. AmericanMade, have you ever been inside Audi A8, BMW 7 series, MB S Class, Jag XJ, VW Phaeton? They costs much more for the attention to details, build quality and the most important thing is the matterials are used for them. The best you could find.
    American "luxury" cars are made from cardboard and plastics from used biscuit boxes. Gaps between panels are half inch width, everything shakes and brakes.

    Everyone who sais there is no difference between European and American cars is either stupid or has never driven European luxury car.

    Comment by BlackX, posted on March21 at 3:39 pm
  22. Actually i have, my brother owns a 2002 BMW 740I and he constantly has little annoying problems with the car including wind "whistling" noise 90km +, lock buttons mysteriously falling out of place, and trim peeling from the rear interior doors. As far as American luxury, cardboard and plastics?? Gaps half inch in width? I dont know what story your dreaming up…and when did i say there was NO difference?

    My question to you is, have you ever been inside any of these so called "cardboard/plastic/half inch width" Amercian cars? I think not. Your ignorance is obviously clouding your judgment…

    Comment by AmericanMade, posted on March21 at 4:06 pm
  23. My friend Im running car business, I sell European and American cars for more than 15 years, I have driven new and old cars and believe me I know what Im talking about. How old are you? American cars are improving but European cars are improving 10 times faster. I dont like BMW to be honest but I adore Audi for its amazing quality in every way. Take a test drive of new RS6, R8, S8, S5 and you will see the difference by yourself.

    Comment by BlackX, posted on March21 at 4:22 pm
  24. Well,
    No.1 thanks for your life story, and wow what an interesting one at that. No.2 My age has no relivence. No.3 No thanks ill ill stick to the cardboard/plastic interiors.

    Comment by AmericanMade, posted on March21 at 4:45 pm
  25. You know, I'm sick of this bullshit. Everybody cries that Cadiilacs are "not as good as Mercedes-Benz or BMW" . Says who? Have you driven a CTS, boys ? "However" , they say " they offer unbeatable performance for the price ". So what they're saying is that the price is not a comparison tool. If the price doesn't matter, idiots, how about if I compare the BMW 3 series with the new Saleen Raptor , ha? They is a bit of a price gap between the two, but hey, that' s not important. Fuck -ups. It's pathetic how some little pathetic weaklings state things they don't understand or comprehend.

    Comment by GIUGIK1, posted on March21 at 5:22 pm
  26. @ GUIGIK1.. That was the dumbest comment I've ever seen.. BMW 3 SERIES and Saleen S5S Raptor are in totally different classes.. The people above were comparing the cars that are in same/VERY similar classes.. but with different price.. And yeah anything except americanmade car is good.. but that's my own OPINION.. don't kill me for it.. =/

    Comment by bandora, posted on March21 at 7:15 pm
  27. Cadillac is…

    Fantastic!! Awesome!!!! Oh my God!!!!

    Very Very Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooood~~

    Comment by clubcadillac of korea, posted on March21 at 8:56 pm
  28. Unless this has truly stepped up to the big leagues, Cadillac had better hope the incredibly loyal- wouldn't buy pretentious European crap if their lives depended on it- customer base still exists. I'm picturing the guy or gal who hosts the society function around the pool but has the fridge full of Bud in the garage.

    And by the way all of you 'GM can do no wrong' contributors to our site: if Cadillac is truly the be all and end all of performance/luxury automobiles how come I was able to find 5 used XLRs in the greater Vancouver area including one 2006 with 4774kms for less than 60k Cdn? And that's retail at a Chevy dealer. Walk in with 50k cash and you're likely walking out with an XLR that just depreciated 50% over a mere two years.

    Let's see that happen with a BMW 6 series that still has all its fenders.

    Comment by johnnycanuck, posted on March21 at 11:29 pm
  29. GIUGIK1 u are an idiot and I will not waste my time to argue with u.

    Comment by BlackX, posted on March22 at 3:17 am
  30. Hey everyones got their own opinion, no need for name calling there "BlackX"…..settle down now, there only posts…

    Comment by AmericanMade, posted on March22 at 10:24 am
  31. It would be a lot more competitive to have the 6.2L V8 S/C… the SL63 gets the sightly more powerful version of the V8 found in the C63. Cheaper CTS-V gets the big engine, but the more expensive, supposively more sportier XLR-V doesn't? Doesn't make sense.

    Comment by GS400, posted on March22 at 1:40 pm
  32. Giugik1 you miss the point. Cadillac has to sell the CTS at a lower price point as it is an inferior product.
    The XLR is a POS, the CTS shows that CAdillac is getting better but it can't bear scrutiny against BMW or a Mercedes-Benz or even an Audi

    Comment by RicardoHead, posted on March23 at 4:00 pm
  33. need more oil: if your point is that the XLRV Rules,touche! But The Best BMW or Audie spanks a caddy, even though the caddy may be great.

    Comment by jackjimturkey, posted on March23 at 5:33 pm
  34. I think Blackx and LP640 are the same people.

    Comment by lamboz get a life, posted on March24 at 2:15 pm
  35. how many of you have actually driven this?? Its ugly, the ride is terrible, it doesnt look that great and its no match for an SL. The whole of the back rises up to about a mile in the sky when you want to drop the roof and the interior is just rubbish. I'd buy the SL63 instead of this

    Comment by E60M5, posted on March26 at 7:39 am
  36. It's still ugly

    Comment by Jon Luc, posted on April14 at 11:38 am
  37. FUGLY

    Comment by LaCaLover, posted on April14 at 11:38 am
  38. Whats really FUGLY is that side vent, thats just wrong on a xlr

    Comment by xkr, posted on April14 at 11:46 am
  39. Ugly? You people have no sense of style or class. This was, and still is, a great looking car. I'm not a huge fan of the chrome side vent strip, but its not horrible either.

    I just hope they applied the CTS style interior to the XLR. It was the interior that needed the most work, not the exterior.

    Comment by Z06ified, posted on April14 at 11:48 am
  40. You got Z06 in your nickname so what do you know about style and class?

    Comment by LaCaLover, posted on April14 at 11:50 am
  41. The XLR is a class leader, no POS German car can match for quality, luxury nor style. 2009 will be yet another hot year for GM and Cadillac

    Comment by Need more oil for GM, posted on April14 at 11:52 am
  42. Fake vent ruins what is otherwise an interesting vehicle.

    Comment by golf4me, posted on April14 at 11:52 am
  43. Well said " LaCaLover" FUGLY!

    Comment by xkr, posted on April14 at 11:53 am
  44. I just hope that those little plastic covers inboard of the headlights are cammo and not production-level trim. Looks like an afterthought that someone stuck on. I also agree that they ought to deep 6 the cheesy chrome vent thingys. They bring down the whole look of the car.

    Comment by loudpedal, posted on April14 at 12:32 pm
  45. Its just Beautiful! All you eurofags need to get your eyes checked!

    Comment by illwill, posted on April14 at 12:50 pm
  46. Wow, I ove that front end and the great to see that they not using the tubular look for the exhaust.

    Though I still think the coupe is going to be the better of the two.

    Comment by dmanero, posted on April14 at 1:03 pm
  47. Ok, but not a stylistr8c mirackle.Seems like caddy is paying a10tion 2 Y people v buy lixury cars.
    But I an amaxzed at hwhat dcaddilac is doing now.

    Provoq is a better name.
    Cadillacs R not cheaply made. They R becoming respectable again.
    Cadillac is behind BMW, Mercedes & Audi and better than Acura & Lexus. Cadillac is with Infiniti in that luxury-performance niche.
    Fins would B cool.
    Their performance and for the price is almost unbeatable.

    VW (sometimes) is the only POS German car.
    Audi A8, BMW 7 series, MB S Class, Jag XJ, VW Phaeton are all nice, and well-built.
    XLR is not a POS; the CTS shows that CAdillac is getting better

    Comment by ktulu, posted on April14 at 1:10 pm
  48. I don't have a picture of the original model handy, but this looks pretty much the same. This updated model is actually a little bit of a disappointment to me after seeing the cts. Although, as already stated, it's biggest problem was the interior. Hopefully that got upgraded heavily. The cars exterior is already pretty striking, so I can't be to critical.

    Comment by hateful83, posted on April14 at 2:55 pm
  49. Need more oil for GM. Hmmm. What an interesting handle. Aptly named I think, because GM's burn & leak oil more than a 1960's PanHead Harley. Style? That thing has style? So says the brainwashed inbred pseudo-intellectual professional laymen. You would say a pile of cow shit had style, if it had GM badging.

    Comment by Jon Luc, posted on April14 at 4:35 pm
  50. Nice Jaguar side vent. Why not the fancy (sarcasm) Buick-like vents of the CTS and STS?

    Comment by zoomzoomr, posted on April14 at 7:12 pm
  51. Definition of beauty is subjective: subjectively I like the looks of this Caddy. GM, however, is missing the point: they don't need supercharged engine and extra displacement to boost torque. If they want this car to sell itself and to be front runners and not followers (I don't personally believe GM cadre is capable of such thing) they would put their 6 speed auto hybrid in it and would not be able to chase Hollywood and environment conscious clientèle with a shit stick away. But since they've been marketing to the crowd who is the first generation walking upright (just read Need for oil remarks, if you think I am wrong) GM will wait for BMW & Benz to lead the way. Too bad, it use to be innovative company.

    Comment by autonut, posted on April14 at 7:46 pm
  52. Well I don't really like Cadillacs but that is a pretty cool car. I'll stick to the Challenger though in '09.

    Comment by HemiRoadRunner, posted on April14 at 9:45 pm
  53. "You got Z06 in your nickname so what do you know about style and class?

    Comment by LaCaLover, posted on April14 at "

    A whole lot more than you kid. Go back to your driving your Element.

    Comment by Z06ified, posted on April15 at 2:12 pm
  54. it still sucks.

    Comment by bigp, posted on April17 at 10:13 pm
  55. It's a mid-cycle refresh… not a redesign. We probably won't see an entirely new XLR until we start hearing about the C7 Corvette. I completely agree that the interior needed improving however, it wasn't as horrible as some make it out to be, but it did need work - especially at that price point. Frankly, the price is the biggest thing GM screwed up with this car… they should have priced the "base" model at about $60K and the V-version around the same price as the STS-V… $75-80K. Even I'll say that they over-priced this car right off the bat.

    But… this isn't a bad car in any sense of the word. It rides as well as an SL, has respectable power in its base configuration and more than respectable power in its V-config. Regardless of the interior, the actual car is well made. Instead of always comparing it to German cars, people need to look at this as what it really is… a softer, tuned-down, more luxurious, hardtop convertible 'Vette.

    And as far as the comments regarding dropping the Northstar in lieu of an LS motor go… That's all fine and dandy… but many people get all hung up at the thought of having a "ghastly" OHV engine in a luxury car. Granted, were the XLR to get an LS motor, it would be perhaps the most reliable luxury roadster on the market as well as being of the most potent. But unfortunately, people get a bug up their ass about having a DOHC engine… so Cadillac panders to that notion. Regardless… the Northstar is a still a good motor and GM has done a great job addressing all of its early issues, they've consistently worked on and updated it over the last 15 years and have kept it modern by adding more modern features such as VVT as well as having adapted it for RWD use, and it's current generation has shown to be pretty darn reliable. They've done a lot with that engine and no one would have ever thought that they would eventually de-bore it and slap a supercharger to it. GM's already cancelled development on their future DOHC V8, which leads me to believe they may still have a few more tricks up their sleeve for the Northstar.. a good dose of direct injection would easily put the s/c versions well over the 500hp mark.

    Comment by AMGoff, posted on May9 at 3:04 pm
  56. I think if they filled in the 3 indentations in the vent with black, and the rest a polished-aluminum look, it would at least look more realistic. As it stands, those vents really look cheap and out of place on a 80k car, and if they are not functional & plastic, then even worse. Too bad, because I think the car is very unique in it's segment. I also think it's a mistake to stick with the woeful Northstar, as the LS motors are not only more powerful, but more efficient (just look at the mpg#'s of vette vs. XLR), and less expensive to boot.

    Comment by golf4me, posted on May9 at 3:20 pm
  57. well aren't they sticking with the northstar in order to not compete with the Corvette? if they both had the same engine, same horsepower- what would people choose? this or the ZR1 - i always thought GM watered down the XLR just so they could keep the Corvette on it's pedestal

    Comment by jumpoffit, posted on May9 at 4:42 pm
  58. golf4me… Care to explain why the Northstar is "woeful" exactly?

    Comment by AMGoff, posted on May9 at 5:50 pm
  59. Well AMGoff, for starters the Supercharged Northstar has barely more (if any??) HP than a base Vette motor. It is also less efficient, and probably costs 3x as much to build…and to my ears, does not sound/feel any better.

    Don't even get me started on the normally aspirated version…it's been lapped by some V6's nowadays.

    Comment by golf4me, posted on May9 at 8:52 pm
  60. Hmmm a Cadillac XLR. New They Start for $ 80,0650 and a used a 2005 has the trade in value of $ 33,975. $46k + sounds like a fair amount of depreciation for 3 years of driving. . . NOT

    Comment by Flipper, posted on May9 at 11:29 pm
  61. Why would anyone want one of these over say, a MB SL350/550?

    Comment by milkpowder, posted on May11 at 8:59 am
  62. Because it's American. Fuck yeah.

    Comment by CleanGTO, posted on May11 at 1:05 pm
  63. The XLR was never really a good car, and while Cadillac is improving, it still can't really touch the Germans. I'm also disappointed that they didn't swap the engine, cause at that price who's gonna really buy this??

    Comment by Mclaren19p, posted on May11 at 6:39 pm
  64. Comment by WordPressSucks, posted on May11 at 8:26 pm
  65. You don't get it. The XLR is the anti SL. It is for people that don't want to have the sixth SL on the block.. The SL is no sports car anyway. My God it weighs 4200 lbs! These are "lifestyle cars". They dont have to do anything but make you feel good,look coool. Mercedes has owned this niche market for 47 years. I hope the guys at GM/Cadillac realize this and dont give up on the XLR. GM does need a new northstar though.

    Comment by rerone, posted on May11 at 10:59 pm
  66. I can't really get into this. The visual changes they've made did nothing but take away from this car.

    Comment by hateful83, posted on May11 at 11:44 pm

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