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Coupes & Convertibles Cadillac XLR and XLR-V Cadillac XLR vs. Mercedes-Benz SL
63 messages, Last post on Mar 07, 2009 at 4:51 AM
You are in the Cadillac XLR and XLR-V Forum. Your Host is claires
Compare and contrast the features of the Cadillac XLR/XLR-V with those of the Mercedes-Benz SL-Class models.
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Replying to: exalteddragon1 (Jun 26, 2006 7:48 am) And, really, all MBs are overpriced compared to comparable cars. But, they've earned a reputation, recently tarninshed, but I don't think it's hurt them that much in the US...yet? The SC: Yes, the exterior is just odd from some angles. But, besides the lighter colored wood interior option, I find the interior just lovely. High quality. Jag XK: Gorgeous, still. Haven't seen enough of the '07, but the '97-'06 will always be stunning. Advantage of the soft top is great trunks space, but I'm not interested in a ragtop. BMW 6 I find handsome until you get to that horrible, tacked on, cheap looking, did someone attach the wrong part to the rear of the car trunk lid!!! I really can't stand to look at that trunk, it so ruins the car for me. Plus I'm not a big fan of the new BMW interiors. And I wouldn't use the phrase, "horrible stench of...quality" anywhere near a GM discussion! 
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Replying to: exalteddragon1 (Jun 26, 2006 7:48 am) Better made than the SL? Really. No one in the industry has found this to be true, only GM supporters. The gripes about Cadillac's interior quality have been far and wide and in this latest comparo they got knocked on that again. The XLR-V just got trounced by the Jaguar XK and Mercedes SL550. To make matters worse the performance gap between the SL550 and XLR-V isn't nearly as much as it was just a few months ago. The SL550 scored better in handling and the XLR-V's brakes were clearly lacking compared to the 911 and SL550. So much for that "sports car" chassis being an advantage in the luxury class. Mercedes going down and GM going up? In what world is this? GM is dying, that is the trend. It has gotten to the point where others are approaching them to see if they can be of some help, while Mercedes is having a grand year with record sales and one impressive showing after another of various products. I find it very interesting that you don't remember Cadillac's woes, but Jaguar has a stinch? Cadillac and Jaguar were both literally in the same boat during the same period, the 80's and most of the 90's. M
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Replying to: merc1 (Jul 09, 2006 9:23 pm)
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Replying to: woodlands (Jul 15, 2006 7:19 pm) M
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Replying to: merc1 (Jul 16, 2006 8:15 pm) I will say that I have never been a big fan of mercs or BMWs. However, I bought a Chrysler Crossfire and became interested in what SLK owners had to say about their cars because of the similarities to the Crossfire. Based on the comments you find it would take a fool to buy a new (or recent model) SLK. Way, way too many problems with every part of the car.
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Replying to: woodlands (Aug 07, 2006 5:06 pm) Do we really want to get into finding comments on the net about unhappy owners? GM owners would own the bandwidth on that one! M
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Replying to: merc1 (Aug 07, 2006 8:31 pm) Mercedes has zero advantage regarding quality and in some cases places behind Cadillac (or other GM brand). I will admit that neither brand comes close to the Japanese competitors. It is interesting that for the 2006 JD Powers initial quality survey, the Chevrolet Corvette and the SL Class tied. If you want to know what owners think of their cars you need to survey 'net sites where owner's talk about the good and bad of vehicles. The Mercedes site says there are problems with the vehicles.
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Replying to: woodlands (Aug 08, 2006 9:29 am) The SL and Corvette tied in initial quality - big deal. The SL has been wiping the floor with whatever roadster Cadillac has had for the last 20 years! What this has to do is with you trashing Cadillac, when in fact the ratings (JD Powers) reflect that owners/buyers believe they are as good as Mercedes. Whooptie doo, so they're happy that their Cadillacs aren't falling apart anymore, doesn't mean much when the rest of the car is lacking compared to the competition and getting beat left and right and doesn't sell in good numbers relative to the class. Win one battle, but Cadillac still looses the war big time. Let me know when Cadillac gets their build quality, styling, engineering, and interior plastics above regular GM products and truly worthy of a 100K car. Mercedes has zero advantage regarding quality and in some cases places behind Cadillac (or other GM brand). Yet it doesn't do them any good when compared to the competition! Reliability isn't the same as quality either. GM cars manage not to fall apart of cough up their internals in 90 days, but they're still shoddily built and for that the mis-informed take this as being a better "quality" car. M
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Replying to: merc1 (Jul 09, 2006 9:23 pm) Crossed 9,000 miles in the XLR-v last week. Dead nuts reliable, feels faster than new, as expected. This car gets more attention than an SL. And the interior materials show no signs of use whatsoever. Very high quality, and not overwrought. A friend and I swapped cars for a few hours -- he has an SL55. Man, do you feel that extra quarter ton in the porky MB. Yeah, they keep the tires planted, but you feel the inertia of that useless mass in every change of direction. I far prefer the more incisive, agile V. Phil
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Replying to: merc1 (Aug 08, 2006 12:57 pm) 9,000+ miles on the XLR-v and nothing about the car has deteriorated. Friends who have SLs have all been back to the dealer for numerous fixes, corrections, adjustments in similar mileage, including cars that refused to start. I noticed trim lifting from heat on a few SLs in parking lots in this hot summer in L.A. (an unusual 119 degrees F where I live, at peak heat). No such problems on my XLR-v. The car is nimble, quick, comfortable, fast, assured, stout. Similar miles on the CTS-v and same experience. Couldn't be happier, especially when I hear that dorky-sounding BMW V10 M5 beside (or behind) me on PCH. What a godawful, untuneful buzz. One really good sign for Cadillac: the XLR-v turns heads en masse near elementary, middle and high schools. Better yet, here's a story. This summer I was driving to Santa Monica through Topanga Canyon one morning. A car was stopped to make a left turn at the Fernwood Market, and a lost truck driver was blocking room to pass on the right. Some kids were standing in front of the market. I'm looking at oncoming traffic, and I see a Bugatti Veyron rolling in the opposite lane, approaching me. (I'm thinking it was Jay Leno, as he is sometimes seen on that road, and there are very few people who combine the means to own that car with the inclination to drive it in everyday traffic.) As the Veyron rolls past me, one of the boys in the parking lot points and yells, "Hey Mister, what's that?" I jerked my thumb in the direction of the just-passed Veyron and say, "it's the new Bugatti Veyron!" The kid says, no, not the Bugatti, YOUR car!" I said, "Oh, it's the Cadillac XLR-V." The guy making the left turn moved out of the way and I rolled away to two-handed thumbs-up from 6 teenage boys. This is an excellent harbinger for Cadillac. Anyway, I'm in the biggest local Mercedes market in the world, Southern California. You couldn't find a blander more cliched car to drive than an MB, and if you see who is driving them, you don't want to emulate the marque's drivers. It's not like the old days when Clark Gable drove something interesting. Paris Hilton drives an SLR McLaren for cryin' out loud! Really, none of their cars are the least bit interesting here. Fortunately I don't have to drive something so mundane. I'm also seeing a steady pickup in XLR/XLR-v in routine traffic. A few years on, the XLR design still looks fresh and advanced. The platform is light, high performance and luxurious in this iteration. If someone prefers a Mercedes SL, or worse a Lexus SC, that's up to them. But there is no substantive reason other than brand-seeking, social insecurity, or lemming behavior to buy either over the Cadillac. Phil
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