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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: merc1 (Sep 14, 2006 1:39 am) The car mags complain about weight in trucks, SUVs, sedans, sports cars and GTs alike. Of course they are inconsistent. A 4300 lbs. Town Car is heavy but they are mute about a 4300 lbs. SL or the ridiculousness of an aluminum Audi wieghing in over 2 tons. Weight is weight, and more isn't good when you can have less and still meet safety and structural requirements. The engineering solutions to manage the excess mass of the SL are band-aids that cannot conceal the weight itself. They only manage it. You feel this awkwardness in ever change of speed or direction in the SL. The design aesthetic of the XLR-v isn't related to your critique. It's a superior design aesthetic to me. You are carping about other things that I don't agree are true, or I don't think they are important to the selection of which car to buy in the class. That you know of few others who understand the penalty that 500 extra pounds imposes on the SL isn't my fault. But the weight penalty is still there for anyone to experience. Whether or not brand fealty blinds someone to it, my view remains the same. The XLR-v is a great car and the innovator in the class. Phil
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Replying to: 213xlrv (Sep 14, 2006 7:26 am) Then please don't put the SC in the same category with the SL. The SL is another league as you seem to imply here. Secondly if that is the case with the SL then they've done a good job with those systems for it to be able to match and/or exceed the handling of your much lighter XLR. That and IMO a vastly better interior and styling, along with more safety features makes the SL a big winner in the market place something the XLR isn't. The car mags complain about weight in trucks, SUVs, sedans, sports cars and GTs alike. Of course they are inconsistent. A 4300 lbs. Town Car is heavy but they are mute about a 4300 lbs. SL or the ridiculousness of an aluminum Audi wieghing in over 2 tons. Weight is weight, and more isn't good when you can have less and still meet safety and structural requirements. The engineering solutions to manage the excess mass of the SL are band-aids that cannot conceal the weight itself. They only manage it. You feel this awkwardness in ever change of speed or direction in the SL. Time to turn the record over. The reason why the mags complain about weight in those cars because it either is managed too good or the weight is blatantly obvious. The SL's weight is well managed and not even you can spin that around. You keep missing the point of these cars which is why you're so hung up on this weight/feel issue. These are GT cars not sports cars and most buyers don't care about this a tenth of what you do, they want style, luxury, features, speed and good handling and the SL has the latter, so the XLR's advatange (in your mind) hasn't meant a hill of beans. Why can't you see this? If the XLR truly had such an advantage don't you think it would have caught on by now? Or is the fact that the Cadillac name is still mud to a lot of folks that keeps them from buying the "superior" XLR? The design aesthetic of the XLR-v isn't related to your critique. It's a superior design aesthetic to me. You are carping about other things that I don't agree are true, or I don't think they are important to the selection of which car to buy in the class. I'm sorry but this is bs. Design ethic could be whatever you want it to be, doesn't have to be done with cheap materials and poor fits. That you know of few others who understand the penalty that 500 extra pounds imposes on the SL isn't my fault. But the weight penalty is still there for anyone to experience. Whether or not brand fealty blinds someone to it, my view remains the same. The XLR-v is a great car and the innovator in the class. Actually isn't who I know it is the automotive press, they're clueless I guess. All of them are saying the same thing. What you don't get is that this weight advantage doesn't show up for most buyers and the cheap interior and poor reputation Cadillac has and those are the two main reasons why the XLR is a non-starter. You don't even take into account what the SL has in the way of features over the XLR as part of that weight difference, a difference that you try to hype by saying a 1/4 ton, like the SL is some lumbering SUV. Pluhease. The XLR hasn't innovated anything, it trails the class in what matters to most buyers in this class. These aren't sports cars and most luxury GT convertible buyers in this class aren't looking at weight specs, they're looking at the interior finish, material quality and other things that you dismiss or gloss over with that design ethic nonsense. The bottom line is that whatever handling advantage you think the XLR has over the SL doesn't matter enough in this class of car and said advantage DOES NOT outweigh the XLR's other faults, those faults being in more critical areas to the average buyer of this type of car. M
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Replying to: laurasdada (Jul 08, 2006 5:40 pm) Price? The Cadillac is competitive. Their comment on price was a matter of it being Cadillac's first 6-digits car and the writers were still getting used to that. No doubt some people feel that way. But it's an irrational reservation having nothing at all to do with the car itself. On interior, wrong again. All the cars have interiors distinct from one another. The Caddy's is the most straightforward, cleanest in design aesthetic, has best ergonomics for its functionality. As for materials, well, there's leather, aluminum, wood, and high-grade plastics in appropriate places, just like in the other cars. The interior issue is a red herring, unless you're comparing all the cars to a Maserati. Phil |
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Replying to: merc1 (Sep 15, 2006 12:41 am) Phil
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Replying to: 213xlrv (Sep 18, 2006 12:51 am) Wrong, driving a car has absolutely nothing to do with judging the quality and build of the interior, uless you're looking for squeaks and rattles. You might have noticed that all GM interiors are improving rapidly with new model introductions. But if you haven't been in the car, then you don't know what you're talking about when you claim the interior can't be better than other GM interiors. Yeah GM interiors are improving and guess what, they're still behind the competition in most areas, as are Cadillacs. Again, I've been in the XLR/V more than a few times and I've examined the interior several times and it doesn't pass for 100K, it isn't even close. This isn't enough reason not to buy the car, to get the superior aspects of style and low mass with resulting handling character, compared to the the SL. For you maybe not, but this bs about low mass and a non-existant handling advantage isn't reason for many buyers to pick the XLR over its competitor eithers or so the sales numbers prove. You gloss over the interior issue with this design ethic excuse and trump up weight and some handling advantage that hasn't shown up anywhere yet. You've got the average buyer's priorities for this segment backwards! M
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Replying to: merc1 (Sep 19, 2006 3:18 am) The XLR is too much of a toy and not practical. Our kids are grown. My wife drives a sedan and I drive the convertible. The XLR has no storage room and therefore, is almost a 3rd car ... a toy! They need storage behind the seat and a trunk big enough with the top down to go away for a weekend with the wife or go shopping. Many of us better off empty nesters use these luxury convertibles as our only ride. The storage area in the XLR is just enough smaller than then the others to make it almost unfunctional. Just some thoughts.
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Replying to: carnut100 (Feb 13, 2007 8:02 am) Did you drive the XLR? How did it compare/contrast to your (which model/year) SL? Ride, handling, NVH? A great bone of contention: The XLR interior. Your thoughts? |
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This is such a rediculous error on behalf of GM. I think its the only mistake they made with the car. THe interrior has almost no storage, and this really sucks. The good news is that I think its got the biggest trunk with the top up, but the deign of the car/top/whatever means that when stowed, it kills that room. And what about interrior storage elseware? At least provide something. I understand this is Cadillac's ultamate car but a little storage would be helpful. Anywhay, part of me hopes the Merc guy, and C&D precail, and many people overlook the car. In terms of style/perfoaance, and value this is head and shoulders above the Mercedes. Then the value goes down and I may be able to own one. It is the best car in the class if you travel light, or with the top up untill you get to the hotel  In terms of weight, acceleration, and everything else this is a better car. It is so many thousands cheaper (XLR-V vs SL55) that you must be hysterical to think the mercedes is better. The same is true for the base cars. Its just better, get over it.
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Replying to: exalteddragon1 (Feb 20, 2007 1:41 pm) Its just better, get over it. No it's not. I know this is an old thread, but I found it interesting. Here's the latest review from Edmunds: http://www.edmunds.com/cadillac/xlr/review.html As impressive as it is, the Cadillac XLR roadster is not quite the "standard of the world" -- far from it. Though its styling and Cadillac badge will appeal to those looking to roll up to the valet in something different from the status quo, the XLR comes up short in terms of maximum performance and especially interior detailing when compared to its similarly priced rivals from Germany and Great Britain. Furthermore, the XLR doesn't really offer that much more than a fully loaded Corvette, which is about $20,000 cheaper and 116-hp more powerful. |
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