The 2007 Cadillac XLR-V is not only the best Cadillac on the market today, it may be the best car built in America, period.
Priced at a cool $100,000 (including shipping and a $1,700 gas guzzler tax), this sharply chisled two-seater is a formidable competitor to one of the world's best roadsters, the Mercedes-Benz SL55 AMG, which costs about $30,000 more.
From almost every angle, the XLR-V, a high-performance version of XLR, is darn near perfect, with just a few quirks and quibbles.
The XLR-V starts with a special motor -- a supercharged, 4.4-liter version of the highly regarded Northstar DOHC V-8. The engine drives the rear wheels through a new Hydra-matic six-speed automatic transmission with manual-shift capability. The supercharged V-8 not only sounds terrific under full throttle, it delivers an ample 443 horsepower and 414 pounds-feet of torque -- enough to rocket this sled from rest to 60 in about 4.9 seconds.
Which is only a sliver slower than the SL55 AMG, which packs a much larger and more powerful supercharged, 5.4-liter V-8 rated at 510 horsepower. But the Mercedes two-seater also outweighs the XLR-V by about 550 pounds, and it gets only a five-speed automatic. The Cadillac also has a decided edge in fuel economy, if that matters; its EPA city/highway numbers are 15/22 miles per gallon; the Mercedes is rated at 14/19.
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