Hi what are the Pro's and Con's of an XLR-V? and where is it better or worse than a regular XLR?

I know its faster and such but how is its ride quality compared to an XLR?

I come from a corvette background and would not buy a Z06 because it has a very stiff uncomfortable ride.

Someone who owned or driven both XLR and XLR-V would be of great help.

Thanx:seeya

Q8,

I guess you're still shopping? Good for you!!!

OK, I've owned both, they are two completely different cars: the "V" wins!!

Only one negative of the "V" is the temptation the "use" what's under the hood, hence you will pay for your urge in gas mileage, but, even in these pricey gas days. . .it's worth every extra dollar!!!

If you drive "normally" the mileage difference is hardly noticeable, although you do have to use premium. So, I wouldn't let gas mileage be a factor, on the highway it practically evens out as the "V" has a 6-speed tranny as compared to the 5-speed in the XLR. Although the later models of the XLR (don't know when the change took place, possibly '08) also now have a 6-speed.

The handling is much better, it helps if you add the sway bar to the XLR which comes standard in the "V". The actual ride is probably identical, unless you do a lot of fast cornering, then the difference is noticeable. I've owned 5 Vettes, and I can tell you you'll appreciate the ride in either model.

They say there are about 30 differences between the two models, one of the things I do miss in the "V" is the adaptive cruise control, sadly, it's missing. Some people don't miss it, but I do.

The interiors are different, different wood is used, no wood on the steering wheel and least liked is the suede inserts on the seats in the "V" as opposed to real leather used in the XLR.

But, with all that said it really comes down to power and handling, hand-built engine, better suspension, wider tires (which really make quite a difference in look and handling) and knowing that you can take almost any car that happens to foolishly challenge you at a traffic light!

It's early in the morning so I probably will think of more and better differences after I've posted this.

There are quite a few "Vs" on eBay now to get a feel for price. Seems you can pick up an '06 for under 60k.

Good luck,
Floyd

I Own 2006 Xlr An A 2007 Xlrv Hands Down The Ride In The Xlr Is Much More Refined And The V. The Xlrv Is A Stiffer Ride With A Set Of Ballz. Not As Many Features But Who Cares. I Drive The V Every Day And My Girlfriend Drives The Slow One. I Bought The Xlr In 06 Then One Spring Day I Went For An Oil Change At Martin Caddy And Test Drove The V Needless To Say It Was A Expensave Oil Change. I Would Only Buy The V. Hope My In Put Helps

If you're considering moving up in price from an '04 XLR, also consider the newer base XLR's.

The '07 and later cars have a better transmission (6-speed), and the '08's add a second-generation Magnetic ride and anti-roll bar. I believe they switched to Goodyear tires in '07, and that also changes the feel.

The newer tranny, suspension and tires are, imo, a marked improvement in ride and reduced NVH, but your reaction may be different. Either way, I'd strongly suggest driving the '07 and, particularly, '08 base models, too. It's also true that there are sometimes significant differences between cars of the same year.

Although I'm very familiar with vettes, including the '08's and both Z06's, I haven't driven the V.

Ultimately, it's all subjective and each car has its quirks, so the roads that you drive on will likely decide the matter. I realize that any of these cars can be hard to find in many localities, and I'd suggest making trips to drive them if you get to that point.

Here's a site that has some year-by-year info, but the 2008 data is incomplete, so I can't vouch for the accuracy of the page itself.

http://www.caddyinfo.com/xlryearbyyear.html

What Floyd said to a T.Q8,

I guess you're still shopping? Good for you!!!

OK, I've owned both, they are two completely different cars: the "V" wins!!

Only one negative of the "V" is the temptation the "use" what's under the hood, hence you will pay for your urge in gas mileage, but, even in these pricey gas days. . .it's worth every extra dollar!!!

If you drive "normally" the mileage difference is hardly noticeable, although you do have to use premium. So, I wouldn't let gas mileage be a factor, on the highway it practically evens out as the "V" has a 6-speed tranny as compared to the 5-speed in the XLR. Although the later models of the XLR (don't know when the change took place, possibly '08) also now have a 6-speed.

The handling is much better, it helps if you add the sway bar to the XLR which comes standard in the "V". The actual ride is probably identical, unless you do a lot of fast cornering, then the difference is noticeable. I've owned 5 Vettes, and I can tell you you'll appreciate the ride in either model.

They say there are about 30 differences between the two models, one of the things I do miss in the "V" is the adaptive cruise control, sadly, it's missing. Some people don't miss it, but I do.

The interiors are different, different wood is used, no wood on the steering wheel and least liked is the suede inserts on the seats in the "V" as opposed to real leather used in the XLR.

But, with all that said it really comes down to power and handling, hand-built engine, better suspension, wider tires (which really make quite a difference in look and handling) and knowing that you can take almost any car that happens to foolishly challenge you at a traffic light!

It's early in the morning so I probably will think of more and better differences after I've posted this.

There are quite a few "Vs" on eBay now to get a feel for price. Seems you can pick up an '06 for under 60k.

Good luck,
Floyd

I'll second Bobo. What Floyd said to a T.
rwd, I've got an '07 V and unless they changed during the course of the model year, mine was built on 10/26/06, the '07 Vs still had Pirellis.
Having owned both an '05 XLR and an '07 XLR-V, there is, in my opinion, no comparison. Go with the V. The increase in horsepower and torque is just phenomenal. Granted, you can't always use it but when you're stuck behind some old fart doing 35 on a two lane Pennsylvania road and you want to pass, just put the pedal to the metal and before you know it, you've gone from 35 to 80 and left the guy in the dust. Anyway, you get the idea. The rides are totally different. The '05 XLR, in my opinion, was softly sprung and did not handle anywhere near as well as the V does. I don't mind the suede seats although, if you took a poll, I think you'd find the majority of owners don't like them. YMMV. I've also had no niggling problems with my V whereas the '05 XLR had a number of them. The dealer made them all right but my dealer is 30 miles from where I live so it's kind of a pain to get there. At any rate, buy the V, you won't be disappointed.
Ernie

rwd, I've got an '07 V and unless they changed during the course of the model year, mine was built on 10/26/06, the '07 Vs still had Pirellis.

The remarks applied only to the base car, not the V.

Sorry for any confusion.

Q8KNIGHT, I should have added (and you may already know) that by published figures the V has a power-to-weight ratio of around 8.6 pounds per horsepower. That's slightly worse than a '05 C6 coupe which comes in at about 7.95 pounds per horsepower. The performance should be very similar.

The suspension or mods that your C6 has will determine your reaction to the rides. Personally, I found the revised '08 base suspension and new antiroll bar considerably more compliant and closer to the feel of the very-underrated base C6 suspension. That said, the platform control was also much closer to the C6, and the tendency of prior year base XLRs to roll or nose over into turns on braking was markedly reduced. It's not often that both ride and handling are improved.

Again, the above suspension remarks refer only to the base XLR. However, GM has made the V's performance-oriented front roll bar larger and rear bushings stiffer (and supposedly stiffened some springs on the '07 V). If you live in a new area with a lot of good roads and smooth asphalt, you may or may not notice a difference. If you have to deal with older roads, concrete seams and potholes, you probably will.

IMO, YMMV, etc.

I'm on this fence also. Yesterday I drove two new '08's back to back. I drove the V first, which may have spoiled me. It has very nice power and handling, I like the V interior more. Then I drove the XLR. Also very nice, worked a bit harder to move at a rapid pace, but no slouch, and it's certainly not just "settling for a XLR". I'm likely buying used and either would work great. I'm trying to keep my Corvette through all this otherwise it would have to be the V. We'll see what turns up. I saw somewhere reference to buying certified, especially in regards to the power top. I'm familiar with certified, but are the tops a problem? This is supposed to be my daily driver for practical purposes, but in reality will be a Friday car. I hope you guys have a great time at the reunion. I suspect the forum will get quiet later in the week.
Bruce

I'm on this fence also. Yesterday I drove two new '08's back to back. I drove the V first, which may have spoiled me. It has very nice power and handling, I like the V interior more. Then I drove the XLR. Also very nice, worked a bit harder to move at a rapid pace, but no slouch, and it's certainly not just "settling for a XLR". I'm likely buying used and either would work great. I'm trying to keep my Corvette through all this otherwise it would have to be the V. We'll see what turns up. I saw somewhere reference to buying certified, especially in regards to the power top. I'm familiar with certified, but are the tops a problem? This is supposed to be my daily driver for practical purposes, but in reality will be a Friday car. I hope you guys have a great time at the reunion. I suspect the forum will get quiet later in the week.
Bruce

Bruce,

I personally think most people have had no problems at all with the top. The problem comes in when the occasional top decides to go South and all the ensuing "let's try this or let's replace that" comes into play. That is where the $$$$ comes into play--if you're out of warranty!

So, buy Certified and rest easy--IMHO.


Good luck in searching for your new toy!!

Yup, you're correct it will be a bit quiet here for awhile as many of us will be talking directly to all our Forum pals!!!:party


Floyd

When looking at potental qtr mile times it seems to me that the lbs per HP should be based on rear wheel HP not BHP. The vett (standard) puts a much hgher % of its available HP to the ground than the automatic V.