Have You seen this car in Person Yet? I have..

17328 Views 21 Replies 12 Participants Last post by DetailingDude, Apr 5, 2003

FantaC42

Discussion Starter · Feb 20, 2003

I gave it a good once over at the Auto Show. I really think the car looks great in pictures but not so pretty in person. It looks like a 2 door CTX and has lost a lot in the transformation from Evok to XLR. It may also be that the design is no longer "fresh" looking to me. I was also very surprised how many outward and inward Corvette looking pieces are on this car even the guage cluster looks the same. I think the Cadillac Goose may have laid another Cimarron egg here but this time its not a 16K car but a 70k car. I think the XLR will make a nice 3 year old used car purchase but 70K is way to optimistic and way to much to pay for a car that will be worth 45K 3 years later.

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root

· #2 · Feb 20, 2003

Looks are always a matter of opinion. Except in the case of the Pontiac Aztec.

That thing was objectively ugly. :lol

I actually like the XLR looks more than I had expected. I saw it at the Detroit auto show and was quite impressed.

All cars depreciate. I'm lucky if my 2000 Corvette is worth half of what I paid three years ago to buy it. And Corvettes are pretty good at holding value. If you buy new, you're going to lose more than if you buy used. Some of us just like to buy new.

FantaC42

Discussion Starter · #3 · Feb 20, 2003

My feeling is Troy that its not a good thing for the XLR to look so much like the $35K CTX. It would have been much better for Cadillac to have it the other way around. I wonder why they didn't call it an Eldorado, thats what it really is anyway. At least it would have given the car some heratage.

root

· #4 · Feb 20, 2003

Yep, it is risky to have it look similar to a less expensive car. You usually see it the other way around... An expensive car is out in the market for a while and then it's less expensive brothers start to gain some of the expensive car's styling cues. Then you see the expensive car get updated to a newer look.

I hope the XLR does well. If GM sticks with it I'm sure they can make a great car out of it. IMHO it's a great first model year car from what I've seen.

FantaC42

Discussion Starter · #5 · Feb 21, 2003

I'll wait for one to come out of Lease in 2006, and trade the Vette in for a fancy C6 bargain. I like the idea of the roof as long as it works good. :cheers

Scissors

· #6 · Feb 21, 2003

Its not like other manufacturers don't have both cheap and expensive cars that look the same. Take Mercedes, for example. They have that C-class that starts in the mid-$20k range and it has the same styling as their more expensive $80k+ cars.

FantaC42

Discussion Starter · #7 · Feb 21, 2003

Well thats true to a point, but there is a difference in MB and GM im afraid. MB has a much higher standard of quality throughout there car line. A less expensive MB does not mean less quality. I wish I could say the same for the General.

xstar

· #8 · Feb 21, 2003

Didn't I see one of these at work today in my parking lot? I don't know much about this car, but if it's not out yet, then Cadillac has a car so similar that even a car guy like myself doesn't know the difference (yet).

yellowZ06

· #9 · Feb 22, 2003

Actually, M-B does not have quality throughout their entire car line. The M-B M-Class for instance has been one of the worst rated SUVs on the planet, in terms of reliability, and I just noted today that they are under investigation for another possible recall.

Now, on perceived quality - I think you have a point. I am sure the average American perceives M-B quality as being higher than GM quality - even though GM, and especially Cadillac, actually hold their own. Matter of fact, VW actually has a perceived quality that is totally out of line with their actual quality - thanks to all of their 'German engineering' ads. There have numerous studies about perceived quality and actual quality. GM does quite well on actual quality, but they still need work w/ average perceptions out there.

Nomad

· #10 · Feb 22, 2003

FantaC42 said:
I like the idea of the roof as long as it works good. :cheers

:iagree

root

· #11 · Feb 22, 2003

yellowZ06 said:
Now, on perceived quality - I think you have a point.

:iagree

My 2000 Corvette has been one of the most reliable cars that I have ever owned. The build qaulity is excellent. Sure, there are areas for improvement, but overall it's very high quality.

The XLR will be built in the same plant. If Will Cooksey is in charge of the XLR also it's going to be built well. That's for sure.

FantaC42

Discussion Starter · #12 · Feb 22, 2003

Well, we will have to see on the first cars to come in how the XLR stands up to fit and finish. I still think the XLR is not a Striking looking car. I was never a fan of Fords "new edge" styling that everyone seems to be copying. I can see it looking old in a hurry and sure hope they keep this ugly edgy styling off of C6. The more edge and the bigger the headlight pods seem to get on todays cars the harder they are to tell apart and the more ugly they seem to get.

Nomad

· #13 · Feb 23, 2003

FantaC42 said:
Well, we will have to see on the first cars to come in how the XLR stands up to fit and finish. I still think the XLR is not a Striking looking car. I was never a fan of Fords "new edge" styling that everyone seems to be copying. I can see it looking old in a hurry and sure hope they keep this ugly edgy styling off of C6. The more edge and the bigger the headlight pods seem to get on todays cars the harder they are to tell apart and the more ugly they seem to get.

Then I have bad new for you. The C6 will have the GM "Arts & Science" design as well.

FantaC42

Discussion Starter · #14 · Mar 5, 2003

I know and thats an awful thought. GMs "Arts and Science" was stolen from Ford. Ford was the first maker to show this hard edge design on a concept Lincoln about 6 years ago. The term Ford coined it was " NEW EDGE". Ford is the father of GMs Arts and Science.

logansowner

· #15 · Mar 5, 2003

Nomad said:
Then I have bad new for you. The C6 will have the GM "Arts & Science" design as well.

:nono Art and Science is Caddy's thing, the C6 Vette although will have more sharp edges, will not go nearly as far as Caddy did:cheers

catbert

· #16 · Mar 16, 2003

FantaC42 said:
I know and thats an awful thought. GMs "Arts and Science" was stolen from Ford. Ford was the first maker to show this hard edge design on a concept Lincoln about 6 years ago. The term Ford coined it was " NEW EDGE". Ford is the father of GMs Arts and Science.

Actually Arts and Science is European concept that started out in architecture decades ago. The Germans have been doing in in cars for some time. Most the the Audi TT is from that school.

Ford latest inovation was the Edsel grill. :eek

Jinx

· #17 · Mar 16, 2003

The look belongs to whoever steps up and claims it by building cars. Cadillac owns the Stealth Fighter look, for better or worse.

root

· #18 · Mar 16, 2003

I have never been a big fan of the edge styling. I don't know if it is starting to grow on me or if they just did a good job with the XLR, but I like the looks.

logansowner

· #19 · Mar 17, 2003

Troy Roberts said:
I have never been a big fan of the edge styling. I don't know if it is starting to grow on me or if they just did a good job with the XLR, but I like the looks.

It's probably growing on you, I HATED it when it came out, now I think it's OK, still much sooner have the SL though. I really like the looks of the Cein (sp?) that is sweet:cool :cool :cool

bogus

· #20 · Mar 18, 2003 (Edited)

I saw a black one at Sebring in the Corvette Corral... it is a pretty car.

The shape and proportions really do work. The car is balanced and sits right on the road. Basically, it has a very muscular pose.

I am impressed. One of the nicest designs to come from GM is quite a while. It seems less marketing designed and more designed from a perspective. An idea.

Way back in the 50's, GM used to set design trends - Bill Mitchell and Harley Earl - that told the consumer what they wanted to see, not what the consumer told the maker.

When you include the consumer in the mix, a camel comes out... sad to say.

Collectively speaking, design needs to return to those brave roots. Screw "consumer studies"... they are morons when it comes to the car business... do any of you really want your grandparents designing cars??? gee...

Nothing against grandparents, folks!

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