I was invited by Cadillac to test drive a new XLR at EL Toro marine base just south of Los Angeles about 2 months ago. To make things even better, my test drive was 1) alone 2) on a road course (sort of). It was a road course made up of pylons (SCCA solo 2 like). Started out from a dead stop, with maybe a 300ft straight away before you got into the twisties. Handles great. What a fun, classy car! Great power - hey, Northstar, what else can you say. Corvette type exhaust in the rear, you know, in the center (I love that look). The only complaint I could think of is that the leg room is rather limited (oh ya, how 'bout a drive in that CTS-V?). I am only 5' 9" and I had the seat all the way back, although I do like to stretch out more than most. Overall, Cadillac has done their homework, but you do pay for it at something like 76K.

A friend and I drove an XLR from Charlotte NC to Detroit and I have to say it was one of the best experiences I have had on a road trip. The car's performance was excellent. And the comfort level is just fine for a large guy. I am 6'1" 225 lbs with very long legs. After 10 hours of driving and riding, I can tell you there are no comfort issues.

We drove with the top retracted most of the time. The responsiveness and feel was excellent. We took it off the expressway several times to have a little more fun in the hills where we could test out the suspension.

Also, the vehicle is a head turner! I had a number of conversations with other vehicles matching the speed. The funniest part of the trip was the realizing how light one can pack when the choice are clothes or the top down! We chose the latter and shipped our bags back home. Computer back, shaving kit, change of underware and shirt took up my 50% of the trunk!

The only unsettling point when you first ride in the vehicle is when you realize that everything is controlled electronically - such as opening the doors. It takes a bit of time to get acclimated to it... but you do.

At the refueling points, we demonstrated retracting the hardtop. Its an amazing vehicle.

What a great vehicle and a definite head turner!