Cadillac XLR-V Washington DC

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For $100,000, your car ought to have a real wire-mesh grille. The Cadillac XLR-V has one. The Jaguar XKR does not. Perhaps the Jag designers didn't want any extra attention drawn to that oval grille, which calls to mind an old Ford Taurus. Or a goldfish.

Okay, let's be nice and focus on the Cadillac, whose chiseled styling is distinctive, not to be confused with any other car. People notice this Cadillac. What's more, in this test, the XLR-V is unique in that it's both a coupe and a convertible. With the touch of a button, the top of this Bowling Green, Kentucky-built 2-seater folds into the trunk in less than 20 seconds. What was once a tightly sealed hardtop is quickly transformed into a striking roadster with good structural rigidity, albeit with scant cargo room.

But that's all true of a standard XLR. What sets the V apart lies under that bulging composite hood, where a hand-built supercharged 4.4-liter Northstar V-8 is on duty, mounted aft of the front axle to help give the car excellent (near 50/50) weight distribution. A nearly silent belt-driven Roots-type blower, with an integral intercooler, endows this thoroughly modern aluminum-block V-8 with 443 bhp at 6400 rpm — that's more than 100 bhp per liter. And there's torque aplenty — 414 lb.-ft. on tap at 3900 rpm, with 90 percent available between 2200 and 6000 rpm. That'll spin the run-flat 255/40R-19 rear Pirellis with ease, as power rushes toward the rear-mounted 6-speed automatic transaxle. Although we like the way this transmission shifts (and adapts to individual driving styles), paddle shifters and automatic-blip downshifts would make the V even sportier.

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