Yahoo Autos 2014 Cadillac ELR
We’re estimating a 0-to-60-mph time of 8.2 seconds when the gas-fired engine is extending the range and 9.1 when the ELR is operating on electricity alone. That kind of performance is more akin to that of a parsimonious econobox than the more-than-ample thrust of a luxury car.
Running in electric mode for the first 30 or so miles of commuting, the ELR operates with the ease and quiet expected of a fossil-free car. But once the charge in the batteries has been consumed, that 1.4-liter lump kicks in and, droning away, heads for its torque peak. Such a drone may be tolerable in a Volt, but this is an $80,000 luxury coupe; it should feel slicker, less harried, and more sophisticated. Surely there’s another engine in the GM inventory that could be incorporated into the Volt’s drivetrain to produce a driving experience more akin to what one should expect of so dearly priced a car.
With its slightly wider track and use of GM’s HiPer-strut front suspension, the ELR’s 245/40R20 front tires bite into corners effectively. The rear suspension, on the other hand, is similar to the beam axle with Watts linkage employed in the Volt and Cruze. It’s difficult to understand how a more supple independent rear suspension could be adapted to the car considering how the battery pack is integrated, but there are moments when one can feel that the tail isn’t as settled as it should be. That was particularly apparent when the ELR was pushed harder along the canyon and ridge roads that run across the California hills alongside Malibu. It also doesn’t help that the ELR tips the scales at an estimated 4050 pounds.
Dial-A-Mode
As with the Volt, the ELR driver can tailor the driving experience by selecting any of four driving modes. Left to its own devices, the ELR is in the factory-default Tour mode, which aims to balance economy and comfort. Sport mode ramps up suspension, steering, and throttle responses. Mountain mode runs the gas engine at higher speed to keep the battery charged. And Hold mode allows the driver to save the battery charge for electric-only operation, such as in city driving. There is also a manually operable regenerative braking system that is controlled by paddles behind the steering wheel, allowing the pilot to select from several levels of retardation aggression.
Like just about every luxury car these days, the ELR is overstuffed with radar-based safety and convenience technology including lane-departure warning that alerts the driver via a haptic butt buzz and a forward-collision alert system. More surprising might be what isn’t available-a sunroof or head-up driving display. While the instrumentation itself is outstanding, with most of it generated upon a brilliant LED display, the laid-back windshield presents so much acreage that GM could have projected full VistaVision expanses of information onto that glass. And sometimes a little sunshine can be just the thing to brighten an intimate cockpit.
As a plug-in hybrid luxury coupe, the ELR is something unique in the market. And as pure automotive sculpture, it’s utterly gorgeous. But it doesn’t push the technological frontier forward or deliver the sheer driving joy that has made new Cadillacs such as the ATS and CTS so compelling. And that’s frustrating.
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