What do you mean I can’t haul my baseball-loving hot dog-eating family and guzzle gas the way Skynard intended? The Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid was a failed attempt at diplomacy. The word hybrid was once a threat to the American way of life. In total, only 15,460 XLRs were built, and there is no sign that Cadillac will be coming up with a Corvette-based successor-or any sports car, for that matter -anytime soon.- Daniel Golson Cadillac sold around 3500 per year for the first few years of production, well below its 5000-to-7000-per-year estimate, and sales sank to just 1750 in 20 in 2008. A very mild facelift didn't change how quickly the XLR aged, and it was finally killed in 2009 after sales declined precipitously. until we compared it with four other convertibles and it came in last. Despite its $100,000 price, we liked that car, too. A performance-oriented XLR-V was introduced for 2006, packing a supercharged version of the XLR's Northstar V-8 engine. Maybe we shouldn't have, because later that year, when we did just that, the XLR came in third in a five-car comparison test in which the SL500 placed first. When we first tested an XLR, we were impressed by its powertrain, handling, and interior, and we looked forward to comparing it with the Mercedes SL. On paper, the Cadillac XLR seemed like a no-brainer: What luxury brand could do without a glamorous two-seat folding-hardtop convertible? And the Cadillac would be based on none other than the Chevrolet Corvette, the first (and likely last) time General Motors had ever spun another car off its sports-car platform. It wasn’t enough, however, to overpower the uncustom convertible truck rod’s inherent dorkiness. After customers and journalists complained of sluggish performance, the 4700-pound, $40,000-plus SSR was gifted with a 390-hp 6.0-liter V-8 and an optional six-speed manual. The SSR may have been built on the same platform as the Chevrolet TrailBlazer, but a 300-hp 5.3-liter V-8 lived between the truck's deep-draw fenders, not a puny V-6. To GM's credit, the company at least attempted to right a few of the Prowler's wrongs. The SSR-an awkward-looking, underpowered, and overpriced factory hot rod that arrived just one year after the Prowler's death-also failed miserably and in short order. You would think that GM executives would have taken a lesson from the much maligned Plymouth Prowler, an awkward-looking, underpowered, and overpriced factory hot rod that failed miserably following a relatively short production life. Yep, that's right: It's the Chevrolet SSR, and we can hear you yawning already. It's yet another example of how the American people refuse to pay for anything even remotely corporate where hot-rod culture is concerned. The Cascada finally dried up and died in 2019 with the General Motors and Groupe PSA partnership. During its first year on sale, Buick only sold 7153 Cascadas, and by 2018 that number fell to just 4136. It’s heavy curb weight made its zero-to-60-mph time slower than the convertible four cylinder version of the BMW 2-series, Audi A3, and Ford Mustang. The interior was a kaleidoscope of buttons and wasn’t very stylish. The convertible top took roughly 20 seconds to lock into position, which is about the time it takes anyone driving a Cascada to accelerate from a green light. The air-buffeting sensation was so strong it caused the back-seat headrests to vibrate like a Sonicare toothbrush. During our testing with a 2016 Cascada we experienced severe cowl shake with the top down. LED lighting in both the headlights and taillights. It basically screamed, “ How do you do, fellow kids?” Built in Poland and sold as the Opel Cascada around the world, Buick tried its best. The Buick Cascada arrived in the convertible segment in 2016 with 200 horsepower and a yearning to fit in.
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