2004 Cadillac XLR

The razor-edge bodywork with the cowcatcher grille made for interesting reactions. Some loved the XLR's in-your-face originality, others saw a hunky lack of grace. Either way, the Caddy gets it done on the road, both in high-speed interstate cruising and while working on back-road Grand Prix fantasies—provided sound-system listening is not desired.
We all noted the wind turbulence in the Cadillac's open cockpit—with the windows up or down—and particularly when contrasted with the other cars' abilities to deal with the problems of wind in top-down mode. Another weakness is a lack of storage space in the cockpit behind the seats.
The XLR is the only car in the group in which two occupants must pop the trunk to stow their briefcases. Although the trunk's 12 cubic feet is the largest in the group, that volume is reduced by two-thirds when the hardtop comes looking for space. An added irritation comes in the form of a luggage soaking if the top is raised during a sudden rainstorm. All water on the rear decklid is dumped into the trunk—begging the question, Did anyone in the Cadillac engineering department actually attempt such a maneuver during the 48 months of development?