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Online Find Of The Day: 2008 Cadillac XLR picks up where Excalibur left off

We try very, very hard to keep snark away from creations like the one you see here. After all, someone poured plenty of enthusiasm, time and money into turning a 2008 Cadillac XLR into a modern interpretation of the new-old cars typically done by cottage builders like Excalibur and Clénet. Even so, it's hard not to wince when you set an eye on this machine. With its wheelbase stretched to accommodate the extra bodywork, goofy sidewalls and upkicked nose (examine it in profile, it looks slightly bent in the middle), this "neoclassic" takes whatever was loveable about the Cadillac underneath and buries it in a tacky grave.
Miraculously, the engine bay has been left unmolested, which means the retractable hardtop convertible still features a 4.6-liter Northstar V8 engine good for 320 horsepower. If only that were enough to outrun its shame. If, for some reason, you feel like taking this thing home, Harry Kaufmann Motorcars of Milwaukee says it can be yours for a paltry $74,998. We wish were joking. Check it out here.

These are the top luxury cars bought by people entering the segment for the first time

Let's say you just got a big promotion at work or the kids are moving out of the house, and you finally have some extra money. You decide to blow it all at once and treat yourself by upgrading your ride. Naturally, you look to a luxury automaker. What do you choose?
Models like the Audi A3 and Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class may be tailor-made to introduce buyers to the premium segment, but a new study finds that they don't garner the highest rates of non-luxury customer conquests. It turns out that a Volvo leads among folks moving up to a premium brand, and it isn't even one that's made anymore, at that.
A recent study by Polk and IHS Automotive looked at what models had the highest rates of buyers upgrading from a non-luxury segment. The information comes from its new vehicle registration data through April 2014. All ten top models boasted conquest rates of over 50 percent, but the Volvo C70 led the field with 68.01 percent of its customers coming from non-premium brands.

2020 Cadillac CT5 debuts at N.Y. Auto Show as a proper sport sedan

The 2019 Cadillac CT5 is here, and it's not a tweener sedan. After having done battle with the luxury sedan world through cars that were either too large or too small, Cadillac is using the CT5 to take direct aim at the BMW 3 Series, Audi A4, Alfa Romeo Giulia and Mercedes C-Class. Specifically, the CT5 replaces the CTS, but takes on vehicles one class smaller than what the CTS did. So, let's take a look at what Cadillac is bringing to the table. To begin, GM knows it has a winner on its hands with the Alpha platform used on the CTS and ATS and the Camaro, so engineers adapted it to the CT5. This seems like a great start, because we all happen to love the driving dynamics from vehicles on this chassis. The wheelbase is a couple inches longer than the CTS, but the CT5 is a couple inches shorter in overall length. As a result, the wheels get pushed toward the corners of the car, leaving the CT5 with relatively short overhangs in the front and rear. It looks different than both of the to-be-discontinued Cadillac sedans, but we wouldn't call it revolutionary. The rear end isn't quite a "sportback," but it's a "faster" shape, eschewing a traditional sedan's long decklid for a sloping-roof look instead. This shape does come at the expense of rear seat headroom, but we'll dive into the interior later. We got a little preview of the powertrain setup before this official reveal, but details were scarce. The base engine is the recently new 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder found in the Cadillac XT4. Just as it did in that vehicle, this engine makes 237 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. While it might be down on power compared to the old 2.0-liter in the ATS (272 horsepower and 295 pound-feet) we found it to be incredibly smooth, refined and not lacking in thrust compared to the old unit. We're sure the four-pot will offer sufficient power for the CT5, but the 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 is lying in wait. This engine makes 335 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque. Both engines are paired to a 10-speed automatic transmission and can be had in rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive in every configuration. So yes, you can get the V6 with rear-wheel drive, thankfully. Cylinder deactivation is also equipped to both these power units — the four-banger is able to run on two cylinders, while the V6 drops to four. Cadillac was entirely transparent about its new pumped-in engine sound strategy, too.