Car Guy Magazine Car Guy Magazine Issue 914 | Page 60

ELECTRIC DRIVES
2014 Cadillac ELR

W

WORDS Jim Sherman

ell, I was the last one of our
group to get to drive Cadillac’s new ELR. I have driven
the Volt from Chevrolet and frankly
the ELR is a luxury Volt. The ELR shares
the same driveline technology as the
Volt but that is where the similarities
end. The ELR at first glance, is what
you would expect from a modern
day Cadillac, edgy lines, big grill and
a stealth fighter look. The ride is quite
nice, good drivability, low cabin noise
at speed but it has a larger turning radius than you would expect from this
small of a car.
Let’s talk interior. I would say

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that Cadillac has exceeded expectations with the fit and finish. The color
choices are elegant and a good combination of leathers, faux carbon fiber
and plastic. Cup holders are small so
a large coffee from Dunkin fits but
not the XL. One of the negatives that
I found is the rear seats are tough to
get into even for a 7 year old unless
you want to wait for the seat to power
itself forward and then back again.
Trunk space? If you are going solo you
can fit your clubs, if there is a second
set you are going to either have to
lower the rear seats or rent a set when
you get there. The layout is logical and

it has surprisingly good outward visibility.
The driver technology has a
learning curve, with any luck Cadillac
dealers will have a comprehensive
delivery process. The driver display is
possibly the best one I’ve seen. It reminds me of Iron Man’s helmet. Logical layout, very clear resolution and
simple to navigate once you’ve spent
some time learning it. Our test car
had Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane
Departure Warning Systems. Both
these systems combine audio, visual
and physical (seat vibrates) warnings
to let you know that you’re not doing