"Even after driving one for 10 days, it’s hard to define the Cadillac ELR. The rich brother of the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid, the ELR applies the same basic technology to a rakish luxury coupe. While the concept is compelling, the end result just doesn’t add up to the heady sticker price.
In many ways, as a car, the ELR makes more sense than the Volt. With a cool-looking luxury coupe,
it doesn’t matter as much that the rear seats are cramped. (They are a
lot tighter than the rear accommodations in the Volt, already not
suitable for adults.) And the buyers for luxury cars have a lot more in
common with early adopters who buy cutting-edge powertrain technology,
such as plug-in hybrids. To them, it is often worth the additional cost
to make a styling statement or have the satisfaction of being a trend
setter.
That brings us to the price. In theory, a head-turning Cadillac
with all the trimmings should be worth more than a well-outfitted
compact sedan, and thus help its maker cover the cost of the battery
technology. That’s all well and good, but Cadillac set the base price of
the ELR at $75,000, before adding in $900 for delivery, and deducting
$7,500 for a federal tax credit. That’s $40,000 more than a Volt! And
for that kind of scratch, you could buy a car in a whole different
league, like an Audi A7 TDI or Tesla Model S. That leaves us wondering, who will buy this car?
But, ultimately, driving the ELR feels rather ordinary. It lacks the zip one might expect from a high-priced coupe. Being a rolling sculpture, visibility is very limited.
Still, as nice as the ELR is, we couldn’t escape the feeling driving it around that for this kind of money, we’d a lot rather be piloting a Tesla, which is a lot quicker, sportier, and roomier, and gives you a whole lot more electric range. One staff member dismissed the ELR as a $75,000 version of the Chevrolet Cruze (on which the Volt and the ELR are, indeed, based). Ouch!" Consumer Report.
