2006 Cadillac XLR

V Convertible

4.4L 4371CC 267Cu. In. V8 GAS DOHC Supercharged

Automatic

1G6YX36D465603638

Clear

GAS

0 0 1 253 1446 home 12 3 1696 14.0 Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE Cadillac's V-series is to that nameplate what AMG is to Mercedes or M is to BMW. It's the high-performance wing of the company, where the original product (and its price) gets kicked up some serious notches. It is also a pretty brave enterprise at Cadillac Details on the engine The 4.4-liter supercharged version of GM's Northstar V-8 is an exceedingly sophisticated engine. Pressurized by a GM-designed and patented Roots-type blower made by Eaton, the engine supplies prodigious torque throughout most of its operating range. Continuously variable valve timing at all four cams undoubtedly helps spread the available torque around so the car almost always responds to a jab at the pedal with a surge of acceleration. That blower is housed in a casting that is integrated with the Laminova tube-type intercooler and the intake tract in one rigid unit, and it works extremely well at reducing unwanted supercharger whine. The engine block is a unique casting that provides improved coolant flow and has a new oil gallery to supply under-piston cooling jets. Lower-compression cast-alloy pistons necessitated a rebalancing of the crankshaft, and the accessory drive required a redesign and a new, wider three-sheave pulley to power the blower. That's no small issue, since the supercharger soaks up nearly 80 horsepower at maximum speed. Still, the engine manages to keep some of that extra power to itself, punching out 443 horsepower at 6400 rpm, enough to propel this 3840-pound convertible to 60 mph in 4.7 seconds and through the quarter-mile in 13 seconds flat. More important to everyday users is the 414 pound-feet of torque, of which 90 percent is available between 2200 and 6000 rpm.