2014 Eco-friendly Cadillac ELR

Auto review: 2014 Cadillac ELR whirs forward

--Casey Williams, Star Correspondent, INDYSTAR
A Cadillac of almost any age looks right in front of a mid-century home, sitting there conjuring visions of the future. When once it featured high fins from the rocket age, new ones predict a high-tech future that fully realizes those dreams of a half-century ago.
We're talking about cars like the 2014 Cadillac ELR. GM first explored a Cadillac version of its plug-in Chevrolet Volt with the Converj Concept at the 2009 Detroit auto show. It was a super-sleek and neatly tailored — elegance electrified. Then, a little thing called bankruptcy put the tasty morsel on the back burner.
Five years later, Cadillac's vision is realized.
If I could design my own Cadillac, the ELR would be very close. Whether ELR stands for Electric Roadster or is a nod to Eldorado remains irrelevant. The car is beautiful.
The ground-kissing nose is graced with stacked LED headlamps and big Cadillac grille. Its cab-forward profile flows back to a roofline that ends in the decklid, carving a subtle flying buttress affect along the C-pillars. Satin chrome surrounds the windows and gives the car a modern, formal appearance. Out back, hints of fins with integral light tubes visually identify the rump and provide a clean break for air — beautiful, identifiable and efficient.

With a ground-kissing nose, the 2014 Cadillac ELR plugs in for 37 of driving sans fossils, while a 1.4-liter gasoline engine generates electricity and motivates things another 300 miles.(Photo: Richard Prince/Cadillac)

Details matter. The body returns a sleek 0.305 coefficient of drag. Lights on side mirrors pulse green when charging. Every nuance from the grille details to the chiseled bodysides is identical to the Converj. Vertical headlamps and taillamps have been Cadillac signatures since 1948. A blind drunk in the middle of the night could recognize it as a Cadillac. If only the upcoming Cadillac ATS Coupe looked this good.
Inside, cut-and-sewn leather and suede microfiber upholster the dash and doors. Wood lends warmth. Heated leather seats, heated leather-wrapped steering wheel and suede headliner are divine. A motorized cupholder cover is over the top. Bose audio with active noise cancellation soothes the ears.

Inside the 2014 Cadillac ELR, cut-and-sewn leather and suede microfiber upholster the dash and doors. A motorized upholder cover takes care of your beverage.(Photo: Richard Prince/Cadillac)

As a proper 21st-century futureliner, the ELR is loaded to the sky with electronic wizardry. The coupe uses Cadillac's gesture-recognition CUE infotainment system that commands navigation, audio, calling and climate controls as if by iPad (or voice if you prefer). Safety is enhanced with forward-collision alert, lane-departure warning, side blind-zone alert, rear cross-traffic alert, full-speed-range adaptive cruise control and safety alert seat that buzzes when the other sensors detect danger.
Sound complicated? If only the powertrain were as simple.
Plug in the car for 37 miles of no-fossil driving using only the car's lithium-ion batteries. Recharging takes overnight with household current or five hours with 240v. After that, the "range-extending" 1.4-liter gasoline engine fires up to generate electricity and continue for another 300 miles. Pop into gas stations along the way and you can drive to California without ever touching a plug. Expect 85/80 mpg-equivalent city/highway on electricity and 31/35 mpg sipping gas.

The 2014 ELR coupe uses Cadillac's gesture-recognition CUE infotainment system that commands navigation, audio, calling and climate controls as if by iPad, or voice if you prefer.(Photo: Richard Prince/Cadillac)

Four driving modes – Tour, Sport, Mountain and Hold – alter the car's personality.
Tour is the comfort mode. Sport stiffens the suspension, tightens the steering and makes the throttle more responsive. Mountain optimizes the drivetrain for strenuous climbing. Hold allows drivers to stay in gasoline mode. Instead of toasting batteries on the highway, burn gas, then switch back into electric driving in the city.

2014 Cadillac ELR
Basics: Four-passenger, FWD coupe.
Powertrain: 16.5 kWh lithium-ion batteries, 84 hp 1.4-liter I4.
Suspension f/r: Ind/Torsion beam.
Wheels: 20-inch/20-inch alloy f/r.
Brakes: Regenerative disc/disc fr/rr.
Must-have features: Style, mpgs.
Driving range: 37/340 miles elect/total.
Top speed: 106 mph.
0-60 mph elect/gas: 8.8s/7.8 seconds.
Fuel economy: 82/33 mpg elect/gas.
Assembly: Detroit, Mich.
Base/as-tested price: $75,000/$80,680.