Monday, 8 October 2007
Technical highlight: Head-Up Display in the 2008 Cadillac XRL-V
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Modern vehicles are so heavily infused with technology that mastering the intricacies of them may seem insurmountable to a large number of consumers. As a result, simple-to-use and effective pieces of tech stand out among others in today’s laundry list-like specification sheets. Head-Up Display, as tested in the 2008 Cadillac XLR-V, distinguishes itself as such.
Head-Up Display projects critical vehicle information onto the windshield, allowing a driver to “stare through” the vitals while keeping his or her eyes on the road. In the 443-horsepower XLR-V application you see speed, transmission gear, fuel level, audio settings and the high-beam indicator. The same is true of the base XLR, but with 123 fewer horsepower, keeping an eye on increasing vehicle velocity is not as crucial.
The XLR-V is the quickest production Cadillac ever, with 0-60 mph times well under 5.0 seconds (4.6 seconds according to Cadillac). Handling the rush of 12 psi of supercharged boost in an already powerful 4.4-liter Northstar V8 engine requires the driver’s undivided attention; Head-Up Display keeps the focus on the road ahead. Showing engine revolutions per minute would be useful as well when in manumatic mode, but for everyday driving in the regular automatic function, HUD helps control those “unintended” 30-80 mph bursts that seemed to result over and over from planting the gas pedal on the carpet.
Image: GM Media Online
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