RUNNING WITH BIG DOGS NOW; Cadillac XLR-V takes a back seat to no one.(News)

Byline: KEVIN A. WILSON

Cadillac's ambitions to play on the global luxury stage reach new heights with the XLR-V, on sale now. Con-sider: a 443-hp supercharged two-seater with retractable hard- top, a showcase for its maker's technological acumen, priced at a nice round $100,000.

As a flagship sports car for a luxury marque, XLR-V's closest analog is the Mercedes-Benz SL55 AMG, the performance edition of a classic statement in automotive taste, refinement and engineering. Other competitors include the Jaguar XKR convertible (the eventual supercharged version of the new aluminum-chassis car on page 14), the Lexus SC 430 and the BMW 6 Series cabrio. Of that crowd, only the Mercedes and Cadillac are true two-seaters.

How does Cadillac fare in this company?

Amazingly well. We drove the XLR-V on a round trip from San Diego inland, over the mountains and through parkland to the desert resort town of Borrego Springs, and it proved far more than competent. It is alternately elegant, smooth and inspiring, delighting its driver in dozens of ways and disappointing in none.

Well, unless you really can't get used to its styling, a brashly American statement that emerges from the intersection of an Eldorado, the F-111 Stealth Nighthawk fighter and Luke Skywalker's X-wing. Regardless, this is one heck of an automobile, and the most fun we've had in a Cadillac.

Last year, although its market segment shrank 17 percent, the XLR gained 7 percent in sales, so its share rose from 12 percent in 2004 to 14 percent in 2005. At the same time it topped the J.D. Power APEAL survey for the segment. Now comes the V version, with a powertrain that takes a back seat to no one.