I've been interested in getting a car to replace my Corvette and Lincoln Town Car. No more summer car and winter car. Less insurance, less maintenance, just one cool car to do it all. Porsche Panamera GTS was a front runner but I decided it was too much money up front, too much fuel cost, and probably too much potential maintenance cost. I also found a pretty nice Lexus IS300 Sport Cross wagon that was a good potential but it had the unfortunate combination of low power and low fuel mileage on premium gas. I've been wanting a plug in hybrid for the advantages of electric powertrain, unlimited range on gasoline, and the ability to preheat the car on electric before driving in the winter. Chevy Volt was a possibility but just not "special" enough. Looks like a rental car on the outside and inside. BMW i8 is way over budget. Lexus CT200h...not sporty enough. Cadillac ELR? Gorgeous exterior, gorgeous interior. One of the few concept cars that went to production without being rubbed with a big bar of vanilla to make it look like every other car on the road. But, all I ever see for sale are 2014 models, and they just seemed too slow. The 2016 got a big boost of power, Apple CarPlay (which I'm totally addicted to having since I've had it in my Motovan and the Lincoln.) and improved chassis, suspension tuning, brakes, software. Most of the options were made standard like automatic high beams, rear cross traffic alert, lane change alert, blind spot monitoring, etc. But, I've never seen a 2016 for sale.
A 2016 ELR in white pearl metallic with cashmere interior was posted for sale in Portland, just a few hours away from me. As soon as a buyer made a deposit on my Corvette I called the guy with the ELR and made a deal. I put together a loan with my credit union and my girlfriend and I drove over the Cascades to go get it.
Untitled by Petrolburner, on Flickr
Untitled by Petrolburner, on Flickr
Untitled by Petrolburner, on Flickr
Untitled by Petrolburner, on Flickr
Untitled by Petrolburner, on Flickr
Untitled by Petrolburner, on Flickr
I have a charging station at work that, so far, hasn't charged me for charging. But the display says I have 8 grace sessions remaining. I'm not sure what that's all about. I don't need to plug in to make my whole commute on electricity, but right now I only have a 120v charger so it's slow. That and free juice is free juice, more foot to the floor and faster recharge at home.
Untitled by Petrolburner, on Flickr
I took it out the other day and raced up a mountain road with zero regard for battery or fuel economy. It's quick and goes around corners as fast as I would drive my Corvette on the street.
Untitled by Petrolburner, on Flickr
The interior is just amazing. The whole ceiling is alcantara. The stitching, the mix of materials and patterns just makes me smile. It reminds me of the Lexus LC500, another car that made it from concept to production without being totally watered down.
GOPR0092 by Petrolburner, on Flickr
GOPR0105 by Petrolburner, on Flickr
GOPR0098 by Petrolburner, on Flickr
GOPR0097 by Petrolburner, on Flickr
The rear seats fold down so I can carry my snowboard to the mountain. Mt Bachelor has a couple of charging stations right up front too.
GOPR0096 by Petrolburner, on Flickr
85 MPG lifetime average over 36,500 miles.
GOPR0103 by Petrolburner, on Flickr
GOPR0102 by Petrolburner, on Flickr
GOPR0101 by Petrolburner, on Flickr
I love the dash display and the parking sensors are really cool to have.
GOPR0100 by Petrolburner, on Flickr
GOPR0099 by Petrolburner, on Flickr
I've driven it for a few days and a few hundred miles now and I love it. I've gotten a ton of compliments, double takes and thumbs up already. It makes me smile everytime I drive it. It's fast enough to be entertaining. It's not a sports car like the Corvette, it's a luxury sports coupe. 245/40-20 tires on all 4 corners provide the right amount of grip. The Bose noise cancelling cabin contribute to a very quiet ride. It feels really well built. There are zero squeaks or rattles. The Bose audio system also sounds great and I don't forsee making any modifications. It doesn't launch off the line like a Porsche Taycan or Tesla, but it accelerates really well from 5-60. From 90-100 it starts showing that it only makes 233 hp and 373 lbs-ft of torque. I don't usually exceed 100 and most of the time I just drive the speed limit anyway. All in all, I'm stoked.