The 2014 Cadillac ELR was the marque’s most futuristic production automobile when it debuted, but after more than 56,000 miles and eight years, how has the one featured in this review aged?
I bought my ELR when it was two-years-old with 10,000 miles on the odometer. It was a daily driver until the start of the pandemic, at which time I went remote.
Post your ELR questions or comments HERE.
Its longest road trip has been from Jacksonville, FL to New York City and back along with the usual regional road trips of 800 miles or less, while the majority of its mileage has been racked up during urban driving here in Jacksonville.
While the ELR has generally been a joy, it’s not been completely problem free.
After eight years, the plug-in hybrid’s lifetime gasoline average is 118 miles per gallon. While that sounds impressive, the average has plummeted from more than 150 miles per gallon since a General Motors recall was performed.
GM announced a recall for the ELR in 2019. The notice read “Loss of Propulsion Due to Low Cell Voltage.” No where did the notice say if the recall was carried out it would result in a drop in the battery’s usable capacity. However, that was the end result for me and some other ELR owners that had the recall performed, based on posts from fellow owners on Facebook.
Before the recall my ELR averaged approximately 37 miles per charge in pure electric mode. Since the recall my ELR has averaged approximately 31 miles per charge. Based on the car’s kilowatts per charge reading, it appears Cadillac lowered the car’s usable battery capacity.
When I first bought it, my ELR could access anywhere between 11 and 12.5 kilowatts of the battery’s capacity. Since the recall the car usually goes from pure EV mode into hybrid mode once about 9.9 kilowatts are used.
The 2014 ELR came with a 16.5kWh battery pack. Automakers hold varying percentages of battery capacity back from use to prolong the life of the battery and to keep drivers from seeing a significant decline in range or performance.
I have written GM and my dealer about the drop in EV range and have had a check performed but the response is the car’s battery is okay, according to GM’s warranty definition.
GM warrants the life of the battery for 60% of capacity for 8-years or 100,000 miles.
I’ve experienced one out-of-warranty issue. My ELR’s Cadillac CUE started failing with a section of the touchscreen going bad. After researching the issue, I found a class action lawsuit had been filed over failing Cadillac CUE infotainment systems. However, at last check a California judge had dismissed multiple claims against GM, according to carcomplaints.com.
When I started researching repair methods, one of the first videos I found had more than 100,000 video views, which seemingly provides a sense of how widespread the problem likely has been. I personally opted to replace my Cadillac CUE with an aftermarket unit.
However, it too is now starting to fail. It’s now starting to go dark after about 20 minutes of driving. I want to stress that is not GM’s fault since Cadillac obviously has no control over the quality of aftermarket parts.
At the time of this story’s publication, I’m still researching whether to install another aftermarket unit or repair my car’s original CUE unit. A significant aftermarket industry has sprung up to deal with failing CUE systems.
Cadillac isn’t alone in having trouble with its touchscreens. Tesla, for example, is also facing a class action lawsuit over issues with its touchscreens, according to carcomplaints.com.
Outside of CUE, the ELR’s overall maintenance needs have been low with just oil changes, a 12-volt battery, tires and a set of wipers blades.
The build quality is good, and the styling is among the best to come out of Cadillac during this century.
Even though its eight-years-old, I still get asked if it’s a new car.
For a 2014 model, the car’s technology and styling have held up well. Although General Motors is pivoting toward pure electrics and has stopped making plug-in hybrids, GM’s Voltec plug-in hybrid system remains among the best available.
For example, a 2022 BMW 745e plug-in hybrid has a pure EV range of 16 miles and an EPA miles per gallon equivalent rating of 56.
By comparison, the 2014 ELR came with an 82 miles per gallon equivalent rating and 37 miles of EPA rated EV range.
All the attributes I originally praised in my 19,000 review of my ELR remain true.
The other after-market modification I’ve made to my ELR since the original review was posted has been to add a sunroof, which has worked out well.
In the original review I mused over whether the ELR might one-day become a future classic car featured at high-level Concours d’Elegance events like Pebble Beach and The Amelia.
Long-time, award-winning automotive journalist and mycardata.com reviewer Dan Scanlan has been covering The Amelia for decades. Here’s how he sums up the ELR:
“I would say this is a future collectible because of its shape and its very limited availability, only about 3000 were sold, and it’s certainly a cool looking compact car. I think the coupe of this era of Cadillac is one of the best-looking cars they ever designed. That, and the CTS-V coupe.”
He added, “I would say it’s certainly a collectible because of the low numbers and the fact that it is a slightly different drivetrain than the Volt that it’s based on.”
Scanlan believes pristine ELRs may have a shot of becoming a concours-worthy entrant at some point down the road. “As far as a future concours car – maybe – when we get to the point we’re looking back on electrics at their birth and this was Cadillac’s first and only for a while attempt. Yes, but maybe not in the next 5 or 10 years,”
One of the signs of any future classic car is pricing. Most cars depreciate over time, while classics reverse course at some point and actually begin rising again in value.
Looking at the pricing of ELRs, they have been trending upward recently. At the time of this video’s posting ELR used car prices on cargurus.com ranged from $19,854 to $42,997; with just four 2014 and one 2016 ELRs listed for sale nationwide.
But then again, used car prices are up in general due to the chip shortage and other new car supply issues that the pandemic triggered.
When I originally reviewed the ELR, I predicted it would eventually become a classic. After owning the car for more than five years, and watching Cadillac’s plan to move toward full electrification, I remain convinced the marque’s first car with a plug will a conversation starter at car shows for many decades to come.
