2008 CADILLAC XLR Owners Manual

Point of Interest (POI) Commands
The following commands will cause the system to display
icons if they are available on the map screen when the
map scale is set to a half mile (eight-tenths km) or less.
Restaurant, I’m Hungry:These commands will cause
the system to display restaurant POI icons.
American Restaurant, American Food:These
commands will cause the system to display American
restaurant POI icons.
Chinese Restaurant, Chinese Food:These
commands will cause the system to display Chinese
restaurant POI icons.
Continental Restaurant, Continental Food:These
commands will cause the system to display Continental
restaurant POI icons.
French Restaurant, French Food:These commands
will cause the system to display French restaurant
POI icons.
Italian Restaurant, Italian Food:These commands will
cause the system to display Italian restaurant POI icons.
Japanese Restaurant, Japanese Food:These
commands will cause the system to display Japanese
restaurant POI icons.Mexican Restaurant, Mexican Food:These
commands will cause the system to display Mexican
restaurant POI icons.
Seafood Restaurant, Seafood:These commands
will cause the system to display Seafood restaurant
POI icons.
Other Restaurant, Other Food:These commands will
cause the system to display other types of restaurant
POI icons.
Shopping, Shopping Mall:These commands will
cause the system to display mall POI icons.
Grocery Store:This command will cause the system to
display grocery store POI icons.
Gas Station, Gas:These commands will cause the
system to display gas station POI icons.
Parking Garage:This command will cause the system
to display parking garage POI icons.
Parking Lot:This command will cause the system to
display parking lot POI icons.
Rental Car Agency:This command will cause the
system to display rental car POI icons.
4-81

Automobile Club, Triple A:These commands will
cause the system to display auto club POI icons.
Auto Service And Maintenance, Auto Service,
Maintenance:These commands will cause the system
to display auto service POI icons.
Hotel:This command will cause the system to display
hotel POI icons.
Golf Course:This command will cause the system to
display golf course POI icons.
Ski Resort, Skiing:These commands will cause the
system to display ski resort POI icons.
Amusement Park:This command will cause the
system to display amusement park POI icons.
Sport Complex, Stadium:These commands will cause
the system to display sports complex POI icons.
Casino:This command will cause the system to display
casino POI icons.
Marina:This command will cause the system to display
marina POI icons.
Tourist Attraction:This command will cause the
system to display tourist attraction POI icons.Winery:This command will cause the system to
display winery POI icons.
City Hall:This command will cause the system to
display city hall POI icons.
Police Station:This command will cause the system
to display police station POI icons.
Library:This command will cause the system to
display library POI icons.
Hospital:This command will cause the system to
display hospital POI icons.
Park & Recreation, Parks & Recreation:These
commands will cause the system to display parks and
recreation POI icons.
Civic Center, Community Center:These commands
will cause the system to display community center
POI icons.
Convention Center, Exhibition Center:These
commands will cause the system to display convention
center POI icons.
Court House:This command will cause the system to
display court house POI icons.
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Train Station:This command will cause the system to
display train station POI icons.
Airport:This command will cause the system to
display airport POI icons.
Bus Station:This command will cause the system to
display bus station POI icons.
Commuter Rail Station:This command will cause the
system to display commuter rail station POI icons.
Ferry Terminal:This command will cause the system
to display ferry terminal POI icons.
Park & Ride:This command will cause the system to
display park & ride POI icons.
Rest Area, Rest Stop:These commands will cause
the system to display rest area POI icons.
Tourist Information:This command will cause the
system to display tourist information POI icons.
Historical Monument:This command will cause the
system to display historical monument POI icons.
Performing Arts:This command will cause the system
to display performing arts POI icons.Museum:This command will cause the system to
display museum POI icons.
Bank:This command will cause the system to display
bank POI icons.
School:This command will cause the system to
display school POI icons.
ATM:This command will cause the system to display
ATM POI icons.
Higher Education, University, College:These
commands will cause the system to display higher
education POI icons.
Business Facility:This command will cause the
system to display business facility POI icons.
City Center:This command will cause the system to
display city center POI icons.
POI Off:This command will cause the system to turn
off POIs so they do not appear on the map screen.
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✍NOTES
4-84

Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle..........5-2
Defensive Driving...........................................5-2
Drunk Driving.................................................5-2
Control of a Vehicle........................................5-3
Braking.........................................................5-4
Antilock Brake System (ABS)...........................5-5
Braking in Emergencies...................................5-5
Traction Control System (TCS).........................5-6
Magnetic Ride Control.....................................5-7
Limited-Slip Rear Axle.....................................5-7
StabiliTrak
®System........................................5-8
Steering........................................................5-9
Off-Road Recovery.......................................5-11
Passing.......................................................5-12
Loss of Control.............................................5-12Racing or Other Competitive Driving (XLR-V)......5-13
Driving at Night............................................5-14
Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads..................5-14
Before Leaving on a Long Trip.......................5-15
Highway Hypnosis........................................5-16
Hill and Mountain Roads................................5-16
Winter Driving..............................................5-17
If Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud,
Ice, or Snow.............................................5-21
Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out.................5-22
Loading Your Vehicle....................................5-22
Towing..........................................................5-27
Towing Your Vehicle.....................................5-27
Recreational Vehicle Towing...........................5-27
Towing a Trailer...........................................5-27
Section 5 Driving Your Vehicle
5-1

Your Driving, the Road, and
Your Vehicle
Defensive Driving
Defensive driving means “always expect the
unexpected.” The rst step in driving defensively is to
wear your safety belt — SeeSafety Belts: They Are for
Everyone on page 1-6.
{CAUTION:
Assume that other road users (pedestrians,
bicyclists, and other drivers) are going to be
careless and make mistakes. Anticipate what
they might do and be ready. In addition:
Allow enough following distance between
you and the driver in front of you.
Focus on the task of driving.
Driver distraction can cause collisions
resulting in injury or possible death.
These simple defensive driving techniques
could save your life.
Drunk Driving
{CAUTION:
Drinking and then driving is very dangerous.
Your reexes, perceptions, attentiveness,
and judgment can be affected by even a
small amount of alcohol. You can have a
serious — or even fatal — collision if you drive
after drinking. Do not drink and drive or ride
with a driver who has been drinking. Ride
home in a cab; or if you are with a group,
designate a driver who will not drink.
Death and injury associated with drinking and driving is
a global tragedy.
Alcohol affects four things that anyone needs to drive a
vehicle: judgment, muscular coordination, vision, and
attentiveness.
5-2

Police records show that almost 40 percent of all motor
vehicle-related deaths involve alcohol. In most cases,
these deaths are the result of someone who was
drinking and driving. In recent years, more than
17,000 annual motor vehicle-related deaths have been
associated with the use of alcohol, with about
250,000 people injured.
For persons under 21, it is against the law in every
U.S. state to drink alcohol. There are good medical,
psychological, and developmental reasons for
these laws.
The obvious way to eliminate the leading highway
safety problem is for people never to drink alcohol
and then drive.
Medical research shows that alcohol in a person’s
system can make crash injuries worse, especially
injuries to the brain, spinal cord, or heart. This means
that when anyone who has been drinking — driver
or passenger — is in a crash, that person’s chance of
being killed or permanently disabled is higher than if the
person had not been drinking.Control of a Vehicle
The following three systems help to control your
vehicle while driving — brakes, steering, and
accelerator. At times, as when driving on snow or ice,
it is easy to ask more of those control systems than the
tires and road can provide. Meaning, you can lose
control of your vehicle. SeeTraction Control System
(TCS) on page 5-6andStabiliTrak
®System on
page 5-8.
Adding non-dealer/non-retailer accessories can affect
your vehicle’s performance. SeeAccessories and
Modifications on page 6-3.
5-3

Braking
SeeBrake System Warning Light on page 3-50.
Braking action involves perception time and reaction
time. First, you have to decide to push on the brake
pedal. That is perception time. Then you have to bring
up your foot and do it. That is reaction time.
Average reaction time is about three-fourths of a
second. But that is only an average. It might be less
with one driver and as long as two or three seconds or
more with another. Age, physical condition, alertness,
coordination, and eyesight all play a part. So do alcohol,
drugs, and frustration. But even in three-fourths of a
second, a vehicle moving at 60 mph (100 km/h) travels
66 feet (20 m). That could be a lot of distance in an
emergency, so keeping enough space between
your vehicle and others is important.
And, of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly
with the surface of the road, whether it is pavement
or gravel; the condition of the road, whether it is
wet, dry, or icy; tire tread; the condition of the brakes;
the weight of the vehicle; and the amount of brake
force applied.Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive
in spurts — heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking — rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is
a mistake. The brakes might not have time to cool
between hard stops. The brakes will wear out much
faster if you do a lot of heavy braking. If you keep pace
with the traffic and allow realistic following distances,
you will eliminate a lot of unnecessary braking.
That means better braking and longer brake life.
If your vehicle’s engine ever stops while you are driving,
brake normally but do not pump the brakes. If you do,
the pedal could get harder to push down. If the
engine stops, you will still have some power brake
assist. But you will use it when you brake. Once the
power assist is used up, it can take longer to stop and
the brake pedal will be harder to push.
Adding non-dealer/non-retailer accessories can affect
your vehicle’s performance. SeeAccessories and
Modifications on page 6-3.
5-4