Blog

With the 2010MY, it could be said that Cadillac launched their first real modern crossover SUV. The 2004-09MY SRX was not without its charm, but it always felt more like a big wagon than SUV, with its length, stiff sides, and flat roof. Today’s SRX, previewed by the cleverly named 2008 Provoq concept, brings style and elegance to the formula, evolving and warming the Cadillac design themes.

Our first drive in a 2010 Cadillac SRX came this winter, in a nice, snow white (actually Platinum Ice Tricoat, a color worth its $995 premium) exterior. The interior, a two-tone shale with brownstone, was warm and inviting. Our $47,010 test car, being a Premium FWD model, took navigation as standard, including the 40GB hard drive, Bluetooth phone, rearview camera, Ultraview extra-long sunroof, autosense windshield wipers, intelligent key, and heated rear as well as front seats; the only options were the paint color and a $1295 rear-seat entertainment system. The Premium model makes my favorite, gotta-have features standard, appropriate for Cadillac and easier than sorting through a series of bundles and packages to get the right mix of content.

This particular SRX was motivated by the base 265HP 3.0L V6, not the available 300HP 2.8L V6. Both are mated to six-speed automatic transmissions, but not the same transmission. Prior experience with the GM-Ford-devloped six-speed box used for the 2.8L engine, also used for Chevrolet Equinox, Buick LaCrosse, and CTS wagon, raised expectations that the Aisin-sourced unit did not meet. Instead of being smooth and seamless, this particular unit gave choppier shifts and hunted gears more often. Aside from some uncomfortable shifts–somewhat avoidable with more aggressive pressure on the throttle–the 265HP moved the SRX along briskly. Stepping up to the 300HP SRX brings the stronger six-speed autobox, though that extra power comes with a bit of a fuel economy penalty. The turbocharged 2.8L gets 15/23 city/highway mpg, versus 18/25 from the front-drive 3.0L V6.
Exterior style is more important to Cadillac drivers than power/acceleration or the elusive fun-to-drive factor. Good thing for Cadillac, they wrapped the SRX in crisp and attractive metal and plastic. Luxury crossover SUVs run from the soft and inoffensive Lexus RX and Infiniti EX to the clearly Germanic BMW X5 and X3 and Audi Q5 to the chrome-laden Lincoln MKX, and to this mix Cadillac brings a sharply creased, highly detailed look. Lots of SUVs get boring in the rear, even when they have an expressive face, but the SRX’s large taillights and the V crease just below the window glass keep the character alive. Chrome accents along the side, from the chrome door handles to window surrounds to roof rails, keep the side view lively as well. SRX’s face is all Cadillac, full of confidence and presence.

The comparatively fast roof makes for a slight intrusion into rear seat access, and the standard rear-view camera that much more appreciated, but once you’re inside, the SRX delivers. Our test car’s dark and light brown tones were attractive and rich, supported by chrome accents and detail touches like highly styled door handles and HVAC vents. SRX is also offered in an all-black interior with perfectly complementary wood trim. Cadillac’s navigation system is among the best–even if GM hasn’t figured out yet how to offer Sync-like integration of voice control for phones and music players. Steering wheel controls are logically placed and offer good tactile feedback. The number of buttons on the center stack can be daunting, though not so much as in an Acura. Compared with the rather Spartan look (but relative premium feel) of a Lexus RX, the Cadillac overtly ensures you know why you’ve spent somewhere around $45,000 on your motorized carriage.


The SRX delivers on attributes Cadillac buyers want, though in a smaller and higher-tech package than some loyal buyers are used to. We spent some time chatting with a Cadillac salesperson on his home dealership turf. After he spent a solid 20 minutes enthusiastically and energetically going over the features on the SRX–knowing no sale would result–he also admitted some difficulty in getting older Cadillac traditionalists as excited about the new package. Cadillac SRX takes the risk that the brand needs today. While there remains a need to provide products their core, traditional (and aging) buyers can love, the brand needs to remain relevant for future buyers. What Escalade did for the bling set, this SRX needs–and has potential–to do for the country club family, assuming there are any more of those left.
SRX Against the Competition
Slightly bigger than the Lexus RX that is its main target, SRX offers a more elegant looks and makes the driver feel more pampered than comfortable. Though “better” is in the eye of the beholder, SRX is better looking than the more expensive Acura ZDX and offers more presence than the Infiniti EX. Against the European competition, SRX brings American bravado.
What SRX is missing, compared with the Lexus, is a hybrid powertrain. This seems as though it is something within GM’s power to address, as a two-mode hybrid powertrain was ready to launch in the now-defunct Saturn Vue. The Vue and SRX platforms were not identical, but some parts were common. Adapting the powertrain to the SRX seems a worthy project, but as of spring 2010 it remains to be seen just where GM will implement their front-drive-based two-mode hybrid system.
While the Lexus does not appear to be in danger of losing its dominance in the segment–even with parent Toyota’s troubles–Cadillac’s SRX should give Lincoln’s MKX a run for the money. Later in 2010, however, Lincoln comes back with a restyled 2011 MKX that does not carry as much personality as the SRX, but does introduce Lincoln’s revolutionary MyTouch Lincoln interface. That interface is revolutionary in much the same way Sync was, and will surely make for difficult competition.