Quick Look: 2010 Cadillac SRX
Like the CTS, the new SRX appears to be another well designed and well made vehicle from GM. While the first SRX was a little bit of a miss with its wagon-y looks and general class-lagging in all categories, the new 2010 seem to aim at a target well, but will it be a hit?
With the first generation of the SRX, Cadillac was admittedly looking at the BMW X3 as its main competitor, and that right there was part of the problem. While the X3 is a very popular small SUV (SAV, whatever you want to call them), that car itself is not that great; for starters it is not that pretty, and its suspension is set up for proper BMW handling which gives it a ride that is kind of rough. I would bet a lot of money that if the X3 had any other badge on it, it would not sell as well, especially at the price that BMW is selling it for.
For 2010, GM has given up at the “small sporty SUV Caddy” and has instead looked into making a “comfortable small SUV Caddy”, and that is a great thing! While the idea of a sporty SUV is good in theory, it hardly ever translates well, at the end of the day this is the vehicle that will haul kids and stuff, and not ass, so why not make it comfortable? That is what Cadillac designers thought too, setting the new SRX to go directly against the Lexus RX. Yes, I know what you are thinking now, the RX is a snooze but the answer is in the numbers. RX is a sales leader by a very wide margin and many of its buyers are repeat customers! Cadillac wants a piece of that pie, and with this new 2010 SRX it may get it!
So, after seeing that the SRX will be an RX350-like vehicle, most “car enthusiasts” are reading something else now. Good, let them go buy a X3, hopefully they’ll have enough money left over for chiropractor visits, I’ll take my family cars nice and comfortable, thank you very much.
Design
Judge the looks for yourselves. To me, the new SRX looks attractive, it is modern looking without being offensive. The designers appear to have taken a more safe and conservative approach which would appeal to broader masses instead of going with a wild new design. While some people may think that GM and other American makers should develop wild new wild designs, the truth is they can’t, simply because they cannot afford to take risks. Risk by definition implies a possibility of failure, and GM simply cannot introduce vehicles that will fail.
The interior of the SRX follows the CTS theme with nicely and cleanly laid out dash. Again, nothing fancy, nothing futuristic, nothing no one has not seen before; nice leather seats, optional pop-up nav screen (again, similar set up to the CTS), all once again focused on driver and passenger comfort, the way Cadillacs used to be.
Features
While nothing new, the SRX does have a few unique features:
- The power tailgate has two settings for height of opening (see pic); that is nice, as the tailgate of my own family truckster has a number of scratches on it from hitting the garage ceiling, or perhaps items that may extend from the roof-rack.
- Optional rear-seat video screens fold into the seat-backs when not in use.
- Once again, dealer installed vehicle internet connection is available, proving a wireless Hot-Spot in the car. I’m not sure if you can get internet on the rear-seat screens.
Mechanicals
- When introduced, the SRX will be equipped with a three-liter direct-injected 260hp V6.
- Within a year, a torque 2.8-liter turbocharged V6 with 295hp will be offered. Fuel economy is expected to be similar for the two engines.
- Six-speed automatic is the only transmission of choice, and it features an Eco mode for more fuel efficient gear changes.
- Choice of FWD or AWD. An eDiff, which makes you believe that your open diff if a limited-slip diff, but it is not. As if one of the potential buyers really care about that.
Utility stuff
- The truck has a decent about of space, on par with X3’s and RDX’s (that’s an Acura, in case the naming conventions have you confused too).
- Rear seats fold flat, which in nice for transporting bulky flat objects.
- Tow rating is set at 3500lbs with the optional towing package, which is class average.
- There is no spare tire or jack included, but they are optional. Since GM has failed to put these in, I would suggest that the dealers take up to themselves to include them. It really is stuff like this that makes buyers come back, you think that someone would buy another one of the same if the first one left them stranded in the middle of nowhere?
I did not have a chance to drive the 2010 SRX this time around, but based on my first impression, I am… well… very impressed. Again, the pictures are not great due to the lighting, but you get the idea. Big thanks to R.C. Olsen Cadillac in Woburn, MA for hosting the CTS Sport Wagon and SRX model demo.
