Cadillac SRX car reviews

The Cadillac SRX is another in a series of the tall station wagons known as “car-based SUVs.” It is fairly high off the ground and has a generous cargo area, but still has carlike handling and a reasonable height and length. The SRX seems to be aimed at the Volvo XC90 and XC70, Subaru Outback, and the like, and it competes fairly well against them, though in base trim it doesn’t fit Cadillac’s luxury-car image. The base price of just under $40,000 is roughly in line with most competitors, especially given a wide range of standard features including leather seats, dual-zone climate control, and a very helpful backup distance sensor.

Two engines are available, both with variable-valve technology to raise power and economy: a V6, which ours had, and a V8. The V6 produces 260 horsepower, with 17 mpg city and 23 highway according to the EPA (we didn’t do so well); it moves the SRX quickly, with 0-60 in the mid-to-high 7s. The V8, with 320 horsepower and 315 lb-ft of torque, is considerably quicker, and can do 0-60 in under 7 seconds.  A towing package is optional for both engines, with a rather good maximum capacity of 4250 pounds.

The V6 feels sprightly enough, but it isn’t a heavy torquer, and doesn’t provide an instant response; it moves quickly, but without a real feeling of power, which many would consider to be a virtue, since it also means that acceleration is dampened to avoid jarring the passengers.

As if to match the two engine choices, there are also two drive-wheel choices. Standard is rear-wheel drive, with all wheel drive optional. The rear wheel drive doesn’t prevent brief occasional tire squeal on acceleration with the V6. Both come with GM’s Stabilitrak stability control system and a five-speed automatic which shifts rapidly and smoothly, and has an Autostick-style manual shift control. The manual override is well-designed - a shove to the right from Drive gets it into manumatic mode, and then pushing up upshifts and pulling downshifts - though few drivers will use it more than once in a great while. The rest of the transmission is ungated, without a serious detente to prevent people from accidentally shifting into - and staying in - fourth gear, at the cost of gas mileage and some noise. If there was a way aside from the manumatic to limit the SRX to low gear, we couldn’t find it.

Visibility is surprisingly poor in the rear and rear quarter thanks partly to wide, solid headrests and deep roof supports; perhaps that’s why the backup alarm is standard. Sun visors are relatively narrow, without extenders. On the lighter side, the high intensity discharge headlights are powerful and well focused, with separate high beams so that you don’t lose your close-range lights when the long-range lights go on. Interior lighting is excellent throughout.

The ride is not Caddy-smooth, and with the optional magnetic suspension, our test car had a firm ride that let us feel every road imperfection with little cushioning. The magnetic-augmented suspension reacts more quickly than usual, allowing for quicker turns and better grip on rough pavement, which may explain quite a bit of the jiggling and bad roads; the standard suspension is probably smoother if not as grippy.  The Cadillac SRX is sometimes quite surprising in its ability to stick to the road around sharp turns, and can be whipped around quite sharply when needed. Balance is good for a vehicle of this kind.

The interior is usually quiet, though we sometimes had wind substantial noise from the driver’s mirror area at highway speeds; the engine is very quiet even under acceleration, when it has more of a high whine than deep rumble.

In the base setup, the interior may be a little disappointing, designed around a German sense of luxury rather than an American wood-and-chrome pattern. The instrument panel could have been taken out of the Chrysler 300; burled wood trim is optional, but rather pricey. Chrome accents around the speedometer and tachometer help in 2005 models, but they are the flat kind rather than the more elegant rounded chrome seen on (among others) the Chrysler 300M. We’ve heard an interior redesign is in the works for 2006 models.

The center console is fairly small inside, with a sharp dropoff in one part that may be good for holding tall objects. Twin cupholders are hidden by a sliding panel, along with primitive coinholders. The glove compartment has little room for anything other than the manual.

Most of the controls seemed sensible, though many were oddly placed. As usual we can complain about the GM overloaded-stalk-cruise-control, which also has the headlights, fog lights, and turn signals on it. Some controls are unexpectedly placed on the roof - including the interior light and dimmer, rear fan, and, oddly, the rear wiper-washer. Our main gripe was actually the brake release and hood release; the hood release is shaped like most cars' brake releases, and is located in the exact same place, while the brake release is positioned higher than usual. We do believe a foot operated emergency brake makes sense, and we do agree with a hand release, but normally the hood release is relocated to avoid having to get out of the car and open and close the hood on a regular basis. Aside from that, there are some smaller control placement oddities that some people will notice more than others.

The gear is shown on an instrument-panel LED during manumatic operation, but not the rest of the time; then one has to look down at the console. On the steering wheel, where in some cars an electric up/down/fore/aft control sits, a pedal fore/aft switch is mounted. Steering wheel adjustments are made using a standard mechanical tilt-wheel mechanism with fairly wide settings.

The stereo is not hard to figure out even with the navigation system; the latter has a small and easily missed sound adjustment button which brings up the bass/treble, speaker, and digital signal processor controls (off, driver's seat, rear seat, talk radio, and spacious). CD, DVD, and radio bands can be brought up with small dedicated "real" buttons next to the screen; the power/volume and tune buttons are stacked up with them on one side, the map controls (also real) on the other, making it easier to operate than some competing and past models. To change the DVD, one must stop the car, then press a Tilt button which moves the display screen out of the way and ejects the map DVD. The system works well and more quickly than some, but doesn't have a comprehensive list of points-of-interests and local businesses. It does have a rather nice 3D mode, and features a full touch screen, so that to change the orientation or scale you press indicators on the screen; it requires little attention or work. The trip computer is integrated into it, so that you press the status display repeatedly to go from time to distance to empty to tire pressure to … well, you get the idea, and fortunately you can edit the list so you don't just keep pressing two dozen times.

As befits a Cadillac, the SRX has a quiet, efficient climate control system which is not too loud even on its highest setting – which the automatic setting thankfully does not appear to favor.  The standard dual temperature control is clear and easy to use, as are the various modes. There is a dedicated defrost button which turns the fan up and the defrost vents on; a second press returns to normal mode.

Interior space is moderately generous, with good shoulder room for two and the possibility of fitting three across in the rear seat; the optional third row is clearly for kids and occasional use. It is fairly easy to set up, though - you pull a light lid open, then press a switch and it slowly takes shape. Putting the third seat away is just as easy, though slow, and in both cases you need to keep your finger on the button.

The SRX is nicely versatile, with the second row seat folding (one seat at a time) and sliding four inches fore and aft to increase either leg room or cargo space. The third row seat, when folded, takes up surprisingly little space. In the cargo / third row seat area, there are bins along either side for smaller objects; there are also bins that fold out from the front doors for convenient storage, along with the usual front center console (in the second row, the center console has no storage but contains dual cupholders).  It's hard for adults to get into the third row of seats, where they won't be comfortable anyway, despite the fold-down middle row of seats.

The middle row of seats are raised a little for "theater style" seating – passengers can see out the windshield (or watch the map) more easily, and can also look out the windows as well even though the beltline rises in back. There is good headroom for all passengers, including the driver, despite the massive sunroof, which slides up and over rather than down and in.

The wood interior trim, heated front seats, and power adjustable pedals are expensive options in the V6, but are standard with the V8. Other options in our test car included rear DVD video, and the amazing UltraView sunroof that had ran the length of the car (with separate single-press switches for opening and closing the sunroof cover and the sunroof itself).

Many safety features, including front and middle side airbags, traction control, four wheel antilock disc brakes, and a backup alarm that senses obstructions and provides both visual and audible warnings, are standard. For peace of mind, the Cadillac is covered by a four year, 50,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty that includes loaner cars.  

Cadillac seems to be moving from silent, well-cushioned, large cars to more sporty models, leaving the Lincoln and Lexus crowd behind in favor of the BMW and Volvo buyers. (The move to three-letter-names almost across the board may be another indicator of where they're trying to go.) Cadillac has had a half century of being big, floaty, well-powered-V8 cars, but the SRX takes them one more step in that direction; it joins the CTS and Evoq which are already there, sitting uncomfortably next to the various Escalades. The Cadillac SRX, at least with the magnetic suspension, is clearly biased towards cornering rather than comfort, and has a much more Spartan interior even with the optional wood package (which covers the top of the steering wheel, the top of the gearshift, and relatively small amounts of other trim). A modern Hyundai Sonata may look more upscale in the traditional sense, but Cadillac seems to be eschewing that tradition in favor of a more modern look and feel.

Regardless of brand management, the Cadillac is a worthy contender in this segment. It feels more like a car than an SUV, looks sleek and slim, is not hard to get into and out of, and has decent cargo space, comparable to a station wagon of old. With the luxury option package the Caddy gets pricey – well, anyway, it gets into the traditional Cadillac pricing space – but the base package brings a lot of standard features for under $40,000, making it quite competitive with similarly priced German, Swedish, and Japanese cars. We'd also recommend a look at the Subaru Outback and Dodge Magnum.