Up Close: 2010 Cadillac SRX
The first-generation Cadillac SRX didn’t knock me out. It was a little like the first-generation CTS sedan in that its styling was the right idea, but it looked unfinished — like someone needed to take a file to it and smooth it out. Lo and behold, Cadillac filed away at the CTS a couple years ago, and now it’s followed up with the 2010 SRX, which is the company’s five-seat crossover SUV.
It has a bold but refined appearance that looks like a larger, exaggerated CTS Sport Wagon. The roofline slopes downward as the beltline rises, resulting in side windows that narrow to a squint by the time they end at the D-pillars. And here’s where you’ll find the most controversial element: taillights that rise in a peak to form little tailfins.
Cadillac has used vertical taillights for decades as an homage to the old tail-finned designs of the 1950s and beyond, but these things really are little three-dimensional fins. How much they blend in or stick out depends on the paint color. More of a concern are the red borders that encircle the taillight lenses; they just don’t look like they belong.
The interior is as big a jump from the previous generation as the current CTS’ was. The SRX’s styling now emulates the sedan’s, complete with an LCD navigation touch-screen that rises from the dashboard. The materials are much improved, and the gauge lighting is top-notch. They have a glow similar to the Timex Indiglo technology that has appeared in some cars, but less … cheap-looking, really. The illuminated logos in the front doorsill plates look terrific. It’s something we’ve seen before, but it’s particularly classy when applied to the script Cadillac name rather than the usual blocky text.
For a new model, the SRX’s backseat is a little disappointing. With the driver’s seat all the way back (and to be fair, that’s pretty far back), I found the legroom rather tight behind it. At 6 feet tall, I also found little headroom to spare with the large panoramic moonroof. The seats back there don’t adjust forward and back, which would add some flexibility. And while the split-folding backrests recline, there’s no easily reached lever or strap to release them. You have to twist around and pull the handle atop the backrest. It’s hard to tell in a dark auto show area, but the squinty side windows didn’t bother me much.
The cargo area is flat and about hip high. You definitely pay for the model’s sleek styling when it comes to cargo volume behind the backseat. Still, even though the new SRX is a bit smaller and shorter on the outside than the previous one, Cadillac says, it gains a little interior space. This is a whole new platform offering front- or all-wheel drive rather than the first generation’s rear-drive platform, derived straight from the CTS. This new one, combined with 3.6-liter and turbocharged 2.8-liter V-6 engines, should help boost the mpg, too. Cadillac predicts mileage as high as the mid-20s in highway driving. The current model tops out at 23 mpg. Cadillac says the price should be the same as the 2009, or perhaps even lower.
