The cabin tech interface looks good, and is very usable. With its conventional suspension, the SRX isn't one of the best-handling crossovers we've driven. Cadillac also made a good choice with the transmission, which reacts well in sport mode.
But the Bluetooth phone system is very basic and we would like to see more driver aid features, especially a blind spot warning system.Ĭadillac's use of a small V-6 with a turbocharger is intriguing, and we like that it squeezes out 300 horsepower while getting reasonable fuel economy. There are some very good elements to the 2010 Cadillac SRX's cabin tech, such as the navigation system, with its traffic avoidance feature, and the stereo system. However, the suspension was not tuned too softly either, providing a decent, nondramatic ride. It damped out the bumps reasonably well, but didn't glide over them. SRX's with the turbocharged engine come standard with all-wheel-drive, which helped in cornering, but not to the extent that a torque vectoring system could.Ĭruising down the freeway or over rough city streets, the ride quality was good, but not what we would really want in a Cadillac. Lacking an adaptive suspension to actively fight body roll, however, this crossover proved too tall for truly excellent cornering performance. The suspension was adequate for cornering, using antiroll components to keep the SRX on its feet.
This transmission also has a manual mode, although no paddle shifters, which was a little disappointing. The six-speed automatic transmission's sport mode proved aggressive, downshifting rapidly as we braked at the end of a straightaway, giving the engine plenty of revolutions per minute for the ensuing turn. Recent Cadillacs have been good sport drivers, so we put the SRX through a mountain course of winding roads. The SRX's six-speed automatic includes manual shift and sport modes. North of 40 mph, though, the car continues to accelerate, the turbo keeping it from running out of breath. The car's initial acceleration is good, but not breathtaking. Slamming down the gas led to uneven acceleration, turbo lag making itself felt. We came up with 19 mpg in freeway-biased driving, which is not a bad number for an engine with that amount of output.īut we can't say that 300 horsepower was apparent from launch. With the turbo SRX, the EPA fuel economy comes out to 15 mpg city and 22 mpg highway. This turbocharged engine represents GM's efforts to get more power out of smaller engines, efficiency technologies aimed at better fuel economy. By contrast, the direct injection 3-liter V-6 SRX we tested last year made only 265 horsepower and 223 pound-feet of torque. The turbo gets its output up to 300 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. Of course, Cadillac fits it with a turbocharger so the SRX will have the kind of power you would expect. V-6es this small haven't been used in years.
This 2010 SRX is powered by a V-6, but unlike every other six-cylinder engine currently on the market, this displaces less than 3 liters, weighing in at only 2.8. As the Buick LaCrosse does have blind spot detection, we expect GM will soon extend this feature to the SRX. Features the SRX is currently lacking are an around-view camera system, adaptive cruise control, and blind spot detection- all of which are cropping up on competitors.