The 2013 SRX represents the best-selling model in Cadillac’s
lineup and received its last significant redesign in 2010. New for 2013 are
a host of interior features, mostly designed around Cadillac’s User
Experience (CUE) infotainment setup. We recently spent an enjoyable week
with the 2013 Cadillac SRX and came away impressed with this little luxury
crossover.
On the outside, the SRX is chunky and angular, definitely carrying
the themes we see on Cadillac’s sedans. Stylish touches abound, such
as LED lights around side grilles. An expansive sunroof – one of the
largest we’ve ever seen – dominates the majority of the roof.
Inside we find a comfortable cabin – certainly the SRX is not
the largest vehicle in its class and rear seat occupants may find their
surroundings to be a bit cramped, and cargo space is somewhat limited as
well. Cadillac, well, being Cadillac, has ensured that no detail is
overlooked and the cabin is a lovely place to spend time, owing to classy
details like ambient lighting following the curves of the dash and the
seats.
Driving the SRX is a treat – the cabin is blissfully quiet and
harsh roads are nicely smoothed by the suspension, yet steering is
responsive and body roll minimal.
Our test vehicle came equipped
with Cadillac’s Safety Alert Seat which uses vibrating motors in the
driver’s seat that will pulse momentarily to indicate a situation
requiring the driver’s attention – for example, should the Lane
Departure Warning system sense you’re over the line to the right, the
seat will pulse three times on the right, prompting the driver to correct.
Although it sounds annoying, it’s one of the better driver engagement
systems we’ve tested, and we found that it’s easy to adapt to
and understand what the SRX is trying to tell us.
Power is provided
by GM’s 3.6-liter workhorse, producing 308 hp in this configuration;
although 308 hp sounds significant, one must remember the SRX’s curb
weight of nearly 4,450 lb – the engine has a lot of car to haul, and
acceleration is OK but won’t knock anyone’s socks off.
Handling is stellar, with comfortable steering and solid all-wheel
drive that behaved predictably, especially on that wet slushy stuff we tend
to find on our roads around this time of year.
We averaged 20 mpg
overall during our time with the SRX using gasoline – a feature not
often seen in this class, the SRX is a flex-fuel vehicle and will run on
E85 as well.
As we mentioned, 2013 brings the addition of CUE to the SRX. This
infotainment system combines climate control, entertainment, navigation,
and other features into a single control touchscreen mounted in the dash.
CUE is an interesting setup. While it’s not perfect – we
encountered lag and operations which felt like they took far too many
presses to accomplish – but it’s generally well organized and
intuitive to anyone who’s used a smartphone, with nice features like
haptic feedback confirming button selection. CUE additionally integrates
with a customizable display in the instrument cluster enabling display of
driving information like distance until empty or fuel economy alongside
entertainment or navigation information. One of the overlooked and really
appreciated features of this setup is the amount of room it frees up in the
dash; CUE’s control panel tilts up at the touch of a button revealing
a significant amount of storage space behind the panel.
In addition to the previously-mentioned Safety Alert Seat which
integrates with safety features such as Lane Departure Warning, Forward
Collision Alert, and Cross-Traffic Alert, a number of additional safety
features are included, such as antilock brakes, front side airbags, and
side curtain airbags. OnStar provides automatic crash notification,
roadside assistance, remote door unlock, and stolen vehicle assistance. In
IIHS crash tests, the SRX received the highest rating of "Good" in the
frontal offset, side impact, and roof strength tests.
All in all, Cadillac presents an excellent choice for a small luxury
crossover and we enjoyed our time with the vehicle. Although CUE does take
some getting used to, the SRX drives very well and is deserving of
consideration.
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