At full throttle, the sound and acceleration at high revs are admirable, though a slow-to-react transmission, which often shifts down once and then again at full throttle, spoils slightly. And though the numbed throttle calibration works to enhance gentle driving smoothness and fuel efficiency, it does mean you’ll need a good stomp to get the SRX moving in any sort of hurry. It’ll scoot when given the boots (or, in this case, uncomfortable plastic rental wedding shoes), but it’s during gentle driving where the powertrain shines brightest.
The brake pedal is hinged a little awkwardly and the top inch of travel is just for decoration, but the brakes are powerful and easily modulated when worked hard, the ABS action is smooth at the pedal and virtually noiseless, and advanced braking control strategies work with effectiveness to keep the SRX’s back wheels closely following the fronts during emergency brake-and-evade maneuvers. In fact, the SRX handled my pretend, 80 km/h “holy-crap-a-bear-totally-just-ran-right-in-front-of-me” test with minimal drama.
Ride and handling are a nice blend of sporty and comfortable on well-maintained roads, with slightly heavy-set steering helping contribute to a locked-in feel. Still, ride quality is largely at the mercy of the surface passing beneath: as it tends to go in the segment, SRX rides smooth highways and well maintained roads beautifully, with noise levels kept down nicely, and body motions presenting as soft and gentle undulations over the wheels. On rougher in-town roads, noise levels increase and ride quality degrades in relation to what’s passing beneath. Though SRX’s suspension has been revised and handles rougher stuff notably better than earlier models, it’s still middle-of-the-line, and not the segment’s best-riding machine when the going gets rough. Visit a rough road on your test drive to see for yourself.
Mileage on my watch was also middle-of-the-line, landing at 11 L/100 km. That’s within limits for this type of machine, but a touch on the thirsty side.
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Warranty: 4 years/100,000 km; 6 years/110,000 km powertrain; 7 years/unlimited distance corrosion perforation; 4 years/100,000 km roadside assistance Competitors: |
All said, standout reasons to consider an SRX will be the advanced array of confidence-boosting technologies, the lavish but not overdone cabin, and clever, thoughtful touches like the centre stack storage bin, cargo divider rail system, height adjustable tailgate opener and so on. Though a lazy transmission and thirstier-than-expected fuel consumption take away from the package, SRX’s ability to keep stressed-out drivers cool and collected when they’re rushing around will help compensate.
Pricing: 2015 Cadillac SRX Platinum AWD
Base price: $56,305
Options: Driver Assist Package ($2,495), Rear DVD Entertainment ($1,995), Trailering package ($655), 20-inch wheels ($645), Plum Metallic Paint ($520)
Freight & PDI: $1,800
A/C Tax: $100
Price as Tested: $64,515
Compact Luxury Crossover SUVs
February 20, 2013
