Flattered with imitation.

Introduction

Cadillac may not have created the recipe that makes the SRX, but it has come close to perfecting it. This is one utility vehicle that does it all. It has the driving dynamics of a good luxury sedan, the all-weather capability of some truck-based SUVs and the space and functionality of a minivan. 

The Cadillac SRX is a good choice among luxury SUVs, if you can call it an SUV. It drives like a European sedan and its edgy styling stands out in a sea of boxy sport-utilities and minivans. Yet the SRX is quite practical. It can carry up to seven passengers, and its flat, carpeted cargo area works great for hauling cargo. Its sharp handling, quick acceleration and high-performance braking make for a sporty, enjoyable experience. Yet it offers a smooth, extremely quiet ride. 

The SRX comes trimmed with leather upholstery and is loaded with luxury features. The interior is stylish and comfortable, if not warm and inviting. It's available with a V6 or V8 engine. Both engines feature the latest technology, including electronic throttle control and four overhead cams with fully variable valve timing. The V8s are smooth and confident and deliver brilliant acceleration for a vehicle of this size. All-wheel drive is available and we've found that the SRX performs superbly in the snow. 

Improvements for 2006 are subtle, but noticeable and welcome. New wood trim on the center stack adds a bit of warmth to the cabin, while new wheel designs give SRX a more aggressive stance. The standard suspension has been lowered slightly for 2006, allowing what Cadillac claims to be the lowest step-in height in the class. A power rear liftgate is now standard on both models, allowing the owner to open and close it without touching an exterior surface or getting hands dirty; it's really handy when walking up to or away from the car with an armload of groceries. 

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Cadillac should be flattered. The SRX's success has prompted similar vehicles from other luxury car builders, including the Mercedes R-Class. More are on the way. But for now, at least, Cadillac is off with an impressive head start. 

Lineup

The Cadillac SRX comes in two models differentiated by their engines, a 260-hp V6 or a 320-hp V8. Both are paired with a five-speed automatic transmission. The standard interior has two rows of seats for five. An optional two-place power folding rear seat can increase seating capacity to seven. 

The SRX V6 ($39,995) comes with leather upholstery, dual-zone automatic climate control and a long list of luxury features, including an eight-way power driver's seat, a power-adjustable second-row seat, one-touch power windows, heated mirrors, steering wheel-mounted audio controls, a single CD player and the popular OnStar tele-aid system with a basic subscription for one year. This SRX comes standard with 17-inch aluminum wheels. 

The SRX V8 ($47,995) adds more than a bigger engine. Its standard feature list includes heated front seats with memory for the driver's seat and power adjustments for the front passenger's seat, wood interior trim and a premium Bose stereo with an in-dash six-CD changer. The V8 also adds 18-inch wheels and a tire pressure monitoring system. 

The SRX comes standard with rear-wheel drive. All-wheel drive ($1,900) is optional on both models. 

Option groups allow the SRX V6 to be equipped like the V8, without the bigger engine. The Driver's Level One package ($1,795) adds the 18-inch wheels with V-rated tires, Xenon headlights and a headlight washer system. The Luxury Level One package ($700) includes a reconfigurable rear cargo area with removable storage bin, a universal home remote, wood trim and the tire pressure monitor. The wood trim ($495) can be ordered separately, as can the premium Bose stereo and CD changer ($1,000). 

Options include the expansive UltraView Plus Power Glass Sunroof ($2,255); a rear-seat DVD entertainment system ($1,200) with an LCD screen, wireless headphones and remote control; Cadillac's Magnetic Ride Control ($1,650) variable-dampening suspension: and power-adjustable pedals ($150). 

Safety features include most of the active and passive safety features available today. The SRX comes standard with dual-stage front airbags, front side-impact airbags and curtain-style head protection airbags for the first two rows of seats. To help avoid collisions before they occur, the SRX has anti-lock brakes with the latest electronic brake-force distribution and panic Brake Assist technology, traction control and electronic stability control. Rear park assist is optional. 

The SRX performed well in National Highway Traffic Safety Administration crash test: four stars for frontal impacts and the full five stars for side impacts. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave the SRX 'Good' grades for 40-mph offset frontal crashes. 

Walkaround

The Cadillac SRX is a medium-size luxury utility. Like many of the latest crossover vehicles that are based on cars, the SRX feels and drives more like a station wagon than a traditional truck-based sport utility. While European automakers like and sell lots of station wagons, their American counterparts (and many buyers) think station wagon is a dirty word, probably because of the mom-mobile connotations. Station-wagon fans think wagons are more sophisticated than sport utilities, probably because they are. The SRX sort of straddles the middle. It has the function and driving performance of a wagon, but a look (and higher seating position) that's more in line with an SUV. Its ride, handling and technology are more sophisticated than most truck-based SUVs. 

The SRX features Cadillac's edgy Art and Science design philosophy, introduced on the CTS sedan. People tend to love it or hate it. The SRX looks modern, even futuristic, but doesn't neglect Cadillac's heritage. It was inspired by the original El Dorado, with its exuberant tailfins, that debuted in 1959. The bottom line: If you like the edgy, angular look of the CTS and STS sedans, or the XLR roadster, then you'll like the styling on the SRX. Love it or hate it, it's bold and unabashedly American. You will stand out in a crowd. 

For 2006, the SRX features new wheel designs that further flaunt its design. Restyled 17-inch and 18-inch wheels have an aggressive look, with six exposed lugs and a prominent Cadillac wreath and crest in the center caps. There are also three new paint colors: Stealth Grey, Radiant Bronze and Infrared. 

Interior

The Cadillac SRX interior shares design themes with those in Cadillac's CTS and STS sedans. Like the exterior styling, the look inside is a love-it or hate-it affair. The door panels and dashboard are stylish and practical, but they aren't particularly beautiful, warm or inviting. Some have called Cadillac's interiors cold. 

Aware of such criticism, Cadillac took a serious shot at warming up the SRX interior beginning with the 2005 model year. It revamped the instrument cluster, adding chrome accents, and introduced softer, richer interior colors such ebony, light neutral and light gray. The trend continues for 2006, with a more expansive wood trim package that now includes the entire center stack, and a new cashmere interior color. It's an improvement, but we're still not fond of some of the details. The chrome surround on the shifter is almost garish, and script used to label the gears is anything but elegant. 

The SRX cabin is richly finished, however, on par with the best in SUVs. 

Moreover, everything is easy to operate. The window switches are on the doors, right where you expect to find them, and the climate and audio controls in the center stack are efficiently laid out and easy to find while driving without significant distraction. 

The SRX is roomier than some of its competitors, especially the BMW X5 and Infiniti FX. At 41 inches, it has more rear legroom than other midsize luxury sport-utilities and as much rear hip room as the roomy Acura MDX. 

Five-passenger seating is standard, with individual seats in front and a three-place bench in back. The second seat powers back and forth for more legroom or more cargo space. More SUVs should have this feature. The cargo area in the five-passenger model can be outfitted with covered storage spaces built into the floor. 

The SRX can carry seven passengers when ordered with the optional third-row bench seat. This third row gives SRX an edge on many of its competitors, including the BMW X5, Infiniti FX, and Lexus RX. Yet the SRX's third seat provides less room, including legroom, than those in the Acura MDX and Volvo XC90. The Cadillac's third-row seat folds flat into the floor with the press of a button. Adding greatly to convenience, buttons to accomplish this are provided near the rear hatch and on the pillar just behind the second row of seats. The third row comes with storage bins and cup holders. Each row of seats sits higher than the one in front of it, theater style, so everyone can see out. 

Luggage space is about average for the class. The nice, flat, dog-friendly cargo floor behind the second row makes the SRX an excellent vehicle for the fur-bearing members of the family. Roof rails come standard to expand cargo-carrying capability. 

Storage cubbies abound, including covered front door compartments, front door map pockets, front seatback pockets, a front center console with two compartments, a bin behind the front console and a glove box with a shelf. There are cup holders in the front seat center console and second seat fold-down armrest. The SRX also has rear coat hooks that are accessible from both the rear passenger doors and liftgate, whichever proves more convenient when picking up the dry cleaning. 

Among the available options, the most interesting is its super-sized sunroof. Push the button to open the Ultra View Sunroof and first- and second-row passengers can enjoy 5.6 feet of open air overhead. The Ultra View Plus option adds a shaded glass roof over the third row. 

Driving Impression

The Cadillac SRX boasts a superb balance between a smooth ride and responsive handling. It's much more nimble than any truck-based SUV. We loved its smooth, extremely quiet ride and spirited handling while driving it on twisting mountain roads in Arizona. The SRX is built on the same GM Sigma platform as the Cadillac CTS and STS, which are couple of the best handling sedans to come out of Detroit in a long time. This platform provides a solid, flex-free foundation that allows the suspension to do its job. Throw in a much lower center of gravity than the typical SUV and near perfect front-rear weight distribution, and you have a utility vehicle that's fun to drive at a good clip. 

The 4.6-liter V8 delivers lots of power. Cadillac's latest-generation Northstar V8 is rated at 320 horsepower and 315 pound-feet of torque. With the V8, the SRX can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 6.2 seconds (6.9 seconds for the heavier all-wheel-drive version), according to Cadillac. The SRX V8 never disappointed us on mountain roads in Arizona, and always had plenty of smooth power in reserve. The Northstar is the sort of engine that makes you want to floor the accelerator just to feel the thrust as speed builds (granted, not the smartest thing in an era of high fuel prices). 

The SRX V6 generates 260 horsepower and 254 pound-feet of torque. This too is a solidly powerful engine, even if it's not quite as enjoyable as the V8. Cadillac reports 0-60 mph acceleration in the low 7-second range for the V6, which is reasonably quick (as a rule of thumb, the 8-second mark separates slow from fast). No one is going to feel underpowered driving the SRX V6, and it can be equipped to tow up to 2000 pounds, enough for personal watercraft. If you want to tow a real boat, get the V8. It's rated to pull 4250 pounds. 

Both engines deliver power through five-speed automatic transmissions, and these are good performers, too. Upshifts are smooth, but crisp and never mushy, and downshifts come quickly with a jab at the gas pedal. The transmissions also have a manual mode that allows the driver to do the shifting by clicking the gear lever. The SRX lets you brake and downshift going into a curve, and then power out and upshift at the exit, as in a good sports sedan. 

The SRX offers good all-weather capability. Its relatively low center of gravity and long wheelbase give it better stability in terms of roll (lean) and yaw than most SUVs. It feels better planted in sloppy stuff, and the optional all-wheel drive maximizes whatever traction is available by sending engine power to the wheels with the best grip. 

Active safety systems improve handling stability further: SRX comes standard with anti-lock brakes (ABS), traction control, panic Brake Assist, and dynamic rear brake proportioning (EBD). It's also available with StabiliTrak, an active handling system designed to keep the SRX under the driver's control on wet, snowy and icy surfaces, in tight turns, and in evasive maneuvers. It is enhanced with optional Magnetic Ride Control, which GM calls the world's fastest reacting suspension control system. We highly recommend StabiliTrak for its ability to help a driver you maintain control in slippery corners. ABS allows the driver to maintain steering control under hard braking. Brake Assist and dynamic rear brake proportioning improve braking performance and stability. Traction control improves stability when accelerating on slippery surfaces. 

In a winter test drive in northern Michigan, the SRX performed well on ice and snow against its competitors. The SRX was the best all-around performer except for the Volvo XC90. As it began to slip or slide, the electronic aids acted as an invisible co-pilot, gently and unobtrusively nudging the SRX back on course by decreasing power when necessary or lightly applying the brakes to individual wheels whenever they started to spin. 

Summary

The Cadillac SRX makes an appealing package. It delivers as much or more functionality, space and all-weather capability as most sport utilities, but it's wrapped in a distinctive package and delivers a spirited driving experience. It's no wonder other luxury carmakers are following Cadillac's cue and creating vehicles like the SRX. The SRX remains one of our top choices in this class. The V8 is sportier and more fun to drive than a Lexus RX 330 or Mercedes M-Class, and it has more room and a better ride than a BMW X5. A V6 SRX with all-wheel drive compares favorably with a Volvo XC 90, in price and performance. 

NewCarTestDrive.com editor Mitch McCullough reported from Los Angeles; Michelle Krebs filed the original report from Arizona. 

Model Lineup

Cadillac SRX V6 ($39,995); V8 ($47,995). 

Assembled In

Lansing, Michigan. 

Options As Tested

all-wheel drive ($1,900); utility package ($1,100) includes power folding 3rd row bench seat, rear air conditioning, heavy-duty cooling system, power steering fluid cooler and trailer hitch with wiring harness; DVD navigation system ($1,995).