This is a true luxury car in all senses of the word—not to mention as close as you can get to Knight Rider’s K.I.T.T. as possible, with the natural voice recognition of its Cadillac User Experience (CUE). This lets you control phone commands, music and navigation without having to use or learn strange robotic-sounding instructions.
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I really didn't want to like this flashy Cadillac. Its wheels are too big and shiny, its grille looks like it's about to eat a Prius, and everything about it screams "Modern Yuppie".
I have to admit I wasn't looking forward to spending 3 days in this ostentatious SUV during our recent trip up to the Petite LeMans. By the time we returned however, I was a fan.
My feelings about the Caddy started to change once I opened the door and a genuinely beautiful interior greeted me. No longer is GM a laughingstock when it come to interior design. This American not only has style inside, but the quality of construction and materials used are superior to nearly all of it's rivals. Couple this to a rocking stereo and extremely well crafted and comfortable seats, and I started to come around.
As sports car guys, we generally aren't a fan of sunroofs, as they add weight were you want it the least. In this SRX however, the giant expanse of glass that covers the roof adds lovely ambient lighting during the day, and an expansive view of the stars at night. Who cares about 10-10ths handling in an SUV anyways? This thing was made to cruise.
Although eating miles on the interstate is clearly in this machine's sweet spot, it is also a surprisingly competent handler. No, it won't win FTD at your local autocross, but it offers a pleasing amount of grip, and chassis poise when the road gets twisty.
As we've found with most incredibly complex infotainment systems, the Caddy CUE system will take time to properly learn and implement. That said, the adaptive cruise control is frustrating to use, and the voice recognition system frequently had trouble making sense of our dialect. It seems the days of ignoring the owners's manual are over, as it will need to be studied thoroughly to fully enjoy the SRX's capabilities.
Caddy has done a fine job with the SRX. If you can stand the look, you will likely love the machine.
If you need a mid-sized SUV that wears a Cadillac crest, well, this is probably the one for you. It looks like a Caddy and comes fully equipped. Not sure why they offer it any other colors than blacks and silver. Come on, people, it's a Cadillac. Keep it classy.
I never warmed up to the center stack, though. Cadillac has gone to touch-style controls for the HVAC. I realize that's an emerging trend, but I prefer the ones found in the Volt--similar idea but a little easier to use.
If it were my money, I'd go for the CTS Sport Wagon instead. Okay, so it's less power for money money. I just prefer the traditional wagon layout.
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