Will the 2010 Cadillac SRX Succeed Where the Last One Failed So Epically?

By Jim Hamel

Jim Hamel

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I am now the editor for one of High Gear Media's newest and most exciting sites called "InsiderCarReviews.com." I road test brand new vehicles each... More

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2010 Cadillac SRX Turbo

The first generation Cadillac SRX had all the visual presence of a Ford Country Squire Station Wagon from the 1970s mixed with an interior seemingly constructed from a pile of leftover, ill-fitting plastic legos. The dashboard of the first generation SRX was such a mish-mash of styles that it clashed more violently than the attendees of an Israeli-Palestinian potluck picnic. Despite some solid engine choices the SRX sold poorly.

Fast forward to today and it seems that Cadillac has lately been studying up on the Lexus playbook (not taking into account the utter folly of the CTS wagon), The new SRX crossover is so obviously inspired by the lines of the Lexus RX as to border on plagiarism. But Cadillac should at least be applauded for at least copying the styling of a vehicle from this decade.

With prices starting at $33,330 Cadillac is also targeting the sweet end of the hot selling luxury posh-ute segment. Granted, this base price is for the model with the somewhat lethargic 265 horsepower direct injection V6 if you really want some get up and go in your SRX you have to pony up for the turbocharged 2.8 liter V6 good for 300 horsepower. As such the SRX maxes out at $50,270 fully loaded way too expensive for a vehicle of this size from a manufacturer currently majority owned by our own Federal Government.

While the SRX can be optioned up with most any toy a luxury-ute owner could desire like navigation, heated/cooled seats, and sapele wood trim (?) one has to question the benefit of the pet guard package which amounts to a $500 net that hangs between the cargo and rear seat area. So what, this net is supposed to catch your dog when you slam on the brakes? How long did it take GM to engineer that far out concept? Come on Cadillac, you can do better.

To be honest, the you can do better mantra pretty much permeates the whole SRX concept. While it is an attractive looking vehicle the engineering seems both lazy and half-baked. Add in pricing that puts it in competition with better offerings from Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Infiniti and Acura and you have what amounts to a big problem for Cadillac. But all is not lost - at least it no longer looks like a Ford station wagon from three decades ago.