Cadillac's Crossover

Cadillac's SRX delivers (finally) on a luxury interior but still lacks the sex appeal of the Escalade

by Thane Peterson

Editor's Rating:

The Good: Panoramic sunroof, third row of seats, cash rebates

The Bad: So-so fuel efficiency, unattractive exterior

The Bottom Line: A luxury station wagon on steroids

Reader Reviews

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Up Front

Cadillac may be the best thing General Motors (GM) has going for it. Even as the parent company struggles financially, the Cadillac division continues to compete head-on with formidable rivals such as BMW and Toyota's (TM) Lexus by focusing on quality, features and value (what a revolutionary idea!). It also believes in Japanese-style continuous improvement of its products—a concept essential to today's subject, the '07 Cadillac SRX.

The SRX is a crossover vehicle, which means it's in a hot market. Based on the same platform as the CTS, Cadillac's entry-level sedan, it's a light-duty SUV that looks a little like a station wagon on steroids, combining the roominess, off-road capability and cargo space of an SUV with the handling and speediness of a car.

Earlier versions of the SRX, which first hit the market in the 2004 model year, won plaudits from the auto press but got hammered for having a too-chintzy interior. Rather than ignore the criticism and cut the price to boost sales, Cadillac actually fixed the SRX for the '07 model year—noticeably improving the interior. It should have happened sooner, but better late than never.

The result is that the '07 SRX is a cool vehicle in a hot segment with very few faults. The average SRX spends a mere 13 days on a dealer's lot before selling, according to the Power Information Network. Of the competing models in the same price range, only the Acura MDX turns over faster (10 days). The Volvo XC90 sells in an average of 18 days, and the Lexus RX 350 in 25.

If you're tempted by the SRX, it's a great time to buy because GM is offering $2,145 cash rebates on the model through New Year's Day. Cash rebates and low interest rate financing have given Cadillac a big boost lately. The division's overall sales rose 20.3%, to 17,250, in November, though they were off 3.7%, to 204,299 units, for the first 11 months of 2006.

Cadillac's hottest model right now is its behemoth Escalade (see BusinessWeek.com, 11/2/06, "Cadillac's Crown Jewel"), but the SRX is doing well, too. SRX sales were up 9.5% in November, to 1,492 (though for the first 11 months of the year, sales were down 4.9%, to 19,907).

Cadillac also does well in quality ratings, especially when it comes to service. The 2006 SRX only rated 3.5 stars in J.D. Power's 2006 Initial Quality study. But Cadillac ranked No. 3 (behind Lexus and Buick) among all auto makers in terms of customer satisfaction with its dealers' service and No. 2 (behind Jaguar) in terms of customer satisfaction with the overall sales experience. (Like BusinessWeek.com, J.D. Power and the Power Information Network are units of The McGraw-Hill Companies.)

The SRX is fairly spacious but without the wretched excess of a really big SUV like the Escalade. At 195 in. long and 4,300 lbs., the SRX is 28 in. shorter and three-quarters-of-a-ton lighter than the Escalade. It only comes in two trim levels, mainly differentiated by engine size. Your choice is between a 3.6-liter, 255-horsepower V6, which starts at $37,855, or a 4.6-liter, 320-horsepower V8 version that starts at $44,060.

The V6 version is fairly nicely outfitted, with power outside mirrors, windows, and locks; an auto-dimming rearview mirror; leather seats; 17-in. alloy wheels; OnStar telematics; rear parking assist; a Bose audio system with a CD player; and XM Satellite Radio. The V8 comes with additional standard gear that costs extra on the V6 model, including heated front seats, a six-CD changer, a power passenger seat, wood interior accents, tire pressure monitoring, and 18-in. alloy wheels.

Fuel efficiency is only so-so: With the V6 engine, the two-wheel drive version of the SRX with a V6 engine is rated to get 16 mpg in the city and 24 on the highway, according to the EPA. With the V8—in both two-wheel and four-wheel drive—the rating falls to 15 mpg in the city and 22 on the highway. In 273 miles of mainly highway driving in my test car with a V8 engine, I got 16.2 mpg.

What I don't get about the SRX is why it's a hot seller mainly with the geriatric set. The average SRX purchaser is 58, according to Power, as opposed to 52 for the Lexus, 45 for the Acura, and 44 for the Volvo. Only 4.2% of SRX buyers are under 35, while 60.7% are over 56. That's an indication that Cadillac is still having image problems with younger buyers, which is odd given the success of the Escalade.

Of course, it's a matter of personal taste, but my guess is that the rap on the SRX with younger buyers is that its exterior styling is, well, ugly. It's just too boxy and station-wagon-like for my taste.