2010 Cadillac SRX Turbo AWD Premium: Smaller and sleeker

Written by Steven Macoy
Thursday, 11 March 2010 16:15

They’re back.

Cadillac undertook to downsize its compact sport-utility vehicle, the SRX, for 2010. Gone are the V-8 power and the tall, upright lines. Gone, also, is third-row seating. The new model is smaller and sleeker, but just as stylish and well-equipped as the original.

And it has fins.

We became fans of the first-generation SRX in 2004 after driving it from western Connecticut to Washington, D.C., in a snowstorm. The car’s stability and traction in dicey conditions were exemplary. We did not get a similar opportunity with the new SRX, but with all-wheel drive, stability control, traction control and electronic limited-slip differential and better than two tons of body weight, we’re confident the new version will do as well.

The aforementioned fins are barely discernible from 10 feet away, but they’re unmistakably present atop the big red taillights. Nothing else about this car could be described as retro, and the fins of 2010 are nothing like the outsized appendages that graced Cadillacs of a half century ago. But it’s a nod to the brand’s glory days nonetheless.

Our SRX was a top-of-the-line radiant silver unit priced at $53,480. The base model, with front-wheel drive, starts at $33,330, placing it among the price leaders among premium compact SUVs. But option packages bringing the SRX into the major leagues of this sector inflate the price to the $50,000 range. Major features accounting for the $20,000 premium include all-wheel drive and a turbocharged, 300-horsepower V-6 engine. AWD also is available on SRXs with the standard 265-horsepower V-6, starting just under $40,000.

Happenstance gave us a basis of comparison. The same week we had the SRX, we drove an Acura MDX, a premium compact SUV priced a little higher than the Cadillac. The two cars had similar size, features, power and fuel economy. Bottom line: The Acura, with very light steering and a soft ride, felt smoother overall but didn’t handle quite as crisply as the SRX.

Consumers have greeted the new SRX enthusiastically. In December, the company sold nearly 5,000 units, compared with 1,401 in December 2008. Some of that increase can be attributed to the improved national economy, but not all.

Our SRX delivered about 20 mpg of premium fuel and is rated at 15 mpg city, 22 highway. The non-turbo models, which are content with regular gasoline, are rated as high as 18/25 with front-wheel drive.

The SRX received five-star ratings in government crash tests in all categories except front-passenger protection and rollover resistance, both four stars. Reliability data for this new model, assembled in Mexico, are unavailable. Past SRXs had much worse than average reliability, according to Consumer Reports magazine reader surveys.

Of course, this is just about as competitive a market as there is. All of the European automakers sell premium compact SUVs, as do Acura, Infiniti and Lexus. Those cars don’t have fins, however.

Price: $53,480

Engine: 2.8-liter turbocharged V-6, 300 horsepower, 295 lb.-ft. torque

Transmission: 6-speed shiftable automatic

Drive: All-wheel

Weight: 4,387 lb.

Suspension: MacPherson strut front, multi-link rear

Ground clearance: 7 inches

Wheels: 20-inch by 8-inch painted alloy

Tires: P235/55R20 H all-season

Seating capacity: 5

Luggage capacity: 29.8 cu. ft.

Maximum cargo capacity: 61 cu. ft.

Towing capacity: 3,500 lb.

Fuel capacity: 21 gallons

Fuel economy: 16 mpg city, 22 mpg highway

Fuel type: Premium unleaded

Steven Macoy ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) is a longtime car enthusiast and full-time editor who lives in Bethel, Conn.

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