2010 Cadillac SRX

PREVIEW—Are the years growing shorter or is it just me? Sometime in early summer, the all-new 2010 Cadillac SRX will be in dealer showrooms. The new sports-utility vehicle (or crossover, or whatever you’d like to call it) is smaller, gets better fuel economy and should be just as quick as its predecessor. The 2010 SRX will be powered by the smallest engine offered in a Cadillac; but, since it will make 265 horsepower, few will notice. An optional state-of-the-art all-wheel-drive system should make the SRX a favorite of those who live or play where it snows. The 2010 Cadillac SRX loses the 2009’s marginally useful third row seats, leaving it with five seating positions.

Styling and Interior

Cadillac aspired to make the redesigned SRX exterior styling appear to “look fast even while sitting still.” The 2010 SRX retains Cadillac’s distinctively assertive bodylines, but employs enough features to separate it from the rest of the fleet. Inside, designers combined the old-world craftsmanship of hand-cut and hand-stitched leather with modern controls and surfaces.


The all-new 2010 Cadillac SRX luxury crossover will begin assembly in the summer of 2009 in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico. Standard are 18-inch diameter wheels, while 20-inchers are optional. Maximum towing capacity, even with the trailer-towing package, is a moderate 3,500 pounds. The SRX meets European pedestrian protection standards. The front bumper is lowered to better match- up with car-height bumpers, which is good for both accident participants should an SRX driver rear-end a car.

Power Source

For the 2010 model, the only engine will be a 3.0-liter double-overhead cam V6, the smallest engine currently offered by Cadillac. The 3.0L has direct fuel injection, which means gasoline under very high pressure is squirted directly into the cylinder. Older fuel injection systems use the less efficient method of introducing the fuel into the intake manifold. Direct injection produces more power, better fuel economy and lower emissions. The 3.0 will make 265 horsepower, 10 more than the 3.6-liter V6 in the 2009 SRX. Aided by variable valve timing, fuel economy is expected to increase to about 24 miles per gallon on the government’s highway driving cycle. Hydrocarbon emissions should drop around 25 percent. This 3.0-liter V6 engine is mated to a six-speed automatic. New safety features will raise the weight of the 2010 SRX to slightly above of the 2009 model, so acceleration on dry pavement will be about the same.


A future option on the new Cadillac SRX will be a 2.8-liter turbocharged V6 that should pump out an impressive 300 horsepower. A six-speed transmission will carry power to the wheels. However, the turbo engine won’t be available until the fall of 2010.