At the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Motor City next week, Cadillac will show the second-generation SRX crossover vehicle. While the original SRX was built off the rear-drive Sigma platform made famous with the CTS sedan, the new model shares the Theta architecture with the Saturn Vue. The production SRX closely resembles the Cadillac Provoq concept from last season’s show circuit, and that is a good thing.
The sharp-edged, five seater will be offered with two engines, a 3.0-liter V-6 and a 2.8-liter turbocharged V-6. The base engine is a smaller displacement variant of the laudable 3.6-liter used in other GM models. Here, the direct-injection engine will produce 260 horsepower. The forcefed 2.8-liter bumps output to 300 horsepower. Both engines are teamed with a 6T70 six-speed automatic transmission.
Power is routed to either the front wheels or all four, with an available AWD system. Engineered for all-weather duty, rather than off-road adventuring, the AWD features an electronic limited-slip differential and operates in an active on-demand capacity. The AWD models feature a real-time damping system that adjusts shock damping rates in response to road conditions. Such systems on other Cadillac models have been quite impressive, particularly in balancing calm and spirited driving, and addressing challenging road surfaces.
Other available luxury niceties include a "pop-up" navigation screen with three-dimensional imaging; adaptive forward lighting that swivels the headlamps in synch with vehicle steering; power liftgate with adjustable height setting; integrated hard disc drive for audio storage; and a dual-screen system for rear entertainment. Bluetooth compatibility is standard, as is OnStar’s turn-by-turn navigation service for buyers who do not select the car’s navigation system option.
On the safety front, the SRX features standard head curtain side air bags, front seat-mounted side air bags, front safety belts with dual pretensioners and load limiters, rollover mitigation sensors, a pedal release system, and trailer stability assist.
The SRX goes on sale mid 2009, with production scheduled to begin in the second quarter.
Read our 2009 Cadillac CTS review, and research Cadillacs in the new car buyer's guide.