2010 Cadillac SRX Review and Prices

• The 2010 Cadillac SRX is the best car for you if you’re downsizing to a crossover SUV and think this new Cadillac with an old name has the right stuff.

• The 2010 Cadillac SRX is a lighter, smaller, more fuel-efficient replacement for the 2004-2009 SRX. Aiming for carlike comfort in a tall, five-passenger wagon body, it’s going after a share of the upscale buyers who make the Lexus RX the top-selling premium SUV.

• Should you buy a 2009 Cadillac SRX or wait for the 2010 Cadillac SRX? An automaker introducing a new model this different from its predecessor typically comes up with a new name, too. Indeed, the 2009 SRX was an old-school crossover, based on a rear-wheel-drive chassis and never quite hitting the sweet spot in size, styling, or personality. If you’re thinking about a new-wave crossover, one more-tightly focused on everyday usability and higher gas mileage, wait for the 2010 Cadillac SRX.

2010 CADILLAC SRX CHANGES

• Styling: Where the original SRX was an elongated box -- not quite SUV-brawny, certainly not station-wagon svelte -- the 2010 Cadillac SRX is by comparison taut and perky. Its wheelbase – the distance between front and rear axles – is only about 2 inches shorter than the 2004-2009 SRX’s, but its body is some 15 inches shorter overall, for significantly less sheet-metal “overhang” front and rear. Styling was previewed on the Cadillac Provoq Concept that appeared at auto shows during 2008. Hewing to Cadillac’s new, line-wide look, the nose of the 2010 SRX carries the marque’s family crest and the cross-hatch grille and vertical headlamps that go with it. The lift-gate rear end is a take-off on that of the new 2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon, and though the SRX’s taillamps don’t climb the roof pillars as in the CTS, they are planed to suggest vertical fins. In side view, the 2010 Cadillac SRX shows a tapered roofline that favors sleek styling over ultimate cargo capacity. A body-length crease is anchored at its forward terminus by the sort of simulated fender vent that’s now a car-design cliché.    

• Mechanical: Based on GM’s rear-wheel-drive “Sigma” chassis originally designed for Cadillac’s CTS and STS premium sedans, the first-generation SRX was a relative heavyweight, with three-rows of seats for seven-passenger capacity, V-6 and V-8 engines, and available all-wheel drive (AWD). The 2010 Cadillac SRX uses GM’s new Theta-Epsilon platform, a slightly longer version of the same architecture that underpins the Chevrolet Equinox. It is front-wheel-drive based, though the 2010 SRX almost certainly will come with AWD standard. It should weigh roughly 600 pounds less than the 2009 SRX, negating the need for a V-8. In fact, base engine for the 2010 SRX will be the smallest in any Cadillac, a 2.8-liter V-6 with maybe 235 horsepower. Also available will be Cadillac’s 3.6-liter V-6, which is rated at 263 or, with direct fuel injection, 304 horsepower.

• Features: The 2010 Cadillac SRX has two rows of seats for five-passenger capacity. In addition to a full array of safety features including antiskid control, standard equipment is likely to include cloth upholstery, tilt/telescope steering wheel with audio controls, and Bluetooth phone connectivity. Look to upgraded trim levels or the options list for such features as leather upholstery, sunroof, a navigation system with real-time traffic, a USB iPod port, an audio hard drive, and keyless access. All 2010 Cadillac SRXs will have automatic transmission, likely a six-speed.

2010 CADILLAC SRX PRICES

• Cadillac needs to under-price key rivals to get the 2010 SRX on the radar, and could bring it in starting around $33,000. That would be $3,000-$4,000 below similarly sized competitors such as the Lincoln MKX, and less or equal to the starting price of smaller new crossovers such as the BMW X3 and upcoming Audi Q5. With the top engine, in top-level trim and loaded with options, a 2010 Cadillac SRX sticker priced at $45,000 or more wouldn’t surprise.

2010 CADILLAC SRX FUEL ECONOMY

• EPA mileage estimates for 2010 models were not released in time for this report, but a 2010 Cadillac SRX with the 2.8-liter engine should achieve something like 18/26 mpg (city/highway). A 3.6-liter version ought to be around 16/24. (The 2009 Cadillac SRX was rated at 14/22 with the V-6, 13/20 with the V-8.) Cadillac also plans to sell the SRX in Europe, where it’s almost certain to be available with a small diesel engine.

2010 CADILLAC SRX RELEASE DATE

• The 2010 Cadillac SRX is scheduled to be unveiled in January 2009 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit and be in showrooms by the middle of calendar 2009.

2010 CADILLAC SRX COMPETITION

• Lexus RX: This is the target, although it’s a moving one because the template for the successful upscale crossover is to be redesigned for 2010. Compared to the second-generation 2004-2009 model, this third-generation RX will have evolutionary styling and slightly larger dimensions, but will continue as a five-seater. Front- or all-wheel drive and a V-6 engine return along with a gas-electric hybrid version. Base prices should be in the $39,000-$44,000 range.

• Infiniti EX35: A tad smaller than the 2010 Cadillac SRX, but chasing the same edgy vibe. Introduced for model-year 2008, the EX35 defaults to a rear-wheel-drive layout and offers AWD as an alternative. A 297-horsepower V-6 and a sporty chassis give it great road manners, top-grade cabin materials make it luxurious, and base prices in the $33,000-$37,000 range make it attainable. Tight rear-seat leg room is a big demerit, but this is otherwise an impressive newcomer.    

• Lincoln MKX: Introduced for 2007 as a gilded version of the Ford Edge, this five-seat crossover constitutes the primary domestic-brand competition for the 2010 Cadillac SRX. It follows much the same formula, with a car-type chassis and a 265-horsepower V-6. It’s offered both in front- and all-wheel drive. Priced attractively at $37,000-$39,000 to start, the MKX hasn’t stood out in this class, lacking that final degree of luxury and refinement and fighting the perception that a true premium crossover-SUV doesn’t wear a Lincoln badge.