2014 Cadillac SRX AWD Premium – QUICK TAKES

Cadillac SRX offers a roomy interior, with seating for five and a large cargo area. Its design is classic Cadillac, with luxury that touches every aspect of the vehicle, from the technology-drenched dashboard and high-performance powertrain to the exclusive comfort and convenience features designed to surpass expectations.

The 2014 SRX offers Intellibeam headlamps as part of the Driver Awareness Package. It automatically deploys high-beam headlamps when needed and instantly turns them down when oncoming traffic is detected. Also new for 2014 is an 18-inch chrome-plated wheel, available on the Luxury Collection (late availability), along with a trio of exterior colors: Graphite Metallic, Terra Mocha Metallic and Sapphire Blue Metallic. There’s also a new interior color combination: Caramel with Ebony accents.

SRX is offered in a base model and three option collections: Luxury, Performance and Premium, with all-wheel drive offered on all but the Base model. All models are powered by a direct-injected 3.6L V-6 rated at an SAE-certified 308 horsepower (230 kW) and 265 lb.-ft. of torque (358 Nm). It is matched with the Hydra-Matic 6T70 six-speed automatic transmission, which features a driver-selectable Eco feature that alters the shift points for up to 1-mpg improved fuel economy in normal driving conditions.

SRX exterior design and features

While Cadillac’s luxury crossover maintains its well-heeled exterior design, with striking angles and refined details, the SRX has never looked better. The signature shield piece grille design offers expressive depth for an overall richer appearance. Flanking the grille are Cadillac’s iconic vertical headlamps, with light pipe technology and available Adaptive Forward Lighting technology that turns the lamps in the direction of the front wheels.

Light pipes also provide a glow to the front fender vents of the SRX, as well as the vertical taillamps. The SRX has a wide stance, minimal overhangs and wheels pushed to corners. Eighteen-inch wheels are standard on the Base and Luxury Collection and 20-inch wheels are standard on Performance and Premium Collections. New 18-inch chrome-plated wheels are available on the 1SB Luxury Collection.

Other standard and available exterior features include:

High-intensity discharge headlamps with Adaptive Forward Lighting System are standard on Performance and Premium Collections

Halogen headlamps with Twilight Sentinel feature are standard on Base and Luxury Collections

Fog lamps are standard on Performance and Premium Collections

Power liftgate is standard on Luxury, Performance and Premium Collections

Heated and power-adjustable outside mirrors are standard on all models, with power-folding and driver-side auto dimming features standard on Luxury, Performance and Premium Collections

Rainsense automatic windshield wipers are standard on Luxury, Performance and Premium Collections

Chrome roof rails are standard on Luxury, Performance and Premium Collections

Eighteen-inch aluminum wheels are standard on the Base model

Eighteen-inch aluminum wheels with bright machined finish are standard on the Luxury Collection

Twenty-inch aluminum wheels with bright machined finish and painted accents are standard on Performance and Premium Collections

Twenty-inch chrome aluminum and polished aluminum wheels are available on Performance and Premium Collections

Exterior colors: Graphite Metallic, Terra Mocha Metallic, Sapphire Blue Metallic, Glacier Blue Metallic, Silver Coast Metallic, Radiant Silver Metallic, Black Raven Metallic, Black Ice Metallic, Crystal Red Tintcoat and Platinum Ice Tricoat.

Interior features

While CUE is the foundation for the SRX’s enhanced driving experience, it is complemented with additional features and design refinements inside the vehicle, including:

Standard HD radio

Bluetooth audio streaming is available for all collections

A USB port in the storage bin behind the CUE faceplate

The center console now features two additional USB ports, an SD card slot auxiliary input jack and 12-volt power outlet

Headphone and remote design for the rear-seat entertainment system, which also includes a rear USB port and SD card slot

For a quieter driving experience, the SRX offers active noise cancellation. This system uses microphones to detect ambient noise, the frequencies of which are processed by a computer that directs counteracting sound waves through the audio system to tailor the sound quality and character inside the cabin.

Additional interior features returning for 2014 include:

SiriusXM Satellite Radio with three-month trial service is standard on all models

Tri-zone automatic climate control is standard on the Premium Collection and dual-zone automatic climate control is standard on Base, as well as the Luxury and Performance Collections

Keyless access is standard on the Luxury, Performance and Premium Collections

Ambient lighting package is standard on the Luxury, Performance and Premium Collections

Auto-dimming inside mirror with OnStar controls is standard on the Luxury, Performance and Premium Collections

Adjustable pedals are standard on the Luxury, Performance and Premium Collections

Rearview camera system is standard on the Luxury, Performance and Premium Collections

Front bucket seats with power eight-way driver’s adjustment are standard on all models

Heated front seats are standard on the Luxury, Performance and Premium Collections

Heated rear outboard seats are standard on the Premium Collection

Rear seat with 60/40-split and pass-through is standard on all models

Leather-trimmed steering wheel is standard on all models

Heated steering wheel is standard on the Luxury, Performance and Premium Collections and includes Sapele wood on steering wheel, shift knob, center stack and doors

UltraView power sunroof is standard on the Luxury, Performance and Premium Collections

Cargo management system and cargo shade are standard on the Luxury, Performance and Premium Collections

Interior color combinations: Caramel with Ebony accents, Ebony with Ebony accents, Cashmere with Cocoa accents and Cocoa/Light Linen.

Cadillac CUE

Intuitive, in-vehicle control and connectivity is the way of the future, and Cadillac’s CUE ( Cadillac User Experience) delivers these capabilities today. Standard on the SRX, CUE pairs entertainment and information data from up to 10 Bluetooth-enabled mobile devices, USBs, SD cards and MP3 players with a vehicle infotainment system that reduces complexity through customized information, voice commands and fewer buttons and larger icons. The comprehensive, in-vehicle experience is designed to be unique for each consumer, from the “simple user” to the fully connected “super user.”

At the heart of CUE, the vibrant, eight-inch LCD multi-touch sensitive screen – with proximity sensing and haptic feedback – is seamlessly integrated in the top of the central instrument panel. It displays CUE’s home page, which resembles a smartphone screen, with large, easy-to-target icons that execute commands. Capacitive technology on the screen and faceplate enables consumers to use the same “swipe,” “pinch” or “spread” gestures common to most popular smartphones and tablets.

A motorized faceplate for the system reveals a concealed storage area for smartphones or other mobile devices and includes an illuminated USB port.

SRX powertrain

Performance is integral in the SRX, which is powered by a 3.6L direct-injected V-6 rated at an SAE-certified 308 horsepower (230 kW) and 265 lb.-ft. of torque (359 Nm). Lightweight features help reduce overall weight for greater efficiency and a more favorable front-to-rear weight balance. Examples include a composite intake manifold that saves approximately 5.5 pounds (2.5 kg) over the weight of a comparable aluminum intake and an integrated cylinder head/exhaust manifold design that saves approximately 13 pounds (6 kg) per engine.

The Hydra-Matic 6T70 six-speed automatic transmission is matched with the engine. An available all-wheel-drive system incorporates an electronic limited-slip rear differential, which not only improves traction in slippery road conditions but provides side-to-side torque transfer along the rear axle to enhance control during hard cornering.

SRX chassis and suspension

Drivers will appreciate the SRX’s four-wheel independent suspension system along with its standard rack-and-pinion hydraulic steering system – and variable-effort, speed-sensitive steering system – with tuning biased for sport sedan-style driving and strong on-center feel. StabiliTrak electronic stability control is standard and works in concert with the standard four-wheel-disc/four-channel-ABS braking system.

Additional features include:

An independent MacPherson strut suspension system is standard on all models, featuring a direct-acting stabilizer bar and hydraulic ride bushings

An independent “H-arm” rear suspension incorporates a lightweight hollow stabilizer bar

Power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering is standard on Base and the Performance Collection

Power-assisted variable-effort and speed-sensitive rack-and-pinion steering system is standard on the Performance and Premium Collections

Rear axle ratio is 3.39 on all models

A trailering package is available on the Luxury, Performance and Premium Collections and increases the towing capacity to 3,500 pounds (1,587 kg).

SRX safety

One of the greatest luxuries of owning a Cadillac SRX is its “control and alert” strategy that employs advanced technologies – including radar, cameras and ultrasonic sensors – to help prevent crashes. The safety features are part of Cadillac’s Driver Awareness and Driver Assist technology packages.

These advanced technologies help improve driver vision and awareness of road hazards, intervening to help the driver avert potential collisions. In some cases, Cadillac’s crash-avoidance systems will act without the driver, based on information indicating potential hazards.

Intellibeam, which uses a sensor to automatically turn on the SRX’s high-beam headlamps when needed, is included in the Driver Awareness Package for 2014. This system ensures the headlamps are at the proper level without driver input – the sensor automatically turns off the high beams when it senses oncoming traffic.

Radar-based Adaptive Cruise Control and Automatic Front and Rear Braking are also available on the SRX. Front and Rear Automatic Braking relies on short-range radar technology and ultrasonic sensors to help the driver prevent front and rear low-speed collisions via a progression of alerts that extend to complete braking, if necessary. Additional advanced safety features offered on the SRX’s Driver Awareness and Driver Assist packages include:

Forward Collision Alert

Lane Departure Warning

Rear Vision Camera With Dynamic Guidelines

Safety Alert Seat.

Side Blind Zone Alert and Rear Cross Traffic Alert are standard on all models. Each uses radar to detect vehicles that may be out of the driver’s vision, providing visual alerts in the outside mirrors and, in the case of rear cross traffic alert, audible warnings. StabiliTrak electronic stability control system with traction control, and four-wheel disc brakes with four-channel ABS are also standard, along with:

Dual-stage frontal and side-impact driver and right-front passenger air bags

Head-curtain side-impact air bags

Rollover mitigation sensors

Front safety belt pretensioners and load limiters.

The SRX is also designed to meet European pedestrian protection standards, with the front bumper positioned for greater compatibility with car bumpers.

SRX and OnStar

One year of OnStar Directions and Connections service is standard on SRX. OnStar is the global leading provider of connected safety, security and mobility solutions and advanced information technology.

OnStar’s RemoteLink Mobile App allows smartphone users to control vehicle functions, access vehicle information and send directions directly to the vehicle. An opt-in service called FamilyLink allows subscribers to stay connected to loved ones by checking the location of their vehicle online or by signing up for vehicle location alerts.