Cadillac SRX new crossover wagon feels fun with juicy power
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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SEDONA, Ariz. -- Along Boynton Canyon Road, cut into a scenic canyon between sandstone spires and rust-tinged buttes near the mile-high Arizona resort of Sedona, we point the edgy prow of a new kind of wagon from Cadillac into a clearing and maneuver it so the red canyon walls become a backdrop for the digital images we plan to shoot.
Sedona's dramatic landscape would enhance the subject of any photograph, although the daring style on this vehicle needs no extraneous adornments to appear sharp and crisp and, yes, quite cool.
Lines seem bold and sharp but clean with unique forms marked by angular shapes and creased edges which combine to forge a wagon-shaped package that looks like no other vehicle on the road.
The aggressive face features a thick and smooth bumper lip, a prominent horizontal louver panel in modern interpretation of the classic Cadillac egg-crate grille, and piercing optics with stacked round projector-type headlamps that resemble camera lenses mounted on vertical corners.
Tail treatment reveals a slick slab bumper in monochrome flanked by tall vertical taillamps, another Cadillac styling mark, and the wrap of dark window glass that seems to float around rear quarters without interruption from vertical roof supports.
Flanks are rather flat with subtle cutouts for front and rear doors plus big round wheelwell arches filled with large aluminum wheels in broad spoke pattern and substantial tires rated for performance.
Cadillac's new alphabetical nomenclature defines the intent of the new vehicle: Call it SRX.
The first initial simply stands for the series, the R in the middle signifies the re-configurable nature of this wagon and the X at the end denotes the car-based platform of a crossover vehicle.
Roots of SRX trace to the dazzling design for Vizon, one of several recent show-car concepts from Cadillac promising cutting-edge designs and high-tech gear aboard for superior performance, stability and safety.
The idea for Vizon was to forge a sport-utility wagon on the new unitized Sigma architecture now used for Cadillac's mid-size CTS sports touring sedan.
CTS -- Cadillac Touring Sedan -- made history with its 2003 debut as the first rear-wheel-drive (RWD) vehicle in Cadillac's fleet since 1979 and the first to offer a manual shift-it-yourself transmission on a rear-drive Cadillac platform in half a century.
SRX also sets benchmarks as it's the first crossover vehicle for Cadillac.
Think of a crossover as one vehicle that fits into more than one category in terms of function and style and format.
For SRX, it means bringing the pliable traits of a sporty car to a package that resembles either a high-hiked station wagon or a dropped-down SUV and contains the plush cabin of a luxury vehicle stocking as many as three tiers of seats for seven passengers plus room in the rear for cargo.
With its car-based structure and weight distributed almost evenly over front and rear wheels, plus a low center of gravity and independent suspension components, SRX feels nimble and lively and projects a fun-to-drive attitude.
All chassis management and vehicle control systems on SRX are strictly high-tech in the Cadillac manner.
Suspension elements consist of lightweight aluminum for control arms to reduce the vehicle's unsprung mass, which makes it stick better on the road and glide more uniformly over bumps.
Steering, through direct rack and pinion gearing, applies variable assistance from an electronic power boost.
Also there are motion sensors hidden all over SRX that detect lateral as well as linear slippage of the vehicle and communicate with a computer to magically correct the dangerous skidding movements without direct steering or braking action from the driver.
This equipment -- upgraded version of a complex computer-based stability control system called StabiliTrak -- unites continuously variable road-sensing suspension damping with throttle response, steering force and the anti-lock brake system (ABS).
Optional Magnetic Ride Control (MRC) employs a damper to govern wheel and body motion with special magnetized fluid in shocks. By regulating the current to an electromagnetic coil in the piston of a damper, the shock fluid's consistency can be changed for continuously variable shock damping.
Cadillac is crafting two versions of SRX, one oriented to RWD and the other with on-demand all-wheel-drive (AWD) traction.
Also, there are two juicy powertrain options.
A new 3.6-liter V6 with dual overhead cams (DOHC), electronic throttle control (ETC) and variable valve timing (VVT) generates 260 hp at 6500 rpm and 252 lb-ft of torque at 2800 rpm.
And a new version of Cadillac's NorthStar 4.6-liter V8 -- re-engineered and mounted longitudinally -- carries four-cam VVT. It develops 320 hp at 6400 rpm plus torque of 315 lb-ft at 4400 rpm.
Both engines team with new RWD-oriented five-speed Hydra-Matic automatic transmissions that get a gated shifter stick with Driver Shift Control (DSC) for shift-it-yourself action like a manual stick.
Extensive safety measures apply, including air bags surrounding front-seat riders and stretching like curtains in concealment above front and rear side windows.
Cabin layout for SRX puts a pair of form-fitting bucket seats up front flanking the center console and followed by a bench for three that folds and flips forward in two sections split in 60-40 ratio.
Behind this bench is a large cargo bay that also can carry an optional bench for two more riders. It folds into the cargo floor for a slick disappearing act with push-button power controls.
Standard equipment on SRX extends from a dual-zone climate control system and power motivation for windows and doors locks and mirrors to soft leather hides covering seats with eight-way power for the driver plus power adjustable pedals, a keyless remote entry system, audio kit with six-disc CD changer and OnStar telecommunications.
A DVD-based navigation system, XM satellite radio service, Bose premium sound package and a backseat video entertainment system score as add-on options.
Cadillac sets the MSRP on SRX RWD V6 at $37,995.
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| 2004 CADILLAC SRX VEHICLE SPECIFICATIONS |
| Description: |
Mid-size luxury crossover wagon
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| Model Options: |
Mid-size luxury crossover wagon
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| Wheelbase: |
116.0 inches
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| Overall Length: |
195.0 inches
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| Engine Size: |
DOHC 3.6-L V6 VVT
DOHC 4.6-L V8 VVT NorthStar
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| Transmission: |
V6: Auto/5 Hydra-Matic 5L40-E
V8: Auto/5 Hydra-Matic 5L50-E
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| Drive: |
2WD Rear
AWD
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| Braking: |
Power 4-disc
ABS/PBA/DRP/TCS
opt. StabiliTrak/MRC
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| Airbags: |
2 (front) + 2 (side)
+ 6 (side curtain)
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| Gas Mileage: |
V6 RWD: 18/23 mpg
V6 AWD: 17/22 mpg
V8 RWD: 16/21 mpg
V8 AWD: 16/20 mpg
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| MSRP Price: |
SRX V6 RWD: $ 37,995, SRX V6 AWD: $ 42,990, SRX V8 RWD: $ 46,995, SRX V8 AWD: $ 48,200 |
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