Cadillac SRX test drive since 2005 SUV

American dandy

Cadillac SRX is good on both sides of the ocean
 
Incidentally, this SUV is a typical product of a global approach to automotive industry. No matter how capacious the domestic market is, to make cars exclusively on a kind of American (of course, from the point of view of the European) the taste is now unprofitable. It is much more useful for shareholders to offer a model that will be in demand on all continents. Perhaps the Cadillac brand has retained the sparks for longer than many others, but it also surrendered, releasing a series of new models. The first swallow in the dealerships of Europe, including Russia, was the CTS model. Now SRX has come, and very soon the time of the XLR supercar and other developments will come, which the General Motors concern in recent years has been baking like pies. And the dishes, it should be recognized, come out very decent.
 
Style - first of all
 
In my opinion, with its entire model line of the last generation, Cadillac, as they say, guessed. It is original, that is, it does not at all resemble any of the competitors available, while expressive and modern, and with a margin for some time ahead. What else is important - the style is one for the whole gamut, the brand - you will not confuse. Sharp edges in the style of techno, which can scare away the consumer mass products accustomed to the intricate design in CTS, look quite organic on SRX impressive in dimensions. This is such a successful move that the sedan seems more than it really is, and the SUV is vice versa. But we are talking about a car of almost five meters long, which, for example, is only a few centimeters less than the Toyota Land Cruiser 100, but more than Nissan Patrol.
 
The mighty front end with proudly carries a huge Cadillac emblem, and is already in itself respect. The feed, on the contrary, emphasizes the identity of the model, we can say that it is extravagant, but personally to me - to taste. During the test, I could not help but pay attention to the fact that people escorted the car.
 
The salon is also unique. In the sense that already in his decoration you feel a mixture of American and European styles. Start at least with the skin. According to the logic of things, it has the right to be rude to emphasize the truly male character of the car. But in the opinion of its texture, the smooth and pleasant until you touch your hand - the skin is quite stiff. This is how an outwardly elegant businessman with kind eyes is manifested - until it comes to business, and he suddenly becomes intractable. If you continue the comparison, Cadillac SRX gives the impression of a kind of healthy man from somewhere in the middle states that grew up among corn fields, but received an education in Harvard and gained good manners in London and Paris.
 
There is no typically American poker under the steering wheel, the automatic transmission hilt is located in European on the right, at the central tunnel. Moreover, even with a special slot for a manual shift of gears and switching to a sports mode. The seats themselves are not soft sofas, but comfortable seats with developed lateral support. All adjustments are electrical, their range without a doubt arrange a person of any complexion. The American is perhaps a steering wheel, which is regulated only in height. But this is more than compensated by the ability to adjust the location of the pedal node using buttons on the steering column.
 
The instrument panel, like the console, is almost identical in that you can see in CTS. But the cup holders and generally storing small luggage are a mass, both in front and from behind. And for a large -sized cargo, there is more space than enough: the trunk with a volume of 918 liters can turn into a semblance of a small table for playing an American pool, except without the legs, and provide a useful space in 1968 liters. To do this, you only need to fold the rear seats - all at once or in parts. In the collected form, they provide, at the same time, truly royal comfort to the rear passengers. Foot places - at least, personal climatic installation, ashtray (in the USA, cars, we note, are not equipped with ashtrays), a couple of cup holders and a huge hatch above their heads.
 
The roof, however, deserves separate words. Strictly speaking, as many as two hatches, both are covered with electric drive curtains. The second, small, is located right above the luggage compartment and is probably designed so that the pets who can be there while the owners are engaged, for example, shopping campaign, did not suffocate. The main hatch is so great that it makes you remember the convertible - only incredibly huge. The driver can control hatches with only four buttons at hand. Moreover, the roof rides quickly - with the speed of electric motors here everything is in order.
 
And finally - an audio system. I will not talk about her in detail, since every person who knows the person knows that Bose engineers know their job. It seems that after all of the above things such as a separate climate control system, heating the seats and mirrors, the ability to control the music center using buttons on the steering wheel is not worth talking. Better move on to the running qualities.
 
A sense of origin
 
If I had been imposed on Cadillac SRX as a passenger with blindfolded eyes, I would hardly have guessed that I was in an American car. But my eyes were open, I was in the driver's seat, worked with his hands and legs, and therefore immediately felt the country of origin. It was worth starting the motor and twisting the steering wheel, the overseas genes made themselves felt. Such a steering wheel in the power and baby: effort - zero, revolutions - mass. However, when leaving for the road and the first dispersal, the situation has changed somewhat. The steering wheel was filled with a pleasant weight, which, unfortunately, did not mean that everything was in order with feedback. It is impossible to understand what is happening at a particular moment with the front wheels, it is still impossible. True, there is no need to talk about a cotton steering wheel. Something seems to be clear, but not to the end. It seems that after turning the steering wheel is spinning in the opposite direction, but somehow reluctantly, you constantly have to accelerate this process. In a word, with the steering control, something between American and European settings came out.

 
And if you rely on what you feel in your body? So much better. After all, Cadillac pendants are very good - they swallow pits and bumps with appetite, and the cranes of the body in corners are small. The merit in this belongs to the Magnetic Ride Control Cadillac. Using a computer and numerous sensors, it independently changes the rigidity of shock absorbers, depending on the quality of the roadway, the conditions of movement and loading of the car. And the all -wheel drive system works as expected. It is worthwhile to slide how the electronics will transfer part of the torque to the front wheels, which will correct the situation. Moreover, this process occurs very quickly and clearly. In addition, Cadillac SRX has almost the ideal hanging along the axes - 52/48, which guarantees excellent stability and controllability. In difficult situations, a stabilization system will come to the rescue.
 
SRX can be envied by many. The v8 installed under the hood has a volume of 4.6 liters and a power of 320 liters. With. Needless to say, Americans can do such engines. Not only does the powerful power unit already guarantee a pickup from the bottom, so American engineers provided it with a system for changing the phases of gas distribution. As a result, SRX accelerates quickly, confidently and without failures. This is also facilitated by a 5-speed automatic transmission, which, not in the American spirit, does not suffer from thoughtfulness. In addition, it is worth shifting the lever a little to the left, as the sports algorithm of the box will turn on, and now - just hold on. He pressed the gas a little, and the tachometer arrow is already close to the red zone. You can go from one step to another, pushing the lever up/down. Moreover, what I especially liked, there is always silence in the cabin. And only at maximum speeds the pleasant sound of the exhaust system and motor begins to penetrate inside. And the brakes are not at all in American - the force is clearly dosed, and the slowdown is such that you can not worry about the excess speed. In a word, an experiment to adapt a large SUV to European standards, in my opinion, was a success.
 
Caddy will be in March
 
Official sales of Cadillac SRX in Russia will start in March, but the price was announced in advance - $ 69,000. You will have to compete with similar models Toyota, Nissan, Mercedes and BMW. And the chances of winning the hearts and wallets of consumers from Caddy, as cars of this brand are affectionately called in America, are. SRX has excellent comfort and good dynamic qualities. And the cost for a car of this class, in honor, does not seem to be excessive.
 
Andrey Osipov
 
Brief technical characteristics of Cadillac SRX
Engine volume, cubic meter. See: 4565
The number of valves for the cylinder: 4
Power, l. With. at about./min.: 320/6400
Max. Torque, Nm/at about. min.: 427/4400
Acceleration to 100 km/h, p.: 6.6*
Maximum speed, km/h: 235*
Average fuel consumption l./100 km.: 16.0
The volume of the fuel tank, l.: 75.7
Dimensions, mm.: 4950x1844x1722
*Data on the results of the Car and Driver Magazine measurements
 

Source: "Automobile Izvestia"