1SICKREVIEW: Cadillac SRX driving event (X5, GLK, RX)
10-18-09, 05:55 PM
#16
Lexus Fanatic
The SRX looks great inside and out and really felt well built. The rear as you can see here has some tricks for rear passengers. We liked the brown leather on the top of the dash here and we all liked the Caddy stitching on the dashes.
They really did a good job with the exterior/interior
They really did a good job with the exterior/interior
10-18-09, 05:59 PM
#17
Lexus Fanatic
I'm not sure I'd call it disgusting.....at least (in the picture) it has a nice brushed-metal dash, and wood-trim versions are available. But...here's the rub.....is that REAL brushed-aluminum, or just plastic? One cannot tell just from the picture. If it IS plastic, in a 40K+ Mercedes, then you have a point.
Last edited by mmarshall; 10-18-09 at 06:05 PM.
Post your thoughts please
10-19-09, 08:32 PM
#19
Moderator
Ok first nice write up Mike!
It was a great event thrown by Caddy, they really rolled out the red carpet for their guest and I was quite surprised by the amount of people who showed up based on weather conditions. Now Mike and I are in agreement on pretty much every point as we discussed each vehicle in detail about what our likes and dislikes were., I will break down what my take is on the XO SUV shoot out as I see it.
SRX-
WOW! Caddy is really listening to their customers; the updated look is light years over the last model (Fugly) and the interior really blew me away with all the tech and quality material. The Hi-rez LCD screen with animation when scrolling thru data was a nice touch, the fit and finish in the cabin front to rear is up to par. I’m really feeling the larger sunroofs trend started by Audi, it really opens the interior up. The exterior flows well with all of the sharp angles that is exclusive to Caddy so you know it when you see one, they put a lot of gadgets and refreshing exterior showing they are going after a younger crowd. I walked away thinking differently of the Caddy brand but man they need loose the GM badge to at least appear to separate themselves from the dual brand thinking. BTW I want to give the turbo a spin when it lands at the dealers in Nov, why the bigger engines always show up much later I have no idea.
CTS Wagon
A real head turner, I like how aggressive it looks, the CTS-W needs an engine to match that spirit and a V would be just what the DR ordered. I’m not a huge wagon fan but I would rock this one, I can see wonders with some aftermarket mods.
X5
Getting long in the tooth but still a looker, interior top notch, the i- drives me nuts and the 3rd seat was funny! You have to be a hobbit or 3yrs old to sit in them but mad props how they fold & drop into the floor for a quick disappearing act. I like the little tail gate lift too, what was disappointing was the power when you squeeze on the gas you are left saying ahhhhhhh---errrr where is the juice?! You have drop 80k to get the V-8 if you want to giddy up, the X-5 handles amazing in curves no body roll fun XO to drive.
GLK
It had the most HP with a 7-speed tranny and hauled *** and was very responsive. The handling was in between the SRX and the X5, the GLK makes you want to put your foot in it. Now sorry but the interior was CHEAP, I have seen knock off handbags on the street with better material. Leatherette, pleases more like pleather with plastic every way and the only tech I saw in the car was the weak NAV screen. The GLK was claustrophobic small compared to the others if you are over 6ft tall. I expect more from MB when dropping that kind cash on a top tier brand; it was no contest when looking in the other XO’s.
One thing I can say looking back is the Caddy would give a future shopper something to think about by it being the best bang for your buck in its class type of ride. I also think that if everyone was forced to test drive every car in the class they were shopping in, I wonder what the sales would look like vs buying over name, looks etc. In the end it comes down to what you want out of a XO SUV, they all attack different niche areas and is a very subjective in opinion. The RX may not be a curve demon or have that unisex look (Lexus aims the RX at females buyers & don't apologies for it) but they know their customers are not looking for those traits. A peppy engine, tech and cushy ride is the task for the RX which they have achieved. I enjoyed the event on Sat, it was fun.
It was a great event thrown by Caddy, they really rolled out the red carpet for their guest and I was quite surprised by the amount of people who showed up based on weather conditions. Now Mike and I are in agreement on pretty much every point as we discussed each vehicle in detail about what our likes and dislikes were., I will break down what my take is on the XO SUV shoot out as I see it.
SRX-
WOW! Caddy is really listening to their customers; the updated look is light years over the last model (Fugly) and the interior really blew me away with all the tech and quality material. The Hi-rez LCD screen with animation when scrolling thru data was a nice touch, the fit and finish in the cabin front to rear is up to par. I’m really feeling the larger sunroofs trend started by Audi, it really opens the interior up. The exterior flows well with all of the sharp angles that is exclusive to Caddy so you know it when you see one, they put a lot of gadgets and refreshing exterior showing they are going after a younger crowd. I walked away thinking differently of the Caddy brand but man they need loose the GM badge to at least appear to separate themselves from the dual brand thinking. BTW I want to give the turbo a spin when it lands at the dealers in Nov, why the bigger engines always show up much later I have no idea.
CTS Wagon
A real head turner, I like how aggressive it looks, the CTS-W needs an engine to match that spirit and a V would be just what the DR ordered. I’m not a huge wagon fan but I would rock this one, I can see wonders with some aftermarket mods.
X5
Getting long in the tooth but still a looker, interior top notch, the i- drives me nuts and the 3rd seat was funny! You have to be a hobbit or 3yrs old to sit in them but mad props how they fold & drop into the floor for a quick disappearing act. I like the little tail gate lift too, what was disappointing was the power when you squeeze on the gas you are left saying ahhhhhhh---errrr where is the juice?! You have drop 80k to get the V-8 if you want to giddy up, the X-5 handles amazing in curves no body roll fun XO to drive.
GLK
It had the most HP with a 7-speed tranny and hauled *** and was very responsive. The handling was in between the SRX and the X5, the GLK makes you want to put your foot in it. Now sorry but the interior was CHEAP, I have seen knock off handbags on the street with better material. Leatherette, pleases more like pleather with plastic every way and the only tech I saw in the car was the weak NAV screen. The GLK was claustrophobic small compared to the others if you are over 6ft tall. I expect more from MB when dropping that kind cash on a top tier brand; it was no contest when looking in the other XO’s.
One thing I can say looking back is the Caddy would give a future shopper something to think about by it being the best bang for your buck in its class type of ride. I also think that if everyone was forced to test drive every car in the class they were shopping in, I wonder what the sales would look like vs buying over name, looks etc. In the end it comes down to what you want out of a XO SUV, they all attack different niche areas and is a very subjective in opinion. The RX may not be a curve demon or have that unisex look (Lexus aims the RX at females buyers & don't apologies for it) but they know their customers are not looking for those traits. A peppy engine, tech and cushy ride is the task for the RX which they have achieved. I enjoyed the event on Sat, it was fun.
09-25-10, 06:27 PM
#22
I just came back from this event that they held in Long Island, NY. For anyone in NY that would like to attend, they will be holding it tomorrow - go ahead and register at http://www.cadillacchallenge.com/
Here are my thoughts on the event, for those of you who care. The event presentation didn't have as much flair as some of the Lexus and BMW events that I attended in the past. They just had a few tents setup in a malls parking lot, and they were rather inconspicuous. The event itself was called a culinary challenge, and they were cooking some food, but we didn't bother checking the food out, we came there to check out the cars. I grabbed an apple and my wife grabbed a pack of dried fruit. Their selection of fruits/snacks was also no where as good as some Lexus events, - apples and dried fruit is about all they had. Also, they didn't have bathrooms, so if you needed to use one, you had to go inside the mall and look for one inside there.
In any case, lets get to the cars. They had a few vehicles sitting on the parking lot, available only to check out but not to drive. They were SRX, Escalade Hybrid Platinum, CTS-V coupe and CTS wagon.
First I went and checked out the Escalade. The platinum edition interior is gorgeous. The wood and leather trim are top notch, the attention to detail is very good. I was rather surprised that interior space wasn't that great for such a humongous vehicle. In the second row of seats the legroom was insufficient, and the third row is really only usable for small kids. The price on this truck was also insane, around 88K.
Next I went to check out the CTS-V coupe. On the outside it looks much much better than regular CTS coupe, and much better than it looks in the pictures. Come check it out in person, it looks rather nice. On pictures I though it looked plain out ugly. On the interior its got nice two tone sports seats, decent quality materials and the trim. The one detail that I found interesting, was the suede wrapped steering wheel. It seems to provide better grip than traditional leather/wood steering wheels, and it also shouldn't have the issues of being too cold to touch in the winter, and too hot to touch in the summer. I don't know however whether suede would last. The guys let us fire up and rev the engine. To my surprise the exhaust note was very muted, and it was quiet inside and outside of the car. Overall I can see this car growing on me.
Next I went to check out the vehicles that were available to drive. They were as follows: Lexus RX350, Mercedes ML350, BMW 535 wagon (last generation model), Escalade Hybrid (non platinum), CTS wagon 3.6, SRX 3.0 and SRX 2.8 turbo. Each car had to be driven with a Caddy representative in the passenger seat, but they were all nice and friendly, and didn't mind when we pushed the cars hard and went over the posted speed limits.
Since I went to the event with my wife, we both had a chance to drive each car, and ride in the back seat as the passenger.
First we checked out the Escalade Hybrid. Unlike the platinum edition it had most of the wood trim replaced by cheap, silver plastic. Whatever wood trim that remained was fake and looked rather cheap. This was rather disappointing and compromised the luxury feel by a lot. On the road however the big truck was pretty nice. The engine was a lot more quiet than the outgoing model, yet provided more than enough pull for such a huge vehicle. Handling and braking were also on the impressive side for a vehicle of this size. Not much body roll or nose dip at all. Driving it really didn't feel like a huge car - it was nice and easy to drive. The suspension was a bit bouncy, but still very good for a huge body on frame SUV without IRS. Riding as a passenger in the back however made me wish for A LOT more leg space (I was sitting behind my wife who's only around 5'-3". Also the rear seat was awfully flat, so when she was taking turns, I had to hold on to the roof handle.
Next I went to check out the BMW 535 wagon. The interior of this car is extremely underwhelming and down right cheap. The plain dash, ugly gauges, cheap center console, industrial grade grainy leather make it feel cheap and pedestrian. Then you have the completely idiotic shifter. Being a BMW owner myself, in the 335 I have the traditional shifter on the center console, then I have an idiotic steering mounted electronic shifter in the 7, and it still took me a bit to figure out the center console mounted electronic shifter in the 5. Whoever designed these electronic shifters, I honestly don't know what the hell they were thinking. In any case, I was interested in seeing how this car would drive, given that I have the same engine in the 335. I found that this engine in the 5 wasn't as responsive and powerful. It felt fine on moderate acceleration, but once you floor the pedal it felt rather underpowered. Also the exhaust note was a lot more quiet than the 335. The car also rolled quite a bit when taking corners. I wasn't impressed at all. Riding in the back was even worse. The car is hard to get in and out, and while the space in the back is about the same as its competitors, the rear seat is just terrible. It is not reclined enough and it makes you sit in too much of an upright position, which isn't comfortable at all, especially for a long trip. Quite honestly I was even more disappointed with this car, and the only explanation I have for its high sales numbers are BMW badge and low lease rates. In any case, the new 5 is out, and while I didn't drive it, I did get a chance to check it out, and the interior looked much better. They still have the silly electronic shifter, and the leather trim is still cheap looking, but now the car much more comfortable, bigger and upscale, not to mention much better looking on the outside. Also, the new one has optional premium leather, which is as good as Lexus leather.
Next I went to drive the RX. It is a gorgeous looking SUV on the outside, but once I opened the door I was immediately disappointed by the interior. There are some joints that don't line up, some gaps that are too big, and the whole interior just doesn't have that precise fit and finish I expect from Lexus. The dashboard is finished in vinyl, but it's grain look like the grain on cheap hard plastic. The leather quality is nice - its butter smooth, but overall I didn't like the design of interior. In my opinion the old RX interior was classier and more luxurious, although it had the silly minivan style seat mounted handrests. The new one has a proper center console mounted handrest. Seating comfort in the RX didn't impress me much either. The seat was a bit too tight, and it wouldn't go down enough for my preferred driving position. On the road, it was even more disappointing. The engine was allright, however the exhaust note was rather annoying. The suspension was very "jumpy", each bump felt like I drove over it three times, and the car felt like a loose bucket of bolts. In addition the rear seat was shaking and making this awful, terrible rattling noise. I don't know if the rear seat was the only source of rattling, but it was most certainly the loudest. The rattling noise on the interior was absolutely unacceptable even for a cheap, beat up minivan, never mind a luxury SUV. I was so grossly disappointed that I couldn't wait to return this piece of junk. My wife didn't even bother driving it after me, she said she was fairly comfortable in the back, but didn't care for the interior or the ride quality. She didn't bother driving it, so I didn't get a chance to ride in the back myself. I'm sorry about being so harsh guys, I love Lexus, but this car IMO is a disgrace to them. I never liked the old RX, and I really, really, really WANTED to like this one, but I would be lying if I say I did.
Next we went to drive the ML. I drove the old ML before, and I though it was one of the worst cars ever built. It was grossly unreliable, the interior was junk, trim was literally falling off. This new one is most certainly an improvement, but thats really not saying much. The leather is industrial grade, the wood trim looks fake and cheap, the dashboard grain looks to be cheap hard plastic. I knocked on it, and to my surprise it wasn't hard plastic, but it still looks very cheap. I couldn't find a comfortable driving position and throughout my drive I found myself adjusting in the seat. On the road the suspension and the whole car felt a lot more solid and planted than the RX, but it did have somewhat of a truckish, heavy feel to it. It didn't roll much in the corners for a fairly big SUV either. But its engine was truly horrendous. Not only it is completely gutless, but once RPMs climb over 3500, it starts to sound so harsh and unrefined, its completely unacceptable for Mercedes. I don't remember the last time I experienced a V6 that was so terrible, it made Nissans 3.5 feel Lexus smooth. But MB is set to introduce its new 3.5 V6, I believe for next year, and it should be a big improvement. However they still need to improve the interior of this truck, the fit and finish is very disappointing. Seating in the back was rather comfortable, it was roomier than the Escalade, and the seat was flat, but not as flat as the Escalade. Also the seat cushion itself was rather large, so that added to the comfort. From the passenger standpoint the suspension and ride quality were also very good. Not harsh, not bouncy, but rather isolated and pleasing.
Then we went for a ride in the CTS wagon. Right away the car felt kind of GS-ish to me. Very nice interior, nice materials, very comfortable. There are a few signs of some old cheap GM plastic, particularly on the door panels and handles, but overall the car is much improved and certainly respectable. The ride was very good. The engine isn't quite a rocket like GS350, even though they are rated with similar HP. It doesn't have the low end response of GS350, but its comparable at the high end. Exhaust note kind of reminded me of GS350 as well. The transmission was sometimes hesitant to downshift, and I had to let go of the gas pedal and punch it again to make it downshift. When it didn't downshift, the lack of low end was pretty terrible. In either case both me and my wife enjoyed beating on the car, and the Caddillac rep was totally cool. He let us both take the car for a long route and drive the crap out of it. I'm not even going to say how fast we drove it, you get the idea. The handling was also fine for, it did have a bit more body roll than I expected, but the ride was nice and comfortable, the suspension is solid and not bouncy. Riding in the rear it was also very Lexus-ish (in a good way). The headroom and legroom leave a lot to be desired, but when you're 6'-4" there are barely any vehicles that have room in the rear that is adequate for you. Other than that, the seat is just great. The back cushion is properly reclined and "bucketed" instead of being flat, and it makes for a very comfortable riding position and you don't slide around when the driver is taking turns.
Next we went on to drive the star of the whole event, the SRX. They had two versions available, the 3.0 and 2.8 Turbo. There was only one turbo model available, so we didn't bother waiting for it, and just went with the plain 3.0 NA V6. Cadillac is clearly proud of this vehicle, and deservingly so. As you hop into the drivers seat, you're right away impressed by the interior quality. There are no cheap elements of the old GM present in this car. The interior is a step up from the CTS - there seems to be no cheap plastic anywhere in sight. The leather quality is Lexus smooth, the gauges are gorgeous, the seating position behind the steering wheel is perfect. The steering wheel however is manually adjustable, but it is wrapped in baby-behind-smooth leather with solid wood on top and bottom portions - very Lexus like. Nothing in common with some downright fugly steering wheels that GM has done in the past. The whole dashboard is wrapped in leather, and even though the leather on the dashboard isn't of the same high quality as the steering wheel and seats, there's no mistaking it for hard plastics like RX and ML. On the road it also felt great. The suspension is solid and does it's job very well. It may be just a tad stiff, but after hitting a bump, you only feel it once and thats it. No loose feeling of aftershock that's felt in the RX. The 3.0 suffers drastically from the lack of torque, but due to the lack of torque the transmission is actually a lot happier to downshift, and it actually felt livelier to me than the CTS with the much more powerful 3.6L engine. However there were a couple occasions when the transmission didn't want to downshift when I floored the pedal, and the torque response was very lacking. Also, the engine felt very smooth and refined. The exhaust note was very loud compared to the ML and RX, but the sound was great and aggressive, I loved it. It felt allright in the corners, not too much body roll for an SUV. But in all honestly, it isn't a car that you want to drive fast. It is a very relaxing, pleasing car, you just want to sit back and enjoy the smooth ride. Sitting in the back however I wasn't as impressed as I was driving it. In the back the suspension felt a little more hash, but not too bad. The biggest problem was the rear seat. First of all, there isn't enough head room. The the seat is awfully flat, not reclined enough, and the center handrest is way too low. I found myself sitting bent sideways because of lack of headroom and low handrest. This isn't comfortable even for a short route, and I certainly wouldn't want to be stuck in there for a long trip. My wife also totally loved driving the SRX, and had the same concerns about the rear seat lack of comfort. Since they had a buttload of 3.0 SRX on the event, we both took the SRX for a spin several times, and came back more and more impressed with the drive every time. What a delightful vehicle it is to drive. I'm not a big fan of GM, and to be honest I went to the even biased and wanting to hate the SRX, but I was pleasantly impressed. If I had to chose between the RX, ML and the SRX, it would be SRX hands down.
After this event, I still like the 3GS best (compared to the CTS and outgoing 5 series). Its just more of a rocket, still with the best interior, even if it lacks in a couple of areas.
As far as SUV's my favorite is still Acura MDX. In fact, the SRX somewhat reminded me of the Acura, and while in some ways its better than the Acura - nicer dashboard and wood, it's rear seat isn't as comfortable, and it lacks the third row seats. Even though the third row seats in the Acura are very small, they can be very useful if you occasionally have the need to carry extra passengers. The third raw seats in the much bigger, bulkier and much more expensive Escalade are only marginally bigger and not that much more useful.
All in all Cadillac has certainly improved a lot and hopefully they can keep it up. Of course, with the billions of dollars of taxpayers money they received in bailout, they better be improving the quality of their cars. They question is, will the unions milk and drain GM's resources dry like it happened before?
Here are my thoughts on the event, for those of you who care. The event presentation didn't have as much flair as some of the Lexus and BMW events that I attended in the past. They just had a few tents setup in a malls parking lot, and they were rather inconspicuous. The event itself was called a culinary challenge, and they were cooking some food, but we didn't bother checking the food out, we came there to check out the cars. I grabbed an apple and my wife grabbed a pack of dried fruit. Their selection of fruits/snacks was also no where as good as some Lexus events, - apples and dried fruit is about all they had. Also, they didn't have bathrooms, so if you needed to use one, you had to go inside the mall and look for one inside there.
In any case, lets get to the cars. They had a few vehicles sitting on the parking lot, available only to check out but not to drive. They were SRX, Escalade Hybrid Platinum, CTS-V coupe and CTS wagon.
First I went and checked out the Escalade. The platinum edition interior is gorgeous. The wood and leather trim are top notch, the attention to detail is very good. I was rather surprised that interior space wasn't that great for such a humongous vehicle. In the second row of seats the legroom was insufficient, and the third row is really only usable for small kids. The price on this truck was also insane, around 88K.
Next I went to check out the CTS-V coupe. On the outside it looks much much better than regular CTS coupe, and much better than it looks in the pictures. Come check it out in person, it looks rather nice. On pictures I though it looked plain out ugly. On the interior its got nice two tone sports seats, decent quality materials and the trim. The one detail that I found interesting, was the suede wrapped steering wheel. It seems to provide better grip than traditional leather/wood steering wheels, and it also shouldn't have the issues of being too cold to touch in the winter, and too hot to touch in the summer. I don't know however whether suede would last. The guys let us fire up and rev the engine. To my surprise the exhaust note was very muted, and it was quiet inside and outside of the car. Overall I can see this car growing on me.
Next I went to check out the vehicles that were available to drive. They were as follows: Lexus RX350, Mercedes ML350, BMW 535 wagon (last generation model), Escalade Hybrid (non platinum), CTS wagon 3.6, SRX 3.0 and SRX 2.8 turbo. Each car had to be driven with a Caddy representative in the passenger seat, but they were all nice and friendly, and didn't mind when we pushed the cars hard and went over the posted speed limits.
Since I went to the event with my wife, we both had a chance to drive each car, and ride in the back seat as the passenger.
First we checked out the Escalade Hybrid. Unlike the platinum edition it had most of the wood trim replaced by cheap, silver plastic. Whatever wood trim that remained was fake and looked rather cheap. This was rather disappointing and compromised the luxury feel by a lot. On the road however the big truck was pretty nice. The engine was a lot more quiet than the outgoing model, yet provided more than enough pull for such a huge vehicle. Handling and braking were also on the impressive side for a vehicle of this size. Not much body roll or nose dip at all. Driving it really didn't feel like a huge car - it was nice and easy to drive. The suspension was a bit bouncy, but still very good for a huge body on frame SUV without IRS. Riding as a passenger in the back however made me wish for A LOT more leg space (I was sitting behind my wife who's only around 5'-3". Also the rear seat was awfully flat, so when she was taking turns, I had to hold on to the roof handle.
Next I went to check out the BMW 535 wagon. The interior of this car is extremely underwhelming and down right cheap. The plain dash, ugly gauges, cheap center console, industrial grade grainy leather make it feel cheap and pedestrian. Then you have the completely idiotic shifter. Being a BMW owner myself, in the 335 I have the traditional shifter on the center console, then I have an idiotic steering mounted electronic shifter in the 7, and it still took me a bit to figure out the center console mounted electronic shifter in the 5. Whoever designed these electronic shifters, I honestly don't know what the hell they were thinking. In any case, I was interested in seeing how this car would drive, given that I have the same engine in the 335. I found that this engine in the 5 wasn't as responsive and powerful. It felt fine on moderate acceleration, but once you floor the pedal it felt rather underpowered. Also the exhaust note was a lot more quiet than the 335. The car also rolled quite a bit when taking corners. I wasn't impressed at all. Riding in the back was even worse. The car is hard to get in and out, and while the space in the back is about the same as its competitors, the rear seat is just terrible. It is not reclined enough and it makes you sit in too much of an upright position, which isn't comfortable at all, especially for a long trip. Quite honestly I was even more disappointed with this car, and the only explanation I have for its high sales numbers are BMW badge and low lease rates. In any case, the new 5 is out, and while I didn't drive it, I did get a chance to check it out, and the interior looked much better. They still have the silly electronic shifter, and the leather trim is still cheap looking, but now the car much more comfortable, bigger and upscale, not to mention much better looking on the outside. Also, the new one has optional premium leather, which is as good as Lexus leather.
Next I went to drive the RX. It is a gorgeous looking SUV on the outside, but once I opened the door I was immediately disappointed by the interior. There are some joints that don't line up, some gaps that are too big, and the whole interior just doesn't have that precise fit and finish I expect from Lexus. The dashboard is finished in vinyl, but it's grain look like the grain on cheap hard plastic. The leather quality is nice - its butter smooth, but overall I didn't like the design of interior. In my opinion the old RX interior was classier and more luxurious, although it had the silly minivan style seat mounted handrests. The new one has a proper center console mounted handrest. Seating comfort in the RX didn't impress me much either. The seat was a bit too tight, and it wouldn't go down enough for my preferred driving position. On the road, it was even more disappointing. The engine was allright, however the exhaust note was rather annoying. The suspension was very "jumpy", each bump felt like I drove over it three times, and the car felt like a loose bucket of bolts. In addition the rear seat was shaking and making this awful, terrible rattling noise. I don't know if the rear seat was the only source of rattling, but it was most certainly the loudest. The rattling noise on the interior was absolutely unacceptable even for a cheap, beat up minivan, never mind a luxury SUV. I was so grossly disappointed that I couldn't wait to return this piece of junk. My wife didn't even bother driving it after me, she said she was fairly comfortable in the back, but didn't care for the interior or the ride quality. She didn't bother driving it, so I didn't get a chance to ride in the back myself. I'm sorry about being so harsh guys, I love Lexus, but this car IMO is a disgrace to them. I never liked the old RX, and I really, really, really WANTED to like this one, but I would be lying if I say I did.
Next we went to drive the ML. I drove the old ML before, and I though it was one of the worst cars ever built. It was grossly unreliable, the interior was junk, trim was literally falling off. This new one is most certainly an improvement, but thats really not saying much. The leather is industrial grade, the wood trim looks fake and cheap, the dashboard grain looks to be cheap hard plastic. I knocked on it, and to my surprise it wasn't hard plastic, but it still looks very cheap. I couldn't find a comfortable driving position and throughout my drive I found myself adjusting in the seat. On the road the suspension and the whole car felt a lot more solid and planted than the RX, but it did have somewhat of a truckish, heavy feel to it. It didn't roll much in the corners for a fairly big SUV either. But its engine was truly horrendous. Not only it is completely gutless, but once RPMs climb over 3500, it starts to sound so harsh and unrefined, its completely unacceptable for Mercedes. I don't remember the last time I experienced a V6 that was so terrible, it made Nissans 3.5 feel Lexus smooth. But MB is set to introduce its new 3.5 V6, I believe for next year, and it should be a big improvement. However they still need to improve the interior of this truck, the fit and finish is very disappointing. Seating in the back was rather comfortable, it was roomier than the Escalade, and the seat was flat, but not as flat as the Escalade. Also the seat cushion itself was rather large, so that added to the comfort. From the passenger standpoint the suspension and ride quality were also very good. Not harsh, not bouncy, but rather isolated and pleasing.
Then we went for a ride in the CTS wagon. Right away the car felt kind of GS-ish to me. Very nice interior, nice materials, very comfortable. There are a few signs of some old cheap GM plastic, particularly on the door panels and handles, but overall the car is much improved and certainly respectable. The ride was very good. The engine isn't quite a rocket like GS350, even though they are rated with similar HP. It doesn't have the low end response of GS350, but its comparable at the high end. Exhaust note kind of reminded me of GS350 as well. The transmission was sometimes hesitant to downshift, and I had to let go of the gas pedal and punch it again to make it downshift. When it didn't downshift, the lack of low end was pretty terrible. In either case both me and my wife enjoyed beating on the car, and the Caddillac rep was totally cool. He let us both take the car for a long route and drive the crap out of it. I'm not even going to say how fast we drove it, you get the idea. The handling was also fine for, it did have a bit more body roll than I expected, but the ride was nice and comfortable, the suspension is solid and not bouncy. Riding in the rear it was also very Lexus-ish (in a good way). The headroom and legroom leave a lot to be desired, but when you're 6'-4" there are barely any vehicles that have room in the rear that is adequate for you. Other than that, the seat is just great. The back cushion is properly reclined and "bucketed" instead of being flat, and it makes for a very comfortable riding position and you don't slide around when the driver is taking turns.
Next we went on to drive the star of the whole event, the SRX. They had two versions available, the 3.0 and 2.8 Turbo. There was only one turbo model available, so we didn't bother waiting for it, and just went with the plain 3.0 NA V6. Cadillac is clearly proud of this vehicle, and deservingly so. As you hop into the drivers seat, you're right away impressed by the interior quality. There are no cheap elements of the old GM present in this car. The interior is a step up from the CTS - there seems to be no cheap plastic anywhere in sight. The leather quality is Lexus smooth, the gauges are gorgeous, the seating position behind the steering wheel is perfect. The steering wheel however is manually adjustable, but it is wrapped in baby-behind-smooth leather with solid wood on top and bottom portions - very Lexus like. Nothing in common with some downright fugly steering wheels that GM has done in the past. The whole dashboard is wrapped in leather, and even though the leather on the dashboard isn't of the same high quality as the steering wheel and seats, there's no mistaking it for hard plastics like RX and ML. On the road it also felt great. The suspension is solid and does it's job very well. It may be just a tad stiff, but after hitting a bump, you only feel it once and thats it. No loose feeling of aftershock that's felt in the RX. The 3.0 suffers drastically from the lack of torque, but due to the lack of torque the transmission is actually a lot happier to downshift, and it actually felt livelier to me than the CTS with the much more powerful 3.6L engine. However there were a couple occasions when the transmission didn't want to downshift when I floored the pedal, and the torque response was very lacking. Also, the engine felt very smooth and refined. The exhaust note was very loud compared to the ML and RX, but the sound was great and aggressive, I loved it. It felt allright in the corners, not too much body roll for an SUV. But in all honestly, it isn't a car that you want to drive fast. It is a very relaxing, pleasing car, you just want to sit back and enjoy the smooth ride. Sitting in the back however I wasn't as impressed as I was driving it. In the back the suspension felt a little more hash, but not too bad. The biggest problem was the rear seat. First of all, there isn't enough head room. The the seat is awfully flat, not reclined enough, and the center handrest is way too low. I found myself sitting bent sideways because of lack of headroom and low handrest. This isn't comfortable even for a short route, and I certainly wouldn't want to be stuck in there for a long trip. My wife also totally loved driving the SRX, and had the same concerns about the rear seat lack of comfort. Since they had a buttload of 3.0 SRX on the event, we both took the SRX for a spin several times, and came back more and more impressed with the drive every time. What a delightful vehicle it is to drive. I'm not a big fan of GM, and to be honest I went to the even biased and wanting to hate the SRX, but I was pleasantly impressed. If I had to chose between the RX, ML and the SRX, it would be SRX hands down.
After this event, I still like the 3GS best (compared to the CTS and outgoing 5 series). Its just more of a rocket, still with the best interior, even if it lacks in a couple of areas.
As far as SUV's my favorite is still Acura MDX. In fact, the SRX somewhat reminded me of the Acura, and while in some ways its better than the Acura - nicer dashboard and wood, it's rear seat isn't as comfortable, and it lacks the third row seats. Even though the third row seats in the Acura are very small, they can be very useful if you occasionally have the need to carry extra passengers. The third raw seats in the much bigger, bulkier and much more expensive Escalade are only marginally bigger and not that much more useful.
All in all Cadillac has certainly improved a lot and hopefully they can keep it up. Of course, with the billions of dollars of taxpayers money they received in bailout, they better be improving the quality of their cars. They question is, will the unions milk and drain GM's resources dry like it happened before?
Last edited by Och; 09-25-10 at 06:43 PM.
09-25-10, 09:29 PM
#23
Lexus Test Driver
Excellent review and read. Your glowing results of the SRX are actually surprising. Makes me want to take a second look. I've spent some time in a newer MDX and I agree it's a very nice package. But I think the Q5 has them all beat even though it's a pinch smaller.
You got quite a bit accomplished for a one-day event. 
09-28-10, 08:54 AM
#29
Guest
Posts: n/a
I just came back from this event that they held in Long Island, NY. For anyone in NY that would like to attend, they will be holding it tomorrow - go ahead and register at http://www.cadillacchallenge.com/
Here are my thoughts on the event, for those of you who care. The event presentation didn't have as much flair as some of the Lexus and BMW events that I attended in the past. They just had a few tents setup in a malls parking lot, and they were rather inconspicuous. The event itself was called a culinary challenge, and they were cooking some food, but we didn't bother checking the food out, we came there to check out the cars. I grabbed an apple and my wife grabbed a pack of dried fruit. Their selection of fruits/snacks was also no where as good as some Lexus events, - apples and dried fruit is about all they had. Also, they didn't have bathrooms, so if you needed to use one, you had to go inside the mall and look for one inside there.
In any case, lets get to the cars. They had a few vehicles sitting on the parking lot, available only to check out but not to drive. They were SRX, Escalade Hybrid Platinum, CTS-V coupe and CTS wagon.
First I went and checked out the Escalade. The platinum edition interior is gorgeous. The wood and leather trim are top notch, the attention to detail is very good. I was rather surprised that interior space wasn't that great for such a humongous vehicle. In the second row of seats the legroom was insufficient, and the third row is really only usable for small kids. The price on this truck was also insane, around 88K.
Next I went to check out the CTS-V coupe. On the outside it looks much much better than regular CTS coupe, and much better than it looks in the pictures. Come check it out in person, it looks rather nice. On pictures I though it looked plain out ugly. On the interior its got nice two tone sports seats, decent quality materials and the trim. The one detail that I found interesting, was the suede wrapped steering wheel. It seems to provide better grip than traditional leather/wood steering wheels, and it also shouldn't have the issues of being too cold to touch in the winter, and too hot to touch in the summer. I don't know however whether suede would last. The guys let us fire up and rev the engine. To my surprise the exhaust note was very muted, and it was quiet inside and outside of the car. Overall I can see this car growing on me.
Next I went to check out the vehicles that were available to drive. They were as follows: Lexus RX350, Mercedes ML350, BMW 535 wagon (last generation model), Escalade Hybrid (non platinum), CTS wagon 3.6, SRX 3.0 and SRX 2.8 turbo. Each car had to be driven with a Caddy representative in the passenger seat, but they were all nice and friendly, and didn't mind when we pushed the cars hard and went over the posted speed limits.
Since I went to the event with my wife, we both had a chance to drive each car, and ride in the back seat as the passenger.
First we checked out the Escalade Hybrid. Unlike the platinum edition it had most of the wood trim replaced by cheap, silver plastic. Whatever wood trim that remained was fake and looked rather cheap. This was rather disappointing and compromised the luxury feel by a lot. On the road however the big truck was pretty nice. The engine was a lot more quiet than the outgoing model, yet provided more than enough pull for such a huge vehicle. Handling and braking were also on the impressive side for a vehicle of this size. Not much body roll or nose dip at all. Driving it really didn't feel like a huge car - it was nice and easy to drive. The suspension was a bit bouncy, but still very good for a huge body on frame SUV without IRS. Riding as a passenger in the back however made me wish for A LOT more leg space (I was sitting behind my wife who's only around 5'-3". Also the rear seat was awfully flat, so when she was taking turns, I had to hold on to the roof handle.
Next I went to check out the BMW 535 wagon. The interior of this car is extremely underwhelming and down right cheap. The plain dash, ugly gauges, cheap center console, industrial grade grainy leather make it feel cheap and pedestrian. Then you have the completely idiotic shifter. Being a BMW owner myself, in the 335 I have the traditional shifter on the center console, then I have an idiotic steering mounted electronic shifter in the 7, and it still took me a bit to figure out the center console mounted electronic shifter in the 5. Whoever designed these electronic shifters, I honestly don't know what the hell they were thinking. In any case, I was interested in seeing how this car would drive, given that I have the same engine in the 335. I found that this engine in the 5 wasn't as responsive and powerful. It felt fine on moderate acceleration, but once you floor the pedal it felt rather underpowered. Also the exhaust note was a lot more quiet than the 335. The car also rolled quite a bit when taking corners. I wasn't impressed at all. Riding in the back was even worse. The car is hard to get in and out, and while the space in the back is about the same as its competitors, the rear seat is just terrible. It is not reclined enough and it makes you sit in too much of an upright position, which isn't comfortable at all, especially for a long trip. Quite honestly I was even more disappointed with this car, and the only explanation I have for its high sales numbers are BMW badge and low lease rates. In any case, the new 5 is out, and while I didn't drive it, I did get a chance to check it out, and the interior looked much better. They still have the silly electronic shifter, and the leather trim is still cheap looking, but now the car much more comfortable, bigger and upscale, not to mention much better looking on the outside. Also, the new one has optional premium leather, which is as good as Lexus leather.
Next I went to drive the RX. It is a gorgeous looking SUV on the outside, but once I opened the door I was immediately disappointed by the interior. There are some joints that don't line up, some gaps that are too big, and the whole interior just doesn't have that precise fit and finish I expect from Lexus. The dashboard is finished in vinyl, but it's grain look like the grain on cheap hard plastic. The leather quality is nice - its butter smooth, but overall I didn't like the design of interior. In my opinion the old RX interior was classier and more luxurious, although it had the silly minivan style seat mounted handrests. The new one has a proper center console mounted handrest. Seating comfort in the RX didn't impress me much either. The seat was a bit too tight, and it wouldn't go down enough for my preferred driving position. On the road, it was even more disappointing. The engine was allright, however the exhaust note was rather annoying. The suspension was very "jumpy", each bump felt like I drove over it three times, and the car felt like a loose bucket of bolts. In addition the rear seat was shaking and making this awful, terrible rattling noise. I don't know if the rear seat was the only source of rattling, but it was most certainly the loudest. The rattling noise on the interior was absolutely unacceptable even for a cheap, beat up minivan, never mind a luxury SUV. I was so grossly disappointed that I couldn't wait to return this piece of junk. My wife didn't even bother driving it after me, she said she was fairly comfortable in the back, but didn't care for the interior or the ride quality. She didn't bother driving it, so I didn't get a chance to ride in the back myself. I'm sorry about being so harsh guys, I love Lexus, but this car IMO is a disgrace to them. I never liked the old RX, and I really, really, really WANTED to like this one, but I would be lying if I say I did.
Next we went to drive the ML. I drove the old ML before, and I though it was one of the worst cars ever built. It was grossly unreliable, the interior was junk, trim was literally falling off. This new one is most certainly an improvement, but thats really not saying much. The leather is industrial grade, the wood trim looks fake and cheap, the dashboard grain looks to be cheap hard plastic. I knocked on it, and to my surprise it wasn't hard plastic, but it still looks very cheap. I couldn't find a comfortable driving position and throughout my drive I found myself adjusting in the seat. On the road the suspension and the whole car felt a lot more solid and planted than the RX, but it did have somewhat of a truckish, heavy feel to it. It didn't roll much in the corners for a fairly big SUV either. But its engine was truly horrendous. Not only it is completely gutless, but once RPMs climb over 3500, it starts to sound so harsh and unrefined, its completely unacceptable for Mercedes. I don't remember the last time I experienced a V6 that was so terrible, it made Nissans 3.5 feel Lexus smooth. But MB is set to introduce its new 3.5 V6, I believe for next year, and it should be a big improvement. However they still need to improve the interior of this truck, the fit and finish is very disappointing. Seating in the back was rather comfortable, it was roomier than the Escalade, and the seat was flat, but not as flat as the Escalade. Also the seat cushion itself was rather large, so that added to the comfort. From the passenger standpoint the suspension and ride quality were also very good. Not harsh, not bouncy, but rather isolated and pleasing.
Then we went for a ride in the CTS wagon. Right away the car felt kind of GS-ish to me. Very nice interior, nice materials, very comfortable. There are a few signs of some old cheap GM plastic, particularly on the door panels and handles, but overall the car is much improved and certainly respectable. The ride was very good. The engine isn't quite a rocket like GS350, even though they are rated with similar HP. It doesn't have the low end response of GS350, but its comparable at the high end. Exhaust note kind of reminded me of GS350 as well. The transmission was sometimes hesitant to downshift, and I had to let go of the gas pedal and punch it again to make it downshift. When it didn't downshift, the lack of low end was pretty terrible. In either case both me and my wife enjoyed beating on the car, and the Caddillac rep was totally cool. He let us both take the car for a long route and drive the crap out of it. I'm not even going to say how fast we drove it, you get the idea. The handling was also fine for, it did have a bit more body roll than I expected, but the ride was nice and comfortable, the suspension is solid and not bouncy. Riding in the rear it was also very Lexus-ish (in a good way). The headroom and legroom leave a lot to be desired, but when you're 6'-4" there are barely any vehicles that have room in the rear that is adequate for you. Other than that, the seat is just great. The back cushion is properly reclined and "bucketed" instead of being flat, and it makes for a very comfortable riding position and you don't slide around when the driver is taking turns.
Next we went on to drive the star of the whole event, the SRX. They had two versions available, the 3.0 and 2.8 Turbo. There was only one turbo model available, so we didn't bother waiting for it, and just went with the plain 3.0 NA V6. Cadillac is clearly proud of this vehicle, and deservingly so. As you hop into the drivers seat, you're right away impressed by the interior quality. There are no cheap elements of the old GM present in this car. The interior is a step up from the CTS - there seems to be no cheap plastic anywhere in sight. The leather quality is Lexus smooth, the gauges are gorgeous, the seating position behind the steering wheel is perfect. The steering wheel however is manually adjustable, but it is wrapped in baby-behind-smooth leather with solid wood on top and bottom portions - very Lexus like. Nothing in common with some downright fugly steering wheels that GM has done in the past. The whole dashboard is wrapped in leather, and even though the leather on the dashboard isn't of the same high quality as the steering wheel and seats, there's no mistaking it for hard plastics like RX and ML. On the road it also felt great. The suspension is solid and does it's job very well. It may be just a tad stiff, but after hitting a bump, you only feel it once and thats it. No loose feeling of aftershock that's felt in the RX. The 3.0 suffers drastically from the lack of torque, but due to the lack of torque the transmission is actually a lot happier to downshift, and it actually felt livelier to me than the CTS with the much more powerful 3.6L engine. However there were a couple occasions when the transmission didn't want to downshift when I floored the pedal, and the torque response was very lacking. Also, the engine felt very smooth and refined. The exhaust note was very loud compared to the ML and RX, but the sound was great and aggressive, I loved it. It felt allright in the corners, not too much body roll for an SUV. But in all honestly, it isn't a car that you want to drive fast. It is a very relaxing, pleasing car, you just want to sit back and enjoy the smooth ride. Sitting in the back however I wasn't as impressed as I was driving it. In the back the suspension felt a little more hash, but not too bad. The biggest problem was the rear seat. First of all, there isn't enough head room. The the seat is awfully flat, not reclined enough, and the center handrest is way too low. I found myself sitting bent sideways because of lack of headroom and low handrest. This isn't comfortable even for a short route, and I certainly wouldn't want to be stuck in there for a long trip. My wife also totally loved driving the SRX, and had the same concerns about the rear seat lack of comfort. Since they had a buttload of 3.0 SRX on the event, we both took the SRX for a spin several times, and came back more and more impressed with the drive every time. What a delightful vehicle it is to drive. I'm not a big fan of GM, and to be honest I went to the even biased and wanting to hate the SRX, but I was pleasantly impressed. If I had to chose between the RX, ML and the SRX, it would be SRX hands down.
After this event, I still like the 3GS best (compared to the CTS and outgoing 5 series). Its just more of a rocket, still with the best interior, even if it lacks in a couple of areas.
As far as SUV's my favorite is still Acura MDX. In fact, the SRX somewhat reminded me of the Acura, and while in some ways its better than the Acura - nicer dashboard and wood, it's rear seat isn't as comfortable, and it lacks the third row seats. Even though the third row seats in the Acura are very small, they can be very useful if you occasionally have the need to carry extra passengers. The third raw seats in the much bigger, bulkier and much more expensive Escalade are only marginally bigger and not that much more useful.
All in all Cadillac has certainly improved a lot and hopefully they can keep it up. Of course, with the billions of dollars of taxpayers money they received in bailout, they better be improving the quality of their cars. They question is, will the unions milk and drain GM's resources dry like it happened before?
Here are my thoughts on the event, for those of you who care. The event presentation didn't have as much flair as some of the Lexus and BMW events that I attended in the past. They just had a few tents setup in a malls parking lot, and they were rather inconspicuous. The event itself was called a culinary challenge, and they were cooking some food, but we didn't bother checking the food out, we came there to check out the cars. I grabbed an apple and my wife grabbed a pack of dried fruit. Their selection of fruits/snacks was also no where as good as some Lexus events, - apples and dried fruit is about all they had. Also, they didn't have bathrooms, so if you needed to use one, you had to go inside the mall and look for one inside there.
In any case, lets get to the cars. They had a few vehicles sitting on the parking lot, available only to check out but not to drive. They were SRX, Escalade Hybrid Platinum, CTS-V coupe and CTS wagon.
First I went and checked out the Escalade. The platinum edition interior is gorgeous. The wood and leather trim are top notch, the attention to detail is very good. I was rather surprised that interior space wasn't that great for such a humongous vehicle. In the second row of seats the legroom was insufficient, and the third row is really only usable for small kids. The price on this truck was also insane, around 88K.
Next I went to check out the CTS-V coupe. On the outside it looks much much better than regular CTS coupe, and much better than it looks in the pictures. Come check it out in person, it looks rather nice. On pictures I though it looked plain out ugly. On the interior its got nice two tone sports seats, decent quality materials and the trim. The one detail that I found interesting, was the suede wrapped steering wheel. It seems to provide better grip than traditional leather/wood steering wheels, and it also shouldn't have the issues of being too cold to touch in the winter, and too hot to touch in the summer. I don't know however whether suede would last. The guys let us fire up and rev the engine. To my surprise the exhaust note was very muted, and it was quiet inside and outside of the car. Overall I can see this car growing on me.
Next I went to check out the vehicles that were available to drive. They were as follows: Lexus RX350, Mercedes ML350, BMW 535 wagon (last generation model), Escalade Hybrid (non platinum), CTS wagon 3.6, SRX 3.0 and SRX 2.8 turbo. Each car had to be driven with a Caddy representative in the passenger seat, but they were all nice and friendly, and didn't mind when we pushed the cars hard and went over the posted speed limits.
Since I went to the event with my wife, we both had a chance to drive each car, and ride in the back seat as the passenger.
First we checked out the Escalade Hybrid. Unlike the platinum edition it had most of the wood trim replaced by cheap, silver plastic. Whatever wood trim that remained was fake and looked rather cheap. This was rather disappointing and compromised the luxury feel by a lot. On the road however the big truck was pretty nice. The engine was a lot more quiet than the outgoing model, yet provided more than enough pull for such a huge vehicle. Handling and braking were also on the impressive side for a vehicle of this size. Not much body roll or nose dip at all. Driving it really didn't feel like a huge car - it was nice and easy to drive. The suspension was a bit bouncy, but still very good for a huge body on frame SUV without IRS. Riding as a passenger in the back however made me wish for A LOT more leg space (I was sitting behind my wife who's only around 5'-3". Also the rear seat was awfully flat, so when she was taking turns, I had to hold on to the roof handle.
Next I went to check out the BMW 535 wagon. The interior of this car is extremely underwhelming and down right cheap. The plain dash, ugly gauges, cheap center console, industrial grade grainy leather make it feel cheap and pedestrian. Then you have the completely idiotic shifter. Being a BMW owner myself, in the 335 I have the traditional shifter on the center console, then I have an idiotic steering mounted electronic shifter in the 7, and it still took me a bit to figure out the center console mounted electronic shifter in the 5. Whoever designed these electronic shifters, I honestly don't know what the hell they were thinking. In any case, I was interested in seeing how this car would drive, given that I have the same engine in the 335. I found that this engine in the 5 wasn't as responsive and powerful. It felt fine on moderate acceleration, but once you floor the pedal it felt rather underpowered. Also the exhaust note was a lot more quiet than the 335. The car also rolled quite a bit when taking corners. I wasn't impressed at all. Riding in the back was even worse. The car is hard to get in and out, and while the space in the back is about the same as its competitors, the rear seat is just terrible. It is not reclined enough and it makes you sit in too much of an upright position, which isn't comfortable at all, especially for a long trip. Quite honestly I was even more disappointed with this car, and the only explanation I have for its high sales numbers are BMW badge and low lease rates. In any case, the new 5 is out, and while I didn't drive it, I did get a chance to check it out, and the interior looked much better. They still have the silly electronic shifter, and the leather trim is still cheap looking, but now the car much more comfortable, bigger and upscale, not to mention much better looking on the outside. Also, the new one has optional premium leather, which is as good as Lexus leather.
Next I went to drive the RX. It is a gorgeous looking SUV on the outside, but once I opened the door I was immediately disappointed by the interior. There are some joints that don't line up, some gaps that are too big, and the whole interior just doesn't have that precise fit and finish I expect from Lexus. The dashboard is finished in vinyl, but it's grain look like the grain on cheap hard plastic. The leather quality is nice - its butter smooth, but overall I didn't like the design of interior. In my opinion the old RX interior was classier and more luxurious, although it had the silly minivan style seat mounted handrests. The new one has a proper center console mounted handrest. Seating comfort in the RX didn't impress me much either. The seat was a bit too tight, and it wouldn't go down enough for my preferred driving position. On the road, it was even more disappointing. The engine was allright, however the exhaust note was rather annoying. The suspension was very "jumpy", each bump felt like I drove over it three times, and the car felt like a loose bucket of bolts. In addition the rear seat was shaking and making this awful, terrible rattling noise. I don't know if the rear seat was the only source of rattling, but it was most certainly the loudest. The rattling noise on the interior was absolutely unacceptable even for a cheap, beat up minivan, never mind a luxury SUV. I was so grossly disappointed that I couldn't wait to return this piece of junk. My wife didn't even bother driving it after me, she said she was fairly comfortable in the back, but didn't care for the interior or the ride quality. She didn't bother driving it, so I didn't get a chance to ride in the back myself. I'm sorry about being so harsh guys, I love Lexus, but this car IMO is a disgrace to them. I never liked the old RX, and I really, really, really WANTED to like this one, but I would be lying if I say I did.
Next we went to drive the ML. I drove the old ML before, and I though it was one of the worst cars ever built. It was grossly unreliable, the interior was junk, trim was literally falling off. This new one is most certainly an improvement, but thats really not saying much. The leather is industrial grade, the wood trim looks fake and cheap, the dashboard grain looks to be cheap hard plastic. I knocked on it, and to my surprise it wasn't hard plastic, but it still looks very cheap. I couldn't find a comfortable driving position and throughout my drive I found myself adjusting in the seat. On the road the suspension and the whole car felt a lot more solid and planted than the RX, but it did have somewhat of a truckish, heavy feel to it. It didn't roll much in the corners for a fairly big SUV either. But its engine was truly horrendous. Not only it is completely gutless, but once RPMs climb over 3500, it starts to sound so harsh and unrefined, its completely unacceptable for Mercedes. I don't remember the last time I experienced a V6 that was so terrible, it made Nissans 3.5 feel Lexus smooth. But MB is set to introduce its new 3.5 V6, I believe for next year, and it should be a big improvement. However they still need to improve the interior of this truck, the fit and finish is very disappointing. Seating in the back was rather comfortable, it was roomier than the Escalade, and the seat was flat, but not as flat as the Escalade. Also the seat cushion itself was rather large, so that added to the comfort. From the passenger standpoint the suspension and ride quality were also very good. Not harsh, not bouncy, but rather isolated and pleasing.
Then we went for a ride in the CTS wagon. Right away the car felt kind of GS-ish to me. Very nice interior, nice materials, very comfortable. There are a few signs of some old cheap GM plastic, particularly on the door panels and handles, but overall the car is much improved and certainly respectable. The ride was very good. The engine isn't quite a rocket like GS350, even though they are rated with similar HP. It doesn't have the low end response of GS350, but its comparable at the high end. Exhaust note kind of reminded me of GS350 as well. The transmission was sometimes hesitant to downshift, and I had to let go of the gas pedal and punch it again to make it downshift. When it didn't downshift, the lack of low end was pretty terrible. In either case both me and my wife enjoyed beating on the car, and the Caddillac rep was totally cool. He let us both take the car for a long route and drive the crap out of it. I'm not even going to say how fast we drove it, you get the idea. The handling was also fine for, it did have a bit more body roll than I expected, but the ride was nice and comfortable, the suspension is solid and not bouncy. Riding in the rear it was also very Lexus-ish (in a good way). The headroom and legroom leave a lot to be desired, but when you're 6'-4" there are barely any vehicles that have room in the rear that is adequate for you. Other than that, the seat is just great. The back cushion is properly reclined and "bucketed" instead of being flat, and it makes for a very comfortable riding position and you don't slide around when the driver is taking turns.
Next we went on to drive the star of the whole event, the SRX. They had two versions available, the 3.0 and 2.8 Turbo. There was only one turbo model available, so we didn't bother waiting for it, and just went with the plain 3.0 NA V6. Cadillac is clearly proud of this vehicle, and deservingly so. As you hop into the drivers seat, you're right away impressed by the interior quality. There are no cheap elements of the old GM present in this car. The interior is a step up from the CTS - there seems to be no cheap plastic anywhere in sight. The leather quality is Lexus smooth, the gauges are gorgeous, the seating position behind the steering wheel is perfect. The steering wheel however is manually adjustable, but it is wrapped in baby-behind-smooth leather with solid wood on top and bottom portions - very Lexus like. Nothing in common with some downright fugly steering wheels that GM has done in the past. The whole dashboard is wrapped in leather, and even though the leather on the dashboard isn't of the same high quality as the steering wheel and seats, there's no mistaking it for hard plastics like RX and ML. On the road it also felt great. The suspension is solid and does it's job very well. It may be just a tad stiff, but after hitting a bump, you only feel it once and thats it. No loose feeling of aftershock that's felt in the RX. The 3.0 suffers drastically from the lack of torque, but due to the lack of torque the transmission is actually a lot happier to downshift, and it actually felt livelier to me than the CTS with the much more powerful 3.6L engine. However there were a couple occasions when the transmission didn't want to downshift when I floored the pedal, and the torque response was very lacking. Also, the engine felt very smooth and refined. The exhaust note was very loud compared to the ML and RX, but the sound was great and aggressive, I loved it. It felt allright in the corners, not too much body roll for an SUV. But in all honestly, it isn't a car that you want to drive fast. It is a very relaxing, pleasing car, you just want to sit back and enjoy the smooth ride. Sitting in the back however I wasn't as impressed as I was driving it. In the back the suspension felt a little more hash, but not too bad. The biggest problem was the rear seat. First of all, there isn't enough head room. The the seat is awfully flat, not reclined enough, and the center handrest is way too low. I found myself sitting bent sideways because of lack of headroom and low handrest. This isn't comfortable even for a short route, and I certainly wouldn't want to be stuck in there for a long trip. My wife also totally loved driving the SRX, and had the same concerns about the rear seat lack of comfort. Since they had a buttload of 3.0 SRX on the event, we both took the SRX for a spin several times, and came back more and more impressed with the drive every time. What a delightful vehicle it is to drive. I'm not a big fan of GM, and to be honest I went to the even biased and wanting to hate the SRX, but I was pleasantly impressed. If I had to chose between the RX, ML and the SRX, it would be SRX hands down.
After this event, I still like the 3GS best (compared to the CTS and outgoing 5 series). Its just more of a rocket, still with the best interior, even if it lacks in a couple of areas.
As far as SUV's my favorite is still Acura MDX. In fact, the SRX somewhat reminded me of the Acura, and while in some ways its better than the Acura - nicer dashboard and wood, it's rear seat isn't as comfortable, and it lacks the third row seats. Even though the third row seats in the Acura are very small, they can be very useful if you occasionally have the need to carry extra passengers. The third raw seats in the much bigger, bulkier and much more expensive Escalade are only marginally bigger and not that much more useful.
All in all Cadillac has certainly improved a lot and hopefully they can keep it up. Of course, with the billions of dollars of taxpayers money they received in bailout, they better be improving the quality of their cars. They question is, will the unions milk and drain GM's resources dry like it happened before?
Well done. The new Caddys are very well done.
09-28-10, 09:25 AM
#30
Thanks for the review. Well-done as always.
However, I disagree with the SRX being an attractive vehicle. There is far too much resemblance to other GM Theta platform vehicles. To me its a little too obvious that its a Caddy version of the Equinox to justify the price.
However, I disagree with the SRX being an attractive vehicle. There is far too much resemblance to other GM Theta platform vehicles. To me its a little too obvious that its a Caddy version of the Equinox to justify the price.