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Cadillac’s redesigned 2010 SRX crossover utility vehicle goes on sale this summer with a completely restyled exterior, a more-refined interior, and lots of new technology, including an available advanced all-wheel-drive system.
The new SRX Crossover, which goes on sale this summer, will begin at $34,155, General Motors said. Later in the summer, Cadillac also will add the all-new CTS Sport Wagon to its lineup.GM says the SRX all-wheel drive is an "intelligent, active system" that automatically sends power to front and rear axles – splitting torque as necessary to maintain "optimum handling, stability and grip in all driving conditions."While many consumers in Texas choose not to pay extra for all-wheel drive on their vehicles when that option is given, believing that it’s not needed in a place where snow rarely falls, this new GM system is designed to improve handling and stability dramatically on all road surfaces, and in dry or wet weather.Those of us who like to drive those curvy Hill Country roads will appreciate the SRX all-wheel drive as it pushes and pulls the car through those turns with confidence."The 2010 SRX will deliver excellent, balanced driving dynamics in all types of weather," Bob Reuter, the SRX global vehicle chief engineer, said."The all-wheel-drive system with electronic limited-slip effectively transfers torque not only from front to rear, but also along the rear axle."GM said Cadillac’s engineers tested the system during more than 600,000 miles of driving on roads all over Europe, in all kinds of weather, as well as on test tracks in Germany, Italy and Spain.The system starts the vehicle off with power to the rear wheels, which allows the car to perform like a rear-drive sport sedan. No front-wheel slip needs to be detected by the system before power is sent to the rear, GM said, which is unusual for a system that otherwise would be biased toward front-wheel drive.On twisty roads, the all-wheel drive is "is programmed to help the driver keep the car stable, splitting drive torque to counteract oversteer or understeer situations when cornering," the automaker said. On dry pavement, half of the power automatically goes to the rear wheels during full-throttle operation, which helps eliminate wheel spin.But on slippery surfaces, the system detects which wheels have the best traction, and power is sent to those wheels as needed to keep the car moving, even on glare ice, GM said.The limited-slip rear differential, though, can send up to 85 percent of the rear torque to one of the wheels – whichever has the best traction. GM says this is beneficial during hard cornering, or when making a high-speed lane change.Smaller and more carlike than the current SRX, the new model is similar in size and appearance to the segment-leading Lexus RX 350, which will be the Cadillac’s biggest competitor.Positioned as a midsize luxury model, this is the second generation of the SRX, whose first model was essentially a wagon-style version of the midsize CTS sedan.
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