Cadillac SRX

The all-new Cadillac SRX luxury utility made its official debut at Detroit's North American International Auto Show in January 2003, with production start-up to follow in mid-2003.

Cadillac's new entry brings a heightened level of performance and flexibility to the medium luxury utility segment. It's a vehicle able to handle whatever path you put in front of it - a utility vehicle with a towing capacity of up to 3500 lbs. that drives like a sport sedan and looks like nothing else on the road. Its bold, breakthrough styling instantly announces Cadillac's arrival in the segment.

It's the latest model to express Cadillac's bold new design form vocabulary. It echoes the crisp, creased look of its concept vehicle predecessor, Vizón (2001). As the first of Cadillac's S-series of models, SRX foreshadows and shares automotive DNA with future vehicles like the next generation STS sedan.

Available in both rear-wheel-drive (RWD) and all-wheel-drive (AWD) applications and based on GM's acclaimed new Sigma architecture, SRX is designed to deliver superior driving dynamics.

"SRX is a true driver's utility, an innovative entry in a me-too segment," said Mark R. LaNeve, Cadillac general manager. "SRX is completely unlike any of the luxury utilities out there. It offers a great look, precise road manners and unprecedented utility. It's a vehicle that lets you say 'utility' and 'fun to drive' in the same sentence."

A luxury utility with the heart and soul of a sport sedan

Many attributes set SRX apart, but at the top of that list is performance. CTS proved the Sigma architecture is the right underpinnings for a driver's car. Now, that flexible architecture has been modified for SRX, featuring the longest wheelbase in its class and helping to provide superior ride quality and dynamic stability.

A near 50-50 weight distribution, a low center of gravity, an outstanding powertrain combination and a host of the latest vehicle stability technologies contribute to making SRX a rare utility vehicle that is, at its core, fun to drive.

Northstar power and sophisticated chassis management

SRX is powered by a duo of new engines, including the next-generation 4.6L Northstar V-8 VVT (Variable Valve Timing) and the all-new 3.6L V-6 VVT. The 4.6-liter, 32-valve V-8 Northstar engine, extensively re-engineered and mounted longitudinally, is a sophisticated, technically advanced powerplant that generates 315 horsepower at 6400 rpm and 310 lbs.-ft. of torque at 4400 rpm. The engine incorporates a host of technical innovations, including electronic throttle control and phasers on all four camshafts to control valve timing throughout the entire operating range.

SRX will mark the first AWD and second RWD application of the Northstar engine family. This new 4.6L Northstar makes its debut in the RWD Cadillac XLR luxury roadster.

The 3.6L V-6 VVT makes 260 (preliminary) horsepower at 6500 rpm and 252 lbs.-ft. of torque at 2800 rpm. The 60-degree dual overhead cam (DOHC), 24-valve powerplant boasts a number of performance refinements, including electronic throttle control, variable valve timing, multi-port fuel injection, two-stage roller chain cam drive, aluminum block and cylinder heads and a forged steel crankshaft.

Both engines will be mated to five-speed automatic transmissions; the 5L50-E with the V-8 VVT and the 5L40-E with the V-6 VVT. The 5L50-E, with 25 percent more torque capacity than the 5L40-E, features Performance Algorithm Shifting (PAS), an innovative new dual-plate torque converter and a separate, highly refined transmission control module (TCM) with expanded power and memory. Both transmissions feature Driver Shift Control (which offers the thrill of clutchless manual shifting), electronically controlled engine braking, downgrade detection with brake assist, and Performance Algorithm Liftfoot.

Chassis management and vehicle control systems on the SRX offer a high level of sophistication and help the SRX respond accordingly to virtually all types of driving conditions. Features include the latest four-channel StabiliTrak active suspension control and a segment-first Magnetic Ride Control. The electronically controlled magnetic-fluid based real time damping is the world's fastest reacting suspension control system. Speed sensitive variable effort steering, four-channel ABS with Panic Brake Assist and traction control and available AWD also are included. SRX incorporates all-aluminum suspension components to reduce unsprung mass and optimize suspension performance. The SRX suspension system uses an independent short/long arm (SLA) up front and fully independent multi-link in the rear for superior ride and handling.

Standout styling and flexible cargo management

At first glance, SRX is instantly recognizable as one of the "new" Cadillacs and yet is unlike anything else on the road. The family resemblance to CTS and Escalade is immediately evident; the SRX visually bridges the gap between performance sedan and full-size SUV. Its Cadillac bloodline shows through in its chiseled vertical tail and headlamps and V-shaped grille. At the same time, the dramatically styled SRX clearly stands out from its European and Japanese competitors.

SRX seats up to seven passengers with the optional third row seat engaged. The second row seat, with the most legroom in its class, folds virtually flat, and the third row seat power-folds into the floor at the push of a button - a first in the medium luxury utility segment. Vehicles not equipped with the optional third-row seat can have a cargo management system integrated into the rear floor.

UltraView roof

Nearly all of the vehicle's interior space can be illuminated with daylight by the largest sunroof system available in the segment. The optional "UltraView" roof provides the thrill of an open-air driving experience. It extends to provide more than five square feet of open air over the first and second row seats and integrates a retractable power shade. The "UltraView Plus" includes a vented glass roof over the third row seat.

Built to please

SRX is manufactured at Lansing Grand River Assembly in Lansing, Michigan, which builds the CTS. The 1.9 million- square-foot plant is a state-of-the-art facility based on GM's Global Manufacturing System (GMS). GMS focuses on maximum performance in the areas of quality, safety, customer responsiveness and cost. GMS stresses the importance of built-in quality principles, and the LGR plant practices those principles in every aspect of its operations to assure that its products are world-class in terms of quality.

"CTS is attracting new, younger customers to Cadillac showrooms on a daily basis and SRX will capture that same type of buyer while adding more. SRX will meet the needs of buyers unwilling to sacrifice performance and style for utility," said Jay Spenchian, Cadillac SRX marketing director. "SRX is exactly the vehicle Cadillac and customers shopping for luxury utilities need."