2012 Cadillac SRX Overview Change Vehicle

This 2012 Cadillac SRX review explains changes for the model year, provides a summary of the 2012 SRX, and includes Cadillac SRX safety, reliability, and fuel economy ratings.

The 2012 SRX is Cadillac’s best attempt at taking the popular Lexus RX down a few notches. Similar in size, purpose, and content, the Cadillac is also the more stylish of the two.

Cadillac finally installs the engine the SRX should have had from the get-go, a direct-injected 3.6-liter V6 with 308 horsepower. Bye-bye, underpowered 3.0-liter V6. See ya, Saab-sourced turbo. The new engine is bolted to a new transmission, a six-speed automatic with an Eco mode designed to improve fuel economy. Other improvements include standard Bluetooth, power door lock switches are added to the door panels where everyone looks for them, and a heated steering wheel is standard on all except the base model. The optional 20-inch wheels have a new finish this year, the SRX can be equipped with an all-Ebony interior color scheme, and fresh exterior paint choices include Xenon Blue, Silver Smoke, and White Diamond Tricoat.

Cadillac offers the SRX in front- or all-wheel-drive models. Front-drivers are available in a Base trim level, with Luxury, Performance, and Premium option packages – “collections” in Cadillac marketing-ese. The SRX AWD is equipped with Luxury trim in its least expensive format, with available Performance and Premium packages.

As is expected of a luxury model, the 2012 SRX is equipped with a common baseline of standard features. Key among them is OnStar, which includes a free six-month subscription and comes with Turn-by-Turn Navigation and Automatic Crash Response service. Automatic Crash Response activates if the SRX’s airbags deploy, puts a live operator in touch with the vehicle’s occupants, and if they cannot respond, the operator can send rescuers directly to the SRX’s location. Cadillac doesn’t offer factory options on this model.

If you buy the SRX AWD, or upgrade from Base trim on the front-drive model, you get the Luxury Collection. In addition to leather seats, genuine Sapele wood cabin trim, keyless access and push-button ignition, and LED interior lighting, the SRX Luxury Collection model is equipped with an eight-way power driver’s seat with adjustable thigh support, a four-way power front passenger’s seat, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, memory for the driver’s settings, and power adjustable pedals. Additional upgrades include remote engine starting, a power tailgate, a reversing camera, a panoramic glass sunroof, front and rear park assist sensors, and rain-sensing wipers. The SRX Luxury Collection has chrome roof rails and machined-finish alloy wheels, as well as LED interior lighting, humidity and air quality sensors for the climate control system, a HomeLink universal remote, and cargo management solutions. For parking in tight quarters, the side mirrors feature power folding and both the driver’s exterior mirror and the interior rearview mirror are of the auto-dimming variety.

Cadillac offers a few upgrades for Luxury Collection models. You can get a better audio system, and if you choose the navigation system you’ll enjoy a Bose 5.1 surround sound system. A rear-seat entertainment system, pet guard cargo net, and trailering equipment are also available on this model.

The next Collection is called Performance. It includes a 40-gig hard-drive navigation system with Bluetooth music streaming, iPod compatibility, Gracenotes, and a USB port, all paired with a Bose 5.1 surround sound system. Fog lights, wiper-activated Xenon HID headlights with washers and Adaptive Forward Lighting that swivels the beams with the steering to help see around corners at night, variable-effort steering, and 20-inch machined-finish alloy wheels are also included on this model. Performance Collection models can be further outfitted with a rear entertainment system, a pet guard cargo net, trailering equipment, and 20-inch chrome wheels.

Get the Premium Collection is you want all of these features plus triple-zone automatic climate control, rear audio and climate controls, ventilated front seats, and heated rear seats. As with other SRX models, the Premium Collection version is offered with rear-seat entertainment, a pet guard cargo net, and trailering equipment. Chrome 20-inch wheels are also available.

For 2012, the Cadillac SRX gets the engine it should have had when the current iteration debuted for 2010. A 3.6-liter, direct-injected V6 engine making an impressive 308 horsepower drives the front or all four wheels through a new six-speed automatic transmission. The transmission is equipped with an Eco mode that helps to improve fuel economy. As this review is written, the EPA has not rated fuel economy for the new V6.

Standard safety features for the 2012 SRX includes four-wheel-disc antilock brakes, traction and stability control, and six airbags. The standard OnStar telematics system includes Automatic Crash Response and Emergency Services, and it even has a Stolen Vehicle Assistance feature that allows law enforcement authorities to track the SUV if a thief has taken it, and to remotely slow the vehicle down to prevent high-speed pursuits and more easily apprehend criminals. Front and rear parking sensors and a reversing camera are standard on all except the base model, and the Performance and Premium Collection variants include an Adaptive Forward Lighting system that swivels the headlights with the steering to help see around dark corners.

In terms of crashworthiness, last year’s SRX was named a Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for its top-rated performance in the frontal, side, and rear impact assessments and for its impressive roof crush strength. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has not put the SRX through its latest round of updated tests, so the only rating that applies for 2012 is for resistance to rollover, for which the SRX receives 4 Stars.

Expectations for dependability are average, and no better. Both Consumer Reports and J.D. Power and Associates predict that the SRX will provide average levels of reliability over the long haul. It should be noted that in the most recent J.D. Power survey of initial quality, the SRX received a slightly below average rating.

To help assuage concerns, Cadillac provides its Cadillac Shield warranty, maintenance, and roadside assistance program on every 2012 SRX. Basic warranty coverage is for four years or 50,000 miles, and the powertrain is protected with a five-year/100,000-mile warranty. Cadillac picks up the tab for selected scheduled maintenance services during the basic warranty time period, while free roadside assistance is provided for the first five years of ownership.

This new 3.6-liter V6 engine is exactly what the Cadillac SRX needed when it debuted for 2009. There’s plenty of power, though fuel economy is unimpressive – we averaged 18.4 mpg with plenty of highway driving. Cadillac provides an ECO mode that is ostensibly designed to improve mileage by altering shift points to add one extra mile per gallon of fuel burned. Unlike similar systems in other vehicles, the SRX’s ECO mode operates unobtrusively and can be easily and quickly overruled by commands issued to the accelerator pedal.

Equipped with Performance Collection trim like ours, the SRX is fairly athletic for a front-drive crossover with plenty of weight over the front wheels, thanks in part to 20-inch wheels equipped with P235/55 tires. The SRX’s tall center of gravity and short wheelbase conspire to engage rollover mitigation control on certain sections of writhing roads, but otherwise the SRX is game for a rousing drive as long as you are and, when driven smoothly, can cover ground quickly. The penalty to be paid for this canyon carving capability is a somewhat choppy ride over broken pavement, and somewhat heavy steering at low speeds.

Notably, on a day of record heat, we experienced only a hint of brake fade during a demanding mountain descent. Given the near 100-degree temperatures, we expected the SRX’s brakes to overcook themselves after approaching a handful of hard corners at speed. Happily, that situation did not materialize.

The cabin on our top-of-the-line test model looked good and smells better. The front seats are comfortable and supportive for both short and longer drives, the steering wheel is pleasurable to grip, and the center padded armrest designed to slide forward for greater comfort. The seats in our test vehicle were stiffly bolstered, and did a great job of holding us in place when taking corners at speed, but sliding into and out of them was a bit uncomfortable.

Rear seat room is tight for adults and the SRX offers cargo space on par with compact crossovers, rather unexpected given the SRX’s exaggerated proportions and wide, roomy front quarters. Cadillac tries to expand the SRX’s utility with a U-shaped cargo divider rail and a cargo shade that can be placed into two different positions, but there’s no denying that the space is small.

Styling fits in line with modern Cadillac Art & Science themes, with subtle chevron shapes inside and out to remind you of the SRX’s roots. Lots of front overhang, however, and the exaggerated size of the grille and headlights makes it look like Cadillac grafted the nose of a much larger vehicle onto a much smaller crossover. We do love the hint of classic Cadillac tailfins integrated into the vertical taillights, though. Overall, this is a really good-looking SUV…from the front wheels back.

Though less capacious than the original SRX, today’s smaller version is proving popular with luxury SUV buyers attracted by its bold design, Top Safety Pick rating, and athletic ride and handling. A new V6 engine brings welcome refinement and power this year, leaving dependability as one area where Cadillac can improve. For now, however, we can recommend the SRX if it’s average predicted reliability ratings sit well with you.

By Christian Wardlaw