Accelerate Mpls

After my first run in with the SRX I had strong opinions, both good and bad.  The new SRX is a valid contender in this automotive segment and pushes the envelope for Cadillac both in quality and as a class competitive product.  My largest gripe was that the base powertrain is weak and affected the driving experience.  A simple question: would the optional turbo V6 engine fix the driving experience?

The main highlight of the SRX Turbo is larger engine which is funny because the engine in not actually larger because it is a 2.8 liter while the base V6 is a 3.0 liter.  The extra power in the this V6 really comes from the turbo, putting out 300 hp and 295 ft-lb to all four wheels all with max torque coming at 2000 rpm.  The all wheel drive system is the torque vectoring unit from Haldex.  This is the same unit that made its debut in the now dead Saab TurboX a few years back and can transfer up to 90% of the torque to the rear wheels at any given time.  The torque can also be distributed between the wheels side to side.  All of this gets put to the ground through a six speed automatic transmission with manual shift capabilities.  So the question still remains:  does this extra power fix the SRX driving experience?

The answer is yes and no.  Yes, the driving experience is much better.  In fact, leaps and bounds better.  In normal and spirited driving the car does not feel strained like the base 3.0 liter V6.  Even pulling away from a stoplight, you notice the difference.  In normal driving the engine does not feel like it is working hard.  The revs are easily kept under 3ooo rpm’s unless pushed.  When pushed, the engine responds quickly with no noticeable lag.  The turbo is going almost constantly whenever you have your foot on the gas.  Something to note is that you cannot put the needle into the red on the turbo gauge.  Why would you have the red there when you cannot put the needle in that zone?  The first thing people said to me was to put it in the red and I had to respond sadly, “It does not go that high.”

The downside to this engine is the gas mileage.  Rated at 15/22, this engine could definitely be described as thirsty.  I cannot decide what is worse about the mileage;  the fact that it is just terrible for this vehicle class, or that it is coming from the engine putting out the power that this vehicle really needs.  That mileage is no joke either.  I averaged 15.3 mpg during the week and it is worth noting that the gas it is guzzling requires premium.  I did not really stretch the SRX Turbo’s legs so I cannot comment on the highway mileage though I can assume that it matched the EPA rating pretty close to dead on.  Again, that city mileage is really not good and is so bad that it starts to dip into body-on-frame SUV mileage.  For example, the much larger body-on-frame Chevrolet Tahoe is rated at 15 mpg in the city with a V8.  If SRX Turbo engine had direct injection it would post better fuel mileage numbers and would be more competitive.

As mentioned in my previous review of the SRX, the interior styling is very well done. The materials all look and feel great. It uses the center stack from the CTS (minus the tiny climate control screens on each side) and the door handles are uniquely shaped.  These little details help set it apart. That said, the back seat is somewhat short on leg room with a taller driver.  The cargo area has a terrific cargo management system with sliding tie down brackets and there is a decent sized storage cubby below the rear floor that can hold items away from public view.

The styling is terrific.  I am still undecided about the front air dam being so low and whether it makes it look better or worse.  The rear taillights hark back to the “tailfins” on older Cadillac’s and play nicely with the overall design.  The rear diffuser finishes off the rear while integrating the exhaust into the overall design.  The A-pillars in this vehicle are ridiculously huge and they make sight lines a problem in a few instances and the rear window is tiny and makes visibility awkward so the back up camera is definitely useful in a parking lot.  The twenty inch wheels fill out the wheel wells nicely and look great because they are painted aluminum wheels instead of chrome plated.  Another thing that still bugs me is the GM chiclet.  I mentioned this in my original review, and again, I assume the tooling was already set before the decision to ditch this “Mark of Excellence” was made.

The SRX Turbo I had was a premium model with almost all of the bells and whistles.  The rear seat entertainment system package with dual rear screens and wireless headsets with remote adds $1,295 to this package and  I like the way this system is set up with screens in the back of the seats and separate video inputs for each.  The second option was the crystal red tintcoat which will set you back $995.  All said, including destination fees, the total sticker price of this particular SRX Turbo came to $54,475.

I want to take a second to talk about the competition.  The SRX is really going head to head with the Lexus RX. It was developed and bench marked against that vehicle and the marketing pitches it that way.  As I mentioned earlier, the price on this SRX Turbo was close to $55,000 and that is a lot of coin while there are a lot of other great vehicles for that price.  The SRX Turbo starts under $50,000, for that price you can get a nicely equipped Acura MDX or an Ecoboost Lincoln MKT and, while the Ecoboost MKT is a much larger vehicle, it just goes to show the breadth of this segment and price range.

There must be something about the SRX because each time I have had the vehicle we have gotten whacked with lots of snow here in Minneapolis.  The SRX Turbo handled it like a champ plowing through the white stuff with the all wheel drive sending power to the wheels with traction.  It felt weird but sometimes I thought the electronic stability control was slow to kick in.  The front wheel drive SRX handled the snow with its low profile, all season tires better than expected, so this all wheel drive version had absolutely no issues.

As with the other SRX I reviewed, I do like this vehicle.  When you compare it with the direct competitor, the Lexus RX, you see the SRX is a more engaging and dynamic vehicle.  The optional turbo powertrain definitely fixes the anemic feeling but at the large expense of gas mileage and in reality, the bulk of the SRX’s sold will be equipped with the base 3.0 liter V6 and that engine will be fine for those who are more concerned with the gas mileage.  For those who really want to take the SRX to its full potential, you will have to take the hit on the gas mileage and option for the turbo V6.

Full Disclosure- The review vehicle was provided by General Motors

The first generation SRX was really never the sales success that Cadillac hoped for.  Styling on the the first generation made it look like a tall, boxy station wagon.  With both an optional third row and V8, the first generation was rear wheel drive with all wheel drive as an option.  None of this really lined up with what the mainstream rivals were offering.

For the second generation, Cadillac has taken a much more mainstream approach.  The third row option was ditched, front wheel drive and all wheel drive replaced the old drive train and there is no more V8. The largest change is the price.  This generation is starting at $33,330 where the first generation was $38,880 for the V6 and $45,880 for the V8.  The new SRX is much more competitively priced.  You can immediately tell that Cadillac is gunning straight for the RX in every sense of the word.  A base SRX is now almost $4,000 less then the starting price of a Lexus RX.  So how does it stack up?

The interior is closely related to the CTS, which is not a bad thing.  The center stack with the rising screen is directly lifted from the CTS.  The software used in the touchscreen is definitely upgraded.  I could pair my phone using only the screen in the SRX while I had to dig out the manual to figure out phone pairing with the voice command system in the CTS.  The gauge cluster has a trick screen in the center of the speedometer.  This screen essentially had all the trip computer functions while also displaying the speed limit on most major roads.  Navigation directions are also shown with this display.  The interior has non-overpowering white LED “mood” lighting at night.  The seats are supportive but not firm.  They are much softer than the seats in the CTS Sportwagon which, in my opinion, were better.  The cargo area has a track running around it that sliders can be placed in to secure cargo.  This is a very nice feature that is executed quite well.

The styling of the SRX is strong both inside and out.  From the outside, the evolution of Cadillac’s arts and science styling is in full swing.  The sharp creases and strong character lines all play together to create a rather good looking CUV.  The rear end has the classic Cadillac “tail fin” tail lights.  The angular styling leaves a D pillar in the back that creates a large blind spot.  The rear window is very small, causing visibility to be less than stellar when backing up.  The back-up camera is a much needed feature.  The front air dam is low and I actually asked people at GM about this.  They said it was both for aerodynamics and it looks better in their opinion.  I do not know about all that, but in deep snow it acts as a plow.  The little touches on the outside caught my eye.  For example, the headlight has the Cadillac symbol stamped in the reflector.  One thing that did not add up was the GM chiclet.  This “Mark of Excellence” has now been removed from new models, but I assume the tooling for the SRX was already in place before the decision was made to ditch this “Old GM” symbol.

The engine in the vehicle I had was the base 3.0 liter direct injection V6 putting out 265 hp and 223 ft-lb to the front wheels.  All wheel drive is optional with this engine.  The optional 2.8 liter turbo V6 puts out 300 hp and 295 ft-lb to standard all wheel drive with torque vectoring.  Both engines feed out to six speed automatic transmissions with manual shift capabilities.  The base 3.0 liter is some what of a dog.  The lack of torque is the main problem here.  The SRX is not light weight, as such you can feel every one of those 265 hp and 223 ft-lb trying to get underway.  The vehicle is more engaging than the class champion, Lexus RX, but feeling the engine trying to cope with the vehicle’s weight is not the best experience even though it does get up to speed just fine.  More power would be welcome via the optional 2.8 liter turbo.  The problem with this option is the mileage, which is rated at 15/21 mpg while the front wheel drive 3.0 liter is rated at 18/25 mpg.  People seem to take these numbers very seriously these days and that turbo looks thirsty on paper for this vehicle segment.

The particular SRX I had was a premium collection vehicle with a sticker price of $47,010.  This is the top level non-turbo model.  There were not many options, but rear seat entertainment was on board for $1,295 and of course GM’s crystal red tintcoat for $995.  Each rear seat has a flip up monitor attached to the back of the front seats with two wireless headphones and  a wireless remote control that comes standard with the system.  I liked the set up, and in my opinion, was done correctly.  The upgraded stereo that was in this package was a 10 speaker 5.1 digital surround sound by Bose.  I was not really that impressed with the system.  It sounded decent enough but the optional Mark Levinson system in the Lexus RX is better.  I would have liked to have seen something like the optional Harmon Kardon system from the LaCrosse in the SRX.

Equipped with 20 inch wheels, low profile tires and front wheel drive, I will admit I was a little nervous when the blizzard came through town.  In fact, I drove through three blizzards and over 1000 miles within three days while driving the SRX.  The only problem that I saw was with the front air dam.  It is so low that it plowed through the snow and getting started down an unplowed street was not easy.  It is worth mentioning that I was able to make it up a driveway that was covered in 2.5 feet of snow.  To do this I had to turn off traction control and slam the gas in order for it to crawl its way up.  Overall, I was impressed with everything it did in the snow.  I somehow managed to eek out 26.5 mpg on the highway back through one of those storms.  That is 1.5 mpg more then the EPA’s 25 mpg highway rating.

So we have gone from a rear wheel drive with an optional third row and V8 to a front wheel drive and optional turbo V6.  How did we fare?  The SRX is now officially a competitive vehicle.  The last generation was not a mainstream approach and sales reflected that.  Yes, I do think the base engine is under powered.  In reality, the general public might not even notice.  They will notice the mileage numbers that the turbo gets and will not be that impressed with them.  I am guessing most SRX’s will leave the lot with the base 3.0 engine and customers will be content.  The vehicle has distinctive styling and I like the overall packaging.  While some powertrain improvements are needed, this new SRX is a solid contender in this hotly contested segment.

2011 Buick Regal

Last week General Motors announced they would officially be bringing back the Buick Regal.  The car is set to arrive in spring of next year as a 2011 model.  The car will launch with a base 2.4 liter four cylinder that puts out 182 hp while returning 30 mpg on the highway.  Later in the summer, a 2.0 liter turbo four cylinder that puts out 220 hp will launch.  The more powerful engine will still manage 29 mpg on the highway.  The list of specifications reads like a list of what Buick needs to get customers to both show up in the showrooms and buy their cars.  The car may look familiar to some of you, and that is because the car is a rebadged Opel Insignia.  The car that instantly won Car of the Year in Europe and is already selling well as a Buick Regal in China.  The turbo model will come with “Interactive Drive Control System.”  This will have four different driver selectable suspension settings.  GM has not gone into detail about the system yet though it sounds promising.

2011 Buick Regal Interior

The main question is simple, will this car sell?  Buick already has the new LaCrosse and the Enclave, both of which are being viewed as successes so far and selling quite well.  GM knows they need more home runs and more foot traffic in the showroom.  The Regal should bring a lower entry price point into the Buick showrooms.  GM is hoping that, in itself, will lower the age of the customers.  While we do not know pricing yet, we can naturally assume the Regal will be priced both aggressively and will undercut the new LaCrosse somewhat significantly.  I personally think, from the specifications we know so far, this car will definitely help both Buick and General Motors.  My only hope is that the rumors of a GS (GS stands for Grand Sport) model come true.  That would not only be an epic move on GM’s part, but also drive huge foot traffic that might otherwise not come near the Buick showroom.  Bob Lutz actually recently told Car and Driver that they are considering a version for the new Buick Regal to be Regal GS.  It would essentially be a rebadged Insignia OPC.  It would push somewhere along the lines of 335 hp and all wheel drive and possibly have the trick torque vectoring rear end.  Finish all this off with a six speed manual transmission and a reasonable price point that would obviously going to undercut the Germans, and everyone else that would compete, and you have a recipe for huge success.  I truly believe that GM needs a model like the Regal with a GS trim level.  It will show how serious they really are about growing their market share and changing the image of Buick once and for all.  Hey GM, I want a Regal GS, I want it now, and a wagon variant would not hurt.

Note- Hakim Givens created a mock up of what a Regal GS wagon variant might look like.

Concept of what a Regal GS wagon might look like- Image by Hakim Givens

2011 Buick Regal

Opel Insignia OPC

Opel Insignia OPC

The better part of yesterday journalists spent over 6 hours in a Chrysler press conference listening to their detailed plans for the coming 5-years.  Of course most of the people there, including Ray Wert from Jalopnik, were live tweeting all the information for our viewing pleasure.  We now know what will be coming out from Chrysler and can start evaluating the actions they are taking to achieve their plans.  Seems the twitterverse started doing that immediately.  So what exactly happened?  Below I will touch on the highlights.

Ram-

Ram will no longer be known just as the full size pick-up name plate.  Instead it will be known as the truck line of Chrysler vehicles.  All trucks going forth in the future will be known as Ram.  The brand is going to appeal to the commercial side of business.

• Dakota will be dead after 2011
• A new midsize unibody truck is under consideration to replace the Dakota in 2012
• Light duty full size pick up (current Ram) major refresh in 2012
• Heavy duty full size pick up (current Ram Heavy Duty) major refresh in 2012
• Chassis cab pick up (current Ram chassis cab) major refresh in 2012
• New large and small commercial vans from Fiat come branded as Ram’s.

Jeep-

They said Jeep is going “back to its roots”.  What that means is yet to be seen.

• Small SUV based off a Fiat comes in 2013
• Current Compass gets refresh (mostly interior) for 2010
• Current Patriot gets refresh (mostly interior) for 2010
• Compass and Patriot merge into one new small CUV in 2013
• Wrangler to get major refresh 2010/2011
• Liberty gets a mild refresh in 2010 and will be replaced in 2013 with a Fiat SUV
• Commander will probably be killed off after 2010
• Brand new Grand Cherokee in 2010

2011 Grand Cherokee coming in 2010

Fiat-

• 500 coming in 2010 as coupe, convertible, and hot Abarth form
  

  Fiat 500 Abarth

Chrysler-

Supposed to be up market and have style with class.  This will remain to be seen.

• Town & Country will get a major overhaul in 2010
• Brand new 300/300C in 2010
• All new crossover coming in 2013
• Sebring will get refresh in 2010.
• Brand new Sebring in 2013. Unknown if it will retain the Sebring name.
• The PT Cruiser is finally being killed after 2010. No seriously, this time they are for real.
• Brand new compact sedan will arrive in 2012
• Brand new small car will arrive in 2013 that will come from Fiat

Dodge-

• Full size CUV arrives in 2010 most likely the next Durango based off of the new Jeep Grand Cherokee
• Grand Caravan gets major refresh in 2010 with a all new model in 2014
• Brand new Charger will arrive in 2010
• Challenger will receive a mild refresh in 2011
• Viper is being killed summer of 2010.  All new Viper arrives in 2012
• Nitro gets refresh in 2011 and the future is uncertain going on from that
• Journey gets a refresh in 2010
• Avenger gets a refresh in 2010 with a all new model arriving in 2013
• Brand new compact sedan arrives in 2012
• Caliber is killed after 2012 and will receive a mild interior refresh next month
• Brand new small car arrives in 2013 based off a Fiat

Engines/Transmissions-

• Fiat 1.4 liter Multiair in Fiat 500 in 2010
• Fiat 1.4 liter Multiair turbo in Fiat 500 in 2011
• Phase out quickly all 4-speed transmissions
• Pentastar V6 debuts in new Grand Cherokee.  Will spread across the line over time
• Pentastar V6 turbo/twin turbo coming in late 2010/early 2011
• Start/stop technology to debut in Jeep Wrangler diesel in late 2010
• Dual clutch transmission debuts in late 2010
• Diesel engines coming late 2010/early 2011

Ram will keep the current ram’s head as the logo.  Dodge’s logo will be Dodge spelled out in black and red.  Chrysler is receiving a new logo which looks very similar to the Aston Martin logo.  Fiat and Jeep will retain their current logos.  It has been confirmed a 6.4 liter Hemi is coming, and will have 450 hp.  Also confirmed is next year the Sebring, 300, PT Cruiser, and the Town & Country will all have special editions next year before the refreshed models (or in the PT Cruisers case, dies) hit the showrooms.  The PT Cruisers special edition, fittingly, will be “Final Edition”.  The 300C will have a “sport” edition while the Sebring’s special edition will be known as “Ocean Edition”.  The Town & Country’s special edition will be a “Fashion Edition”.  Also shown were two photos of the next Dodge Charger.  One photo was the new gauge cluster while the other was of the side of the car looking from the rear fender.  The photo of the outside looks very similar to the 1999 Dodge Charger RT concept car.  The major take aways from the announcement is that maybe Fiat did know what they were getting into and possibly, just maybe, Chrysler could turn out to be on the right course.  The above is a lot to accomplish in a small amount of time so time will tell how this “plan” turns out.

2011 Dodge Charger

2011 Dodge Charger Gauge Cluster

1999 Dodge Charger RT Concept