Motoring Middle East: Car news, Reviews and Buying guides

How does the luxury family SUV cope with school runs, weekend adventures and work stuff? Plus what did the kids think?

By Shahzad Sheikh

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The 2015 Cadillac SRX is a considerably improved vehicle compared to when this second generation edition was first introduced in 2010. A couple of major step-changes (new 308bhp engine in 2012 and a revised interior in 2014) have seen performance gains and a transplant of the latest gadgets and goodies introduced in the likes of the ATS and CTS.

Suddenly this luxury mid-sized SUV has oodles more showroom appeal than ever before. But take it out of the showroom, and how would it cope with serving a family? We borrowed an SRX for 12 days over the holiday period to find out.

Here’s a video walkaround of the 2015 Cadillac SRX

Styling

The sharp creases, slanted angles, imposing grille and rising waistline give the SRX an almost futuristic look, and it’s certainly a little more distinctive than some rivals. There are vertical headlights with light pipe technology and adaptive lighting that follows the direction you’re turning.

There are two trim levels and this Premium version gets the 20-inch polished aluminium wheels that are pushed out to each corner with little overhang. There are also front fog lamps on the Premium.

The car is best in strong metallic colours, and it would be worth checking out the two new colour options for this year – Cocoa Bronze Metallic and Majestic Plum Metallic. It’s also available in Radiant Silver Metallic, Black Raven, Crystal Red Tincoat and Platinum Ice Tricoat, Graphite Metallic, Silver Coast Metallic, Terra Mocha Metallic and Sapphire Blue Metallic.

Interior

Inside the whole central console on the dashboard and the instrument panel display has been replaced. It gets the all-new interfaces and systems introduced in the Cadillac CTS and ATS. The instrument panel is completely digital now and configurable from the remote buttons on the steering wheel. It’s particularly handy as you can choose three different bits of information displayed along the bottom – such as mileage, speed, and fuel range remaining and more.

The new Cadillac Cue touch control system with haptic feedback through the 8-inch LCD screen from allows you to easily control all the infotainment systems in the car. There are USB plugs, SD card slots and you can pair up to 10 Bluetooth devices.

There are even USB ports and SD slots for the rear entertainment system which gets headphones and its own remote control. There is an 8-speaker Bose sound system – 10-speakers on this Premium edition.

Rear passengers also get their own A/C controls with a three-zone climate control system on the Premium. Plus there is keyless entry and start, adjustable pedals and rear view cameras as standard as is the large sunroof.

Family trip to Abu Dhabi

Emirates Park Zoo dialled into the Satellite Navigation we packed into SRX complete with cooler box, hot water flask (for tea stops), camera gear and other paraphernalia. Handily you can remote open and close the powered tailgate (which has an adjustable opening height) from the key fob.

With their own A/C controls, TV screens to keep them amused and the USB charging points (one for each so there was no fighting) for Junaid’s phone and Leena’s iPad, it was a remarkably calm run at an Active Cruise Controlled 120kph (okay a bit more in reality, but that’s all I’m allowed to publish).

It would also have been serene and hushed, if it weren’t for us making full use of the excellent surround sound stereo. Most importantly the ride is smooth and consistent. Best of all though is the performance – the grunty V6 makes the right noises, and with 308bhp and 265lb ft of torque available, serves up a remarkably alacrity – it’ll get to 210kph and reach 100kph in about 8 seconds.

Emirates Park Zoo

Located just before Yas Island, the zoo is an absolute delight. At first it appears rather small, but as you meander through its passageways, and come upon yet another large section, it never actually seems to end. In fact it’s attached to a hotel where you can stay over, and get free access to the zoo itself.

As zoos go, this one seems to be very well organised and thankfully with spacious enclosures. The animals appear healthy, happy and well cared for, and it’s a more intimate hands-on place – a large portion of it being a petting zoo where kids are encouraged to feed and interact with the animals directly. There are activities and regular shows as well, and it really feels like you get closer to the wildlife here than you would in most other zoos – as you can see from some of my pictures.

It’s definitely a full day out, and there are places to eat and rest both inside and outside the main gate. Not knowing that it was so well catered we took along a picnic and tea anyway, which still served as a good break for the kids.

A visit to the Emirates Park Zoo is thoroughly recommended, it’s fun and educational.

Yas Mall

Now that we were near to Yas Island, it seemed a shame to not check out the brand new Yas Mall, considering that’s what families do in the UAE 99% of the time.

Not all the shops are quite open yet, and the food court does not exactly spoil you for choice at the moment, but all the major brands are there, including a massive Toy Shop, a Virgin Megastore with a fun slide built into its two levels, and a Lego shop with a massive mural of Lego, depicting the Grand Mosque. The entrance to Ferrari World is also now within the Mall itself, and IKEA is just around the corner.

Day-to-day duties

The SRX is wonderfully easy and delightful to live with, very comfortable and astonishingly quiet, possible due to the active noise cancellation system which utilises counteractive sound waves through the speakers to drown out normal noise intrusion.

And it is that perfect size – large enough for a family to ride around in without complaint, yet not too big to thread through city streets and Mall car parks, and slot into spaces that would give drivers of larger SUVs pause for thought.

I like the way the compartment in the centre console just behind the gear shifter is adaptable, not only can you pull up a stalk to divide it into a two cupholders, you can also set a higher level so your cup doesn’t sink too far down and prove difficult to grab hold of.

Other thoughtful touches included a luggage compartment cover that could be slid all the way back, or just slightly up at a different angle. The full length sunroof also gives the cabin an airy and spacious feel.

Going on safari – sort of

With daughter Leena having recovered from being down with the flue for a few days, she wanted a trip out, so I took her to a natural bird sanctuary near Dubai. To get to it though you need to pass across a sand track, nothing too deep though, and the AWD SRX handled it easily without any need to deflate – though having the extra traction and power on hand (with a traction control system that does fully turn off) is reassuring.

And whilst we were in the mood for exploring I took her to an apparently abandoned nearby amphitheatre that offers astonishing architecture – like something out of an orientalist painting.

Between the amazing oasis of ducks and flamingos, and this mysterious arena, many a tall tale of gladiators and dragons was told in the confines of the SRX – which had become a sort of chariot of adventure through the realms of fantasy for my little girl and I that day.

Of course she still got in a nice nap on the long ride back home, and I do wonder what she dreamt of!

Ticks all the boxes

On the one hand you have a decent turn of torque and a delicious thrum from the engine which is all pretty pleasing for the driver. Yet on the other you have the comfort and gadgetry to keep the most spoilt kids happy. Not to mention the full complement of airbags and safety tech, including full-stopping at manoeuvring speeds in case an obstacle is detected, and that confidence-inspiring full five-star crash test safety rating from the NHTSA in America.

It stands out in the school car park, flits easily in and out of traffic, and is classy enough to go out in for the evening with just the wife, and of course serving as a very handy weekend explorer for the family. With prices starting from AED158,700, this is definitely one to put on the shortlist.