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Review of 2008 SRX (300 miles)


Texas Jim

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Howdy all,

Recently had my DTS in for some minor fixes. Dealer was out of loaner cars, so they got me a 2008 SRX base from Enterprise Rental.

Black with tinted windows and tan (cashmere?) interior.

First impressions....

It drives very well and handles like it is smaller then it really is. Has a very good turning diameter. Smaller turning circle than my DTS. I didn't really realize how big it was till I parked it in my garage overnight. :D

It is not a performance king, but I didn't expect it to be. 3.6L 255HP. Acceleration is more than adequate. Merging into freeway traffic is no problem. It goes fairly briskly. I did not get it over about 85 / 90. Very solid feeling vehicle on the road with no roadwalk or drifting from lane to lane. Very smooth and comfortable ride. Good driving position. Pretty good visibility.

There is one design flaw that was a irritating. The dash A/C vents are surrounded by brushed chrome. They are not "BRIGHT" chrome, but the one on the passengers side reflects in the outside rearview mirror at "ALL TIMES." When you just "QUICKLY" glance in the mirror before changing lanes, it looks like something is "RIGHT THERE" beside you. Can be a little diconserting till you get used to it and learn to "LOOK", to see past the reflection and not just "GLANCE" at the mirror as you usually do.

The only drawback I noticed in driving it, for "ME", is that there is very little road feedback in the steering wheel and it takes a lot of turning of wheel to turn a corner. But that is probably to be expected for the type of driver that would have this particular model. Base with V6. I would expect the V8 with performance package would drive quite a bit differently. At least I would HOPE so. :D

I had to make a 225 mile trip while I had it. Drove it about 300 miles total.

Comfortable seating, but I wish it had the A/C seats. I like those. Darling Wife liked the seating positions also. The seats fit me well. No pressure on my arthiritic back and knees to make them hurt. That is a "GOOD" thing. :D I have a lot of trouble finding a car that don't hurt me on trips.

If I was buying one, I would get the V8 with the Luxury Package "AND" the Performance Package, which includes the Navigation system, Magnetic Ride and UltraView sunroof.

Checked mileage on the interstate coming back from the trip. Kept it down to the 75 mph range. No radar detector and lots of cops. :D Right at 22.5mpg and that was driving it EASY. Disappointing. I expected a LOT better than that. Probably would do that good with the N* V8.

Recently drove a 3.6 CTS on a 300 mile trip. It got almost 28. A 2007 DTS Lux 2 model got over 25mpg. My 2006 DTS Performance Sedan will beat 22.5 at 70 /75.

It seemed to be put together well. Didn't notice any obvious fit and finish defects. The Bose stereo with cd changer is standard. It sounded very good. Easy to program and set favorites.

The power lift / power close rear hatch is nice. Push the button on the key fob.. it opens. Push it again... it closes.

One thing missing was a keyhole on the hatch to open it. It don't have one. The only keyhole on the entire vehicle is the drivers door. None on the passengers door or the rear hatch. Also could not find a button on the dash to open the hatch. Didn't think to look in the glove box. You use the remote or the manual handle on the latch. The handle didn't seem to be real sturdy. Felt like plastic not steel. My feeling is it might break pretty easy.

It does have a nice security cover that pulls out from the passengers side, latches on the drivers side and covers the cargo area behind the 2nd row seats. Keeps prying eyes from seeing what you have in it.

Overall I would give it a 4 out of 5 stars. It could stand to use a little less fuel with the V6.

It "IS" comfortable, smooth riding, quite and roomy inside.

It would make a good long distance cruiser or a nice grocery getter. If you don't have kids... and if your wife is like mine, fold down the second row seats, and she can then take all the stuff she wants to take. :D:D:D

As always, any comments or questions are more than welcome.

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Thanks for posting. I considered an SRX when I was shopping for my first CTS, due to the additional leg room and space, but higher cost and less sporty are bad for me. For people with kids or who need to haul stuff the SRX seems like a great choice.

Bruce

2023 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing

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  • 4 months later...

IF they had upgraded the SRX as they did the CTS, I would have bought one.

That was the plan.

When I heard (and saw pix) of the 2008 CTS, I knew the SRX was just a CUV of the CTS, so........

For me, the showstoper was the looks. Just doesn't appeal to me.

I already knew that it rode good etc because a neighbor lady bought a used 2006. I drove it down to the dealer for her a couple of months ago.

I was looking forward to the restyling.

But it didn't happen. Will it happen?

I think so, but maybe 2010......

If it had had the 304HP and the FE2 and a bit better styling..........

So, I bot the CTS. :D

But the SRX is still a decent machine as your review underlines.

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