The 2013 Cadillac SRX will be the second Cadillac (after the XTS) to get CUE, which radically changes the crossover’s center stack, replacing the countless buttons and motorized navigation screen with four physical buttons and an eight-inch touch screen with proximity sensing and haptic feedback.
CUE (short for Cadillac User Interface) is designed to be instantly familiar to anyone who’s ever used an iPhone or iPad. The system allows users to access their smartphone data by swiping, scrolling, pinching, and spreading as they would on their very own smartphones. CUE connects to smartphones via a USB port hidden in the center stack behind the CUE display, or wirelessly through Bluetooth.
The 2013 Cadillac SRX receives a minor face-lift, as well, with a revised front grille and two new sets of chrome and polished aluminum 20-inch wheels.
New SRX safety systems include radar-based crash avoidance systems (compared to the camera-based systems on the Chevy Equinox and GMC Terrain). These optional crash avoidance systems include features like front and rear automatic braking, which help mitigate front and rear low-speed collision by first warning the inattentive driver, and then coming to a full-stop if necessary.
The one area Cadillac doesn’t tweak is under the hood. The 2013 SRX carries over with the 3.6-liter V-6 it got last year. Under the hood of the front- or all-wheel-drive SRX, the six-cylinder engine produces 308 hp and 265 lb-ft of torque.
The 2013 Cadillac SRX will hit dealers in the fall of this year.