New York Auto Show: 2013 Cadillac SRX

GM’s Wreath and Crest division continues to reposition itself as a technology leader with the debut of the 2013 Cadillac SRX at the New York Auto Show, as the luxury crossover gains the brand’s innovative CUE interface and enhanced safety measures to go along with a mild-but-effective redesign.

New York Auto Show: 2013 Cadillac SRX—The CUE Cadillac User Experience

Standard on the new SRX, CUE is Cadillac’s command-and-control resource and leverages an eight-inch LCD touchscreen and cutting-edge voice-recognition capabilities to manage a wide range of connectivity and infotainment functions. Of course, a lot of luxury vehicles offer similar setups, but Cadillac has enhanced CUE with large, easy-to-use icons, along with proximity sensing and haptic feedback, for a particularly user-friendly experience—regardless of whether the driver is new to this kind of technology or a long-time expert.

Also notable: CUE can recognize the same kind of “pinch,” “spread” and “swipe” gestures that many people already rely on with their smartphones and tablet computers. And behind that big touchscreen is a hidden storage space, too.

New York Auto Show: 2013 Cadillac SRX—High-tech Safety Features

On a safety front, the 2013 Cadillac SRX adopts the division’s comprehensive approach to passenger protection with standard side blind-zone alert and rear cross-traffic alert systems, then offers Driver Awareness and Driver Assist packages that bring:

• Adaptive cruise control
• Automatic front and rear braking
• Forward collision alert
• Lane-departure warning
• A rear-vision camera with integrated guidelines
• Cadillac’s Safety Alert Seat, which helps alert drivers to potential road dangers with a vibrating seat—providing a tactile alert that has been shown to be more noticeable to drivers than visual or audible warnings

New York Auto Show: 2013 Cadillac SRX—Design Details

The eye-catching exterior of the redesigned SRX also caught some upgrades, now presenting a more sophisticated, detailed face that is accented by a new grille and special touches like front fender vents that incorporate LED “light pipes.” The cabin has been extensively revised as well, introducing a new instrument cluster and fresh designs for the shift knob and steering wheel. Engineers also have deployed an active noise-cancellation system to improve interior quietness.

Continuing to offer both front- and all-wheel-drive models, along with a 308-hp direct-injection V6 powerplant, the 2013 Cadillac SRX is slated to go on sale this fall.

Original photos by Jeffrey N. Ross