In revamping the SRX for the 2007 model year, Cadillac has attended to one of the two issues which previously prevented it from being anything more than a minority-interest vehicle in the UK. Until now, the SRX has been available only with left-hand drive, but for this market the steering wheel has now been shifted to the right.There is still no diesel engine in the range, though, and despite recent suggestions to the contrary there will not be one in the lifetime of the current SRX. That leaves the wonderful, but immensely thirsty, 4.6-litre Northstar V8 (see Mike Grundon's road test for details of what that's like) and the more practical 3.6-litre V6 tested here.Like the V8, the V6 comes in range-topping Sport Luxury trim, but it's also fitted to the entry-level Elegance, which is the only SRX on sale for less than £30,000, though a couple of seconds ticking boxes in the options list will soon send it soaring over that figure.There's a lot to be said for the V6. It's quiet and refined in normal driving, it sounds more sporty as you push it harder, and it performs strongly (through a standard-fit five-speed automatic transmission) thanks to 258bhp of maximum power and a torque curve which peaks at just 2800rpm.On the other hand, the official combined fuel economy figure is barely over 20mpg, and CO2 emissions are comfortably on the high side of 300g/km. Okay, the Northstar is dramatically worse, but even in this form the SRX is likely to be spat at by green-tinged Londoners.The switch to right-hand drive makes the SRX practical for UK use in a way it never was before, and the practicality continues with the fact that there are seven seats. You can house five adults in there quite comfortably, and since the middle row can be moved forward and back by 100mm there is plenty of room for adjustment.The two rearmost seats are for children only - preferably quite fit children, since they have to do a bit of clambering to get into position, and you'd be advised to make sure they took their shoes off before making the attempt. Legroom in the third row is so limited that it's not a good place to try to accommodate adults.Those back seats can be folded down by pressing a button, but you have to keep pressing it for a long time. It takes about a quarter of a minute for the seats to tuck themselves away - in other cars the same process takes no more than a couple of seconds. The button in question can also be reached while you're sitting in the seats, so rival siblings can have hours of fun trying to fold each other in half.The interior of the SRX has been freshened up for 2007, but a couple of ergonomic question marks remain. For example, there is no proper rest for the driver's left foot, which doesn't do anything useful in a car with no clutch pedal and might as well have a comfortable home. In the US there presumably isn't a problem, but the switch to right-hand drive means that the transmission tunnel is now in the way, and that's one issue that has remained unresolved during the conversion.Less significant but still odd is the position of the switch for the rear wiper. My companion and I spent some time looking for this until I eventually discovered it in the roof-level console. "How on earth did you find it?" she exclaimed. "I thought of the least likely place to put it and looked there," I said. I suppose you would get used to the location if you owned the car, but it does seem strange.Cadillac describes the SRX as a crossover vehicle, "combining the sporty exterior and driving dynamics of a luxury station wagon with the offroad capabilities and interior space of a sport utility vehicle". Well, the driving dynamics are very good for a large SUV, but I don't imagine many Europeans would mistake them for those of a luxury estate.And while the SRX can hardly be faulted for interior space, its offroad capabilities are limited, and it can't really be the first choice for anyone who wants to get down and dirty.Still, the introduction of right-hand drive is a major step, and it makes the SRX worth considering by a much wider audience. But until Cadillac brings in a diesel, and makes its cars available through a larger dealer network than it does now, the SRX will still be a rare sight on our roads. Engine 3564 cc, 6 cylinders Power 258 bhp @6500 rpm Torque 252 ib/ft @2800 rpm Transmission 5 speed auto Fuel/CO2 19.2 mpg / 349 g/km Acceleration 0-62mph: 8.1sec Top speed 125 mph Price From £26425.00 approx Release date 01/02/2007
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