A week with the Cadillac SRX

August is a crazy month when you have kids, between back to school, setting up after school activities, haircuts and everything in between. I got to throw in my husband’s 40th birthday and the family reunion he was hosting at our house. Throw that mix in with being the managing editor of TheCelebrityCafe.com things get interesting. So when I was offered the 2013 Cadillac SRX to test drive the week of full on craziness I was super excited.

The first thing I did was go to the Cadillac website and build my ultimate SRX. My check list included all-wheel drive, the luxury model to get the navigation system, Glacier Blue exterior with Light Titanium w/Ebony accents, leather seating surfaces interior, 20" polished wheels, the back seat DVD player, some driver assistance packages and with two kids – weatherproof floor mats!

When the SRX arrived I was shocked to see my fantasy car in front of me, even more fully loaded than I had dreamed up. My week was pretty tame at the beginning, lugging the kids back and forth to camp each day, but was it HOT! Walk out the door and need to change hot. And humid, did I mention humid? Why is this important when talking about a car? Well… the Cadillac came with air conditioned seats!! And wow, did it cool down fast. This was a match made in heaven. I called my hubby to fill him in on the specs, and was mercilessly teased that I had to watch my lead foot with the 308hp engine in the SRX, which goes 0-60 in 7.1seconds. My Ford is a mere four-cylinder. The fact that he calls me Maria Andretti might have been a deciding point in not getting a bigger engine when we bought that.

Gas mileage might have been on the list too. Sadly, since the SRX is a BIG car it barely breaks 18 MPG highway. Not the most economy car for a family.

A view from the rear: Featuring Charlotte and Catherine, two DVD screens and navigation so Mommy doesn't get lost going home!

But my girls LOVED the blue ray player and wireless headsets. And so did I – peace and quiet! I could talk on the phone using the Bluetooth in the system or plug in my iPod, use the Sirius/XM package or just sit in silence.

The car is quiet enough to sit in silence. The engine purrs. The dual sunroof tucks in so well there’s no wind noise. And the DVD player kept the kids so quiet I forgot the were with me once or twice. Not that I had a chance to forget them in the car, I kept hearing, “Don’t turn the car off, we want to finish the movie!”

But back to the crazy week. I did manage to go by my mom for dinner one night. The 14 mile, half hour trip only had two breaks where I had to pull over and fix the sound system. First, I pushed a wrong button and turned off the screens. I ended up ejecting the disc and they started over. Then only one screen started back up. I will be honest, I am normally a manual reader, cover to cover, but I just didn’t have time. If you’re like me and aren’t used to the gadgets a car like this has be sure you fully explore your options before you get on the road! Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m smarter than my Garmin at this point. But the car had navigation, so I figured why not ignore another computer voice on a route I can do in my sleep (NOT LITERALLY!). I was shocked when the GPS took me the way I go – you know, the fastest route that REALLY takes traffic into consideration! I fell in love. Not only does it talk to you it turns down the volume of the radio so you can hear it and the turns are on both the center console and the front dash. You don’t have to do much to navigate with the SRX system!

The other big thing that can make me take my eyes off the road is being forced to listen to Robin Thicke on the radio for the umpteenth time. Change that dial!! Oh, wait, I can do that with my thumb on the steering wheel! The only function I found hard to get used to was the cruise control. I played with that on my way home, and finally did get the hang of it. I don’t really use it in any car, but I do like to know how everything works. The next day was errand day. (You’d never know I was working in the midst of all this would you?) I needed a new shirt, picture frames for last minute decorating, a prescription, some wine and a piece of threshold and bug repellent from Home Depot.

I will say I was not the most confident bringing a Cadillac to Home Depot. Aside from the fact it wasn’t mine, it’s too pretty of a car to abuse like that! I did anyway – a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do! I will mention again how much I LOVE the in seat air conditioning!! The biggest day of the week was the Friday, the day before the big reunion. That meant a trip to Sam’s Club AND Target. Between party and back to school, and a bit of Christmas shopping (don’t laugh!) I was a bit nervous about how all this stuff would fit. The SRX passed the test with flying colors. I took a picture to prove it. I totally got over my issue bringing it to Home Depot.

I totally used the car to multitask that day. I was on the phone with my boss on the way to the store, in between stores and on the way home from the store. The Bluetooth through the speakers was crisp and clear and since there really isn’t background noise in the car otherwise, it’s perfect to work on the go!

One of the issues I can see people having is how low you sit in the car. At 5’10” my shoulder came up to the window on door and I had a hard time seeing next to me. The tools in the car (optional packages though) were a huge help. The blind spot alert, rear traffic alert, Lane Departure Warning, Forward Collision Alert and Safety Alert Seat really make driving the SRX very easy. Be warned - the seat VIBRATES when you get to close to something!

At the end, after a week in the Cadillac SRX it was odd to get back into my Escape, but I was happy to be “home.” The kids have been reminiscing about the movies and have been extraordinarily loud in the car lately.

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