I just got a call from the dealership informing me that my SRX is ready for pick-up. It took 3 weeks to be built at the factory (I wanted the sunroof + navigation w/o the 3rd row seat - a combination that no dealership had within 500 miles of me) to my specs. Not bad at all since they originally said it'd take around 6 weeks.

I'm actually picking it up tomorrow at 3pm and leaving for Florida around 10. I think that a 1100 mile one way drive should prove for a good driving test. I'll have to arrange for a check-up and an oil change once I get to the Sunshine state to make sure everything is ok with the vehicle. At least that's what they advised and I'm not willing to take any dumb risks.

Anyways, I'll have some pictures up soon. I went for the Black Raven external and Ebony internal colors. Pain to keep clean but so gorgeous to look at when taken care of properly.

I'll have some feedback on the vehicle once I arrive in Florida. Wish me luck.

Hey Riff...congratulations. It's a great SUV! Couple of questions. Did you get the V6 or V8? And where in Florida are you headed? We're in Naples into early May.

Good luck!
Don

riff,

Congratulations!

Your vehicle will need proper break in.
The main thing is to vary the speed.
I don't know how you will do that on a long trip.
keep revs below 4000 rpms and speed below 70mph
for the first 500 miles.

maybe you can drive it around some before
you start out on your trip?

Congrats and post some pictures when u get it!

riff,

Congratulations!

Your vehicle will need proper break in.
The main thing is to vary the speed.
I don't know how you will do that on a long trip.
keep revs below 4000 rpms and speed below 70mph
for the first 500 miles.

maybe you can drive it around some before
you start out on your trip?I was just about to post the same thing. Unfortunately, a long road trip is not the recommended way to break it in....

Hey Guys, thanks.

I got the V6 AWD (it's a must in Chicago, really) and will be driving it down to Satellite Beach for a two week stay.

I have all day today to drive it around the city which will hopefully go towards breaking the vehicle in. Thanks for the suggestions. I expect that I won't want to leave the car at all - opting instead to drive and drive and drive.

I haven't been this excited about a new car since my very first purchase. I was smitten with the SRX since I first saw the pre-production pictures and having read all there was to read and going for the obligatory test drive I felt like it was the best vehicle for my needs.

I'll post some first impressions after some extensive 'exploration' today. I can't wait!

Riff
That is the EXACT spec of the car I want! Best price I could get on one on another dealers lot was $44,350 - would you mind saying how this compares with your out-the-door price, without sales tax. Dealer says there is no price difference between buying one off the lot and having one built. Is that true. By the way - what color did you go for. Anyhow congratulations and all the best of luck with it.

Compfan--In your earlier posts, you said you were looking for a base V6 AWD w/roof (1SA or 1SB), but now you say you want the Nav system which means 1SD--I am confused. Exactly what are you trying to buy?

Terp - You caught me - I decided that if I was going to spend over 40K for a vehicle, I might as well get all the goodies I want. I started out wanting V6 with AWD + Sunroof. That requires the Luxury Package, of course. I decided I wanted the DVD Nav system which now requires the Luxury Performance Package - so that's how I got from the more basic car to the the one in this thread.

Basically Caddy is pretty smart - I have to add almost 5 grand MSRP (4 grand Invoice) in accessories (many that I probably wouldn't have gone for) to get a sunroof and about $8,500 MSRP (7 grand invoice) for sunroof + Navigation system.

Anyhow - to answer your question, you are right - I increased the price of the car by about $3,000 to have the Nav system. Although I am still sitting on the fence about whether to make the purchase now or wait.

I believe that you can get the Ultraview roof now as a standalone option (i.e. without a package), but the navigation system, HIDs and other options can only be had as part of the 1SC/SD luxury performance package. To add to their already Byzantine pricing, Cadillac recently "unbundled" several options (such as the MRC, roof, etc.) out of their packages since the SRX was/is selling so poorly. This is proof that Cadillac was NOT so smart.

Terp - Do you have any idea how I can find out for sure about the 'unbundled' sunroof. Dealer seems to insist on the package.

I went with the 1SC, CF5 and MX5 packages which means the Navigation package (which includes other goodies - commonly known as the Luxury Performance Package), the Ultraview Sunroof package and AWD.

There were no additional costs associated with having the vehicle built and the price you mentioned is just slightly above what I ended up getting. They had originally filled out paperwork quoting a price w/o the lumbar but it ended up in the vehicle anyway... didn't pay for that. Maybe that's the difference you are seeing?

Very first impressions: great handling. Granted I'm switching from a 2001 Jeep Wrangler but having driven my mom's Pacifice extensively I can say that the SRX is an absolute beut in this department. The sunroof is great! It was chilly here today (38F) but only precipitation could have kept me from having it wide open. Navigation system was great. I took some wrong turns on purpose and the speed with which the system re-routed me was nearly double that of the Pacifica system and rivaled the one in my dad's SL500. Very impressive. The LCD is responsive (touch screen) and bright and the menu seems pretty intuitive. I know I read other remarks on the NAV stating that the menus seemed confusing but I really haven't ran into any difficulties making routes, adding Points of Interest or even messing with the radio controls. The sound is great... you can really tell that Bose measured the vehicle and the acoustics making the speakers accordingly. Clear sound, rich bass and impressive range. The DSP is a nice feature as well. Really, no complaints here unless you're really into the big boom boom bass in which case an aftermarket subwoofer is a must. Now for the best part: the noise, or rather the lack of. The ride is extremely quiet, even at high speeds and the roof open, which is almost disconcerning going from a soft-top Jeep Wrangler, where noise was pretty much all there was above 60mph. Now, I loved my Jeep, but I won't miss the noise and the SRX really shines there.

Those were just the few first observations on my drive home from the dealer. I took some detours and turned it into a 2 hour drive to break the vehicle in a bit, as suggested here, and to check out some of the gadgets.

I'll take some pictures during the drive down to Florida as well as upon my arrival. Right now I'm just about the happiest person around! :bouncy:

Terp - Do you have any idea how I can find out for sure about the 'unbundled' sunroof. Dealer seems to insist on the package.If you look at kbb.com's new car and option pricing carefully, you will see that certain packages have unbundled things. Look carefully at 1SC includes such and such if V6 made before xx/xx/03, but includes such and such if V6 made after xx/xx/03. It's very confusing.

Another, easier way to tell is to simply look at the dealer inventory on gmbuypower.com. Note that most current-production vehicles have the Ultraview roof as a separate line item option (just like XM sat radio, third row seat, MRC or DVD entertainment center). Here's an example of a V6 with only a 1SB luxury package (i.e. no Nav & HIDs) but "optioned" with everything else: http://www.gmbuypower.com/nvlWindowSticker.bp?make=Cadillac&zip=20850&noType=0&sellingSource=12&subModel=V6&makeId=006&model=SRX&dPath=URDP&subModelId=194&year=2004&BAC=119077.0&modelId=055&pvc=5300&styleId=V6%201SB&style=V6%201SB&cabSize=&boxSize=&driveType=&wheelBase=&cabSizeId=&boxSizeId=&driveTypeId=&wheelBaseId=&VIN=1GYEE637840150246&nextVin=1GYDE637340120518&previousVin=1GYEE637040158485&currPosition=19&iPi=4&fPi=4&BAC=119077.0&vehModuleDesc=SRX%20V6

BTW, if vehicle was made early last fall, then it is an older SRX with the original, expensive packages--thus roof may be included. If the vehicle was made late fall/early winter, then it likely now has the newer, "decontented" packages (i.e. roof or MRC optional)

It took a while longer to find a hotspot in Florida for my laptop but here I am at a Starbucks (surprise, surprise) typing away.

The drive to Florida went very well. I found myself liking the lumbar option more and more as the drive went on (ended up driving around 22 hours without any major stops) and discovered some other neat little options, ie: the little sunglass storage bin in the front doors.

The navigation was great - really saved me the normal travel jitters as I always knew where and when the next 'turn' was coming.

With the temperature in the high 70's I've had the pleasure of experiencing the Ultraview in all its glory and I must say that it's just great. I loved the freedom that the Jeep Wrangler offered (taking the doors and top off can't be beat) but didn't much care for the noise and the wind. The Ultraview offers a good compromise.

I have some pictures but will have to wait until I'm back in Chicago before posting. I'm already considering some minor mods but haven't made up my mind to do anything just yet. I'm very pleased with the vehicle as it is... best I've ever owned by far.

gas mileage?

I should've paid more attention... I remember stopping for gas four times during the trip but I can't be certain how necessary those stops had been. The computer currently displays a 20.1 mpg average but I did not reset it after arriving here a week ago.

Ok, so here is mine. Ended up getting a memory stick reader just so I could share... Both sides from the front and an obligatory Ultraview shot. More to come... any requests? I can try and snap what you'd like to see.

Very nice! Love the brick/stone driveway!

Thanks :) I actually get a lot of comments on the driveway... Hopefully now there will be some kind words for the vehicle occupying it as well.



Very nice! Love the brick/stone driveway!

I literally can't find anything to complain about with my 04 Moonstone V6 AWD...
[b]EXCEPT[b/] the fact that I couldn't order the XM satellite radio with the ultra-view option. We got the ultra-view and it is unbelievable. It's like an SUV convertible! :) So far I've been unsucessful in shopping for an XM radio that will it in the dash (not an attachment), so I'd appreciate any comments you-all might have in that regard.

It's absolutely the best car/suv that I have owned and I came off a Mercedes E430 4matic. Cadillac hit the mark on this. It's too bad they mucked up the ultra-view and the XM radio.

http://www.fototime.com/9C92CB39C2C2C15/standard.jpg

I'm with you. This car is an absolute joy in every sense of the word. I look for excuses to go out and drive...

You guys are lucky people. Beautiful vehicles. I hope I can be as successful as you. I currently own a 91 S.Deville. This is the "newest" car I have owned. I graduate from college next year with my B.A. in Business Administration and Accounting. That's a start.;)

Just a quick update. 2800 miles and no problems/complaints whatsoever. I'll be taking my SRX to the dealer this week for an oil change and the usual first checkup. I highly recommend this vehicle to anyone interested.