Test Drive: New engine improves 2012 Cadillac SRX

— -- Cadillac put a much-needed new engine under the hood of its SRX midsize crossover SUV, and boy, what an improvement.

Smaller, but nice improvements are additional features for the 2012 model, on sale since June. They include a Bluetooth hands-free link now standard on the base model, a heated steering wheel standard on the version most people buy (Luxury Collection), and better-looking wheels on the Performance package.

But the transmission on the high-end test model still didn't shift as quickly or smoothly as it should. It's hardly the deal-breaker the original was, but you expect better. And the brakes felt awful. At first touch, the pedal was numb, and as you pushed more, it felt inexplicably spongy. Sometimes, the brakes groaned loudly as you eased off the pedal at a stoplight.

The other big deal to many folks will be lack of rear visibility because of the fat rear roof pillars, apparently the work of a stylist never required to back out of a parking spot in tight quarters. The backup camera helps, but it can't do all the work.

The newly powered-up SRX, though, shined on 550-mile trip from Detroit to Virginia. The Allegheny Mountains en route are a challenge because of tight turns, steep grades and limited visibility, but the SRX shrugged off the challenges, humming ahead as if on a flat six-lane highway.

The drive also was less strenuous than it could have been because the Caddy's seats were comfy, the climate control easy to tailor, the rain-sensing wipers effective and easy to set just-so, and the engine sufficiently gutty to avoid requiring the gearbox to stir constantly.

Using the brakes on downhills wasn't a highlight, however. In addition to the lousy feel of the pedal, pressure on it wasn't proportional to the level of deceleration.

Back home in the suburbs, SRX had the same accommodating, no-hassle personality.

Cargo space is generous, and a bin under the floor helps hide valuables or lets you decisively separate the eggs from the laundry detergent.

Pleasant surprises:

•No steering-wheel shift paddles. No matter how well-intentioned, those infernal devices get in the way of something, usually turn signals. SRX sticks with the floor-mounted shift lever and lets you nudge into manual mode and shift yourself, if that's your choice.

•The "eco" setting for the transmission was well-suited for the 'burbs. In search of better mpg, "eco" upshifts sooner than normal, downshifts later. Instead of feeling as if it were resisting the driver's commands, as most mpg-oriented transmission settings do, the SRX setup merely felt smoother.

The SRX transmission stays in whichever setting you choose. You needn't fiddle with it when you restart the vehicle, as you must in some.

For most people, using "eco" all the time would feel better. Don't look for outstanding mileage, though. We hit about 21 mpg on the highway and about 13 mpg in the burbs, even driving more gently than normal.

The new 3.6-liter V-6 costs about one mpg overall vs. the 3-liter it replaces, according to the government ratings. The high-performance turbocharged 2.8-liter V-6 no longer is available.

How to grade the SRX is a relative matter. Are you comparing it with similar-price crossovers? The new Range Rover Evoque and BMW X3 go into the mix. We'd take either of those before the Caddy (though Evoque's really too small and makes the list because it looks so cool, drives so well.)