Seating & Visibility

The SRX seats five people and follows the common practice of having a large cargo area at the expense of backseat room. I didn't have enough legroom to sit behind a driver of my height (6-foot-1), and headroom felt cramped. Also, the rear seats don't slide forward and back, which might have solved the cargo-versus-passenger tradeoff.

Up front, there's a manually extending seat bottom that offers more support for your thighs. It works better than a lot of powered ones, and it's a nice touch for us longer-legged sorts. More cars should offer this feature.

Visibility to the sides and behind is poor because, as the roof slopes downward, the bottom sills of the rear windows slope up, making the rearmost window vestigial. This is more common these days among passenger cars, but it's a bit more of a hazard in the higher-riding SRX: Low-slung cars can creep in "below" you. You have to really make sure you have your mirrors set properly — more so than in other vehicles I've driven. It's a true blind spot.

    See also:

    PRESS BRAKE TO START ENGINE (AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION ONLY)
    If the vehicle has the keyless access system, this message displays if you try to start the engine without having the brake pressed. The brake needs to be pressed when starting the engine. Se ...

    Center Console Storage
    The center console has an upper and lower storage area. To access, lift the levers on either side of the center console. There is an additional storage area behind the center console. To a ...

    OnStar®
    If equipped, this vehicle has a comprehensive, in-vehicle system that can connect to a live Advisor for Emergency, Security, Navigation, Connection, and Diagnostic Services. See OnStar Overview. ...