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:

    Automatic Operation
    The system automatically controls the fan speed, air delivery, air conditioning and recirculation in order to heat or cool the vehicle to the desired temperature. When the indicator light is on, ...

    Automatic EPB Release
    The EPB will automatically release if the vehicle is running, placed into gear, and an attempt is made to drive away. Avoid rapid acceleration when the EPB is applied, to preserve park brake ...

    Safety
    Eight airbags are standard, with two more optional. Antilock brakes and an electronic stability system are standard. Options include adaptive cruise control with forward collision warning, lane de ...