Earning a place on Automobile Magazine’s annual All-Star list is no easy feat. However, Honda has made it seem incredibly easy. The Accord has yet again earned this coveted award, showing that the latest generation is just as competitive as ever.

Honda has made it on to Automobile’s All-Star list 18 times since the awards inception in 1986. For 2013, the magazine’s Editors were enamored with the latest model, which made its introduction last fall. The 2013 Accord has already racked up plenty of awards since it hit showrooms, including Car and Driver Magazine’s 10Best, Ward’s 10 Best Engines and it was even named a North American Car of the Year Finalist.

“The Accord continues to demonstrate it’s the one to beat in the hyper competitive mid-size sedan segment,” said Mike Accavitti, senior vice president of auto operations at American Honda. “And to be recognized by a top automotive publication like Automobile Magazine as one of the most significant models of the year further validates our effort to deliver a best-in-class vehicle experience for our customers.”

While the midsize sedan segment is brimming with boring, shapeless vehicles, Automobile was impressed with the Accord’s quality and performance. While it may not excite on paper, the Accord possess the “soul of the NSX.”

“Whether you’re talking about a V-6 or a four-banger, coupe or sedan, the Accord feels like it aspires to standards that should apply to more expensive machinery,” noted Automobile’s Ezra Dyer. “Nobody told the Accord that it’s a mass-market conveyance, rolling out of Marysville at a rate of 1,900 per day.”

What started with the Lexus RX300 in the late 90s has turned into an exploding lineup of vehicles from every luxury brand. The premium crossover segment has grown at a fast pace, and with it come the challenges of what is defined as “luxury” in the 21st century. Cadillac entered the club in 2003 with the first generation SRX and did well, but the segment grew fast in the late 2000s and Caddy knew they needed a show-stopper to compete with the Audi Q5, Lexus RX350, Infiniti FX and Mercedes ML to name a few.

Welcome the refreshed for 2013 SRX. Introduced in 2009 as a 2010 model, it received a facelift this year along with a totally revamped interior. With one week behind the wheel with a Premium AWD model in Black Raven, we were able to see just how luxurious and capable the SRX was in handling the demands of daily life.

Luxury Redefined

As of late, luxury has been synonymous with technology, and the 2013 SRX is loaded to the brim with the latest in safety, entertainment and connectivity. All SRX trim levels come standard with CUE (Cadillac User Experience), a system that features an 8″ touch-screen, proximity sensors and haptic feedback which means there’s a vibration under the finger wherever the screen is pressed. 

Unfortunately, using something like a tablet while driving is illegal in many states. It falls under the same balloon as smartphones, laptops, etc. A more ideal system, albeit still distracting, would be a knob or controller of some sort with menus that are no more than 2 layers deep. A controller of some sort also helps to eliminate those unsightly fingerprints from the beautiful display too.

We found CUE to be laggy at times, though it didn’t always let us know via a “loading” symbol; we’d tap and tap and then eventually something would happen but then something else would happen because it registered all the following inputs as well. Cadillac has since issued an update to speed up the system and we’re hearing positive feedback about it.

Below the touch-screen are capacitive touch buttons that react to the energy of the human body. This means that they don’t work with gloves like an actual button would and they don’t always register like an actual button or knob would. The old saying “don’t fix what ain’t broken” comes to mind after experiencing this, but we commend the engineers and designers at Cadillac for coming up with something cool; it simply shouldn’t be in a vehicle though at this stage of the game. 

One thoughtful feature behind CUE is an illuminated storage cubbie. A light tap on the chrome trim above the CD slot activates a motorized lift to hide personal items like a wallet to keep thieves away.

Original Definition of Luxury

Aside from CUE, the SRX is a true luxury vehicle through the extensive bling on the outside. The contrast of the black paint to the chrome grille, fenders, roof rails, 20″ wheels and exhaust outlets is stunning. 

Our top level model came standard with high-intensity discharge headlights and adaptive lighting. Adaptive headlights communicate with steering wheel inputs and rotate the projector lens left or right to illuminate around corners, something you didn’t realize you need until you have it. 

Parking sensors are located in the front and rear bumpers to aid in parking situations, and new for the 2013 SRX is rear cross-traffic alter. A back-up camera is also standard for a detailed reversing experience, and projects on the CUE display.

Keyless access with pushbutton start was standard on our model, a feature we’ve come to love on every modern vehicle that offers it. It’s another must-have that you begin to appreciate as “true luxury” over things like capacitive buttons. 

Inside, more luxury fills the cabin. Beautiful soft touch and high quality materials cover every surface and the attention to detail is something we haven’t seen in a while from Cadillac. This is truly a well-crafted interior that deserves recognition where it’s due. 

Look above and a panoramic roof that extends beyond the rear seat opens up the cabin to the limitless sky, but can quickly close it out with a powered moving sunshade if need be. 

Heated and cooled front seats, heated outboard rear seats and a heated steering wheel all made our winter-time experience with the SRX a warm one.

Winter Warrior

While passengers cuddle in the warmth of heated hides inside, the SRX is doing so much on the outside to keep the vehicle in the driver’s control. The 3.6L V6 under the hood puts out 308 horsepower and is mated to a six-speed automatic with a limited-slip differential at the rear to provide side-to-side torque in hard cornering.

Though we didn’t have the opportunity to test the hard cornering aspect of the system with all-season rubber on slippery roads, we can say the system was imperceptible when it was working. Accelerating up a hill from a stop was drama free and once again instilled confidence in the excellent drivetrain. 

Fuel economy for the premium-drinking engine is rated by the EPA at 16 MPG in the city, 23 MPG on the highway, and we averaged about 21 MPG over the week of mixed driving. That’s actually impressive considering the several remote-starts initiated to warm up the cabin.

Local driving was a breeze thanks to the helpful driving and parking aids and good all around visibility. We were a bit surprised by the amount of force needed to apply the brakes though, almost as if Cadillac had brought back manual brakes, though it may have been an anomaly in our test vehicle.

Highway commuting was smooth, stable and quiet. Feedback from the suspension and steering is excellent and connects the driver to the road in a positive manner. Not on our tester but available on the SRX are features that make life even better, like adaptive cruise control and front/rear automatic braking. We’ve tested both systems on the Cadillac ATS and can confirm that they work and are well worth checking off on the options sheet as part of the Driver Awareness and Assist packages.

theCD’s Take

With the luxury crossover segment is hotter than it has ever been, the SRX is fighting an uphill battle. High quality materials, interior comfort and service after the sale are no longer what defines a luxury vehicle but remain key to the overall vehicle experience. 

The 2013 SRX leads in luxury, refinement and comfort, and we’re interested to see the resilience to time and temperature fluctuations of the electrostatic switchgear. With a starting price of $37,330 and topping out at $58,220, the SRX is also a value in the crossover segment. It also comes standard with OnStar, a service that we highly recommend for everything from vehicle health reports, automatic accident notification and landline-quality calling for a small fee.

2013 Cadillac SRX Gallery

When you take your car out on a rainy day, you are more likely to pay closer attention to the road while driving. This is because you know weather conditions greatly influence the safety of driving your car. You may turn your windshield wipers on, keep your phone turned off, or keep the radio low to avoid distractions. These are all great ways to increase your safety while driving, but what about the things that are not within your control?

Skidding, snow, and rainy or icy roads all increase the dangers of losing control of your car while driving. Paying extra attention to the road will help, but there are some more things worth knowing to prevent this kind of danger.

For example, to prepare your vehicle for the cold and icy winter weather, you should ensure that each of your tires has a minimum of a 4.8-millimeter deep tread. You will also need to get the antifreeze levels and battery power of your car checked. Finally, make sure your rear window defogger and defroster are in good working order.

These steps alone will dramatically increase your safety on the road, but there is still more you can do. Try stocking your car with items needed to prevent getting stuck in an emergency. It is advised drivers keep a snow shovel and kitty litter in their cars during the winter weather. The shovel is to help dig yourself out of the snow and the litter provides traction for your tires.

Now that you’ve prepared your car for the road, it’s time to consider prevention while actually driving. The most important resource available to you while driving is reaction time. If you start to skid or hydroplane, every second counts.

On the road, the distance between you and another car in front of you determines the reaction time you will have if something goes wrong. For every ten mph you are traveling, you should allow yourself three to four car lengths of space between you and the next vehicle. It is probably wise to increase that distance even more if you are driving a heavier vehicle such as a cab truck or trailer.

It is advised to avoid driving cab and chassis trucks on wet or icy roads as much as possible. But sometimes it is hard to stay off the road when it is raining. Other times, a heavy downpour may start when you are already on the road, with nowhere close to pull over. The risk of skidding or hydroplaning increases in these circumstances. If you find yourself beginning to enter a skid, immediately stop pressing on the accelerator and try to keep the car in a straight line. It is also very important not to panic. That may go against your instincts but it is a much safer response and will keep you levelheaded.

Another immediate instinct in the process of a skid may be to instantly slam on the brakes. This can be dangerous and ineffective. If your car doesn’t have antilock brakes, you’ll want to pump, not slam, your brakes. Antilock brakes will automatically apply this pumping technique to prevent the car’s reaction to slamming on the brakes so you may want to look into having them installed.