2010 Car Comparison: Cadillac SRX v Lexus RX v Volvo XC60

Poshness and practicality collide in the luxury crossover SUV segment, where models like the 2010 Cadillac SRX, 2010 Lexus RX, and 2010 Volvo XC60 combine style and substance.

These three midsize wagons seat five and have six-cylinder engines. The 2010 Cadillac SRX and 2010 Volvo XC60 are new to the class and are priced from around $35,000. The 2010 Lexus RX is priced from around $38,000 and is by far the best-seller in the class.

Indeed, Lexus RX is considered to have inaugurated the luxury crossover segment when it launched for 1998. It’s been going strong ever since, registering an 11-percent increase in sales during 2009, a year in which overall SUV demand plummeted nearly 40 percent.

The Lexus RX was last redesigned for the 2009 model year and is the only one of this trio to offer a gas/electric hybrid model. The RX shares its basic design with some other vehicles under parent-company Toyota’s corporate umbrella, including the seven-seat Toyota Highlander crossover SUV.

The Cadillac SRX nameplate dates to model-year 2004, but the 2010 version is an all-new vehicle that’s smaller than the seven-passenger original. The SRX shares some of its engineering with two other General Motors crossover SUVs, the less luxurious Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain.

The Volvo XC60 debuted for model-year 2010 and represents a new era in stylish Volvo design. It’s the brand’s first premium small crossover and its second SUV, after the larger XC90.