2013 Cadillac SRX Rear-Seat Entertainment
Cadillac announced some time ago that the SRX would receive a mid-cycle refresh that includes some exterior nips and tucks as well as a brand new dash that includes the new Cadillac User Experience (CUE) system. What they waited until just now to tell us is that the SRX's flavor of CUE also includes a re-think of the rear-seat entertainment system for and tested by kids. Upgrades from the earlier rear-seat entertainment include dual, 8", front seat-back mounted screens as well as support for high-def video including Blu-Ray disk compatibility. In addition to the front-seat CUE upgrades, the rear seat passengers can now connect and control personal media devices instead of just feed video and audio in through RCA jacks. Newly added are USB jacks and a SD slot all available at the rear side of the front console. Also re-imagined in this iteration is the remote control that is now inspired not by a TV remote, as in the previous system, but by game console controllers to better fit the expectations of the younger rear seat passengers. Cadillac even clinic-ed the new SRX's rear seat system with children to ensure ease of use. The system will list for $1595 on the updated SRX that is going on sale now. See Cadillac's video presentation of the new systems below.
Cadillac press release below: DETROIT – The refreshed 2013 Cadillac SRX will offer an entertainment package featuring a Blu-Ray DVD player that extends Cadillac’s signature CUE system for connectivity to the rear seats along with a redesigned kid-tested gaming-style remote control that allows each of the 8” flip-up rear screens to play unique media. With CUE, users can pair of up to 10 Bluetooth-enabled devices at once, including mobile phones, SD cards, USBs, and MP3 players. For the first time, rear-seat passengers can connect to and manage their own music players and playlists. A special connector cable sold separately allows watching movies stored in media players. The addition of Blu-Ray allows families the same video quality on the road as they’re accustomed to at home. Front-seat passengers will be able to watch videos via the 8” touchscreen CUE display on the center-stack while the vehicle is in park. With audio playing throughout the vehicle’s speakers, the SRX becomes a home-theatre on wheels. A dual-play capability feature allows one user to play a video game on one monitor while another user watches a movie or listens to the radio on the other. “Having multiple media connectivity options really gives owners flexibility with entertainment, especially families,” said Charlene Goike, rear seat entertainment lead engineer. “One can easily pop in their camera’s SD cards on the way home from their kid’s sports games to let the young ones instantly relive the action.” The rear-seat entertainment package also gets an all-new cordless remote control, designed for familiarity and ease of use. Shaped like a video game remote control, it mimics the layout of buttons to help young users access their favorite media more easily. A quick-reference sheet will also be provided so users know what each button on the remote will do. “We actually invited a group of kids to test and interact with the new rear-seat entertainment features,” said Shannon Chiarcos, human factors engineer responsible for gathering consumer feedback on entertainment options in the vehicle. “The data we collected allowed us to go back and make several adjustments to the system, including simplifying the remote control so that kids could use it without the help of an adult.” The SRX gets a pair of updated wireless headphones designed to fit more comfortably than previous versions as well as the ability to toggle between what is being played on either back-seat monitor. Users can also adjust volume directly on the headphones themselves. The rear-seat entertainment package will be available as an option on Luxury (with navigation,) Performance and Premium SRX trim models and will retail for $1,595.