SRX Appeal

Yeah, the panel gaps that were also noted in the earlier post are unacceptable IMHO, if not surprising given its RX-ML-X5-MDX-FX competition and their build quality standards. The SRX is highly competitive in so many other respects (I personally enjoyed sampling an '06 V8) that it is disappointing GM still missed some of the details.
 
Man, look at all those X's! I forgot the MKX, 9-7x...

What is wrong with American cars? First the brand newly designed Ford Edge fan switch is in off position while the outside dial indicates position 1, now this back glass window seems to be misplaced and or being used from some other model/ vehicle and/or that some plastic cover of the weatherstrip fell off! Is this how the American automobile industry is going to get back to the game? These are BASIC stuff, forget motor efficiency, smooth ride or balanced suspension.
Toyota is actually afraid of becoming no1 car maker in US sales due to the psychological impact to the American consumer and it seems that Ford and GM are doing their best to loose their marker share!

Not that I want to make excuses when they aren't necessarily deserved, but maybe it's just this particular SRX (and of course a handful of others across the nation) that have fit and finish problems? I know that the SRX's competitors have high standards, as another member said, but I'm sure that those vehicles aren't entirely devoid of any fit and finish problems as well.
 
Just a thought.

This is the last generation.
Look at the last Cadillac Escalade generation/ Tahoes. The hatch's pillars were improperly molded, and non of them fit flush. Just about every example of a last gen Escalade has a crooked bulging rear pillar.
 
The new CTS and the new Escalade are the first Cadillac vehicles part of GM's revival. This SRX is last gen.

yeah, they arent going to make changes in the tolerances on the SRX at this point. That stuff was decided when the vehicle was designed 5 or more years ago. This SRX is in its 4th year on the market so it may not be as well built as current GM products. I cant say the competition is better because I saw ridiculous dashboard-to-door gaps on several upscale models at the autoshow, the MDX was one of the offenders.

Here's what worries me about the domestic automakers: they don't seem to be fully committed to the details. And this is a Cadillac for crying out loud. If they don't appear to screw this one together well, what chance have the less elite GM brands got in the minds of customers?
 
Sure the SRX has great dynamics a well-sorted powertrain and a nice interior. But for those seeing one in a parking lot or in a neighbor's driveway, fit issues like this might prevent folks from ever going to a dealer for the all-important test drive. "If this panel fit is so bad," they wonder, "what else is wrong under the skin where I can't see it?"
 
Toyota has this part nailed. Wow potential customers with tight assembly and flawless execution, and they'll extrapolate that attention to detail into perceived goodness throughout. At that point is doesn't even matter if the car in question is a bit boring and lacks engaging dynamic qualities.

This is another problem that's not a problem reported on this vehicle. There is nothing "wrong" with the way it's assembled, or it's quality. The issue is the design. You'll notice all the glass is frameless. When you have that, there is no way to hide the necessary weatherstripping like on a conventional hatch, and there is almost no way to make weatherstripping look good. Go find another example of this on any other foreign vehicle, and it will be the same. Oh, wait, no foreign vehicle would have a bold design like this...
 
Dan, you should know better.

I agree with what everyone's said thus far, but let's not forget those awesome picutres that Erin took of a similar problem inside their '07 Camry a few months back.

Looks like roar pegged it. Designs these days are too rounded, too flowing and so on. It's proving to be problematic when it comes to be production time for these cars. Looks good on paper (to some folks) but doesn't work in practice.
 
Looks like those 80s and 90s Volvos had something right afterall. ; )

I disagree that "no foreign vehicle would have a bold design like this." The Infiniti FX, for example, qualifies as "bold" in my book. And the last one I poked around in did not have mismatched panel gaps on multiple areas of the body. Many vehicles use flush-mounted glass techniques- that SRX design appears to use differing methods of sealing, hence the visual mismatch.
  
I agree with phinneas that car designs today are far more complicated, in part due to the increased sophistication of CAD and manufacturing techniques. GM's own HHR uses revolutionary stamping processes for its body panels. Still, just because you can make a design complex or "bold" doesn't give you a free pass to let the panel gaps go. If you can't manufacture it to the class standards, don't do it!

I disagree that Toyota has this "nailed". That is complete BS. I have seen many camrys ('07 MY) with insightly gaps between teh decklid and rear fenders and bumper. Apparently that complex trunk shape that Toyota stole from BMW is hard to line up at the assembly plant. This is an obvious flaw that I have spotted when seeing Camrys in traffic.
 
The SRX doesnt have a build quality issue, its a matter of the acceptable tolerance for that particular gap. I have never noticed this on the SRX before so its something you have to really be looking for I suppose. I will look for it now. I think hatch openings on vans and SUVs are where you are likely to find some of the largest gaps these days. Again, as I said many luxury vehicles have interior gaps between the dash and door panels large enough to cram your index finger.

I saw one on the street and it didnt seem that bad at all.

BimmerJay...the FX has no flush glass to MOVING flush glass panels. While the vehicle is boldly styled, it's construction is nothing but ordinary.
 
There are many flaws on other high end SUV's worse than this. Ever look at an RX300's/Highlander's plastic body cladding? More waves than Hawaii's north shore. Ever look at the panel gaps of an early ML class? Looks like the San Andreas Fault. There are plenty of other examples, and from your name, it would be futile to try to overcome your obvious prejudice.

"This is another problem that's not a problem reported on this vehicle. There is nothing "wrong" with the way it's assembled, or it's quality. The issue is the design. You'll notice all the glass is frameless. "
 
I agree. My mother has the EXACT same car as Edmund's SRX (same color and everything - only difference is hers is an AWD model). While visting her, I took a look at the hatch glass, weatherstripping, and the lower door panel gap issue previously mentioned. The glass panels look perfectly aligned on her car, and while you can see lots of weatherstripping between the glass panels, this is unavoidable due to the design of flush glass against a moveable hatch.
 
And the lower door panel gap looks like it might be flaw at first glance, but if you really look at the design and open the door to check clearances, you'll see they had to make the lower gap of the door wider than the upper door gaps because the lower body cladding (ground effect trim) sticks out in almost a triangle form for the styling. If the lower door gap trim where this lower body cladding is on the door wasn't wider, the pointy part of the trim would hit the fender panel. They had to make the gap wider there - simple geometry. It is NOT a quality issue nor a design flaw. It is a necessary design for the design of the car. Could they have eliminated the angular body cladding and thus eliminated the need for the wider lower door panel gap? Sure, but then it wouldn't look as good. It would be boring like the Highlander.

cartester, there's no need to get personal. I'm not sure how my name indicates an obvious prejudice, against what? So I happen to currently drive a BMW. If you read my other posts, I think I try to be fair. I state my opinion and you have every right to disagree.
 
I haven't noticed waves in RX/Highlander body cladding, but there could be a problem there. The 'early' ML-class was introduced in 1997 as a 1998 model, one of the first lux midsize SUVs. It did have a lot of quality problems, partly relating to the new plant that was the first for M-B in US. That was almost 10 years ago - the standards have changed since then. I would certainly expect a vehicle today to be better.

I dont think there is anyway to create frameless seams like that without the ugly weatherstripping looking like dogpoop underneath. Its something that needs to be improved, but when your talking about something as pliable and organic as rubberized strip, thats a challenge.