2010 Buick LaCrosse
by Jim Prueter -03/2010

Stylish LaCrosse an American built Lexus

The new and fully redesigned 2010 Buick LaCrosse is the first new car introduced by General Motors since the company emerged from bankruptcy — and it’s a dandy.

The genius of this near-luxury sedan seems to be its will to be different. It’s certainly different in appearance from anything we’ve seen from Buick since the first rendition of the Riveria. Inside and out, LaCrosse is stunningly gorgeous.

But to compete in this segment, one also needs attributes like comfort, room, quiet ride, fuel economy and refined handling.

Buick makes it clear that it has taken dead aim at segment leader Lexus ES350, which is, after all, a gussied up Toyota Camry. I can tell you that after a week testing a LaCrosse CXL with front-wheel drive, the edge goes to Buick. The difference? The Buick is simply more fun and enjoyable to drive. Sure, the Lexus is a sweet ride that scores high on the pampering factor, but its looks and performance can’t be considered anything much above boring.

Outside, the redesigned LaCrosse is an assembly of curvy body panels, sloping roofline, a massive chrome waterfall grille and Buick’s traditional (and rather tacky) chrome ventiports moved atop the hood from the front fenders. The wheels are pushed to the far edges of the body panels providing an athletic stance. The look is elegant and resembles nothing else in the GM lineup.

If the exterior looks of LaCrosse can be defined as stunning, then its interior could easily be labeled mellifluous. The curvy dash begins with the door panels creating an unbreakable line. Leather, wood, chrome — all first rate, no corners cut, nothing economy looking, with everything sculpted and harmonious front and back, top to bottom, side to side. Even the faux leather dash material is French stitched with real thread, not molded like we saw on the new Ford Taurus. And, one of the nicest touches? The ice-blue ambient lighting with a strip that cuts across the entire dash, backlights all the buttons and gauges and lights the way for door handles and power window switches. It’s an interior that is light years ahead of not only Lexus, but everything else in its class as well. Superfluous? No. Precocious? To be sure.

My mid-level LaCrosse CXL had a 255-horsepower direct-injection 3.0-liter V-6 under its scalloped hood, mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. The LaCrosse is remarkably quiet at all speed levels. Buick engineers have seemingly focused on the detail of a quiet cabin, which buyers equate to luxury and quality. Buick calls it QuietTuning, a system designed to eliminate wind, engine and road noise.

On the road, LaCrosse is well mannered with a ride that leans toward the firm side, yet doesn’t resonate every road imperfection back into the cabin. Gone is the floating land yacht ride that has been forever associated with the brand. It’s an unobtrusive and enjoyable ride, which allows you to relax and enjoy the audio system after a long day. In fact, the more I drove the LaCrosse, the more I enjoyed it and looked forward to slipping behind the wheel.

But for all the heaped-on praise for what is mostly a classy and appealing American brand, LaCrosse has a few too many detail issues to award it one of the top spots in its segment. The transmission shifts poorly, although not as badly as the Cadillac SRX we tested a few months ago. But the same six-speed automatic continually struggled to find the right gear, reluctantly downshifting when driving demands required and up shifting too soon, leaving the LaCrosse feeling underpowered. If fuel economy is the goal here, GM needs to figure a better way to accomplish it.

Other gripes: While room in the back seat is limo worthy, it’s tight and a bit claustrophobic up front. The center console is too wide and intrudes on legroom. The inside door pulls are misplaced under the armrest and much too small, especially for a gloved hand in cold-weather climes. The A-pillar is wide — very wide — and obstructs forward-side visibility. Storage space is at a premium, and there’s a noticeable lack of cubby holes, slots and cups to put things like change, receipts and other pocket items.

LaCrosse is available in three trim levels: the front-wheel drive CX powered by the 3.0-liter V-6 ($27,085); CXL with heated leather seating and 18-inch wheels ($29,645; $31,820 with all-wheel drive); and CXS with standard all-wheel drive, Harman/Kardon audio system and a larger 380-horsepower 3.6-liter V-6 engine ($33,015).

Standard safety gear includes stability- and traction-control systems, anti-lock brakes, six airbags, battery-run down protection, automatic crash response system and tire-pressure monitoring system. The LaCrosse earned the highest possible crash test ratings from both the U.S. government and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

The real question for Buick here is, will anyone trade their Lexus for a LaCrosse? Ditto Acura and Infiniti owners? Unfortunately the answer is, no. Buick — and for that matter GM — just carries too much baggage.

For Buick, it’s the age stigma; the average Buick buyer is 68 years old. In terms of perception, Buick isn’t just your grandfather’s car, it’s more like your great-grandfather’s car. When was the last time you talked to anyone who had Buick on their “test drive” list when shopping for a new car? For Buick to win back a younger demographic, it will take both time and products they want to buy. Enclave was a start, LaCrosse better, but the road to recovery is going to be a long one.

GM is still feeling the anger from the average American buyer, who is resentful of government ownership. Unfortunately many still say they won’t consider buying any GM car until the government gets out of the car business. In fact, Ford Motor Company — who, by the way, is doing quite nicely — is playing up that angle by advertising that it never took bailout money and is now turning a profit. It seems the quicker GM can pay back the government, the quicker it will be back on the road to success.