BUICK TAKES A BIG STEP UP WITH LACROSSE

By Paul Borden

Like some other reviewers, I found it somewhat ironic a few years ago that GM should pull the plug on Oldsmobile just when the company was getting it right.

I was more surprised more recently, though, when GM chose to sacrifice Pontiac when it cut back its product line.

Why not Buick, I wondered. That would have been my choice.

Well, I would have been wrong.

After driving the Buick LaCrosse, I think GM made the right call.

Redesigned for 2010, the LaCrosse breaks free from its stodgy image of the past and takes the brand to a new level. This isn’t your parents’ or grandparents’ Buick. This could be your kid’s -- assuming he or she wants a car that says “I’ve got it made now and this is my reward.”

From the outside, the LaCrosse has fresh, attractive styling that will appeal to those used to shopping mid-luxury imports. Inside, the cabin has the quality of materials once only found among its European and Asian competitors. Those accustomed to the hard surfaces and cheap plastics of the interiors in GM models from the 1990s and early 2000s will be astounded to find they are sitting in a Buick when they get behind the wheel. Yes, it’s that much better.

The new LaCrosse comes in five trim levels with three engine options. You can get the CX with either a 2.4-liter inline four (just out now) or a 3.0 V6 with the latter also offered on both front-wheel and all-wheel drive CXL models. The top-of-the-line CXS has a 3.6-liter and is offered in FWD only.

The 3.6-liter engine is rated at 280 horsepower and 259 pound-feet of torque to the 255/217 numbers for the 3.0 V6. Fuel economy is 17 mpg city, 27 highway for both versions, and they run on regular fuel, something you don’t always find in the segment.

Obviously, the 3.6 delivers a bit more in the fun-to-drive quotient, but the 3.0 probably is adequate for most conditions. It’s just a guess, but I’d think the four-banger is a bit on the underpowered side, but if fuel economy is your thing, then it likely would be your choice. It’s expected to deliver in the 20 city/30 highway range.

Speaking of fun-to-drive, you can manually select gears for the six-speed automatic transmission by using the shifter on the console or by tugging on the paddles mounted on the steering wheel.

With the optional Touring Package on the CXS, you may also select a sport mode for the suspension to add to the driving dynamics.

The CXS carries the top price tag with a starting MSRP of $33,765 (including destination and delivery charges). The price tag for the four-cylinder CX is about $7,000 lighter.

In addition to the upgrade in materials, designers have given the LaCrosse a roomy and comfortable interior. The sweeping flow of the dashboard is carried round about the sides and doors, giving occupants the impression of being nestled into the cockpit.

It’s like someone actually gave this some thought instead of just slapping in a couple of bucket seats and a console into the cabin. At night, Miami Dolphins fans will love the aqua and orange lighting for the instrument cluster.

 

 

The center stack is imposing, but audio and climate controls are intuitive to operate.  You can easily go through the basics of the navigation system without consulting the owner’s manual, always a plus in my book. (Manuals? We don’t need no stinking manuals!)

The backseat also is quite roomy for two adults. It may be on the snug side for three adults, but headroom is more than adequate despite the slanting roofline. Trunk space, however, is a bit on the small side at 13.0 cubic feet. You’d expect to find more. The Lexus ES350, for example, has 1.7 more cubic feet, and the Ford Taurus, another competitor, has a whopping 20.1 cubic feet capacity.

The downsides to the LaCrosses are few, but definitely need to be addressed because they impinge on the driver’s visibility. It’s a matter of safety.

The A-pillar seemed to get in my way when I was making left turns, and the head restraint on the passenger side sometimes got in the way when I tried to check traffic coming from my right when the car was slightly turned to the left and not perfectly perpendicular in the intersection.

And the rear roof pillars also obstruct views to the back, especially when parking. The rearview camera alleviates that anxiety, but it is available only with the nav system and that adds $1,995 to the cost.

Our test model CXS, by the way, totaled out at $37,555.

One other other thought comes to mind with the LaCrosse. With all the refinements and improvements, it kind of makes you wonder if GM would have been in its recent economic fix if the company had paid more attention to the quality of materials and workmanship it put in its sedans back in the 1980s and ’90s.

Better late than never, I guess, as long as it’s not too late.