GM unveils 2010 Buick LaCrosse (updated)
02-17-09, 05:51 PM
#136
Lexus Fanatic
Take BMW and Lexus, for example.The firmest, stiffest-riding, sportiest models, in general, are not being sold to Boomers my age, but to younger people like Generations X and Y. Many Boomer want imports that ride and handle like the old American cars they grew up with decades ago, but with more reliability....hence the sucess of vehicles like the soft-riding LS460, ES300/330, and Mercedes S550 (although, to be fair, Mercedes lost most of the reliability it once had). And Hyundai is now cashing in on some of the territory that used to belong to the Japanese.
02-17-09, 05:58 PM
#137
Lexus Fanatic
mmarshall, I am not trying to argue with you about whether or not older people will ditch sport for comfort. As matter of that there are many young people out there who like the comfort of the Lexus over the sporty Bimmer.
What I am trying to say is that Buick doesn't have to be more sportier, but it has to be more technology-driven, appeared more advance and look more "modern". The new LaCrosse seems to be heading into the right direction. No matter what the Buick kool-aid its marketing people are trying to make us drink the reality is that the new LaCrosse isn't going to be much more "sportier" than the current version. They used the ES350 as the benchmark so just for that alone how much more sporty can the LaCrosse be?
Sure when people get older they tend to want softer rides, heck, I am 27 and sometimes I feel my lowered IS350 rides too firm! However, change is needed for Buick because soft or not, I know one thing for sure: the majority of the boomers don't want bench seat, column-mounting shifter and dated cabin design.
What I am trying to say is that Buick doesn't have to be more sportier, but it has to be more technology-driven, appeared more advance and look more "modern". The new LaCrosse seems to be heading into the right direction. No matter what the Buick kool-aid its marketing people are trying to make us drink the reality is that the new LaCrosse isn't going to be much more "sportier" than the current version. They used the ES350 as the benchmark so just for that alone how much more sporty can the LaCrosse be?
Sure when people get older they tend to want softer rides, heck, I am 27 and sometimes I feel my lowered IS350 rides too firm! However, change is needed for Buick because soft or not, I know one thing for sure: the majority of the boomers don't want bench seat, column-mounting shifter and dated cabin design.
I don't feel like going on all night long about the issue either. You, me, LexBob2, and IS-SV have all pretty much had our say about it....and we have all made our points. I'm going on to another thread.
02-17-09, 05:58 PM
#138
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Take BMW and Lexus, for example.The firmest, stiffest-riding, sportiest models, in general, are not being sold to Boomers my age, but to younger people like Generations X and Y. Many Boomer want imports that ride and handle like the old American cars they grew up with decades ago, but with more reliability....hence the sucess of vehicles like the soft-riding LS460, ES300/330, and Mercedes S550 (although, to be fair, Mercedes lost most of the reliability it once had). And Hyundai is now cashing in on some of the territory that used to belong to the Japanese.
02-17-09, 06:03 PM
#139
Lexus Fanatic
I know most of the members on this forum know I hate American cars usually , but that is a very very beautiful car. They nailed it one this one. I am so happy to see that the American designers are learning to take some styling cues from the Japanese and the Germans
02-17-09, 07:12 PM
#140
Lexus Champion
+1, nicely put!!
02-17-09, 10:24 PM
#142
Lexus Champion
Interesting. I don't expect this to set the under 30 crowd on fire per se, but I expect it to at least not be unheard of for the under 30s and fairly common for the 30-50 crowd, which is progress for Buick. Actually this car as a whole is a breath of fresh air for Buick and GM in general.
I'm 26 and am going to give this heavy consideration as replacement for my 335i come October.
I don't really care for the brown interior in the pics you quoted though... I hope they have something more black/silver in color. The interior itself is amazing... I just don't like brown interiors on almost ANY car. I hate the tan/wood interior on the 3 series, for example.
I'm 26 and am going to give this heavy consideration as replacement for my 335i come October.
I don't really care for the brown interior in the pics you quoted though... I hope they have something more black/silver in color. The interior itself is amazing... I just don't like brown interiors on almost ANY car. I hate the tan/wood interior on the 3 series, for example.
j/k...the 335i is a great car and in a different category than this.
But I agree with you that this will certainly have much greater appeal in the 30-50 crowd.
The baby boomer generation isn't going to automatically start desiring giant floaty cars with bench seats, old school dash boards, and steering wheels that feel like they're controlling the rudder of a cruise liner, just because they're getting old.
Some taste in cars seems to be age-based but other taste in cars seems to be generationally based. My dad, at 70, is not going to want to drive the same sort of cars that his dad did at 70, nor will I when I'm 70.
Some taste in cars seems to be age-based but other taste in cars seems to be generationally based. My dad, at 70, is not going to want to drive the same sort of cars that his dad did at 70, nor will I when I'm 70.
Times will change and so will attitudes.As I've stated before, I absolutely think that there is a substantial need for luxury cruisers, that will appeal to mmarshall (j/k...you know I agree with you
) and people looking for a comfy ride, rather than sportiness. Isn't that exactly what Buick is doing by bringing vehicles like this and the Enclave to market?
02-18-09, 06:13 AM
#143
Lexus Fanatic
But, to be fair, I'm probably going to review the new 2010 LaCrosse myself (yes, honestly and with an open mind) when it comes out. This car has obviously generated a lot of controversy here on CL (even apart from my comments), and certainly merits a detailed review. A number of you guys seem to be considering it as (maybe) your first Buick.....enough for me to consider that a review request. And I reviewed the old LaCrosse not long ago (yes, at CL member request), so I'll be able to objectively compare the new car to the old one.
02-18-09, 06:53 AM
#144
Lexus Champion
I think I overheard the rep say the LaCrosse was coming out this summer - August maybe?
I wonder if GM's financial problems will delay the rollout of new models, or they're already scheduled for production?
I wonder if GM's financial problems will delay the rollout of new models, or they're already scheduled for production?
02-18-09, 07:44 AM
#145
Lexus Fanatic
I too avoid land barges, no fun at all to drive or park.
I like luxury, in fact when I chose the Lexus IS350 over the BMW 335 as a daily driver, reasons included were higher levels of luxury and refinement.
And speaking of Buicks, last year I had a Mercedes E350 for a week and it wasn't especially fun to drive but it was roomy, elegant and comfortable. I remember telling my wife that "this feels like a better German Buick". I understand why a few retired folks that I know own the E-class.
I like luxury, in fact when I chose the Lexus IS350 over the BMW 335 as a daily driver, reasons included were higher levels of luxury and refinement.
And speaking of Buicks, last year I had a Mercedes E350 for a week and it wasn't especially fun to drive but it was roomy, elegant and comfortable. I remember telling my wife that "this feels like a better German Buick".
I understand why a few retired folks that I know own the E-class.
02-18-09, 09:03 AM
#147
Lexus Champion
Buick is basically attempting to make a better Lexus ES350... so I doubt that the car is going to be tuned significantly sportier than the ES350 which is not at all a sporty vehicle. I'm pretty confident this car will remain tuned with a comfortable ride as a high priority, though hopefully it will incorporate more satisfying chassis dynamics while it's at it. You know, back in the day it seemed you either got a car that rode like a dream but drove like a nightmare, or a car that drove razor sharp but rode very rough... or some variant in between, but always a compromise.
These days it's possible for a car that rides very smoothly to drive and handle fairly competently. The problem with this is that some people's perception of what a 'smooth' ride is, is different from others. To me a smooth ride is not harsh and is well controlled. I don't mind feeling a bump when I go over it, in fact I'd prefer to, but I want the car to control it to where there's absolutely no drama during or after. To other people a smooth ride involves a wet noodle like chassis (think Lincoln Town Car, old Caddies, etc) where you could run over a 200 pound human and not be quite sure if you ran over anything or not. To me that's not a "smooth" ride, it's a disconnected or loose ride and in addition to being very uncommunicative with the driver, also leads to a ride that does isolate the driver from bumps, but does so in a way to where bumps are spread out over a longer period of time... the body will wallow or waver and shudder at a lower frequency than a controlled chassis... masking the bump by absorbing it over a longer amount of time and with a greater amount of flex.
These days it's possible for a car that rides very smoothly to drive and handle fairly competently. The problem with this is that some people's perception of what a 'smooth' ride is, is different from others. To me a smooth ride is not harsh and is well controlled. I don't mind feeling a bump when I go over it, in fact I'd prefer to, but I want the car to control it to where there's absolutely no drama during or after. To other people a smooth ride involves a wet noodle like chassis (think Lincoln Town Car, old Caddies, etc) where you could run over a 200 pound human and not be quite sure if you ran over anything or not. To me that's not a "smooth" ride, it's a disconnected or loose ride and in addition to being very uncommunicative with the driver, also leads to a ride that does isolate the driver from bumps, but does so in a way to where bumps are spread out over a longer period of time... the body will wallow or waver and shudder at a lower frequency than a controlled chassis... masking the bump by absorbing it over a longer amount of time and with a greater amount of flex.
Last edited by Threxx; 02-18-09 at 11:34 AM.
02-18-09, 11:28 AM
#150
Lexus Fanatic
Quote]
And speaking of Buicks, last year I had a Mercedes E350 for a week and it wasn't especially fun to drive but it was roomy, elegant and comfortable. I remember telling my wife that "this feels like a better German Buick". I understand why a few retired folks that I know own the E-class.
I understand why a few retired folks that I know own the E-class.