LexBob2

That's a good sign for Buick. The C&D review was generally positive too. It's been a while since a Buick received good reviews from enthusiast mags.

Still to be determined is whether or not the LaCrosse can appeal to a wider audience.

ted920

I LOVE this car!!!!!

Kudos on a beautiful design.

Finally, progress.

Ted

GS69

2010 Buick LaCrosse
A bold new direction
Mont-Tremblant, Quebec – Buick. Exciting.

It’s not often you read or hear those two words in the same sentence. However, a few surprises seem to be in store for the revamped General Motors to go along with its new management and slogan, and the 2010 Buick LaCrosse midsize sedan, believe it or not, is certainly an exciting vehicle.

The LaCrosse has been completely redesigned for the 2010 model year, right down to its name (it was called the Allure in Canada up until 2009). It’s a much different vehicle from the Allure, so the name change couldn’t come at a more appropriate time.

Though it’s more expensive than last year’s model (up to $5,400 more, depending on what trim you compare), there is a lot more standard stuff packed into the new LaCrosse to help it compete with luxury midsize sedans such as the Lexus ES 350 and Acura TL. Keep in mind that just last year, Allure was aimed at the Chrysler 300 and Toyota Camry. Hey, so no one can accuse the new GM of backing down from a challenge.

Every LaCrosse gets a six-speed automatic transmission with driver shift control, power eight-way driver’s seat, leather-wrapped steering wheel, 17-inch wheels, and automatic climate control. That’s compared to last year’s four-speed automatic, power six-way seat, optional leather steering wheel, 16-inch wheels and optional auto climate control.

LaCrosse has a longer wheelbase than last year’s Allure, but is slightly shorter overall. With the wheels pushed out to the corners, it possesses a much sportier feel but we’ll get to that in just a moment.

The interior design was actually handled by GM in China, which may be why so many interior dimensions are decreased this year. Turning its back on any sort of the GM ‘more-is-more’ attitude from years past, there is a decrease in rear head room from last year’s model. That being said, the LaCrosse actually has more rear leg room than a BMW 750i. As a tall, long-legged person, I easily notice both those differences without having to read over any spec sheets. There is plenty of room to stretch my legs even with the seat in front of me moved far back, but my head hits the roof whenever I lean back.

Head, leg and hip room have all decreased in the front seats this year, but there are no problems getting and staying quite comfortable up front. The seats are strong and supportive, yet never cause a sore back or rump on hours-long trips. Most surprising of all is that the front seats are quite supportive during spirited driving (yeah, we did that!)

LaCrosse is built on a brand new global midsize architecture; it gets a stiffer body and an optional real-time damping system that is constantly monitoring body, wheel and lateral acceleration. Variable effort steering also comes standard on CXL and CXS trim levels, and the steering really does tighten up as you accelerate. Both the 3.0-litre and 3.6-litre V6s provide strong, brisk acceleration and give off a nice little snarl when the hammer is dropped. For the especially fuel-conscious among us, a 2.4-litre four-cylinder is available in December 2009.

The interior has a lot of personality as well, with an optional head-up display that is extremely useful and some equally-cool ambient lighting throughout, slick instrument cluster behind the steering wheel, and good fit-and-finish (with a cheap-feeling headliner being the only real weak point).

The 2010 LaCrosse is a fine new direction not only for the Buick brand, but for the new General Motors. It’s just the kind of vehicle that may get consumers to forget about the automaker’s recent troubles, and focus on what is most important to any car company - product.

Summary:
Year/Make/Model
2010 Buick LaCrosse
Trim level
CX, CXL, CXS
Price range
$32,745 - $40,745
Freight
$1,350
Options
all wheel drive
EneryGuide fuel economy ratings
12.7/7.7 L/100 km (3.0), 13.3/8.0 (AWD), 12.2/7.3 (3.6)
Warranty (basic)
3 years/60,000 km
Warranty (powertrain)
5 years/160,000 km
Competitors
Acura TL; Lexus ES 350

Strong Points

* - styling
* - handling
* - personality

Weak Points

* - too many buttons
* - rear seat headroom

Editors Rating:
Fuel consumption 3.5 *
Wait for the four-cylinder if fuel efficiency is most important.
Value for price 4 *
Price goes up but comes with many more standards.
Styling 4 *
Looks good from far; gets better as you move closer.
Comfort 4.5*
Excellent suspension, quiet interior, fantastic seats, lots of room.
Performance 4 *
A heck of a lot of fun.
Overall 4.5 *
Tough to pick out any significant weakness; strong new entry for Buick.

flipside909

They should just stick with the facts...."Buick Lacrosse - The Poor Man's Cadillac"

LexFather

I've seen a lot of marketing for it....good luck BUick!

IS-SV

Good luck Buick, they have a lot of brand rebuilding to do in the US. And the new LaCrosse is the right way to attempt it.

The G Man

The title of this thread really said it all, I see absolutely nothing wrong with this car, yet I would not buy one. I guess that why car makers spend years and millions building up their automotive brand image. Once its gone, is hard to get it back, might be better to start over with a new name or division.

Trexus

Exactly. Just take that Buick Lacrosse and bring it over to the Cadillac side and call it LTS. Cadillac's line up could be:

ATS
CTS
LTS
XTS

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

If GM HQ is smart,they should give incentives to the dealers and tell dealers to discount the car a lot to get some on the road and not do the typical only list or worse the BS market incentive pricing over list.

mmarshall

We'll see. I just took a look at the latest 2010 specs on the Buick website....as I feared, 40 or 50-series (depending on trim) low-profile tires replace the 60s (and up) used on former LaCrosses. I haven't had a chance to drive one yet, but, on the surface, it looks like the famous Buick ride comfort (which endeared Buick to so many of its faithful) is going to go right down the drain. Of course, Buick could (?), in turn, pick up some new customers as well.....those more used to driving stiffer-riding machines.

IS-SV

The problem with Buick faithful is they are not very faithful, and many are suffering from declining health or losing their license after failing driving exams. Building the geezer-pleasers of the past only contributed to GM's financial woes. We can all speculate as to what this new model brings. But the sad results of the past decade with Buick in the US market are obviously a very poor business model.

The Enclave and new Lacrosse show glimmers of hope in growing the business, but only time will tell.

Modern car companies with advanced engineering and suspension isolation systems can easily manage 30/40/50 series tires (in 2009)

btw - aspect ratios drifted down over the years with tread width increasing, they are just ratios, not sidewall height measurements.

Mushy suspension, spongy tires contribute to poor handling, poor braking and poor active safety (as seen in most Buicks of the past decade). These are not desirable driving attributes for driver enjoyment or occupant safety.

nthach

This reminds me of the old Rivera, the center stack is a bit too busy but I think GM's got a hit on their hands.

angelina10

Some people may think Buick century cars are for elderly people and somes think that they are for young people.
BUICK IS GREAT!!!
And it is funny I saw a new Buick and I mentioned to my husband that It was a hella nice car and then two seconds later I said for an old person. So, I at think of old people when I see or even hear the name Buick. I aslo saw some young people add the buick DVD for their old car...And it seems helpful for then to own one.

-J-P-L-

Forgot about this thread. It looks like it may have been proven wrong.

LexBob2

Yes the title is way off. The LaCrosse is selling very well.