Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Facelifted Buick LaCrosse caught in China

Back in September, General Motors promised nine new or refreshed models for its Buick and GMC brands within 12 months, and while we've already seen what the updated 2014 GMC Sierra will look like, we're now getting our first look at what appears to be the facelifted 2014 Buick LaCrosse. Judging by a set of spy shots posted on Autohome showing a Chinese-market model, the updated sedan is getting a pretty big makeover, including a completely redesigned interior and a refreshed exterior.

From the outside, all of the usual midcycle updates have been made to the LaCrosse, including new lights and fascias. The new front end features a larger, reshaped seven-sided grille, LED-trimmed headlights and Buick's signature portholes are now mounted on the side edges of the hood to be more visible. The rear view has similarly small yet refined changes such as the new decklid with a chrome brow that stretches the full width of the car, to a more squared-off rear fascia with exhaust outlets pushed out to the corners. From the single shot we can see, the LaCrosse's new rump looks very similar to the Hyundai Equus.

The second-generation LaCrosse helped reestablish Buick as a near-premium automaker with its interior quality, and the next model could very well up the stakes even more. The new cabin design ditches the wraparound wood trim on the instrument panel and door panels for a smoother, more contemporary look. While it's hard to make out all of the changes, we can instantly see that the center stack is now more upright with fewer buttons, but the biggest news might be the cabin technology the 2014 LaCrosse might offer. Checking out the shot of the center console, we see what looks to be a pad similar to the handwriting recognition technology used by Audi, which would make this a first for GM.

There's no word on when (or where) the 2014 LaCrosse will be introduced, but based on GM's timeline of "nine cars in 12 months" and the lack of camouflage in these pictures, we're guessing that we could see the facelifted sedan very soon.

http://www.autoblog.com/2013/01/01/f...ught-in-china/

Fizzboy7

That spanning chrome strip at the bottom of the front bumper is a dated design choice.

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

Never liked the design of that car.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Overall I think the design is attractive (I would never buy one) but it's not ugly. The ventiports really turn me off

mmarshall

Maybe so, but they are part of being a Buick............the tradition goes back to 1948. Back then, of course, they were true venti-ports.....and helped with engine cooling.



I had two pre-owned 1965 Buicks many years ago, though (before I was 20)....and, by then, they were just non-functional decorations like they are today.

I'd like to see Buick bring back the tri-color red/white/blue hood-ornaments (they were smart-looking, IMO). But, after many years, they seem to be gone. At one time, not long ago, Buick dealerships were actually installing them on many brand-new cars at or soon after delivery due to customer-complaints about them being dropped.

edgeucated

iTrader: (4)

I think the car is quite classy looking, but those ventiports really do take away from the classiness.

And mmarshall your right, buick's older tri-color badge does look sharp (hint: that's a mod i think you should do)

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Nothing wrong with ventiports that actually look good such as the picture above and the fact that they are functional. These small fake ones look tacky like they were bought at Pepboys and slapped on. They look terrible and detract from the overall nice lines. The ones on the Escape also bother me

mmarshall

(Admittedly) not a very good image, but here is one of the few available spy-shots of the new 2014 LaCrosse interior.



I've already done one mod......added stick-on chrome body-side mouldings for ding-protection (I won't have a car without side-mouldings). I've considered doing a stick-on Buick tri-shield ornament (they can be aftermarket-ordered, but are somewhat hard to find), because a bolt-on one requires drilling through the hood, possibly voiding the rust/corrosion warranty, and (depending on the specific type/ mount and spring-action), may violate pedestrian-impact-standards.

mmarshall

Well, I agree that a lot of Pep-Boys stuff does look tacky. But, IMO, it's hard to say that about the chrome vent-decorations that Buick uses on their newest models. The chromed-plastic used on the new Buick ports is thick, solid, durable-feeling plastic, not the flimsy/cheap stuff you'd see on a Dodge Caliber or Jeep Compass.

I think that what you really dislike is not necessarily the vent-ports themselves, but the chromed-finish on them. Lots of people find chrome-finishes to be tacky.....I'm not one of those who do, but I respect their opinion.

Of course, the over-use of chrome can look ludicrous, as some big American cars from the late 1950s (especially from GM) proved.