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Do you still feel the same way? Or have to calmed down a little since you have seen, sat, and drove in the new car.
I obviously don't like the E-shifter and engine start/stop system, but yes, I still find the rest of the car quite impressive....as with the new Continental. It's probably the best fit/finish I've seen yet on a Buick (better than on some Cadillacs), although my all-time favorite Buicks are still the big ones from the mid-late 1960s. Back then, as today, I thought the Buick Electra 225s of that vintage were better luxury cars than its more expensive Cadillac Sedan De Ville brother.
Steve's comments on the Genesis G90 he sampled, though, indicate that that car, especially for the price, may (?) end up as a new luxury benchmark....somewhat like the original LS400 25 years ago. I will probably do a review myself for the Annual Holiday Review coming up late next month.
This Camouflaged Buick LaCrosse Makes Us Wonder What It's Hiding
Crossovers may be playing a bigger role these days, and Buick has been playing that game with the Encore and the Enclave, as well as the arrival of the newEnvision from China, yet it is a brand that has built its names on family saloons.
The importance of sedans to the brand's image is not about to change any time soon, so that makes the newLaCrosse a vital product for GM's line of laid-back highway cruisers, and here we have it.
Now you may be thinking that we've already seen the new Buick LaCrosse, and you would be right. Buick took the wraps off the big sedan at the LA Auto Show almost a year ago, deliveries in the US began a few months ago and are just getting started in Canada.
That makes seeing one out in the open still wearing such extensive camouflage wonder what they're up to. A sportier version, perhaps? The hybrid version that GM is launching in China, which is the only market as critical to the brand as the United States? An export to Australia to replace the Holden Commodore. Or maybe the engineers just didn't get around to (literally) taking the wraps off this particular example?
Whatever it might be, the current generation is slated to be the one that takes LaCrosse sales up past the million-sold mark, having already passed 900,000 in its previous iteration. That may not be enough to eclipse the LeSabre, which remains Buick's most successful nameplate, with over 6 million between 1959 and 2005. But the LaCrosse was only introduced in 2004, so we'll give it some time to catch up.
I read an article about a week ago about Buick launching a new sub-brand called Avenir. It will feature upscale exterior and interior trim elements similar to what GMC has done with Denali. I don't know if this would be camo worthy or not but maybe in these photos it's covering new some of the new pieces.
I saw the LaCrosse last week at a local auto show and wasn't impressed with the styling. Other than the swoopy fender on the sides, it still looks pretty dull to me. The previous LaCrosse made major strides for Buick in the styling department vs. the old one. This one, not so much.
^ Maybe the camo car is a long wheelbase variant for the Chinese market???? There is a huge demand for stretched midsize luxury/prestige cars over there, chauffer driven cars, the long wheelbase is to increase rear seat room. I know Benz, BMW, and Audi all offer stretched longer wheel base variants of the E, 5, and A6 over there, Buick would obviously be in the same market at a lower price point.
I saw the LaCrosse last week at a local auto show and wasn't impressed with the styling. Other than the swoopy fender on the sides, it still looks pretty dull to me. The previous LaCrosse made major strides for Buick in the styling department vs. the old one. This one, not so much.
It is a Buick. Its never going to be a style leader
I saw the LaCrosse last week at a local auto show and wasn't impressed with the styling. Other than the swoopy fender on the sides, it still looks pretty dull to me. The previous LaCrosse made major strides for Buick in the styling department vs. the old one. This one, not so much.
I agree. I think the LaCrosse is nice and premium like an Avalon vs. luxury like the ES350.
^ My favorite Buick EVER right there. 1971 Riviera. You can tell its a 71 because of the louvers on the trunk lid, 72-73 didn't have those.
I do think that the current Regal GS is the best looking 4 door you can get for under 40k or so, IMO its a looker.
Car and Driver ranks the Regal 12th in the segment. I can't get over the cheap seat controls where the for and aft is manual and the height is power. Anyways, the Cascada is the only Buick that looks awesome to me. Only problem is that it has too many buttons on the dash.
Car and Driver ranks the Regal 12th in the segment. I can't get over the cheap seat controls where the for and aft is manual and the height is power. Anyways, the Cascada is the only Buick that looks awesome to me. Only problem is that it has too many buttons on the dash.
You probably won't like the Cascada's ride. I test-drove one, and the 20" wheels and low-profile tires pound you over all but glass-smooth roads. It is well-built, though, with excellent hardware quality.
Well, for those of you who aren't already aware of it...............I'm convinced. I'm waiting on my new one, if GM ever gets around to building it. They cut off '17 production early (the day after my order went in), and so I'm waiting on a new (similar) '18 instead. GM being GM, though (with, admittedly, some of the lousiest marketing in the industry), they are just liable to stop all production without previous notice, since the car isn't selling briskly at the moment.
Well, for those of you who aren't already aware of it...............I'm convinced. I'm waiting on my new one, if GM ever gets around to building it. They cut off '17 production early (the day after my order went in), and so I'm waiting on a new (similar) '18 instead. GM being GM, though (with, admittedly, some of the lousiest marketing in the industry), they are just liable to stop all production without previous notice, since the car isn't selling briskly at the moment.
I saw a 2017 Regal on the road last Saturday . It's a head turner for sure. First time in a long time I looked at a Buick and thought Wow, that's really nice looking. Back in the day, I was a Buick fan having owned four of them. But GM seemed to lose its way back in the 90's. I think Mary Barra has them on the right track now.
One of the reasons GM sedan sales are down, they're no longer pushing the fleet car sales. Instead they've focused on consumer sales and it's associated higher profit margin. Yup, Mary's got them on the right track. I'm sure you'll be happy with the Buick.
Car and Driver ranks the Regal 12th in the segment. I can't get over the cheap seat controls where the for and aft is manual and the height is power. Anyways, the Cascada is the only Buick that looks awesome to me. Only problem is that it has too many buttons on the dash.
I test drove it because I used to get the $50 gift card for test driving a GM product (GS Turbo). I recall the steering was so light it was even worse than the BMW 3 at the time, without the salesperson saying anything, I turned back into the dealership. He said you can take it much further, I said no thanks....looking back since I did it like 6X, I appreciate the dealerships who asked customers if you just want the $50, we'll validate your offer without the test drive. The new Chevy Suburban was the opposite, where the salesman gave me a fake code.....that was the last time I got that offer, it's been a couple of years...
p.s. contrast this to Subaru--I really wanted to check out the WRX Limited (not STi), and the offer was only $25. The salesperson stated we don't like to do test drives unless you're serious about buying. HOW VERY ARROGANT. Yes, we did drive it that day
10-09-16, 01:55 PM
