Autoblog: 2017 Buick LaCrosse First Drive
08-06-16, 08:01 AM
#31
Lexus Fanatic
Luxury cars, because of their large number of standard and optional features (including sound insulation) also (usually) have added weight compared to their more mundane comparably-sized cars. So, all else equal (same transmissions, final-drive ratios, etc...), more power is needed to just to get them moving.
08-06-16, 08:56 AM
#33
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
All else equal, torque is actually a more important measure of throttle response/acceleration, especially at low RPMs. HP figures more into overcoming air resistance and the car's ultimate top speed, which is usually of little concern on speed-regulated American roads.
08-06-16, 09:23 AM
#34
Lexus Champion
I agree. With 310 hp. and 282 ft. lbs. the V6 in the LaCrosse is just fine for the intended market and use of the car.
08-06-16, 10:08 AM
#35
Lexus Fanatic
As Fizzboy pointed out, though, few Lacrosse buyers (and those of competing cars like the Avalon/Cadenza/Impala/Taurus/Azera) will probably ever use those HP/torque numbers to their potential. That doesn't mean they are all geezers, but they do tend to drive sedately.
08-06-16, 10:38 AM
#36
Lexus Fanatic
You're missing the point. Even if they don't use the full capabilities of the power, it still improves the overall drivability of the car.
08-06-16, 10:50 AM
#37
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
It has never made sense that the Avalon provides faux wood but real genuine standard leather while the Lexus ES provides standard real wood but faux leather as standard.
08-06-16, 10:53 AM
#38
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
08-06-16, 12:05 PM
#40
Lexus Champion
The operative word being "terrible". With more and more lux makers moving toward faux leather as the norm, if a "real looking" imitation wood product can be used, I don't see the harm.
08-06-16, 12:22 PM
#41
Lexus Fanatic
Originally Posted by tex2670
The operative word being "terrible". With more and more lux makers moving toward faux leather as the norm, if a "real looking" imitation wood product can be used, I don't see the harm.
08-06-16, 08:31 PM
#42
Lexus Champion
...there's three things I don't like about the new Lacrosse already.....the start/stop system for the V6 that can't be turned off (I never liked those systems, despite the fuel economy), the electronic shifter (I disliked them on BMW and Mercedes products, and I doubt I will like the Buick one, either), and the aero-shutters behind the grille.....if they malfunction, they can make the engine overheat.
Electronic shifters: The problem is not with electronics shifters, per se, nor is the problem that they are not (yet) intuitive (the current PRND pattern is intuitive because it has become the standard that we have become used to it -- even Lincoln's and Acura's push-button shifters follow the same PRND pattern). The problem is that there is yet no standard so Buick's pattern is different from BMW's pattern (which is similar to the Prius' pattern), is different from MB's pattern, is different from the different patterns from FCA... Here is the perfect opportunity for the EU and the USA to sit down and develop an international standard, the first step in their harmonization of vehicle safety regulations.
Grille shutters: Yes, they may fail, but how they fail is what differentiates the good design engineering team (which includes safety and human factors engineers) and engineering teams ruled by stylists or bookkeepers (as Jeep's electronic shifter team seems to be). There is a concept known as "fail safe" -- if a component does fail, it must fail so that it does not become the single point of failure in the larger system. If grille shutters failed SHUT causing an engine overheat condition, that would be a single point of failure; but if they failed OPEN, making the car less aerodynamic but otherwise not causing a safety condition, that is a good engineering design. Hopefully, we do not have a recall because a grille shutter fails closed, causing an engine overheat. This one seems so obvious.
08-07-16, 12:09 AM
#43
I'm betting the grill shutters use an electric motor or resistor to where current has to be applied for the shutters to remain shut. IE if you have a short, the grills revert to open because there is no current applied. And when the car turns off, the grills open back up. Still not 100% fail safe(ie the gears/mechanism for the shutters might jam, happened all the time with pop up headlights). Hopefully GM is using better hardware/gears on the grill shutters than the cheap crap plastic gears on their pop up headlights back in the 80's/90's.
Last edited by Aron9000; 08-07-16 at 12:22 AM.
08-07-16, 08:22 AM
#44
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
The Lacrosse offers synthetic leatherette, you have to pay extra for real leather, that is a shame. Just like what Lexus does with the ES350. The RX has standard faux. The IS has it, CT has, GX has. I assume the GS will have it soon?
I see luxury brands as something that is supposed to be special. I am not really all that excited that Lexus is built in the USA, nor am I impressed that the Cadillac CT6 Hybrid will be coming from China. The clothing brand Burberry makes some very nice expensive clothing, some of it says "Made in London" or "Made in Briton" but I still remember when I was about to purchase a pair of Burberry jeans, I then looked and saw "Made in China"....why would one want to pay a premium for that?
Last edited by Toys4RJill; 08-07-16 at 08:41 AM.
08-07-16, 08:28 AM
#45
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
I am sure GM has thought of all this. I know in Toyota's, if you play around with the HVAC systems, the system will default to the hi setting so you do not run out of heat if you break the blower motor switch