Uh huh. It was always going to be the Lacrosse!

The point is by not taking advantage of the deals they're offering right now on the 17 Lacrosse, where there is a local one in stock at the same spec and colors you ordered, and waiting until a special ordered 2018 comes in you will be paying multiple thousands of dollars more for the vehicle.

 

How would you compare the Buick to an ES? They're both premium FWD models that don't quite push into the luxury bracket but get close. I sat it one the other day, the interior is nice although like the ES, some hard plastics felt out of place in a car costing that much. The exterior is gorgeous, especially with the way the rear windshield slopes down to that curving rear deck. I love how it looks in pearl white too.

I haven't driven one though. I wonder if the LaCrosse is quieter than the ES, the latter car can get noisy over certain road surfaces. LaCrosses are pretty rare over in China, I see a lot more Excelle/Veranos and Astra/Verano hatchbacks. All the best on the new car Mile, it's a lovely one

 

I am a Verano owner myself, and have been very well-pleased with the car over the years (Consumer Reports rates it the Most Reliable American-badged car). ....although its ride on bumpy surfaces, particularly in cold weather, can suffer a little because of the low-profile tires. It is not a traditional Buick, of course, but a redone German Opel Astra with a GM drivetrain and lots of sound deadening.

I strongly considered an ES before I decided on a Lacrosse, and the ES, of course, does have a solid reliability record and excellent fit/finish. I don't think it's as comfortable to drive as a Lacrosse with standard 18" wheels, though. Buick really does an excellent job with its Quiet Tuning. Of course, the ES is getting a least a mild redesign for 2018, so we'll see how the new one compares.

 

The upcoming hybrid could be a good competitor against the ES300h. GM already have a similar drivetrain in the Malibu. I think the CT6 hybrid uses something similar but with a much larger battery pack for plug-in charging.

And I can't believe I misspelled your name, Mike... Sorry about that, darned autocorrect

 

Actually the ES350 is unchanged for 2018.

 

Different sources have different accounts of that, but most of them indicate minor changes.....not a major redesign. One source I saw indicated AWD being added as an option, but it did not appear credible,

 

No legitimate source has anything different. Car is carried over, new generation next year for 2019. They're not going to introduce AWD in the last year of a generation.

 

Well, I agree on the AWD...that's why I said that source did not appear very credible.

Perhaps some of these sources were referring to the fall of the calendar year 2018, for the 2019 model. I've noticed that some of both regular Internet and Youtube sources do that.....mix up the model and calendar years.

 

Right...sources that aren't legitimate. 2018 ES is largely unchanged, 2019 will be the new generation.

 

i know buicks have a solid reputation for being quiet, but i found it interesting they're not in the top 10 quietest here...
http://www.auto-decibel-db.com/top_1...test_cars.html

 

I did a test drive on a 2012 LaCrossee, back seat rider. I must say that was one of the quietest and best riding cars I've ever riden in. Yet I hated that car, the belt line was too high, you couldn't see out of that car, the 2000 Toyota Avalon we rode in on was almost as quiet, rode almost as nice, had a bigger back seat, with much better visibility. It was perhaps one of the best "limos" I've ever rode around in.

 

The Lacrosse has been totally redesigned, though, since the last-generation 2012 you sampled. The belt line, in particular, that you dislike, is much different on the new ones, as is the outward visibility. Short of a convertible with the top down, though, if it is visibility you want, probably nothing else in the American market compares with a Subaru Forester or Outback. Subaru is a firm believer in function over form.

 

Finally saw a new 3Gen Lacrosse on the road today....a dark blue one (couldn't tell which trim-version it was). It popped up in front of me as I was turning a semi-blind corner on a residential street. Even in this D.C. mega-new-car sales-area (which, in some ways, though not quite, rivals the huge number of vehicle-sales in Southern California), I've yet to see a new Lacrosse on the road until today. One thing is for sure......I'm definitely not going to end up with a Me-Too car, like an Accord or Camry.

 

^ Yeah I saw a new LaCrossee the other day parked at the grocery. Good looking car, I really like the front end/grill treatment, its still Buick's waterfall grill, but its not all BRIGHT CHROME, its a bit more subtle, not as tacky looking. Color did nothing for it though, it was a very dull dark grey. Personally I think lighter, brighter colors work better on this car, shows off the lines better, gives some contrast to the mostly grey grill.

 

Hey Mike, the family is making the annual trip down to DC, what kind of beer do you like? Rockville then Chantilly....

I do like the waterfall grille on Buicks, give me a LT1 Roadmaster any day (I say this but have never driven one).....(I'm now very curious about the Accord, is it next month? And a stick still available? Part of me is slowly letting go of the A8L/S550 dream....it's quite unrealistic...)!