mmarshall

Just a brief update (not a big long write-up) on my upcoming new car, since the original thread was closed. (Finally) got a confirmed GM order-number....production at the Fairfax, KS Assembly plant (which builds the Buick LaCrosse and Chevolet Malibu) on or about July 31, with delivery probably in mid-August. Hope it's not built on July 31 per se, on a Monday...you know what they say about Monday and Friday cars LOL.

They had to re-order it three times before the order finally went through...at first, the 2017 orders got cut off, then after a re-order, Buick's brilliant marketers, at the last minute, changed the base-level drivetrain to a 4-cylinder hybrid (making the V6 I wanted an option)....and dropping the base price some $1500. Still have no idea what the sticker-price (MSRP) will end up being , with all of the equipment/marketing/rebate changes....some things on it will drop, others will increase. I went over the final papers myself (again), to make sure it was the color (Pepperdust) that I wanted, Neutral-color/brown woodtone interior, the V6 option, the new GM/Ford co-designed 9-speed transmission that goes with the V6 (with 60 patents...arguably the most advanced FWD transmission on the planet), a spare tire instead of a compressed-air bottle (fortunately), a compact spare is standard), and the optional rubber all-weather mats (yeah, I know aftermarket mats are cheaper at auto-parts stores, but the factory ones, and the ones from WeatherTech, are both a nice custom fit). GM is (now) treating this order as a priority/VIP, partly because I'm a repeat customer, and partly for the inconvenience and problems both me and the dealership went through with the first two attempts at the order.

Here's what it will look like, color-wise.

mmarshall

Auto marketers, BTW, always were, and always will be, the bane of my existence.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Nice color. How's the visibility compared to your Verano inside looking out? What safety tech comes with your LaCrosse? (ex. Blind spot monitor? pre-collision? Lane keep assist?)

Aron9000

Love that interior color, looks a lot nicer than the black leather/almost black wood trim one I saw at the Buick dealer. Just too much black, love the contrasting colors.

Toys4RJill

Cool update.

Curious to know. Does this transmission have a GPS built into the unit like a Rolls-Royce?

Ahhadanny

nice color! is it 3D paint?

mmarshall

Thanks. That's one of GM's feature-colors...they use it in a fair amount of their recent advertising.

I DO wish, however, that Buick would have offered Amythist (purplish-gray), teal (blue-green), or a Sunset (Burnt-metallic orange) on the Lacrosse...I would have strongly considered one of those, as Amythist is my all-time favorite car color. But I also like the Pepperdust.....it subtly reminds me of the silver big Buick I had in college (which I've never forgotten), though with a more sophisticated light bronze-tone mixed in with it. Another color I would have strongly considered (thanks to you Lexus fans) is the (Titanium-looking) Atomic Silver, though GM doesn't offer it. The Atomic Silver is stunning when looked at from certain angles, in sunlight.


Well, it's no Subaru Forester on the visibility front, and has the typically large A and C-pillars found on Buick sedans....but the windows are larger than those on the Verano, and back-up cameras are now standard on virtually all new cars. I'm tall enough, though, and sit up high enough in the seat, that I had no problems even with the (2012) Verano and its lack of a back-up camera.

Well, on the Preferred trim-model I ordered, besides the usual dozen airbags all over the interior, the ABS/Traction/Stability systems, and the aforementioned back-up-camera, it comes standard with Brake-Assist (which senses panic stops), Electronic Brake Force Distribution, Grade-Retard for the transmission, integrated turn-signals for the side-mirrors, HID/Xenon/LED headlight-clusters, LED taillights, and OnStar monitoring. The other things you mentioned come only on the top-level Premium-trim version....I passed on them, for two reasons. First, I saw no need to pay a lot more (at least 5K more) to get them...I not only felt I didn't need them, but also didn't need some of the other frills that come on the top-line Premium version with them. Besides (as I've posted, many times, before) I'm a firm believer in driving and paying attention....not having electronics lull you to sleep.

mmarshall

Thanks. ....see my reply to Hoovey, above.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I have not heard of 3D paint being used on mass-production cars.

mmarshall

Yep.....I figure I'll probably take my last ride in a Buick with an all-black interior LOL.

mmarshall

Thanks. The last thread I had generated so much posting (that's why the mods closed it) that I wouldn't have done a new one unless I had some significant update news.

I'll say one thing, Jill......you often come up with some good questions. That one I don't know, even with research...although it would not surprise me. GM and Ford (jointly) have some 60 different patent-applications for this gearbox...yes, sixty.

The ZF-built FWD 9-speed that is used in some Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep, Fiat, Acura, and Land Rover vehicles, at least in early versions, has been problematic.....that is no secret in the industry. GM and Ford both claim that the durability, shifting, and noise problems of the ZF unit were carefully analyzed when they set to work developing this new gearbox, so that the mistakes wouldn't be repeated. We'll see.

(GM and Ford also jointly co-developed a new 10-speed RWD transmission, mostly for the bigger SUVs/trucks and sports cars....but that, of course is another subject for another thread)

chromedome

Just curious Mike, why did you go for the V6 over the hybrid? GM hybrid drivetrains are pretty good, at least as good as Toyota's stuff. You could probably get 45-50 mpg on the hybrid with some gentle driving. I'm just trying to be a friendly hybrid evangelist

Congratulations on the order and good color choice too. I'm seeing a lot more new LaCrosses over in the Middle Kingdom. I saw an Opel Insignia Turbo wagon the other day, man it sure looked good.

blacksc400

iTrader: (4)

It will probably have less problem and smoother, which is very important for Mike!

mmarshall

A fair question. I've been driving four-bangers for decades (the only exception being the straight-six on my Lexus IS300), and I'm just getting plain TIRED of them, having to listen to engine noise and vibration (although, in the Verano, the Buick Quiet Tuning helps quite a bit, at least at cruise). VW/Audi makes an excellent 2.0L turbo four (as do several other manufacturers), but V6s, at least IMO, still have an edge in the smoothness department. The Lacrosse, at least with 18" wheels, is a smooth cruiser.....and, IMO, a smooth quiet engine should come to match. The current-generation GM 3.6L V6 (as opposed to the last one), and the new 9-speed automatic were specifically designed for the unceasingly-common GM Engine Start/Stop system, and incorporate a number of features to try and make it work seamlessly. Plus, the V6 shuts off two cylinders at cruise, so you're essentially operating as a four-cylinder under the conditions you are most likely to save gas....at moderate-speed cruise. That's how the V6 gets its 31+ MPG on the road...which is not as good as a hybrid, but quite respectable. There are a couple of small (but not serious) drivability-quirks with the 6-speed automatic that goes with the GM hybrids that I don't particularly like, either....based on my test-drive of a new Malibu 2.0T Premier with the new 9-speed 9T50 transmission (the Lacrosse V6 will use the heavier-duty 9T65 version of it), I encountered no drivability problems. Last, you only live once....I'm retired now, and wanted another big full-size Buick ever since the massive Electra 225 I had in college (an old and worn car, but I absolutely loved it, and never forgot it). Buick, unfortunately, tanked in its quality just as I left college, in the early 1970s, and, IMO, essentially built junk for almost 40 years...until the Opel-derived versions came out just after the GM buyout. Now, the small Opel-dervied Buick's are clearly the most reliable, but even the big American-based ones like the Lacrosse now have respectable quality, if not as good as the smaller ones. And I've gotten superb service from my local GM shop. So, as far as I'm concerned, it's time to get something I've wanted for over 40 years.

Thanks. I thought it was the most interesting-looking of the Lacrosse colors. It has a visual tie to the silver Electra I had in college, but in a much more sophisticated way, with a (slight) light-bronze-tint added to the light gray.

Buick, BTW, dropped several colors on the Lacrosse for 2018...the dark blue, dark green, crimson red, and graphite gray, and added dark slate, black cherry, satin steel, and red quartz. The Pepperdust remains unchanged.


Yes, the Insignia (in American-spec, the Buick Regal) is all-new and totally redesigned this fall, for 2018. I looked at the previews for it, but decided I wanted the flagship Lacrosse instead. In your market, you will (probably) get all three versions.....4-door sedan, 5-door hatchback, and 5-door wagon. Here, in the U.S., in a very unusual move for Buick marketing, no Regal sedan will be offered in the new version....only the hatchback and wagon. And, with the Verano sedan also biting the dust in the U.S. to make more plant-room to produce (what else).....more SUVs, that will leave only one sedan in the American Buick line-up...the flagship Lacrosse, though we might (?) see a super-luxury Buick Avenir sedan in the future.

chromedome

Guess I was wrong, the US market gets the 2.4 eAssist mild hybrid as the base powertrain, not the 1.8 full hybrid like on the Volt. Now I understand why Mike went for the V6, it would be smoother and more powerful without a big increase in fuel consumption.

mmarshall

Well, GM promises fewer problems on the new 9-speed than the controversial ZF 9-speed unit did with other manufacturers....but, we'll see.