mmarshall

Good point. Spending money on that kind of stuff may explain why you don't see more of Porsche's conventional ads.


Well, GM obviously has to show off a lot more products than Porsche. Perhaps they just bit off more than they could chew at that one event.

Johnhav430

I wanted to do the CTS-V event but the morning was canceled due to rain in the forecast? But it never rained. So my buddy asked, why'd you cancel the morning sessions? And somebody said well we thought it was going to rain (meanwhile it poured at the BMW autocross/same venue with the new 540's, cats and dogs, they don't cancel it). The thing that he said was really silly was his wife floored the CTS-V because the person told her to, and she almost crashed into a wall. Apparently there was no course, it was driving really fast in a straight line. Driving is serious business, people need to know what they're instructing others to do, but I wasn't there. I think he drove the CT6 hybrid or something, and was surprised it's not made in Detroit?

One car I have never driven is the Corvette. There has to be a secret GM "invite only" Corvette events going on, I need to find out how I can get on the list....ZR1 baby!

Hoovey689

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Toys4RJill

This should be the first uplevel trim of the Lacrosse. I wonder if it has faux wood.

BrownPride

I doubt it. Buick customers wouldn't move upmarket to Cadillac.

Toys4RJill

Buick and Cadillac are serving the low end and the higher end of the premium/luxury segment. They kinda of overlap at the middle.

Johnhav430

The pics are up close and detailed, and it makes the quality not look so good, just like any other GM car except the stitching of the word Avenir. For example, Lexus had special colors and leather dash and aniline leather for more money. Not the same with a name stitched on it for more money. This thinking is like badges with red or the letter R and decals in the Japanese world. I totally get that GM has a lot of shareholders to answer to, but maybe the shareholders need to lose some value before the co. can step forward...too big to fail won't cut it in another 30 years....

mmarshall

My 2018 Lacrosse Preferred has the faux-wood, which IMO not only looks as good or better than the real stuff, but has the added advantage of moisture and dryness not affecting it, and of the surface being less-prone to damage.

mmarshall

The new Lacrosse, IMO, is the car that Cadillac should have replaced the former DeVille/DTS with, and didn't.

mmarshall

On my own 2018 Lacrosse, I'm well past the break-in period now, pushing a couple of thousand miles. I thought I'd just give a Owners' Report here, rather than start another active thread (I already had two or three threads in the past on that car, and IMO another one is unnecessary).

First, despite a lot of suggestions from fellow CL members to get a 2017 and cash in on the rebate, I'm very glad that the original order didn't work out (GM closed off factory-orders for 2017s very early this year), and that I ended up with a 2018 instead. It worked out very well for me. Yes, I missed a good-sized 2017 rebate, but I got a decent discount on the new 2018 (they certainly didn't screw me at the dealer), and also gave me more than I expected to get for my Verano...more than KBB for it, even adjusting for its condition, so I let them have it (since I also bought it there) rather than the hassles of selling it myself. In getting the 2018, I missed the first-year 2017 teething problems and the associated TSB's on the Lacrosse. Consumer Reports really panned the 2017 for numerous customer complaints from its quirky electronic shifter, unrefined shifting from the Aisin-sourced 8-speed automatic transmission, and the screen/infotainment system malfunctioning or going blank, giving the car a much-worse-than-average reliability rating, a sharp drop from the 2016. The 2018, of course, has the same E-shifter (I've pretty much gotten used to it, though it took several weeks, and reverse requires a significant flip up and to the left). But the complaint-prone 8-speed on the 2017 was replaced by the new GM/Ford co-developed 9-speed this year (the one with 60 new patents), and I don't have any complaints at all with the shifting on it. I haven't had any problems at all with the 2018 Infotainment system, though it is so complex that I'm still learning features on it. To say I'm in love with this car is an understatement.....it's the best-driving (by my standards), most comfortable car I've had since college, 45 years ago, and my BIG Buick Electra 225....and it doesn't use oil or need constant tune-ups/lube jobs like that old car did LOL. And I'm getting almost two and a half times the gas mileage, around town (on cheaper, lower-grade gas, to boot) than I did with my old Campus Special...for a car virtually as comfortable.

Complaints? Yep. I'll be honest. There are a few.....I haven't found a perfect car yet. The sheet metal thickness, like that on many new vehicles today, leaves a lot to be desired (got one tiny dimple in it already, above the left rear door, probably from a tree-nut, though I'm very careful to avoid parking under conditions where nuts would fall on it. Or, neighborhood kids may have accidentally done it with a ball). I miss the automatic reverse/tilt-down feature for the outside mirrors on the upmarket Lacrosse versions.....I have to keep flicking the selector-switch back and forth, and tilting each one up and down by hand, when I back up and then go back into a space, to help see the parking-space lines better (the back-up camera helps, but gives only limited accuracy). But the upmarket Essence /Premium Lacrosse models, which included that nice feature, had a lot of other stuff on it that I DIDN'T want....plus a lot higher price. Though the leatherette is nice (as nice, IMO, as the NuLuxe upholstery found in some Lexus models), and the seats are comparatively soft and well-padded in the Buick tradition (the way I like automotive seats to be) I still prefer cloth...especially the soft velour of the 70s and 80s. I wish Buick would still offer that as an option. I wish that the Infotainment system screen would allow display of both the climate-control icons and audio/radio-stations simultaneously......you have to switch back and forth with buttons or touch-screen. And the electronic gauges have an odd quirk....the red warning lights for oil/temp/voltage don't always come on for a few seconds when the car is first started, like on most cars. They either don't come on at all (most of the time), or come on one or two at a time for a brief second or so. The same gauge-space on the dash for them is alternately-shared with the yellow traction-control and service-parking-brake lights, which DO come on every time. But, on the other hand, the red lights for voltage and coolant-temp are redundant, since the Lacrosse also has electronic needle-gauges for both, but not for oil-pressure (the third needle-gauge is for oil-temperature instead). Still, to have both red lights and needle-gauges for the same functions is unusual in a family sedan....and certainly doesn't speak of cost-cutting.

Except for those few small points, this is close to the perfect car for me. It's not the most versatile car I've ever owned....that honor, hands-down, would go to my 2006 Subaru Outback. Nor is it the most ingenious...that would go to my 1999 Saturn SL-2, with its plastic side panels, waterborne paint, and spin-off transmission filter. Nor is it the best-handling/road-feel...that would go to my 1984 Mazda GLC and its non-power steering. Nor it is quite the softest seats or most comfortable over bumps but close....that honor, of course, would be my college 1965 Buick Electra. Nor is it the best overall Driver's Car I've sampled, with the most superbly-engineered chassis...that, without question, would be the last-generation BMW 335i I reviewed. But, for my personal needs and daily purposes, today, with what is available in the present marketplace......I feel perfectly at home in it. Wouldn't trade it for anything except (maybe) an AWD Lexus LS460.

Toys4RJill

Always nice to hear about the updates of your new Buick. I liked it when I had it for a test drive.

I will comment that for some reason I get the impression that you don't really love this new vehicle you bought. I dunno it just seems you have to many caveats that you have found in the short period that you have owned. Just my honest thoughts.

mmarshall

Jill, in some 50 years of reviewing vehicles (started when I was in high school), I have yet, by my standards, to find a perfect one. Excessive pickiness on my part? No, not IMO....simply being realistic and objective. That's why a lot of people (quite a few from my church, social group, and the local fitness center where I swim), come to me for advice...they know I'll give them both sides, and not show favoritism. The new LaCrosse, however, especially by today's standards, comes close to what I'd consider perfection....close enough for me to open my wallet. By today's standards, yes, I'm in love with this car....but, like a responsible parent that loves his children but has to spank them every once in a while when they screw up, I have to accept whatever imperfections this vehicle may have. It was the same way wth the Verano.....I loved it as a compact car (probably the quietest and most comfortable car of that size I had ever tried)...but its ride, partly because of the shifter wheelbase and 45-series tires, was clearly not as smooth as the Lacrosse, and sometimes had a hiccup in the transmission shift-computer when you toed into low-speed acceleration under certain conditions.

To be honest, personally I would be almost as content with several other vehicles.....the Lincoln MKZ and Continental, Chevrolet Impala, Genesis G80, and Lexus ES350. But I feel more at home in a big Buick than just about anything else. I probably shouldn't have waited as long as I did after college to get another one, but I did for a number of reasons.....mostly quality-related.

oldcajun

Mike,
The Genesis G90 is the big Buick you miss. It is slightly smaller outside, but plenty roomy inside. The only thing they don't offer is velour split bench seats. When I drove one, my overall feeling was that someone had built a car just for me. I do understand the relative value between your new car and the price of the G90, but you can't take it with you. My wife and I have decided to do all the traveling we can while we still can. That cuts into the money I'm comfortable in paying for a car. I had my LS460 which was wonderful, but now live with an RX350.
Steve

mmarshall

I looked at the G90 (actually did a review of one). I agree it is impressive, and extremely well-built (yes, more solid than the Lacrosse) in its interior/exterior hardware, which feels like it was built and installed by Swiss watchmakers. But its sheer size would have been somewhat difficult for my condo parking spaces and general driving conditions, its little-brother G80 (IMO) had a better and easier-to-use control and shifter layout, there were just too many electronic and mechanical devices on it for my tastes, it probably would have cost twice what my 37K Lacrosse did, and my previous GM dealer gave me such excellent service and courtesy that I felt I owed them repeat ownership. It's true that you cannot take your money with you, but I'm also a firm believer in keeping a nice cushion in the bank for emergencies. You never know, from one day to the next, what can happen.....just this week, for example, I had to replace a worn-out heat-pump system. That, of course, was a good chunk of money...and came JUST in time for the cold snap that enveloped the Eastern part of the U.S. the last couple days.


And.....in the end, with the 18" wheel selection, I thought it was hard to beat the way the Lacrosse drove, especially for the money. The road and wind-noise suppression is excellent, and it glides over bumps more smoothly than most of today's vehicles, though maybe not quite as smooth as a Mercedes S-550.

mmarshall

OK...back to Avenir, the thread-topic. Buick has released at least some of the details and features of the Avenir line-up on its web-site. Both the Enclave and Lacrosse will be affected.

http://www.buick.com/avenir.html