Iv’e never owned a Buick but this car looks very nice.

Interior is AMAZING! Actually better than the concept and I thought that would be impossible!

I’m going out on a limb here, but as far as the interior is concearned, it eclipses any interior I’ve ever seen on a mass produced model that’s not German- I’m including luxury brands. This thing is straight up superior to any Toyota interior. I’m not an American car fanboy in anyway bu this is straight up awesome.

Wow, fantastic looking. Of course only the 80+ will ever see it because everybody under 50 years old will quickly turn their head away because it is an old mans car. It is too bad they will never see it because it sounds like quite a car. Hopefully they will not turn their head too quickly and get a glimpse and actually take a chance they might actually like it. You know like they did with the Enclave.

This is the best “looking” car that has ever come out of GM!

The crazy part too is that I just built one at Buick’s website and it’s reasonably priced and option’s are actually cheap! You can get a very, very nice one for less than $32k and have pretty much a luxury car. I’m a fan of this car.

Jake I agree 100% this is impressive inside and out. very nice.

Ok, I do like the exterior of the car, but it looks like they played it “safe”. What I mean is, Cadillac has a very distinctive look. Nothing else looks like a CTS. I thought Buick would follow that up somehow with this. I think they needed to be a little bolder in the looks of the exterior, but I think that they may not have wanted to scare off some of the 80 year old customers. The interior looks ok, but it’s rather lacklaster. Kind of looks like a bath tub. It’s nice, but I don’t this this car would nearly qualify as any kind of luxury car. I will say that you can get a lot of car for the money, but to me, it just doesn’t say WOW! It says nice.

The best thing about this Buick is that it doesn’t look “Buicky.” Buick has very loyal customers, but their problem has been that the loyal ones are their only customers. Hopefully this will attract some new buyers.

Wow, a reason to go the Buick dealer. –man in early 30s…

This is definately the best FWD-based sedan to come out of GM in my opinion. This will definately challenge the almighty TL, and most likely win.

Oh, not to mention that Buick is GM’s BEST QUALITY and most RELIABLE and PROVEN brand. Buick is one brand that GM hasn’t screwed up the reliability on.

My only reason to go to a Buick dealer would be to check out the used cars. There are bound to be oodles of low mileage trades tainted only by the smell of old people. A good detailing shop should be able to get rid of that.

Just more or ths same old BM stuff

So how will this LaCrosse be marketed with the excellent Buick Regal/Insignia coming soon?

As far as “playing it safe styling”, WTH????? Obviously some ax grinding going on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on.

I like to have da BM. Right after i eat da Mexican food

Little too late to the market, GM. The MKS and Genesis already have a foothold on the segment. And what’s up with the copycat styling cues from other brands? GM trying to pull a Hyundai here?

Headlights from BMW 5
Foglights from Porsche
Side mirror turn signals from Mercedes S
Rear window profile from BMW
Tail lights from Acura RL
Exhaust tips from Lexus LS

No ax grinding, my friend. My father owned a Buick Regal and it was…nice. Now that you mention it, this looks a lot like the Regal. Looks like they kind of updated it a little.

What I’m saying is that this is a time that GM needs to really wow people and they did that with the CTS; no question about it. But this? No. This will make a fine rental car.

I agree with Ring-Taxi. This looks more like GM copying other brands (badge engineering mode off. copycat mode on). I guess after laying off so many workers (designers?) and getting used to importing european and asian cars and just putting their name on it, gm is content with not having to put a hard day’s work in. JakeK66 sounds like a troll, or worse, a buick salesman.

Simply beautiful.

I’m actually leaving now to go Enclave shopping…hope to find one of these on the Buick lot!

I can’t believe that nitpicking the EXHAUST TIPS is an attempt to try and get people to hate this car.

I’m not impressed.

Cadillac completely changed course with the newer, edgier looks, from what they used to be. And bam! Success! People bought the Escalade in droves and then the CTS. They basically re-thought the customers that they were going after (except for the DTS).

Buick could have done the same here and didn’t. They could have taken the opportunity to really come out with something absolutely distinctive and didn’t. Why can’t a car company put a little distinction and make the car their own? The Interior: Shift knob stolen from the CTS as well as the instrument cluster. Center stack based on the CTS, but still petty theft. The rounded away dash: needs to be re-thought; lack of style….it just doesn’t “grab” you and say “look at me”. Kind of reminds me of my old Potiac Grand Am dash.

This car looks sufficiently unique. Buicks are not going to be as aggressive as Cadillacs. They are aimed at a somewhat more conservative customer. There is nothing wrong with being a little more subdued. The car still looks better than the TL or Avalon.

this car does not look like a regal or Grand Am in any way.

Da world’s best chick magnet. Nothing attracts da ladies like a Buick. Pull up to any nursing home and you’ll have to fight ‘em off.

This is one sexy ass Buick. I cant believe what I’m saying but this is very nice. The Enclave is very luxurious and is worth a look. The only thing I dont like about it is that it is a typically plasticky GM vehicle. But this car has me reconsidering buying American for the first time.

Even the chrome sideplate below the doors is a cheap Lexus imitation. Not impressed.

Overall this is a nice effort, but I wish the gauge faces looked like GM expected their drivers to actually look at them. To me, the gauges say “this is a car for people who aim instead of steer” vs. “this is a driver’s car.” Speedo looks like it’s for people who forgot their reading glasses and where’s the redline on the tach? GM is still afraid of driver involvement.

I saw on da options sheet dere is a $255 option for da custom wheelchair in the trunk and a $75 option for da Depends dispenser in da front.

SJ, why can’t they be as aggressive as Cadillacs? Wasn’t that the “old man” car company at one time? Conservative in the car business, in today’s market, with so much competition, spells bankruptcy. GM proved that. As far as looking nicer than a TL, I take issue with that (except for the TL’s stupid looking metal grille…you may have me on that). I think that even with the metal/plastic interior that the TL has, it is still more attractive than this Buick. The Avalon makes me want to fall asleep…kind of like the Buick.

I think that the exterior of the car looks like a Regal. That didn’t work out so well for GM, did it? My Pontiac dash was boring and had a “rounded-away” look to it…kind of like this Buick. Trust me, this car will not overtake CTS for car of the year. That is exactly what GM needs to start doing. They need hit some balls out of the park and not just a single, threatening to go to second. Is this better than a 2009 LaCrosse? Absolutely. Will this pull away a BMW, TL, or Audi owner? No way. But the CTS did.

I want to own this car some day.

For the same as tested $39K I could have the new Taurus SHO with 365HP, AWD and a bigger, nicer car overall… good luck Buick & GM… here comes Ford!

The car was manly designed in China. From the looks of other Chinese auto brands, as well as South Korean auto brands, they have a habit of taking other designs and copying them. I agree with the other posts, looks like a mix of German and Japanese design. But then again, don’t fault the designers for an actual good looking product coming from Buick! That’s exciting……kinda.

Sweet car! Looks like Buick has found their market. We’d take this over the Lexus/Acura any day.

The Sept issue of MotorTrend features a road test of this car as well as the Taurus. Amazing how old the new Taurus design already looks when viewed next to the Buick .

greg – this has AWD too for $39k… It’s a good battle between this and the SHO, no doubt, but I like this better IMO. Interior is just so darn good looking!

$40k for a Buick. Uh, no. This will be yet another car in a long line of marketing blunders if GM prices one at this level. GM never learns. It’s culture of greed still doesn’t get the market. How about a Hyundai style warranty so when the inside pieces fall off, or rattles start at 30,000 miles or it leaks oil due to a faulty design at 60,000 miles, the consumer isn’t left holding a bag of smelly brown material.

More of our $50 billion down the tubes.

h82w8-
I could be wrong but I think Buick got the heighest scores on reliability?

h82w8, it’s going down the tubes because of your own opinion. How is a company supposed to pay money back when people are so skeptical of them? If nobody buys their cars, of course the American taxpayers will never get their money back, but in the end whose fault is that? I’m sure society tells you that a GM will break down once you drive it off the lot, but I see plenty of older GM vehicles running perfectly fine. On top of that, Buick has long been known as one of the most reliable car brands, according to JD Powers surveys. On top of that, this is the top of the line model; of course it’s going to cost more. The base model starts around $27k, although I’m sure most people will wind up spending about 30-35k with options.

GMasaurus – Buicks aren’t intended to be aggressive cars. Considering their key demographic is older people, of course they’re gonna be conservative. I also don’t agree with your statement that GM went into bankruptcy due to conservative offerings. Look at Toyota, for example. Their cars have long been known as some of the most bland on the market, yet they were raking in billions, until car sales collapsed in the US. GM went bankrupt due to sub-par offerings, questionable reliability, relying too heavily on SUV sales, and high production costs. The car hasn’t even been on sale yet; how are you so sure that it won’t lure people away from other brands besides the fact that you think so? Buick isn’t intended to lure people away from BMW, Audi, Benz, etc. That’s what Caddilac is for. Buick is more on par with cars that emphasize comfort over performance. And it looks to me as if Buick did a good job on making a comfortable car.

homc2010-
let me start buy saying welcome to the site.

Head, if Buick’s aren’t intended to be aggressive cars, then how do you explain the Buick Grand National? Didn’t that car sell like hotcakes? It was faster than a Corvette, for crying out loud. For one brief glimmer of a moment, they (Buick) forgot they were the old dude company and came out with a blazing fast car. Why can’t they do that again? Stereotypes need to be broken here. GM needs to blaze new trails….and fast. I will say that Buick is offering better vehicles than they were in the recent past, but that’s not too hard to do. (old LaCrosse, Rondevous)

As far as Buick not intending to compete with Audi, Benz, or BMW, who are they competing with? Lexus? Infiniti? Fine. It loses against those, too. Crying out loud, you have two guys on here comparing this new LaCrosse to The New Taurus SHO(which is a performance car, if I’m not mistaken). How am I so sure that it will not do well? Because it doesn’t knock the socks off everyone on this site and that is exactly what GM and Ford and Chrysler need to do if the American car industry is to survive. They need to be doing it better than the foreign makes, and not just offer a car that is…nice. Well, we’ll see what happens when the Volt comes out. Now that’s groundbreaking and innovative.

This interior’s got nothing on the competition. Anyone who thinks otherwise is a fool or a gm fanboy. Oh wait the two are synonymous.

GMasaurus, @ 07-24, 3:45p,

BUICK hasn’t made a car anywhere near like The GNX for what? 20 years? I had some hope that maybe GM would move the G8 to BUICK as the new REGAL. But at any rate, BUICK has not been an aggressively placed brand. It has been an old person’s car for decades with the anomaly of the GRAND NATIONAL and GNX not withstanding.

If GM is smart they will set BUICK more squarely against ACURA, a mechanically conservative luxury mark that is aimed at a younger demographic, and if GM will be more aggressive with the brand, AUDI is a possible other target.

Needing to blaze new trails, BUICK is quickly becoming one of the classiest modern designs on the market. To be honest I have never really seen cars that are actually this eye-catching and eye pleasing at the same time. I’m sure you are one of those that thinks every brand in every company needs to have at least one massively overpowered car in their line up. There was talk that the OPC (Opel Performance Concept) with its 325hp 2.8L turbo-six and AWD would be such a candidate. BUICK’s answer to the FORD TAURUS SHO LINCOLN MKS Eco-boost.

But I think that GM has taken the route of making the car better, hence the brilliant interior and more than pleasing design that is clearly skewed to a younger demographic… people not yet looking toward retirement and looking for some nice bling. Building a performance car for the division is not yet forthcoming. But I would agree that if BUICK and GM are to survive, they need to stop dragging their feet and make cars that really excite people. BUICK as it is now gets us to look, but not necessarily buy.

It’s certainly a LOT nicer looking than the Acura TL and [To a lessor extent] the Lexus ES350. But the problem is – almost everything in life has to do with perception. And as most of you know – perception is truth. In spite of how open minded some of us [Including myself] like to think we are – would we appreciate the new LaCrosse more IF it was not a Buick? It would be interesting – I think – to gather a group of non-car people [Meaning - people who aren't particularly car savvy] and ask them what they think of the new LaCrosse. And then – remove anything and everything that identifies the car as a Buick and replace those ‘things’ with ‘Lexus’ and ask a different group of non-car people what they think of it. I’m willing to bet that the group that thinks the new LaCrosse is a Lexus would be more impressed than the group who knew it was a Buick. The only thing GM, Ford and Chrysler can do is make really good cars and allow TIME to deal with perception. They should also keep their fingers crossed that Camry and Accord engines start catching on fire for no apparent reason!! lol

superman -

All I can say is that I’m a loyal VW lover and you should STFU if you think an Avalon can even pee in the same way as this woderful interior. What’s NOT to like about it?

People need to get over their preconcieved notions of GM. This is a great car, it is extremely stylish, appears to be extremely high quality, and is just overall a very nice car, definately right up their with the lexuses and acuras it competes with. I would buy this car in a heartbeat, and i’m 20.

On a second note, I like the video very much, LLN. The editiing and music fit it very nicely and it is much better than the first couple of videos you guys did.

This Buick might not be groundbreaking…but look at their current lineup…its a huge step in the right direction. Unfortunately once you option out a midsize car it will run you in the mid to high thirties anymore. So you are going to see some FoMoCo products and Buicks price wise at their top end competing with Acuras and Infinitys bottom end. I would pick this Buick on looks alone over an Acura, Lexus or Infinity any day.

CADDY-V – thanks

GMasaurus – Since Audi, BMW, Benz, etc are more performance-luxury, I’d say they’d be competing with Cadillac. I’d say Buick is mainly competing for a comfort-luxury market, so I’d pin them up against Lexus, Acura, Lincoln, etc.

If I’m correct, you say Buick is losing against Lexus and others because the competition doesn’t need to “wow” people to get them to check them out. While this is true, this is just your opinion. It might not “knock the socks” off of you, but how are you sure others won’t feel this way? Everyone’s not going to like it, because everyone’s not the same. Even the CTS didn’t impress everyone, as some don’t like the styling. It’s still clearly a success; why not the same with this product? With the success of the Enclave, I’m sure people will inevitably check out this LaCrosse.

The “Old GM” was criticized for product overlap. Why would Buick need something like the Grand National, when Cadillac is beginning to emerge as the performance-luxury brand? It might increase Buick sales, but it would inevitably hurt Cadillac sales. Lower Cadillac sales would be worse than higher Buick sales, since Cadillacs can demand a higher price.

I do agree with you about the Volt. It should be pretty interesting to see how well it does (or doesn’t) do.

Might not be much competition there, Brianbpe.

If you are as good as or better than but cost less than and are more like what is desired, you win regardless of price. to be honest ACURA, INFINITI, and, to a lesser degree, LEXUS do not inspire the same kind of brand “whoring” as MERCEDES-BENZ and BMW. That is people will buy a MERCEDES or BMW regardless of cost and even if the product is completely anathema to what they really want. They want that pretty badge in their driveway no matter what. People will pass up an ACURA, INFINITI, and some LEXUSs maybe most, if they can get a comparable or better car for less.

“Better” is subjective so one can argue that CHRYSLER, FORD, and GM don’t make better cars just to satisfy ego. But the best car in the world is not the fastest car, the most luxurious, the most advanced, or the one the magically combines them all the most perfectly. The best car in the world is the one that fits the buyer best. Whether one can afford it, if it best gives what is needed and wanted, and most importantly if one wants it.

I would think BUICK is doing wildly better. A Luxury car for those who desire luxury but are not in need of or enamored by autobahn specs. That does not excuse them for at least touching on that.

I still wish this was an Oldsmobile… Then it really would be closer to perfection.

I have always thought this car looked good, but after seeing it rolling on the street via the video I will have to change that good to a great! (very nice street presence) This car will clearly bring Buick’s average buying age down even further, I am in my 30’s and would give the LaCosse a serious look.

Caddy-V
I could be wrong but I think Buick got the heighest scores on reliability?

Yes, on initial quality, which measures (I believe) the first 90 days of ownership. That’s great. Come talk to me after 3 years of ownership, 5 years of ownership, etc.

headofmyclass2010:
it’s going down the tubes because of your own opinion.

My opinion is based on personal experience and objective data. You can blame me if that’s what floats your boat (GM blames it’s customers too), but a good product isn’t good enough. GM needs great products NOW, but they don’t have the leadership or culture to make class leading products.

I would love to be wrong, but the “Ch. 11 Bankruptcy” they went through should have been a house cleaning of all of the dead wood that got them in the mess they’re in. Instead, it was a reshuffling of bad managers at the top of the company.

My prediction: GM will go Ch. 7 in the next few years.

h82w8, Since you mention 3 years down the road all you have to do is look at JD’s 09 long term dependability study. They survey 46,000 original owners of 3 year old models and the results may surprise you, Buick is at the top of that list as well. Regardless of perception Buick has been a very reliable brand for years.

WTH are people comparing this to the SHO Taurus? They are NOT even in the same classes. They are NOT even competing against each other.

It is an absurd comparison.

As for the car, I’d buy it if I were in the market for a new car, but I’m not. I’ll just check them out when I see them on the street.

Btw, another absurd comparison is putting Buick in the same class as Cadillac. They don’t even compete against the same brands. So GMasaurus, stop with the pointless blurbs you keep spewing. They aren’t even legitimate.

h82, actually at 3 years Buick is #1 for dependibility so now we can talk.
http://www.jdpower.com/corporate/news/releases/pressrelease.aspx?ID=2009043

h82, GM will be profitable next year, IF annual car sales go over 10 million which they surely will.

h82w8 – I’m not trying to blame you, I’m just saying that talking about not getting the 50 billion back while not supporting the company is going to wind up a lose-lose situation.

I would also like to see GM succeed. I’m far from a GM fanboy (or a fan of any particular company for that matter). It just always gets to me when people say stuff like “We spent $50 billion for this?! I’m never buying another GM again!” Because you’re not only wasting taxpayer money, but you’re wasting a company that clearly has the potential to succeed. Why else would the government bail out GM? If they couldn’t compete, they would have let them fall.

Also, in your opinion, what makes a vehicle a class leading product?

Wow, it’s amazing how many people have commented…

One thing that exasperates me is the low-slung greenhouse. From the exterior, it’s gorgeous, but on the inside, it doesn’t look as high-class or luxurious as the the Lexus GS or BMW 5-Series.

However, I think this is a lovely product. I’ve never been an aficionado of Buicks, but this is impressive.

Just purchased a loaded Buick Enclave today.

Looking forward to seeing this on the road to complement the great product coming down the Buick line.

Oh, and I’m only 39…and I’m extremely discriminating about car design.

OMG…just watched the video. It’s even more stunning than the photos. Wow…just wow.

Very nice. W/AWD, it would be perfectly acceptable.

And pricing…very competitive w/the new Ford Taurus, which I think is for old farts.

Not this Buick!

The Camaro isn’t a grand slam? okay…

I’m not impressed by this car at all, the styling is pretty bland and it is typical Buick.

Architect – You 39 and you bought da Buick. Dat is funny. You must think dat you are 79 not 39. Say hi to all yer friends at da nursing home.

I’ve only been looking at this car for a couple of days…and it is starting to get a little boring. This car is just looks, it doesn’t have anything special quality wise that it should have had to separate itself from the rest of the GM vehicles. It hardly drives any different than the malibu or aura. That gray interior looks real cheap in real life. The tan leather is much better. I wouldn’t buy this car in it’s first production year. I would wait maybe 2 years if I were ever looking at this kind of vehicle, even though I still wouldn’t buy it, because to me, I believe that people are drawn to this car because it is not something that we know GM to put…looks wise…but it is boring. Just like we were drawn to the aura when it first came out, it was not something that we were used to seeing coming from GM. There are too many curves on the inside and too little woodgrain pieces(and whatever there is, it is in the wrong place), especially in the back…the most bland place ever. The wood strip top of the dash act’s as a huge mirror for the sunlight to blind you! It also would have helped if the heads-up display wasn’t crooked and tilting horizontally. I don’t like this anymore. I had fun while it was still a teaser vehicle, but now I’m done!

I’ll can’t wait to try the Taurus sho!

But that’s just me.

oh yeah, one more thing! I am 6′1″, and for me to be able to see the bottom of the nav screen, I have to raise the seat really high, or move myself closer to the screen each time I want to see it. It shouldn’t have so much plastic in front of it like the way. You can even kind of tell in one of those pics.

just watched the vid, the headlights do scream ‘bmw’ to me a bit too strongly, but w/e…the authors of the review like the lexus gs-look of the c-pillar, but i tend to think it makes the car look too long and chunky…and the chrome accent “vents” on the hood aren’t really my thing either…but, all that nitpicking aside, overall it looks like a strong package…this was just a design review, though, it’ll be interesting to see how it stacks up performance-wise…

Id, where did you see the LaCrosse in person?

To be honest I could never, ever think you would say anything good about a GM product so your comments do not surprise at all. Hopefully the comments from LLN will override your comments as more reputable.

My dads best friend is the owner of a newly renovated gm dealer here where we live, and he has 2 in, one to use as his personal vehicle and the other, just like the one on the video for an in-door model. The one we got to drive was fwd and I think it was pretty much loaded. Whats so hard to believe about what I said before? I didn’t say anything bad, I don’t know if there really was anything bad about it. There were just some things that caught my attention and frustrated me. If you don’t believe me, just wait and see for yourself! The ride is super quite with very little noise…which could have something to do with the fact that the tires that were on, where made special just for buicks, just like the saturn aura has tires made just for them. The transmission had a weird delay similar to the aura. If you are about to enter a freeway, the natural thing to do is the push the gas in farther and the car would drop a gear or two depending on the circumstance, but with this, you would hit the gas and it would still keep the highest gear but still try to accelerate the car, which doesn’t happen very well when you need to accelerate on some tricky Cleveland freeway entrances. I think an easy transmission program should do the trick though. I’ll tell you again, just wait and see to test drive, or just go to your buick dealer and take a look!

carstuff,
Just to make you feel good, this is true by the way, my favorite cars, out of all the ones we have ever owned, were made by chevy! One was a 2003 chevy suburban LT fully loaded…it had everything possible, and the other was a 2000/1 chevy express conversion(best model year imo!) van by STARCRAFT obviously loaded. We had so much fun with that van that we managed to put 140k miles driving it for just less than 4 years! We do a lot of traveling to Canada and Virginia Beach. Those were great cars for long comfortable driving…their new versions AREN’T!! My dad constantly looks out for either one of them, of the same model year to buy, but we have never seen another van like ours…or even a suburban for some reason, it’s not like it was a special model or something! By the way, just a stupid fact, I first got my temporary license and learned to drive with the express. Then I went to the BMV to take my driving test with the suburban. The guy was shocked for some reason! I can’t imagine why…LOL! I passed, but the only thing I did wrong was I crawled at a stop sign instead of coming to an absolute stop at an intersection, where it was impossible to see the intersecting road I was about to cross…so you kind of instinctively crawl forward to get a better view!! It was rigged!!!!!

I don’t hate GM, I hate everyone who runs GM! I hate them for taking every possible cheap route to save money when it comes to building a car. I bet GM could build the best car on earth if they wanted to! They just have people who are more worried about making money behind closed doors than they are about the company. I believe things will change soon though…for the better…of GM… I envision the demise of toyota in the near future! Their ****yness will deal them a blow so hard that even they won’t be able to do anything about it! It makes sense really! What is a company, who is known for building a reliable car going to do when they become unsuccessful…kind of like what is going on with them in the US right now? They can’t make things more reliable because they are already one of the most reliable. They can’t bring any new cars, their old cars might come back but they are not a convenient price point. They won’t have many moves to make, unlike GM which is right there next to toyota in sales, but also has many potential moves up their sleeves! Any of this make sense by the way? I gotta stop because I have to start a 10 page essay that is due in T minus…42 hours! Later gang!!

hahaa…I just read the ****yness sentence and realized something…technically speaking, they would be blowing themselves!!! LMFAOROG!!!! AHAHAHHAHAHHHAH!!

Nice, but I can clearly see the Opel Insignia lines on this vehicle. It’s the only reason why this vehicle is getting comments like “This looks nothing like a Buick!”

ahnuconun: “Blindly patriotic?” Get real.
I love this country, yeah. I served my country (I played High School Football!)
But I’m not blindly patriotic, i’ll admit when America screws up.

“The ‘Japs,’ ‘Krauts’ and now the Koreans are getting they’re revenge for losing the war …”

Korea was on the winning side in WWII.

“by brainwashing EVERYBODY to buy their inferior cars…” Uh, no. Some Japanese, German and even Korean cars are better than some american cars. But I see things as they are, which means I’ll take a pass on the “america sucks” party line.

“but the big three can’t flog their crap anywhere but in the States?”
That’s been discussed at lengyh on this page.

“Americans don’t buy cars based on patriotism anymore.” that’s true.

and your spelling of “labour” shoots a hole in your credibility.

reedfast: “the japanese are like that little girl on the playground in 1st grade who tattled on you every time you tell somebody she has cooties.”

good one.

leftwingagenda: “an accord, on the other hand, was made here by american workers, with american parts (more american parts on a % basis than some ‘domestic’ models), but it has a honda badge…”

That’s one of those gnarly “Buy American” questions.

truckinguy: I won’t point a finger at the UAW, but GM could not afford its labor costs.

The only reason i make a good salary is our (Scandanavian) bosses don’t want us to unionize.

DetroitWatcher: “While corn and Caterpillar equipment may not be as sexy as new cars, the are IMPORTANT to our economy.” Dead true. ny oranges growing in Manitoba?

And the only unions I have a real problem with are the Bearuacrats (sp?) union and the Prison Guards.

DB9: Jim Brown should’ve stayed in the NFL a bit longer.

.

Definately RL tailights. I almost see some TL in the body shape. Its like they were looking at an Acura RL while designing this car. I think the holes in the hood are pointless and dont look great. The only thing i dislike about the inside is the gauges. i think that they are quite immature. Other than that, the interior is great.

“Even the chrome sideplate below the doors is a cheap Lexus imitation. Not impressed.”

Lexus using chrome in the first place is a copy off American makes. Do you think use of chrome on cars originated in Japan? I didn’t.

THose talking about this car being overpriced are idiots. $39k represents a loaded CSX model with almost every option. A loaded Avalon is uglier inside and out and handles worse and tops out at $39k. The Taurus Limited is about $37k fully loaded. Someone said the interior isnt as nice as 5 series but they dont note a BASE 5 series is more than a loaded CXS lacrosse. Equip a 530i like the CXS and you are likely looking at over $50k easily. This car is designed to compete with the ES350, Genesis V6, Taurus Limited and Avalon.

idrin:

You can post 50 more times if you want but the car is still nice. The reviews have been very positive. Only Jalopnik didn’t like it and its hard to take them seriously. You already made it clear you hate GM and its management so you cant be objective. Give it a rest.

“My opinion is based on personal experience and objective data. You can blame me if that’s what floats your boat (GM blames it’s customers too), but a good product isn’t good enough. GM needs great products NOW, but they don’t have the leadership or culture to make class leading products.

I would love to be wrong, but the “Ch. 11 Bankruptcy” they went through should have been a house cleaning of all of the dead wood that got them in the mess they’re in. Instead, it was a reshuffling of bad managers at the top of the company. ”

What about Z06, ZR1, Enclave, Malibu, G8, Silverado, Escalade, CTS, Lacrosse, Equinox/Terrain and SRX? Those are vehicles from a company that cannot make class leading products? You sound like an idiot.

GM’s profitablity going forward is based on holding 18% share and sales being over 10M. Thats it. Its not rocket science. They dont need a change of management, they need the economy to pick up just like Toyota and everyone else. Pretty much everyone with any knowledge about their talent level disagrees with your assessment.

I’m surprised that the toyota not profitable in the US story didn’t make it to “TOP STORIES”…I think LLN is biased!!!

RPMFAN, learn to read or have someone do it for you. My posts clearly state that Cadillac has changed their product offering and are much more successful now. I said that Buick needs to do the same. Where did I say that the CTS and this car are in the same class? My blurbs are pointless about 2 of the Big 3 being in bankruptcy? What planet do you live on? Talk about someone who has pointless jibberjabber.

@Carstuff:

Thanks for the link to the JD POWER survey. I didn’t know Buick was tied with Jaguar for the top spot, beating Honda, Nissan and other makes much better known for long term reliability and quality. I stand corrected.

Be that as it may, GM will not be a profitable company with its current structure…ever. They don’t sell enough cars at a profit to be a profitable company. End of story.

@headofmyclass2010

A class leading car is one that exceeds the performance, driving experience, and interior quality of every other car in its segment. The Corvette and G8 come close to being class leaders, but due to GM being run by bean counters, they chose to go cheap on interiors instead of spending another $500 to make them the best.

Every person has pet peeves with every car. No car can be perfect for everyone. Quit arguing.

No Ax to grind here either. I am a Buick Boy for sure not gonna lie to ya. I think I’ll go buy a Ford Taurus instead its much classier, powerful, and dog gonnit its more technologically sophisticated.
Buick trying to Appeal to the Old Fogey’s as usual.

“The Corvette and G8 come close to being class leaders, but due to GM being run by bean counters, they chose to go cheap on interiors instead of spending another $500 to make them the best.”

the corvette is 4 years old. Its interior was OK when it was new.

I see you totally ignored the CTS, SRX, STS, Escalade, Enclave, Lacrosse, Malibu, Acadia, Equinox, etc. when talking about GM’s cheap interiors. How convenient.

Well, its nice, but the C pillar is straight off a Lexus GS and the hood/headlight line is srtaight off a 5 series. I like the “sweep spear” on the side.

madcapp:

Its price is straight off the Avalon. It may look somewhat like a GS but its sure as hell cheaper.

h82, I am glad we can disagree. IF US sales go to 12 million next year GM will be profitable. AND I am 90% sure that US sales will hit 12 million.

GM now has a lower cost of business than Ford. The bankruptcy did all kinds of stuff that Ford is now getting some relief but nowhere near as much.

Time will tell.

Madcap, the C pillar is also similar to the Lucernes, a Buick.

“Be that as it may, GM will not be a profitable company with its current structure…ever. They don’t sell enough cars at a profit to be a profitable company. End of story.”

No moron, they can be profitable with the CURRENT structure. the entire point of what the ATF wanted from GM was a business plan that would allow them to make money if sales only hit 10M units a year and they sell 18% of the vehicles in the country. Its that simple. In case you have been under a rock lately their cost structure is much lower now due to the debts they have shed. They have also bought out thousands of workers in the last few years. Back in 2007 they negotiated new labor rates for new hires in 2010 that are LOWER than what the transplants pay workers. Less debt, less workers, less plants adds up to a lower cost structure. Before GM probably needed 17M sales a year to have a chance of breaking even.

Not a bad car but there’s very little demand for a boring Buick these days and this car is probably too complex for seniors to want it. So this car will probably have weak sales. GM needs to get some common sense. They need to save Pontiac and faze out Buick. I don’t want to see Buick go but there’s no need for GM to have to luxury brands. They already have caddys. with Pontiac gone GM wont have an excitment division except for a few chevys and caddys. And if they want to save Buick they need to bring back the Grand National and make a retro early 70’s Riveria.

JakeASS stfu. did i mention an avalon? no

sj79: ” Lexus using chrome in the first place is a copy off American makes”.
Wow your idiocracy is boundless. I was talking about this car’s use of sideplates under the doors in almost the exact same form and fashion as some other cars, most notably on the Lexus GS and LS models. Why would I say this or any other car’s use of chrome is an imitation. The use of a notable design feature, such as BMW’s hofmeister kink, is a clear imitation tactic. Learn to comprehend before posting.

chevymanc6,
You seem to have forgotten that GM makes more money selling buick to the US and other places than it does with Caddy, it is not out of line to keep them at all! Keeping pontiac, which hurt them, would make no sense since the people who like them only like them in theory, but would never end up buying them!

itidrinorbarsaku,

I get what you are saying but Buick sales are very low (except for the Enclave) and no matter how you spin it, 2 luxury brands from the same company in his day and age is poor business practice. GM really did ruin Pontiac but it wouldn’t take much to save them. Buick is only popular in China. No offense but your thinking more in the short run and thinking like a bean counter. There always needs to be “halo cars” and cars that are not boring to be successful these days. Its not always about the money. Maybe your right, maybe Pontiac is not good to still have around, maybe buick is more viable, but if that’s the case, it should be sold and not killed.

By the way, thanks for being mature on here. There’s a lot of kids that like to say dumb stuff if they don’t agree with you.

How exactly am I thinking like of it only in the short run, and like a bean counter?? It’s plain and simple, buick sells really close to the numbers of cadillac on US shores, now combine that with global sales and Buick far exceeds the total amount of cadillacs sold. you can see here how much vehicles each company sold…http://www.autoblog.com/2009/02/03/by-the-numbers-january-2009-not-so-happy-new-year-edition/

Pontic is not killed, it’s more like a bear who goes to sleep for a very long time, in this case, until GM gets things in order. You can count of pontiac making a comeback in the future. If they wanted to sell pontiac, they could have easily done it with a european company, since they are fond of vauxhulls and holdens. Giving them pontiac would give them an easy tie to the company.
I just found an interesting website, take a look at those high mpg’s at that time. Seems kind of ironic how we can’t manage to make more cars get that much mpg’s!
http://www.vauxhall-holden.piczo.com/?cr=3

superman:

Malibu had the same feature in 2007. There are only so many places to stick chrome on a car. The GS has chrome trim in that same location but it hardly means the lacrosse is a clone of the GS. Lexus has been cloning European designs since 1989 so I find it ironic that you are so concerned about Buick copying any Lexus design cues.

I don’t mind who copied who’s chrome, as long as I like a certain part of a car that is taken from another good car, I’m happy. The copying war will never end! I guess we all copied the wheel off the caveman who first invented it!

sj79, what’s ironic is brand worshipers praising a car like its the best thing since sliced bread when its nothing but mediocre or less, or in this case a widespread and blatant component imitation of other luxury cars.

The son of JOR-EL! On this planet! Take my hand and swear eternal loyalty to GMasaurus.

The Lacrosse is NOT a widespread and blatant component imitation of other luxury cars. Every luxury car on the road shares similarities with…every luxury car on the road!

Comparing the design techniques of this new Lacrosse to those of Hyundai is a joke and completely wrong. Hyundai does not have a definitive design direction. Hyundais aren’t instantly recognizable as Hyundais until you go up and look at the badge.

Buick, on the other hand, has a design language. Mainly – the waterfall grille (it was Buick’s first, not Mercury’s), “sweep-spear”, and hood portholes (even though they don’t function). They’ve been present in one way or another on Buick’s modern concept cars such as the Riviera. Even the Business concept, an MPV (gasp) had those design elements.

Wow man, I don’t even know where to start with this comment! I just got back from the dealer unveiling of the Ford Taurus SHO…I CANNOT believe that it’s an american car! The buick can’t even compete…it doesnt even compete! The buick is what it’s meant to be…a BUICK!! I am still stunned by the SHO. We got to drive and be the passanger in the SHO, and also drive a regular Limited with AWD, It was PHENOMINAL! I’m trying not to brag about that, but it’s SO hard not to. I’m so happy that an american car company just hit the ball wayyyy out of the ballpark. The 3.5 Limited with awd was a really nice and smooth drive, but when you know how much power you can have with the SHO, everything else seems useless! This will be, without ANY doubt, the number one car I will look at after my lease is over. It’s actually a tie with the G37XS.

I was only at John Lance Ford, so I’m not sure if it was a nation wide, dealer unveiling, but I would try to get to a ford dealer….it’s well worth it…they also have free hotdogs, hamburgers, drinks, and popcorn!

idrinorbarsaku, I know you’re a convert to the Ford religion but you really need to focus your fan-boy energies into the right channels. Since when was the Lacrosse supposed to compete with the SHO? The Lacrosse never has been and most likely never will be a sports sedan. The G8 GXP is the natural competitor to the SHO, and what a competitor it is. It’s a shame that the G8 will be leaving us this year, I would take the GXP over the SHO any day.

whatever you say…I know the chances of you seeing both of these cars are slim to none! The gxp is NOT the natural competitor to the SHO!! the gxp is rwd, the sho is awd. Not to mention the gxp severely lacks in the tech and comfort department! There is no special engineering to the gxp…just a big ass engine on a normal sized car…like most gm cars! Don’t pick a side until you have seen and driven both. Compared to the SHO, the gxp is like a stoneage car….I’m not even joking. Just go to a Ford dealer if you don’t believe me!!

Wait a second – WHY did we switch from reviewing a Buick Lacrosse to a Ford Taurus SHO? That sort of discussion should be in the Caprice/G8 post. Why did you decide to post it HERE? Performance Fords and normal Buicks are two COMPLETELY different classes of cars. A person shopping for a comfortable, sensible Buick wouldn’t be cross-shopping a high-performance, over-the-top Ford.

Well that “low tech stoneage” car we call the GXP beats the SHO in nearly all performance categories and does it while sporting leaner and meaner looking sheet metal. Don’t get me wrong, I think the new SHO is a nice car, but it’s just too big and average looking to get my blood pumping. The bottom-line is you prefer the SHO and I prefer the GXP, both are nice cars so there is nothing wrong with that.

Yeah I know. I also like the gxp, and even the G8 GT, I’m just saying though, this taurus is the best thing to come out of american cars since….a long time ago! I would go drive it again today if they still had the event…and for some nice hotdogs! And for the record, the gt is a better comparison…

Everyone here is wrong and I am right. Doesn’t even matter what we are talking about. I have proof.

5551…1115…haha thats funny!

IDRINORBARSAKU, 1115 has fled. I am 5551. Think of him as the old T-100 model terminator and me as the T-1000. I am more advanced in every way, and can immitate any form I encounter, like the 1115 model. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to run the red and white colors up the flag pole outside and tell my TL that she is a nice TL and a pretty TL.

haaaaaaahhhaa

somebody clearly hates buick here where I live! Yesterday, my dad was telling me that someone had destroyed a new lacrosse show model, that was on top of one of those spinning circle showcase things. It apparently looks, try to imagine this, like a bunch of low lifes with bats, beat every part of the car! Luckily, they have cameras.

I saw one of these on the road today… and it just didn’t really stick out.

nice

Bahhaaaa, piece of crap white trash car that will fall apart. I’m sure this tin can car will make Need more oil for GM happy. Ugly, unreliable, will rust in a year pos. GM should have gone bankrupt and not have to deal with that garbage it puts out.