We can’t count the number of times we’ve applied the phrase “crucial to the automaker’s success” to a recent General Motors product, but here we go again: The 2010 Buick LaCrosse is absolutely “crucial to GM’s success.” It is. Really. Just like the Malibu before it. And the Equinox. And the Traverse. Oh, the list goes on.
Truth be told, the LaCrosse probably isn’t the most important new car introduction, simply because it is not designed to achieve the volume of those three Chevy models. What the LaCrosse must do, however, is convince the scrutinizing buyers of luxury cars – those with hefty wallets who pull quite a bit of weight – that Buick , and GM, is a world class automaker worthy of attention.
What is it?
Replacing the archaic, boggle-eyed outgoing model, the 2010 LaCrosse draws heavily from China, the place where Buick s have learned to succeed. It’s based on GM’s latest Epsilon II architecture, a thoroughly revised version of the platform that underpins the pretty darn decent Chevrolet Malibu .
The LaCrosse went to finishing school under the guidance of Opel in Germany, but it doesn’t take long to see that its inspiration was Asian.
What’s it up against?
The LaCrosse sets its sights on the Lexus ES 350. Though hardly a car that instills passion in enthusiasts, the ES 350 is considered the class leader for those seeking a roomy, reasonably-priced luxury car.
Buick would also like to see some cross-shopping of the LaCrosse against the Toyota Avalon, Acura TL , Ford Taurus, Lincoln MKZ and Chrysler 300.
Any breakthroughs?
The LaCrosse breaks no barriers, but it does move the bar a little higher for those seeking value in addition to luxury and refinement. At just under $34,000 as tested, our top-of-the-line LaCrosse CXS undercuts an equivalent Lexus ES 350 by around $5,000.
It will also undercut all of its rivals by offering a four-cylinder version later in the model year. Though the price point might help some buyers get into the model, we worry that it could water down the higher-end image Buick is trying to achieve.
How does it look?
The LaCrosse takes a handful of vintage Buick styling cues and subtly uses them to create what we found to be an attractive, cohesive design that stands out in an otherwise fairly plebeian class of vehicles.
Starting with the fascia, the LaCrosse’s face is both immediately recognizable yet refreshingly modern. Unlike its LaCrosse predecessor, the look brims with upscale touches, although the detailing is hardly original. We recognize some German influence to the headlamp design and the fog lamp surrounds, but at least Buick’s trademark portholes make a quiet display of themselves on the hood. We’re still reeling over the sight of our last Park Avenue with the hideous faux portholes emblazoned on its fenders, so we’re glad to see that Buick has found a less-obtrusive way to make the design element work.
There’s an interesting belt line that humps just before the rear door handle as it runs the length of the car. Designed the recall Buicks of yore, the wavy line adds zeal to what has traditionally been a GM sore spot: The side profile. On our test car, which was equipped with $195 worth of Carbon Metallic black paint, the crease forced light to reflect differently off of each angle. The simple design stroke works well and we hope we’ll see it on future Buick designs.
Out back, the look is attractive if a bit more Japanese in its influences. The square tailpipe exit surrounds built into the rear bumper are a nice touch, even if the small round pipes are perhaps a bit too visible inside of their finishers.
What the LaCrosse does especially well is hide its girth. It’s a large sedan, measuring 197 inches from nose to tail and standing 59.2 inches at its highest. Those numbers don’t express how high the beltline, hood and trunk lids are, and, since the designers hid this size so well, we didn’t realize it ourselves until we parked next to one of the ubiquitous Lexus ES 350s we encountered in a shopping mall parking lot. The ES 350 has a similar footprint, but its body proportions are positively econo-car compared to the big LaCrosse.
And on the inside?
Registering around 600 miles on its high-resolution digital odometer display when we received it for the beginning of our test period, our LaCrosse tester had just entered GM’s media fleet. We’re not sure how long the luxurious leather scent will last, but we are confident that it alone could sell thousands of LaCrosses. Buick’s nose people know the importance of tickling the senses.
The design departs dramatically from any Buick we’ve seen before. A thin line of reasonably convincing faux wood trim wraps the top of the dash before giving way, in the center, to a button-heavy control cluster, which cascades into the center console. After a brief acclimation to the large array of buttons, we found ourselves immediately at home; no switch required a second thought or long reach.
At first, we thought the top of our LaCrosse tester’s dashboard was wrapped in leather, but that wasn’t the case. Instead, a soft-touch urethane was given a leather-like grain and a highly-convincing French-stitched border. The theme was repeated to good effect lower on the dashboard near the knee bolsters and on the door panels. The detailing is nice touch and immediately gives the interior a more hand-tailored appearance than we’d expect from a moderately-priced sedan.
Our tester wasn’t equipped with the optional navigation system, so it received a monochrome LCD screen for radio and climate control adjustments. Standard features on the CXS model include a crystal-clear harman/kardon audio system – one of the best we’ve recently encountered – Bluetooth, a 110V outlet and a heated steering wheel. We were also surprised to see heated and cooled power front seats (with memory for the driver) as standard equipment.
Those firm leather seats were generally comfortable, although we thought the headrests pushed too far forward and we noticed that the adjustable driver’s seat lumber could never be dialed back as far as the non-adjustable lumbar support in the passenger’s seat.
The rear seat area is as roomy as you’d expect in a sedan of this size, and it’s where the 110V outlet hid. And we mean hid, since we found the only way to access it was to climb into the back seat and fumble around with our digital camera battery charger to try to get it in the downward-facing outlet.
Our only interior complaint of note centers around the weak small item storage. The center console lid opens to reveal enough room for some goodies, and the non-locking glovebox was a good size, but the small flop-down door pockets won’t hold much and there were no ashtray-size storage cubbies.
But does it go?
Buick stresses its so-called Quiet Tuning technologies, which range from enhanced sound deadening to laminated glass to keep the outside world, well, outside. For the most part, they’ve succeeded. In normal operating speeds – think below 3,500 rpm – the LaCrosse CXS’ 3.6-liter V6 was utterly silent. No longer should we use the term “Lexus quiet” to describe an absence of drivetrain rumble. Now we should say “Buick quiet.” We did notice a bit of tire slap and some very light wind noise at highway speeds, although some of that can be chalked up to our tester’s 18-inch wheels and a particularly windy week during our evaluation.
That V6 we couldn’t hear is GM’s latest direct-injected unit that sees duty in a number of the automaker’s products. Rated at 280 horsepower and 259 lb-ft. of torque in this application, it felt well matched to the six-speed 6T40 automatic transmission. The slushbox provided quick but almost imperceptible downshifts on its own, although there’s a separate gate for those who want to simulate rowing it themselves.
Although all-wheel-drive is optional on the lower-trim CXL, which comes only with a 255-pony 3.0-liter direct-injected V6, the CXS we tested is offered only in front-wheel-drive specification. We saw no evidence of torque steer, but hard cornering brought out some easily controlled understeer. The hydraulic power steering – no loosey-goosey electric stuff here – was sufficiently communicative – more so than the ES 350 we recently tested.
Where Buick’s engineers are truly to be commended is in the suspension department. A supple but not sloppy ride is exactly what we’d expect in this class – yet it’s one we rarely find. The floppy ES 350 doesn’t have it. The LaCrosse does. It won’t be firm enough to delight an enthusiast, but for a daily driver luxury sedan, the LaCrosse’s suspension fits the bill perfectly. It helps the LaCrosse excel as a highway cruiser, but it doesn’t fall apart over rough terrain or on twisty roads. That’s all we ask for in a luxury-oriented sedan, yet it seems so difficult for automakers to deliver.
Fuel economy ratings of 17 mpg city and 27 mpg highway seemed about on par for our mixed driving; no LaCrosse engine requires premium fuel.
Why you would buy it:
You currently own a Lexus ES 350 and you’re looking for something better.
Why you wouldn’t:
The Buick name scares you off.
Leftlane’s bottom line
Congratulations to General Motors and Buick on building one of the best-engineered entry-level luxury sedans on the market today. The LaCrosse is all GM needed to convince naysayers of its ability to design and manufacture a large luxury sedan that can compete with Japan’s best.
But don’t celebrate too long. We’ve visited Buick dealerships and, for the most part, they’re not going to woo any Lexus buyers away from the coddling and pampering they’re used to receiving. Without improving the dealership network, we fear this impressive sedan could be lost on the automaker’s target demographic.
2010 Buick LaCrosse CXS base price, $33,015. As tested, $33,960.
Carbon Black metallic paint, $195; Destination, $750.
Words and photos by Andrew Ganz.
