2010 Buick LaCrosse

Buick is the first to acknowledge it lost touch with the pulse of its audience in the 1980s and 1990s, and over the last decade it has seen its average buyer age rise to somewhere in the mid-70s. But that's all set to change with the new Enclave already out and the brand-new 2010 LaCrosse coming this summer.

We got the chance to take the new LaCrosse for a spin at a GM press event in Detroit this week, and we can tell you in all seriousness: this is a really, really good car. It's not a hot-dog performer or an all-out technological luxury onslaught, but it does combine mid-size powertrains and pricing with large-sedan size and comfort, all with a healthy dose of style and luxury.

The exterior of the new LaCrosse has been plastered across the web since its debut at the Detroit Auto Show, and it's a fine new face to help Buick target a younger, more vibrant audience, but the interior is the real story.

Fans of Lexus, Acura and Infiniti often point to the shoddy interiors of American mid-luxury sedans as a major turnoff, but those fans won't have a word to say about the LaCrosse. In fact, most will find themselves envious of the solid construction, (mostly) whisper-quiet ride and superior switchgear found in the LaCrosse.

Unlike Lexus, which shows strong Camry roots in much of its center-stack material and layout, the LaCrosse presents a coherent image without letting the design down with flimsy buttons or cheap material. Aside from the Acura TL's oddball exterior, its interior is generally well-regarded, if a bit busy, and the LaCrosse is at least on par, while it outpaces the Infiniti G and M just as it does the Lexus ES and GS.

The comparison to the larger Lexus and Infiniti cars is apt - the LaCrosse provides ample room for long-legged six-foot-plus adults to sit in all four positions at once, with no skimping on headroom even with the sloping roofline and a panoramic sunroof. Shoulder, hip and bolster room in the front bucket seats is equally well-suited to larger adults.


The center stack layout and switchgear is solid, easy-to-use and attractive
That's not to say it's all peachy behind the wheel of the LaCrosse. Though you're being shuttled along in comfort with a pleasant view throughout the cabin, there's not a lot of motive force shoving you along even with the top-of-the-line 3.6L direct-injection V6 - the same basic unit found in the Cadillac CTS, though detuned a bit to 280hp and 261lb-ft of torque. There's also a good deal of tire noise, especially on the 19in-equipped CXS. It'll get to freeway speed just fine, and the jaunt from 50-80mph when passing is smooth and quick enough, but it lacks the urgency found in the V8-powered Infiniti M45 or the Lexus GS.

That may be a good thing, however, as the LaCrosse returns 17mpg city and 26mpg highway with the most powerful unit. The 3.0L V6 was also on hand to test, and we drove it paired with the optional AWD drivetrain. Rated at just 18mpg city/27mpg highway, it's not a huge step up in economy, but it's also not a huge step down in power or performance, taking 7.8 seconds to get to 60mph compared to the 3.6L's 6.8 second time. Observed fuel economy over a mixed set of fairly flat two-lane and highway driving was within the claimed range, with the 3.6L and 3.0L presenting very similar - almost indistinguishable - numbers.

In practice, the 3.0L unit feels more willing, presents a sweeter - if somewhat quieter - exhaust note and exhibits less vibration than the 3.6L unit, all adding up to an experience that many buyers are likely to choose.

Not yet available - it will enter production sometime in the fourth quarter - is a 2.4L four-cylinder engine rated at 180hp and expected to manage 20mpg city and 30mpg highway, though final numbers haven't yet been announced.

Getting back to the driving impression, steering feel is excessively light in normal models, but with the CXS package, the 3.6L engine is paired with a 'sport mode' setting that tightens damper settings and firms up steering to a level that feels just right - and makes us wish it was that way in every trim. Even in sport mode, however, the dampers don't provide a harsh or jarring ride, so buyers with the scratch for the CXS model would do well to give it a go before writing it off as too 'hardcore'.

Handling is as you'd expect from a slightly front-biased 4,000lb front-driver, with the inside rear wheel unweighting and the front diving into what would likely be terminal push past 0.7-0.8g. The AWD car helps to ameliorate this by sending up to 85% of the drive to the rear wheels and skewing the weight distribution rearward by another percentage point, but it's still not enough to make this car into a real performer.