By Frank S. Washington
DETROIT – Buick just might pull it off. That is reclaim its place as a premium brand that American car buyers aspire to own. The 2010 Buick LaCrosse is why I make that statement.
The car looks good. One of its exterior styling cues was a very subtle swept line that extends from the corner of the headlights to the corner of the tail lamps and reminded me of Buick’s past.
Its waterfall grille that was resurrected for the Buick Enclave provides the face of the LaCrosse and it works well. I could do without the portals which adorn the hood but they are at least unobtrusive.
But what really struck me about my Buick LaCrosse test car was that the sedan was really quiet. That used to be a hallmark of Buicks and obviously they want it back, Buick engineers and designers have said as much.
They also want the Buick LaCrosse to be more than its good looks. Although the sedan’s roof sported the curve of a coupe, there was plenty of headroom in the back seat. What’s more, there was legroom galore.
The sweeping dash made the interior seem expansive. The center stack was compact, easy to reach and pretty functional. Most of the controls were intuitive. My only quibble was that the center console armrest slid forward too easily.
The LaCrosse rode smooth and it handled really well. The suspension was very soft without being bouncy. Cornering was tight, braking was prompt and the drivetrain seemed flawless. In other words, I never felt a gear shift.
And again, I was really impressed with the car’s suspension. GM engineers have learned how to tune springs and shocks so that they’re complaint without being soft and firm without being harsh. The 2010 Buick LaCrosse had the ride quality of a premium sedan.
I had the CXS model LaCrosse. Its 3.6-liter V6 made 280 horsepower and 259 pound-feet of torque. The CX has a 2.4-liter four cylinder that makes 182 horsepower and the CXL has a 3.0-liter V6 that makes 255 horsepower. Every LaCrosse engine option is direct fuel injection and they all are mated to six-speed transmissions.
The LaCrosse is available with front-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive. I had a front-wheel-drive model which accounted itself pretty well. It had a fuel economy rating of 17 mpg/city and 27 mpg/HWY.
My test vehicle had a sticker of $37,080. I thought in terms of equipment it was a good value for the money. My Buick LaCrosse had an oversized sunroof, backup camera, a navigation system with voice commands, Bluetooth, leather and heated and cooled front seats as well as a heated steering wheel which I used all week.
There was push button start and keyless entry, a premium audio system that included satellite radio, a USB port and an 11-speaker sound system.
The second quibble I had was that my test vehicle had a manual tilt telescoping steering wheel. I think when automakers bill their products as premium or luxury everything available should be power activated except for the hood and the trunk lid — maybe.
Anyway, the Buick LaCrosse had a sophisticated feel that comes from quality materials placed in a well executed layout. Indeed, the 2010 Buick LaCrosse recently received a coveted “Best Buy” rating from Consumer Reports magazine.
The Buick LaCrosse is a world class sedan. And the new version now looks the part.
This was originally printed in the April 11, 2010 – April 24, 2010 edition.
