The LaCrosse also sports a striking body that, oddly, looks different from an angle to another. The hood looks stubby on a front-side view, but it’s relatively long from its profile. A soft crease that runs from the headlights, kinks above the rear door handles and tapers off on the taillights gives the car broad shoulders.
Small side windows and a sloping rear window reduce visibility quite a bit, which is a shame; the Ford Taurus is no better, however. One thing’s for sure: the LaCrosse’s lines betray its sheer size. It’s not as long as a Lucerne but looks fatter. In fact, at over 4,000 pounds, the LaCrosse CXS weighs more than a V8-powered Lucerne Super.
Three engines are now offered, as a 182-horsepower, 2.4-litre four has been added in the base CX. The mid-level CXL, offered with available all-wheel drive, gets a 24-valve, 3.0-litre V6, but the top-shelf CXS benefits from a 280-horsepower, 3.6-litre V6. Zero to 100 km/h takes 7.6 seconds, which isn’t that bad.
Coupled with a 6-speed automatic, the bigger V6 feels gutsy and reacts quickly to spontaneous requests for extra speed. Our fuel economy average is 12.8 L/100 km, which isn’t really exciting, but we’re not surprised either.
On the road, the LaCrosse is as quiet as a library inside. Ride quality is good, and the optional active damper system, which comes to life when the shift lever is nudged in the Sport mode, makes the car’s dynamics act more like a Cadillac CTS than your typical Buick. This trick suspension is only available on the CXS, but in all honestly, you won’t be unhappy without it.
The Buick LaCrosse starts out at $31,645 for a base CX with the 2.4-litre engine, while the CXS has an MSRP of $40,795. There is about ten grand in options on our test car, however, including navigation, rear-seat DVD, the Touring package with the active suspension and 19-inch wheels, xenon headlights, head-up display, power sunroof and rear side airbags. Total is a breathtaking $50,780.
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| Small side windows and a sloping rear window reduce visibility quite a bit. (Photo: Luc Gagné/Auto123.com) |
Small side windows and a sloping rear window reduce visibility quite a bit, which is a shame; the Ford Taurus is no better, however. One thing’s for sure: the LaCrosse’s lines betray its sheer size. It’s not as long as a Lucerne but looks fatter. In fact, at over 4,000 pounds, the LaCrosse CXS weighs more than a V8-powered Lucerne Super.
Three engines are now offered, as a 182-horsepower, 2.4-litre four has been added in the base CX. The mid-level CXL, offered with available all-wheel drive, gets a 24-valve, 3.0-litre V6, but the top-shelf CXS benefits from a 280-horsepower, 3.6-litre V6. Zero to 100 km/h takes 7.6 seconds, which isn’t that bad.
Coupled with a 6-speed automatic, the bigger V6 feels gutsy and reacts quickly to spontaneous requests for extra speed. Our fuel economy average is 12.8 L/100 km, which isn’t really exciting, but we’re not surprised either.
On the road, the LaCrosse is as quiet as a library inside. Ride quality is good, and the optional active damper system, which comes to life when the shift lever is nudged in the Sport mode, makes the car’s dynamics act more like a Cadillac CTS than your typical Buick. This trick suspension is only available on the CXS, but in all honestly, you won’t be unhappy without it.
The Buick LaCrosse starts out at $31,645 for a base CX with the 2.4-litre engine, while the CXS has an MSRP of $40,795. There is about ten grand in options on our test car, however, including navigation, rear-seat DVD, the Touring package with the active suspension and 19-inch wheels, xenon headlights, head-up display, power sunroof and rear side airbags. Total is a breathtaking $50,780.
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| Zero to 100 km/h with the 280-horsepower, 3.6-litre V6 takes 7.6 seconds. (Photo: Luc Gagné/Auto123.com) |