Upholding a tradition
But the automaker didn’t throw the baby out with the bath water. Some of the brand’s traditional styling cues are still apparent, such as the pronounced hips inspired by the 1953 Skylark convertible, the waterfall grille and the decorative triple portholes, which have now migrated to the hood.
But that’s about it in terms of upholding tradition. The LaCrosse buyer will benefit from enhancements like powerful, high-intensity discharge xenon lighting as well as the most rigid platform of all GM’s mid-size rigs. And what can I say about cabin noise? I could swear I was sitting in a library! Buick has caught up to Lexus in this regard.
In addition, the equipment catalogue (standard and optional) is enough to make Allure and even Camry owners green with envy. Neither one nor the other can be equipped with a heads-up display, heated steering wheel, panoramic sunroof, power rear sunshade, heated and ventilated front seats or even video screens, superbly set into the back of the bucket seats.
About those bucket seats. They’re obviously soft, but just enough. They also boast side pads that offer much-appreciated lateral support when cruising down winding roads. A far cry from the slippery buckets of the Buicks of yore.
Something new under the hood
As for drive trains, the eternal 3.8-litre V6 has stepped aside in favour of two multi-valve, direct injection, 3.0- and 3,6-litre V6 mills. The former kicks out 255 ponies (252 for the AWD) and the latter, 280. This is a significant increase compared to the old engine, which only managed to generate 200 hp. What’s more, the more powerful of the two newcomers boasts the same fuel consumption ratings!
Both engines are coupled with a six-speed automatic transmission of the utmost smoothness, a quality commonly attributed to Buick cars.
The automatic transmission features, among other things, a sequential mode, much prized by the targeted consumers. It’s a shame, though, that the layout of the centre console doesn’t help when using the semi-manual mode.
But the automaker didn’t throw the baby out with the bath water. Some of the brand’s traditional styling cues are still apparent, such as the pronounced hips inspired by the 1953 Skylark convertible, the waterfall grille and the decorative triple portholes, which have now migrated to the hood.
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| The Buick LaCrosse can be equipped with a heads-up display that indicates your speed on the inside of the windshield. |
But that’s about it in terms of upholding tradition. The LaCrosse buyer will benefit from enhancements like powerful, high-intensity discharge xenon lighting as well as the most rigid platform of all GM’s mid-size rigs. And what can I say about cabin noise? I could swear I was sitting in a library! Buick has caught up to Lexus in this regard.
In addition, the equipment catalogue (standard and optional) is enough to make Allure and even Camry owners green with envy. Neither one nor the other can be equipped with a heads-up display, heated steering wheel, panoramic sunroof, power rear sunshade, heated and ventilated front seats or even video screens, superbly set into the back of the bucket seats.
About those bucket seats. They’re obviously soft, but just enough. They also boast side pads that offer much-appreciated lateral support when cruising down winding roads. A far cry from the slippery buckets of the Buicks of yore.
Something new under the hood
As for drive trains, the eternal 3.8-litre V6 has stepped aside in favour of two multi-valve, direct injection, 3.0- and 3,6-litre V6 mills. The former kicks out 255 ponies (252 for the AWD) and the latter, 280. This is a significant increase compared to the old engine, which only managed to generate 200 hp. What’s more, the more powerful of the two newcomers boasts the same fuel consumption ratings!
Both engines are coupled with a six-speed automatic transmission of the utmost smoothness, a quality commonly attributed to Buick cars.
The automatic transmission features, among other things, a sequential mode, much prized by the targeted consumers. It’s a shame, though, that the layout of the centre console doesn’t help when using the semi-manual mode.
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| Two potent V6 engines power this car aiming to seduce fans of the Lexus ES 350. |