Buick isn’t talked about a lot here in The Garage, but as they are one of GM’s remaining four core brands, the all-new LaCrosse points to where Buick is headed. With Cadillac firmly entrenched against BMW and Mercedes-Benz sport sedans, Buick is aiming for the luxury market, and in the case of the LaCrosse, think Lexus ES350 and Lincoln MKZ.
Over the past three decades, Buick styling has varied from wallflower (Century, LeSabre) to weird (the 90’s fish faced Riviera) but with the new LaCrosse, this is the most handsome Buick built in my lifetime. The shape is well-proportioned and modern, but there are nods to the glory days of 1940’s and 1950’s Buicks, such as the prominent waterfall grill, and the elegant ‘spear’ that begins at the headlights, swoops over the fender, crests under the outside mirror, falls across the doors and kinks up just shy of the rear door handle. Simple, but so elegant. The ventiports on the hood are for decoration only, but I doubt any buyers will really care. It’s great to see Buick recapture some of the swagger that once defined the brand.
Inside the LaCrosse, the emphasis on style continues, but presents itself as a little more subdued compared to the exterior. The gauges feature an art deco font, with cool blue lighting. It is elegant and chic, and I applaud the original thinking by Buick. The center console, housing buttons for audio and climate control  and other functions required some time to study before I knew what the button did, to understand the pictogram, or when all else failed, just push the button to see what happens. The screen for the audio and climate controls did not appear to be any different from the Chevy Equinox we recently tested. It’s perfectly usable, but in a luxury car, you expect better.
Our tester was the top of the line CXS, which came with a boatload of luxury features like passive entry, Harmon Kardon audio, heated/vented leather seats, dual zone climate control, power rear sunshade and heated leather steering wheel. Surrounded by all this luxury, I was a little disappointed that I had to manually adjust the tilt and telescoping steering wheel. These are minor complaints-overall, the LaCrosse interior is a comfortable place to eat up mile after mile on the interstate. And with an as-tested price of $33,960USD, the LaCrosse CXS is quite a value too.
The LaCrosse CSX offers the most potent engine of all three models (CX, CXL, and CXS) with a 3.6L V-6 rated at 280hp, coupled to a six-speed automatic. The LaCrosse accelerated with authority, and passing situations on the highway were never an issue. But the theme here is quiet. Only under full throttle one could hear a soft, pleasant sound from under the hood. The steering was responsive, but had no road feel, and was a bit too over-boosted, as I could steer the LaCrosse through corners with my index finger.
With the steering so isolated, you would be safe to assume a suspension that rolled over and played dead once the road gets twisty. You would be wrong. This is no sports sedan, but on twisty roads, when I first thought I’d better slow down, I let the Buick press on at speed, and the car managed to keep its composure. Buick does offer a touring package for the LaCrosse, which will get you a sport suspension mode as well as continuously variable real-time damping. Also included are 19″ painted alloys. The CXS comes standard with 18″ chrome-plated wheels-not a look everyone loves. If the bling of chrome rims turns you off, you have to buy the touring package. Buick, if you are listening, give your buyer a choice of painted or chromed rims at no cost.
When I watched the LaCrosse pull out of my driveway today, I felt positive about Buick. I’ll call the LaCrosse a modern interpretation of American Luxury. In the recent past, with so many brands and models within GM, it was hard to define Buick’s role. Now that the ugly work of shedding brands is nearly done, Buick has finally been given the breathing room it needs to re-establish itself and create a brand identity that will keep Buick loyalist’s coming back, and more importantly, encourage new buyers to give Buick a chance. The LaCrosse is up for the challenge.
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Great car… I am getting mine very soon. AND I do like chrome wheels, even of they are hard to take care of.
You don’t get chrome wheels on the CXS if you upgrade to the 19s.
ITS A CXS not CSX!!!
Calm down carstuff, I’ve corrected the review. Sheth, I do point out you can opt out of the chrome wheels, but only by opting for the $800 Touring Package with the 19s. My thought was Buick should offer the 18’s in painted or chrome as a no cost option.
They should bring the lacrosse in Europe.. Lokks better than the insignia.
I have a 2010 Buick Lacrosse and I have been having a problem with a whinning sound and the dealer have no clue. They had my car for 8 days. It is a CXS by the way.I am still having the problem. They don’t know if it is the powertrain or what. If anyone are having the same problem please e-mail me back. Thanks
I haven’t heard about this concern so far. Have you driven with someone from the dealership? Have they heard the noise?
If they are keeping the vehicle, then they must have some idea. Perhaps speak with the service manager rather than the advisor to see if you can get a clearer answer.
Where are the pics of the trunk when open? Got grandma in there or is there just no room for golf clubs?
I been to 4 different review sites and no open trunk. The pic takers aren’t car people, they’re paparazzi, admen, show us what it’s got, everywhere.
Nice Buick, finally, to bad it’s GM, bailout money you know. The whole mess may go the way of Saturn and Pontiac. Or Oldsmobile.
Have any of you Lacrosse owners had a problem with the headlights, when on dim? Mine seems to look like the running lights are on. The bright lights are ok. The dealer saysthat they test out fine, but I have trouble seeing at night.
I bought a Buick Lacrosse2010. The steering has a lot of knocking. The dealer tried to fix the problem 4 times. I Went through the Better Business bureau. GM clams it is within specification. Car drives like it would have 400.000 miles (Junk)
I got to drive one of these cars and was also very pleasantly surprised. I liked it, a lot!
BUT, I have one (very small but annoying) pet peeve… I hate trunk hinges that intrude into the trunk space. At least here the hinges are hidden so they can't crush anything while the lid closes, but there are other designs that stay outside of the trunk area all together.