Buick LaCrosse reviews

Buick LaCrosse Driving Impressions

We drove a LaCrosse CXS with the touring package, plus the head-up display, navigation system, and heated and cooled leather seats.

The 3.6-liter V6 allows for easy loafing about, even under 2000 rpm, and quickly revs to 7000 rpm when the throttle is pinned to the floor. When passing, we saw the automatic transmission shift directly from 2000 rpm to 5000 rpm, on the way to 7000 rpm, accelerating smoothly. That meant we were exposed to oncoming traffic for a minimum amount of time. The engine does need to rev to make peak power, seeming to catch fire at 4500 rpm. It makes a pleasantly balanced, muted mechanical whir when revved, but otherwise runs very quietly. The 3.6-liter V6 is rated at 280 hp and 259 lb-ft torque, and gets an EPA-estimated 17/27 mpg.

The 2.4-liter Ecotec boasts variable valve timing and direct fuel injection, just like the big V6, and is rated 182 hp at 6700 rpm, and 172 lb-ft of torque at 4900 rpm. Fuel economy is an EPA-estimated 19/30 mpg City/Highway. All LaCrosse models come with a 6-speed automatic transmission, although gear ratios differ slightly. The 6-speed is a key component to the responsiveness of the LaCrosse. It's intelligent, smooth shifting, and it makes the engines more responsive. Driven as an automatic, the transmission is a gem. If you prefer to select a gear on your own, it will allow manual shifts. We were impressed with the transmission. We found using the Sport mode and shifting manually is hampered by the location of the shifter, which is relatively far back in the center console. It was hard on our wrist to maintain grip on the shifter, which tells us the LaCrosse wasn't really designed for people who have to shift and downshift every gear on their own. Our preference was to put it in Drive and let the automatic take its cues from our throttle input.

The hydraulically assisted, variable-ratio steering that comes with V6 models is surprisingly neutral, especially considering the front-wheel-drive layout, and pleasingly quick and precise. There are only 2.75 turns, lock-to-lock, and yet the car never feels twitchy on the road. The system has variable assist programming, so it gave us a firm, controlled feeling at speed and very light effort when parking. Four-cylinder models come with an electric steering system with the same fast variable ratios.

We saw no apparent torque steer in normal driving, just a strong return-to-center tendency. In hard cornering at full throttle we saw the steering pull slightly to the left. In short, the Buick LaCrosse handles very well.

We found that when driven hard, the LaCrosse CXS with the touring package gripped the road well and felt solid and controlled. The touring package includes the best handling components, such as H-arm rear suspension, 19-inch wheels, and continuously variable real-time damping. With this equipment, a very favorable ride/handling tradeoff has been achieved. Relaxed driving on choppy roads reveals a high degree of cabin isolation from the pavement. It's the kind of ride quality intended to provide superior comfort on long, straight roads that run between endless cornfields, or at higher speeds on the interstate. We could hear tire deflection as we passed over cracked tarmac, but we did not feel anything annoying. The driving was quiet, smooth and relaxed, and yet, the car does not float or wander. The chassis is still connected with the road, conveying a definite sense of control and agility.

The brakes are impressive both in terms of pedal effort and overall feel. The system uses 12.6 inch front discs and 12.4 inch read discs, with aluminum calipers on all four corners. They offer gentle stopping at the very top of the pedal, making it possible to bleed in braking gently, for smooth, progressive stops. As we look back on GM braking systems of the past, which had good stopping power but poor pedal feel, we are all the more satisfied with this improvement. Every car should have brakes this good.

There has been a focused effort at noise control in the LaCrosse, with mostly excellent results. Buick engineers have clearly studied sources of noise, then systematically damped, cancelled, or isolated those sources using materials like acoustic glass, liquid and fabric sound deadeners, engineered seals and tuned mounting systems. The car runs quietly to begin with, given the gentle nature of the V6 engine and tall overall gearing that permits low-rpm operation. But these sound control efforts have definitely bourn fruit, as the LaCrosse has a sound level measured at a quiet 35.5 decibels at 70 mph. We're not sure how that compares with the competition, which is also achieving remarkable noise suppression, but we can tell you that during our drive time, the loudest noise in the cabin came from the air conditioning fan.