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Review: 2010 Buick LaCrosse CXL -- a modern luxury sedan with a few modern flaws
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The redesigned 2010 Buick LaCrosse now tries to be a luxury car instead of just another big sedan, and despite some flaws manages to pull off that overall impression. See more photos of the new LaCrosse in today's slideshow. (Photos by Brady Holt)
It hasn’t been easy to follow Buick’s passenger-car lineup in recent years. In 2005 and then again in 2006 new, unfamiliar names together replaced four long-running models.
The entry-level LaCrosse, a mainstream midsize/large sedan, took over from the Century and Regal, but tried (ultimately without much success) to move upscale of those cars, and the unapologetically full-size Lucerne replaced the LeSabre and Park Avenue at a higher price bracket.
Now, for the 2010 model year, Buick has thrown another curve: the newly redesigned LaCrosse is now billed as a large luxury sedan that is expected to effectively replace the Lucerne, and the Regal name will return next year as the brand’s new entry-level model.
This transition leaves the new LaCrosse in an odd spot at the present – it tries to simultaneously be a Lexus-challenging entry-luxury sedan and a mainstream car to satisfy loyalists who traditionally bought inexpensive Buicks.
But customers who do manage to pin down what this car is will find that it mostly stacks up quite well against similarly priced large mainstream sedans and Lexus’s midsize ES350, offering luxury-level features along with a comfort-focused driving experience that’s absent from most premium sedans priced in the $30,000s.
Like the smaller but mechanically-related Chevrolet Malibu (read review), the LaCrosse drives very well and has expressive interior and exterior styling, but suffers from mediocre visibility and interior packaging, and a few interior quality lapses. But this Buick manages nonetheless to convey an overall ambiance of luxury, backed up by acceptable if unexceptional interior space and newly impressive safety ratings. It’s not for you if you’re looking at large sedans because you like vast interiors, but it offers impressive refinement for the money.
To be clear, describing the LaCrosse as comfort-focused is meant to distinguish it from like-priced entry-level sports sedans like the Acura TL or Infiniti G37, not to compare it to the stereotypical Buick of decades past. This Buick is no throwback car; its suspension is tuned for a very smooth ride, but it in no way wallows its way down the road. Rather, it handles well for its size and weight – not sporty, but not sloppy, with well-weighted and acceptably responsive steering.
The car is very quiet, too. The outgoing 2005-2009 LaCrosse also muffled sound well, but the 3.8-liter V6 used most of its versions was never praised for a smooth sound. The new base V6, a 255-horsepower 3.0-liter mated to a 6-speed automatic, sounds pleasant when it is heard and remains appropriately hushed most of the time.
However, that 255-horsepower figure implies the LaCrosse has much more performance than it does. Tall gearing designed to maximize gas mileage over performance and a weight of over 4,000 pounds – 500 pounds more than last year’s model and also significantly heftier than the competition – leave the car wanting in pep. Even drivers who drive gently will likely find themselves jabbing at the throttle to get moving, a driving habit that is not conducive to great gas mileage. Mileage is already mediocre, with EPA ratings of 17 miles per gallon in the city and 26 on the highway.
Top-of-the-line LaCrosse CXS models have a punchier 3.6-liter V6 and even see slightly better gas mileage, but only the 3.0-liter is offered with an all-wheel-drive system – a strong selling point on this car. Expect the AWD’s extra weight to take a further toll on both acceleration and gas mileage, too, and avoid an upcoming 4-cylinder model.
But even the 3.0-liter LaCrosse stays tranquil under acceleration, so it doesn’t feel like it’s struggling. A strained-feeling or strained-sounding engine hurts a luxury ambiance; while an underpowered one isn’t desirable either, the situation with this heavy LaCrosse could have been worse. And that mass gives the car an overall sense of solidity, though the best competitors are able to provide an impression of the same while coming in several hundred pounds less.
Inside, the LaCrosse is stylish and mostly well-finished, but passengers do not get the benefit of its full-size dimensions. There’s no abundance of head room for front-seat passengers, and those sitting on the low-mounted rear seat may still need to duck. There’s stretch-out rear seat leg space, but a car this size should be able to provide a higher level of overall comfort; most others do. The LaCrosse is also less habitable to a center-rear passenger than other large sedans and even some midsize ones, even though the car is quite wide.
The car’s exterior styling gets the blame for this. Buick put a great deal of effort into making the LaCrosse look distinctive and luxury-level, but the shape it ultimately came up with was not one that corresponds to maximum passenger comfort. Trunk space is also minimal for a large sedan; at 13.3 cubic feet, it’s smaller than GM’s compact Chevrolet Cobalt.
On its website, Buick pegs the tested LaCrosse CXL’s closest competition as the full-size Toyota Avalon XLS and the midsize Camry-based Lexus ES350 – two reasonable selections. The LaCrosse beats the ES350’s interior (but not trunk) volume by virtue of its much larger size, but that’s in part because of that Lexus’s own packaging deficiencies; the Camry itself has more spacious accommodations for front and rear seat passengers. The Avalon blows away the LaCrosse for interior space, but some will likely prefer the shape of the Buick’s front seats.
Note that the LaCrosse’s seats do not follow the Buick big-and-soft tradition; the larger Lucerne is still available for those who would prefer that.
The LaCrosse’s exterior styling also translates into another problem from inside the car: poor visibility. Thick roof pillars and a high beltline make it harder to see out of this car than in other cases. Models with the optional $2,000 navigation system include a very well-designed rearview camera for close-quarters maneuvering (see photo in today’s slideshow); this test car didn’t have that feature.
Fortunately, Buick’s efforts at including a high-style interior do not, for the most part, come at the expense of functionality. Controls are simple and storage space abounds. Two exceptions include poorly marked gauges similar to those used in too many new Fords and interior door pulls hidden beneath armrests.
An overall ambiance of quality is also evident, a step up from some other recent high-style GM interiors where flashy looks try to distract from cheap materials. The leather feels rich, controls and other moving parts operate smoothly, and plastics look and feel appropriate for a price tag past $30,000. Two notable exceptions are armrests that are thinly padded over a seemingly empty cavity and shoddy assembly on the center console (see slideshow), but these lapses fortunately do not make the car feel at all cheap in general.
The LaCrosse comes to the market at the same time as another style-focused large sedan: the redesigned Ford Taurus (read review). Compared to the Taurus, the LaCrosse feels more luxurious inside and doesn’t feel huge going down the road, but it also has less space – particularly in the trunk. Like the LaCrosse but no other direct competitor, the Taurus has available all-wheel-drive.
Compared to the Toyota Avalon, the LaCrosse has more ride control and nimbler handling, and more modern styling and technology, but less space, power, and gas mileage.
Compared to the Lexus ES350, the LaCrosse has more space but takes up a lot more room, isn’t quite as plush inside, and, like the Avalon, isn’t as powerful or as fuel-efficient. But like the other Toyota, the LaCrosse is handles better, even though it wouldn’t be considered a sports sedan, and it’s less expensive.
Another key competitor is from another brand that is working to reinvent its image: the rear-wheel-drive Hyundai Genesis, which has more space, much better visibility, and even higher levels of refinement and interior quality. But its styling is less expressive and it costs more than this Buick. Hyundai’s less-expensive Azera offers space and luxurious appointments at bargain prices, but it doesn’t ride or handle as well as the LaCrosse.
The LaCrosse is clearly not everything it might have been. A couple of interior functional and quality details could easily have been perfected. A modified appearance could have maintained an expressive look without cutting as far into headroom and visibility. And a weight loss would have benefited both performance and fuel economy.
But the LaCrosse’s competitors aren’t perfect either, especially the others that put an emphasis on styling. Be very aware of its strengths and weaknesses as you shop, but for the overall feeling of refinement and luxury conveyed by its driving dynamics, appearance, and interior quality, don’t just write it off as some Buick.
Vehicle tested: 2010 Buick LaCrosse
Vehicle base price (MSRP): $27,805
Version tested: CXL
Version base price (MSRP): $29,645
Vehicle price as tested (MSRP): $32,945
Test vehicle provided by: Route 1 Buick-Pontiac-GMC of Woodbridge, Va.
Key specifications:
Length: 196.9 inches
Width: 73.1 inches
Height: 59.2 inches
Wheelbase: 111.7 inches
Weight: 4,019 pounds
Trunk volume: 13.3 cubic feet
Engine (as tested): 3.0-liter V6 with 255 horsepower
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
EPA city mileage: 17 miles per gallon
EPA highway mileage: 26 miles per gallon
EPA mixed driving: 20 miles per gallon
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