Buick unveils the new 2010 LaCrosse, the car that needs to save the brand

January 8, 8:45 AMDC Car ExaminerBrady Holt

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General Motors is counting on the new Buick LaCrosse to
win buyers from the Lexus ES350. (photos by General
Motors)

Two years ago, the Enclave crossover SUV proved that relatively young customers will buy a Buick as long as it's competent and stylish. 

But with the future of several General Motors brands in question, Buick needs to repeat that success with one of its passenger cars to prove itself worthy of survival.

Buick's current sedans -- the LaCrosse and Lucerne -- used to be fairly popular, but won few converts to the brand and are now falling behind newer competitors in sales.

But today Buick unveiled the redesigned 2010 LaCrosse midsize sedan in preparation for the Detroit Auto Show, the brand's key effort to win new customers. The new LaCrosse looks sharp and modern, evoking the Lexus GS from some angles without looking fully derivative from any. 

Inside, the new LaCrosse shows GM's heightened emphasis on interior styling, with a narrow band of trim making a half-circle from the driver's to the front passenger's door above an attractive yet seemingly functional instrument panel.

Mechanically, the LaCrosse is similar to the Chevrolet Malibu sedan, which has recently won awards for its own combination of high styling and excellent driving dynamics. However, the LaCrosse will also offer a choice between front- and all-wheel drive, while the Malibu is front-wheel-drive only.

Also unlike the Malibu, there will be no fuel-efficient four-cylinder or hybrid option on the LaCrosse; buyers get a choice of two V6s. Base CX and midlevel CXL models will get a 3.0-liter V6 with 255 horsepower rated for 18 miles per gallon in the city and 27 on the highway. High-end CXS models get a 3.6-liter V6 with 280 horsepower that brings gas mileage down to 17 miles per gallon in the city and 26 on the highway.

The Lexus ES350 is rated for better mileage than any of the LaCrosse models, as are cheaper competitors like the Mercury Sable and Toyota Avalon, but fuel efficiency from the is still comparable to some other competitors. 

One unfortunate holdover from the current LaCrosse might be middling interior space efficiency. Though the new LaCrosse, like the old one, is quite large on the outside, it is still rated only as a midsize car for interior volume. How that will translate into actual usable interior space is yet unknown, but the similar Chevrolet Malibu lacks head room, especially in the rear seat.

Pricing for the new LaCrosse hasn't been announced, but expect it to start at a higher sticker price than the 2009 model, which starts at $26,390.

At those prices, expect base LaCrosses to be cross-shopped with well-equipped mainstream-brand midsize and large sedans, like the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry and Avalon, and Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable, while the CXS model will chase after the Lexus ES350, Lincoln MKZ, and Acura TL.

If the LaCrosse's styling is well-received, and the car drives as well as the Malibu on which it's based, Buick might have the hit it needs to stay alive. 

If not, this might be the last new Buick.