Buicks may be quintessentially American cars, but the Chinese elite loves them. Indeed, if you're a successful Chinese entrepreneur, chances are you're being driven around in a Buick.
That popular place in China's burgeoning automotive market has not been lost on General Motors. In a nod to Chinese taste and participation, GM asked its Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center in Shanghai to design the interior of Buick's all-new 2010 LaCrosse midsize sedan.
Actually, the LaCrosse's interior design turns out to be only a portion of the car's international provenance. It is built off a new global GM platform also used in the Opel Insignia sold in Europe. The V-6 in the CXS model I tested was made in Canada. For old time's sake, the car was styled in Warren, Mich., and is assembled in Kansas City, Kan.
The LaCrosse is a very quiet, roomy and expressively styled midsize sedan that lives in the borderlands between sub-luxury and entry-level luxury. The car starts at $27,085 (sub-luxury) for the base CX model, and heads up to $33,105 (entry-level luxury) for the top-of-the-line CXS I tested.
GM finds the car's chief competitors in a gallery of fellow front-drivers that includes the Acura TL, Lincoln MKS, Hyundai Azera, and the Toyota Camry and its two variants: the Toyota Avalon and Lexus ES350. The LaCrosse seems to be aimed primarily at the ES350. Its profile and proportions evoke the Lexus, although it is larger, roomier, and more highly styled.
Eye-compelling styling elements include a curvy character line running from the headlights to the taillights, and a dramatic depression beneath it. I also liked the arching roofline, which still affords good rear visibility.
Perhaps the exterior design's most novel element is the chrome trim over the taillights, which is intended to evoke calligraphy.
The fresh, affable styling continued inside the CXS I experienced. Asianesque arcs and curves, double-seam stitching, perforated leather seats and the best faux wood I've seen conspired to create a handsome, calming ambience.
That calm is accentuated by the exceptional quietude engendered by generous sound insulation and special, noise-deadening windows.
This is, in short, a car that deals in comfort. The ride is as comfortable as it is quiet, and roominess is the order of the day, especially in the back seat. Perhaps because most Chinese Buick owners have drivers, the rear seat legroom is almost beyond limo-like. I mean, a 6-9 NBA power forward could stretch out back there.
The LaCrosse comes in four flavors, all of them powered by sophisticated direct-injection engines. The base CX is motivated by a 182-horsepower, 2.4-liter four. The CXL, offered with either front- or all-wheel drive ($29,645 and $31,820, respectively), uses a 3-liter V-6 that develops 255 horses. The CXS is pulled around by a 3.6-liter V-6 rated at 280 horsepower. All the models employ a seamless six-speed automatic transmission.
I haven't driven the 182-horse, four-cylinder LaCrosse, but given a curb weight of nearly two tons, I don't think it will paste you back in your seat when you jump on the gas at a stoplight. It does, however, boast EPA mileage estimates of 20 city and 30 highway, which are very good for a spacious midsize sedan.
The 280-horsepower CXS, on the other hand, proves lively (yet quiet) business when the light turns green. And it delivers that sprightly performance with a mileage penalty decidedly less than gruesome. The CXS has EPAs of 17 and 27, and afforded me 24.4 in mixed driving. Interestingly, the CXS gets the same mileage ratings as the CXL, even though its engine is larger and more powerful.
The CXS' engine performance is matched by its cornering and braking facility. This car isn't just a comfortable, quiet ride down I-95. Its competent independent suspension makes it a nice handler on a twisty, rural road in western Montgomery County.
Braking is another plus. Hefty anti-lock disc brakes get the CXS stopped in a hurry.
2010 Buick LaCrosse CXS
Base price: $33,015.
As tested: $37,880 (inc. shipping).
Standard equipment: 3.6-liter engine, six-speed automatic gearbox, and a menu that includes heated, ventilated, eight-way power front seats and an 11-speaker Harmon/
Kardon sound system.
Fuel economy: 17 m.p.g. city and 27 highway.
Engine performance: Lively.
Comfort: High marks.
Handling: Quite competent.
Styling: Compelling.
Warranty: Three years/36,000 miles bumper to bumper.
The Ben Key: Four Bens, excellent; Three Bens, good; Two Bens, fair; One Ben, poor.
Contact Al Haas
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