500 miles in a Buick LaCrosse

[the Teuton]

As the weekend started, I knew I was going to go out of town in a two-car caravan -- one 2007 Ford Fusion SE I4 and the other a similar vintage Buick LaCrosse CX.  I wanted to avoid driving the Buick at all costs, as the last Buick I drove -- a 1996 Buick Roadmaster -- was not only shaped like a boat, but it handled like one as well with every wallowing dive in turns and a ride that felt like it was high tide on the streets I drove.  It deserved the nickname "Land yacht" more than any other car I've driven in recent memory.



As luck would have it, my fellow driver picked up the keys to the Fusion before I had a shot at either of the cars, so I was relegated to what I thought would be another "old person" car, land yacht, or just another ride that might make a Toyota Camry feel like a Gallardo in comparison.  Man, was I wrong!

The teal car looked sharp from the onset, and when I adjusted the seat to my liking, I noticed I didn't sink right in like sitting in a Lay-Z-Boy.  It had support both completely under my thighs, and also a little lateral support on the back to keep me in one place in corners.  Wait, it can take corners?

Yes, Virginia, it can take corners.  While it isn't a Porsche by any means, body roll was fairly minimal for such a big, heavy car.  It was surprisingly stable -- more so than any Camry I've driven in recent memory.  Highway travel at 100 MPH left a little more to be desired from the tires in banked sections, but really, who travels that fast in a corner besides college idiots drag racing each other in family sedans?

But like the best Buicks of yore, where this car really shines isn't on the racetrack, but rather the long straights that keep you for hours on end.  The ride is a little floaty, but bouncy rebound is subdued and almost welcome on some of the bumpy roads that PennDOT and ODOT barely maintain over the harsh winters.  The suspension is really designed to almost eliminate the potholes and patches underneath the tires from ever becoming a concern.  It's smooth to the point where I left my cap off my Pepsi bottle for a short while without finding the gray interior stained with caramel coloring.  In all of this, though, Buick managed to do its homework, giving the LaCrosse a tight, linear steering feel and progressive pedal feeling in both the brake and gas department, making it easy in stop-and-go traffic. 

Power comes through with abundance in GM's venerable 3800 V6.  The four-speed auto is perfectly matched for this engine, as cruising at 75 MPH barely crept over 2,100 RPM, yet the car had ample torque and availability in first gear to peel out in this FWD midsizer.  The setup overwhelmed the front tires in a fashion not unlike a muscle car.  It was surprising and a little thrilling, to be honest.

The engine and tranny did have their drawbacks, though.  The V6 burbled sweetly like a small-block V8, but in higher RPM, it sounded thrashy and gave off a mild vibration.  Also, the transmission, while smooth as silk, had to kick down to second gear to get up to 70 MPH from 50.  It could use another cog or two.

As for the interior accommodations, the interior looked to be well put-together, although the plastic wood covering the dash in Jaguar-like fashion looked a tad too fake to give off any sense of real luxury.  The steering wheel's graining felt rubbery and was slippery when wet from hand sweat.  It could use perforated leather and not the cheap rubber that better belongs on a running track. 

Seats were comfortable, but the back seat lacked thigh support.  Luckily, I never had to spend any of my 500-plus miles in the seat that almost certainly came from an early 1990s GM design, low to the ground and lacking support and shape.  The materials all felt like they had much more quality than any other GM mainstream car I've driven lately, though.  Working to the rear of the car, the trunk looked big enough for probably five or six dead bodies -- a little disappointing.

Still, the car managed to impress.  Where my co-driver felt that the Fusion left a little to be desired in the oomph department, the LaCrosse's base V6 made the car a pleasure to drive at any speed.  It cruised the highways of Pennsylvania, West Virgina and Ohio with grace and stability, and when it was time to give the keys back, I got out of the car after eight hours of solid driving in the last two days with ne'er a sign of fatigue.  The car didn't put me to sleep like, say, a Camry might.  It enthralled me, coddled me, urged me to want to see more of the long American highways that surround us all.  The LaCrosse is the kind of car that makes roadtripping a national pastime in the same light as baseball and apple pie.  May more people discover the passion of such a car in the environment where it shines best.

[ifcar]

My beef with the LaCrosse is that while it handles well for a large car, you don't actually get the benefits of a large car. As you noted, you are not getting a comfortable rear seat, while you would in many smaller, lighter cars. It's the same thing that puts me off the Tahoe: it's a very nice large SUV except for the extremely significant fact that you can't use it as one.

[nickdrinkwater]

You have beef with a car?

[S204STi]

The LaCrosse is a significant improvement over the Century in most ways.  It still comes off rather cheap to me.  Interior materials and design don't live up to an entry-level luxury car.  But it certainly drives fine, and is comfortable. 

I'd actually like to drive the LaCrosse Super sometime.  5.3V8, handling and appearance package.

[Raza]

You have beef with a car?

"Beef" = point of contention



I told you the Lacrosse was a good car.

[Tave]

500 miles in a Buick? Sound like every summer of my childhood.

I rocked a 1000-mile trip in my grandparent's LeSabre this summer. It ate up the highway.

[Rich]

We're turning into a bunch of grandpas    I've been driving a friends ford 500 recently and am in love with the cars handling, steering, hvac system, and power. The numbers would say its underpowered but it felt really quick and smooth to me. (Awd limited model with cvt)  I have a pretty big gm bias too. Throw me in with the seniors club.

[TheIntrepid]

Evidently, Toots, we took the same trip, except our LaCrosse (Allure CXL) was a lease, and the Fusion (SEL V6) a rental..

[Catman]

Nice sig Trep.

[280Z Turbo]

"but in higher RPM, it sounded thrashy and gave off a mild vibration."



It's a Buick, remember.

[the Teuton]

My beef with the LaCrosse is that while it handles well for a large car, you don't actually get the benefits of a large car. As you noted, you are not getting a comfortable rear seat, while you would in many smaller, lighter cars. It's the same thing that puts me off the Tahoe: it's a very nice large SUV except for the extremely significant fact that you can't use it as one.

GM really needs to contact Volkswagen on how to make a tall rear seat with enough thigh support.  They make the best mainstream rear seats of any cheaper car I've ridden in lately.  Has GM made any newer cars with legitimate back seats?  This was my number one complaint with even our old Cutlass.  The seat didn't feel much better than the one from a car that's now 15 years older.

[the Teuton]

It still comes off rather cheap to me.  Interior materials and design don't live up to an entry-level luxury car. 

Is it supposed to be?  Like I said, my beef had to be with the steering wheel material that became really slick under my sweaty hands.  As for the rest of the interior, I thought it all looked good enough that it didn't need a complete dash stroking.  It was well laid-out, and OnStar on the rearview mirror was really convenient.  It works like our school service TeleFact, although our school's isn't on 24-hours and it's free.

TeleFact is a free helpline our school provides that solves problems.  It's almost exactly like OnStar.

[the Teuton]

Trep, which one did you enjoy driving more on highways versus regular streets?  Any opinions?

500 miles in a Buick? Sound like every summer of my childhood.

I rocked a 1000-mile trip in my grandparent's LeSabre this summer. It ate up the highway.

The LeSabre is old school.  Did it make you feel like you were 80?  Did anyone ask you for your senior discount card at the fast food drive-thru?

[the Teuton]

"but in higher RPM, it sounded thrashy and gave off a mild vibration."

It's a Buick, remember.

It is a Buick.  You expect it to be quiet, comfortable, and coddle you.  The engine sounded like it was struggling, wheezing, even though it pulled like a freight train.  I didn't like that.

[The Pirate]

My brother has the sweaty hands problem too.  It's bad enough that I won't let him drive my car, as I'd need to do a full clean on everything that he touches.

[the Teuton]

My brother has the sweaty hands problem too.  It's bad enough that I won't let him drive my car, as I'd need to do a full clean on everything that he touches.

I've never had that problem in my Subaru with steering wheel grip, even though my hands probably sweat no less than they did over this trip.  The graining on the wheel is really tiny, and it makes sweat collect in the ridges.  I think perforated leather would have worked much better, or even bigger graining.

[280Z Turbo]

It is a Buick.  You expect it to be quiet, comfortable, and coddle you.  The engine sounded like it was struggling, wheezing, even though it pulled like a freight train.  I didn't like that.

I've always found it to be smooth and quiet in the Intrigue. You really don't need to rev it out much past 3000 rpm, so how it sounds at redline, is kind of pointless, IMO. Maybe you're just spoiled.

You want some NVH issues to complain about, rev my Z up to 6500 rpm.

[Eye of the Tiger]

The LaCrosse is a significant improvement over the Century in most ways.  It still comes off rather cheap to me.  Interior materials and design don't live up to an entry-level luxury car.  But it certainly drives fine, and is comfortable. 

I'd actually like to drive the LaCrosse Super sometime.  5.3V8, handling and appearance package.

I didn't know they put the 5.3 in the LaCrosse. I want a SUPER!

[ifcar]

GM really needs to contact Volkswagen on how to make a tall rear seat with enough thigh support.  They make the best mainstream rear seats of any cheaper car I've ridden in lately.  Has GM made any newer cars with legitimate back seats?  This was my number one complaint with even our old Cutlass.  The seat didn't feel much better than the one from a car that's now 15 years older.

There just isn't that much space either. All the W-body sedans have a rear seat problem.

[the Teuton]

I've always found it to be smooth and quiet in the Intrigue. You really don't need to rev it out much past 3000 rpm, so how it sounds at redline, is kind of pointless, IMO. Maybe you're just spoiled.

You want some NVH issues to complain about, rev my Z up to 6500 rpm.

I'm just saying that nothing OHC I've ever driven has sounded so droning.  And with the exception of the M3, no OHC car I've ever driven has felt so torquey from standstill.  The LaCrosse's engine was a treat -- just not when you had to listen to it at, say, 3,500 RPM.

[TheIntrepid]

Trep, which one did you enjoy driving more on highways versus regular streets?  Any opinions?

Fusion. Fusion.

[S204STi]

"but in higher RPM, it sounded thrashy and gave off a mild vibration."



It's a Buick, remember.

lmfao!

[Morris Minor]

Nice writing, Teuton!

[J86]

You didnt like the 96 Roadmaster?!  Those things are sweet!

[the Teuton]

Nice writing, Teuton!

Thank you very much.

You didnt like the 96 Roadmaster?!  Those things are sweet!

I loved the power and the coolness factor, but the steering was so light that I had to correct my steering a few times and there was way too much body roll.  It was the wagon version with wood paneling, too.  A good suspension would go a long way towards me liking the car, even if the steering is too light.

[J86]

Wagon version with wood...perfect!

The light steering is part of the experience!  Cruisin' down the road, foot out the window, one finger on the wheel...