Review: Buick LaCrosse is a big, modern sedan
The LaCrosse proves you can teach Buick new tricks.
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In order to survive, brands have to adapt. In the decade since the automotive bailouts, General Motors has undergone some serious changes, and there has been no bigger transformation than at Buick. The current lineup is a far cry from its product portfolio of a decade ago.
The new-look Buick lineup includes a compact crossover (Encore), a sporty convertible (Cascada), and a world-class performance sedan (Regal GS). Buick also is offering a wagon again, but the Regal TourX has more in common with an Audi Allroad than the wood-paneled Roadmaster Wagon.
Despite all these changes, Buick would not be Buick without a large sedan, and the only model from that pre-bailout Buick still around today is the full-size Buick LaCrosse. The 2017 Buick LaCrosse marks its third generation, and while the second-gen LaCrosse was a competent car, its design had become dated. The new ’17 model is a supremely handsome full-size sedan based on a platform shared with the Chevrolet Impala.
One could argue Buick created this market segment. Cars like the Toyota Avalon, Lexus ES 350, and Lincoln MKZ all follow the front-wheel-drive, V6 engine, and soft ride that have been standard with Buicks as far back as the 1980s and 1990s. This is a sleepy corner of the market, and it seems appropriate that it falls to Buick to make these cars more exciting.
SOPHISTICATED INTERIOR: The true star of the LaCrosse is its flowing, intuitive dash design.
While the LaCrosse has exceptionally sharp styling that has scaled up well, the real all-star of the new LaCrosse is its cabin. Swooping lines flow across the dash and down through the center console. The caramel colored leather, set off by dark wood accents, makes for an upscale appearance. And like an old-school Buick, the cabin has plenty of head, hip, shoulder, and legroom—for rear seat passengers, as well as for those in the front.
Trims for the LaCrosse are Base, Preferred, Essence, and Premium. Standard features on the Base model include a 4G LTE WiFi hot spot, rear parking sensors, push-button start, backup camera, and remote starter. Our range-topping Premium model comes standard with a head-up display, heated steering wheel, and heated and cooled front seats.
The LaCrosse is available with Buick Intellilink, which features a tablet-like layout, with home buttons for music, navigation, phone, and more. It is a pretty intuitive control setup, but it buries the fan direction for the climate control in a touch screen menu rather than providing a hard button. Not good. Climate controls should always be a hard button that is easy to find when its dark you are climbing into your car.
The LaCrosse also has support for Apple CarPlay. It provides enhanced connectivity and many of your most crucial apps on the touch screen. If you don’t feel like fiddling with any of these controls, you can always use voice activation, which understands complex commands from the driver.
The LaCrosse comes standard with a 3.6-liter V6 that makes 310 horsepower and 282 lb.-ft. of torque. Power is sent to the front wheels or available all-wheel-drive via an 8-speed automatic transmission. The automatic is operated via a unique shifter design, which is not readily intuitive. It features an odd joystick setup that is similar to the BMW shifter design. The problem is these unique shifter designs are not safe. It increases the chances that you could be in the wrong gear, which is not a good idea for the car in the Buick lineup most likely to be purchased by an older driver.
Once you learn how to get it into drive, the LaCrosse is a surprisingly sporty full- size sedan. Acceleration from the V6 is strong, steering is taut, and the suspension absorbs bumps in the road while exhibiting minimal body roll. It is a far more connected ride than a Lincoln MKZ or Lexus ES 350.
The LaCrosse has an auto stop-start system, which shuts off the engine when stopped in traffic or idling. This helps save fuel in small increments here and there and is available on many new cars today. But unlike most other vehicles out there, this feature cannot be defeated.
If it were any other car, this would be a nuisance, but this stop-start system is minimally invasive. By the time you take your foot off the brake, it has already restarted the engine. You’ll barely notice.
Thanks to the Active front grille shutters, the start-stop system, and efficient V6, the LaCrosse has strong fuel economy numbers. EPA estimates are 21 mpg city, 31 highway, 25 combined.
Our Premium test model came with forward collision warning with automatic braking, dynamic cruise control, lane departure warning, blind spot warning, and rear cross-path alert. Some of these features are not available on the base model. Even when you are opting for the base, there should at least be the option for these safety features; peace of mind should be a premium feature.
Base MSRP for the 2017 Buick LaCrosse is $32,990. A LaCrosse Preferred is $36,990, and a LaCrosse Essence trim is $35,590. The range-topping Premium starts at $41,990, and our Premium FWD trim with various safety features, navigation, Bose 11 speaker stereo, and massive, two-row moonroof came in at $46,770. That’s a lot for a car that doesn’t have auto up and auto down second-row windows.
The only way the LaCrosse feels like its traditional predecessors is in its size. From the sharp styling to the modern technologies for safety, efficiency, and infotainment, the Buick LaCrosse proves a brand can reinvent itself and still retain some of the hallmarks that have made it great in the past.
2017 Buick LaCrosse
THE BASICS
Price: $32,990. As tested: $46,770. Fuel economy, EPA estimated: 21/31. Fuel economy, Globe observed: 26.3 mpg. Drivetrain: 3.6L V6, 8-AT, front-wheel-drive. Body: Four-door large sedan.
THE SPECIFICS
Horsepower: 310. Overall length: 197.5 in. Wheelbase: 114.4 in. Height: 57.5 in. Width: 73.2 in. Curb weight: 3,598 lbs.
THE GOOD
Comfortable ride, roomy interior, handsome inside and out.
THE BAD
Confusing shifter design, no defeat for auto stop-start, certain safety features not available on base trim.
THE BOTTOM LINE
The shot in the arm the big FWD sedan segment needed.
ALSO CONSIDER
Toyota Avalon, Acura RLX, Lexus ES 350, Cadillac XTS, Lincoln MKZ.
George Kennedy is a freelance automotive journalist and automotive expert. You can reach him at [email protected] and on Twitter @GKenns101.
