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[QUOTE=mmarshall;4120224]A Review of the 2009 Buick LaCrosse CX/CXL.


http://www.buick.com/ngis/buick/lacrosse/


In a Nutshell: Definitely non-sporting, but that doesn't mean you have to be Grandma or Grandpa to drive one.


No I think it does. Not many will argue this. Then again to each his own.

mmarshall

I always start off with small "In a Nutshell" statement with all reviews, basically describing the vehicle in one or two sentences......that is just my writing style. In this case, I wanted to emphasize the fact that the auto press, IMO, has grossly (and somewhat unfairly) painted the picture of the LaCrosse as an almost 100% senior-citizen car....as it does with most Buicks. It is true that Buicks, in general, are not sport-enthusiast cars (witness the LaCrosse's poor handling), but, again, you don't have to be 70 years old either, to appeciate their riding comfort. There are many people in CL, for instance, who are not senior citizens, either, but who drive the Mercedes S-Class and Lexus LS for THEIR riding comfort.

mmarshall

You and I are not growing any younger either, as I write this.


We all, to some extent, may be a little biased. I, for example, dislike cheap interiors, tinny door-closings, ultra-stiff suspensions/tires, overly-sloppy handling at the other extreme (like on this car), loud exhaust/road/wind noise, and cheap cost-cutting like hood prop-rods instead of struts. But I never forget that, when I do a review, I am doing it for EVERYONE here, not just you or me, and I have to be as honest and objective as possible (like 1SICKLEX and his excellent reviews). If I'm not, it defeats the very purpose of it.....to show people just what you get for your money with the vehicle.

And as far as the issue of "American" vs. "foreign" vehicles goes, it is generally getting harder and harder to tell the difference nowadays, for a number of reasons, though the dividing lines are still there if you look close enough.


Is the styling any more "behind the times" than that of the Porsche 911, one of the world's most renowned "enthusiast" sports cars? The basic 911 body style (and dash) goes back to 1964...the same year that the Buick 3.8L V6 debuted.

IS-SV

Tough selling a "geezer-pleaser" especially when the consumer knows the manufacturer is on the verge of bankruptcy.

GS3Tek

iTrader: (8)

OK, so which CL member requested MMarshall to do this review????? Just giving you a hard time MMarshall.

A thorough review as always. I'm sure someone's parent will benefit this

Our family had a poop brown buick skylark. Not bad, didn't give us a hard time, but that was the last domestics in our family.

The problem with these huge cruisers along with the DTS, STS, roadmasters, grand marquis....is that they're too big and the little old ladies have a hard time looking over the steering wheel, driving, and backing out

Hey, at least buick stopped giving out the cassette, unlike lexus

IS-SV

Thanks for the review. It points out exactly what is wrong with GM.

Buick is dead in the US, but fairly popular in China which could be its only hope to save it's ***. I saw a lot of Buicks in China in 2006, but the buyers there are not very sophisticed or demanding so far. In California if you see a Buick, it's most likely a rental car or ex-rental car. In the Bay Area of northern California I don't even know if and where there is a remaining Buick dealer. I do know several dealers have closed nearby.

The Buick reviewed is a perfect example of the concerns of Congress when considering a bailout for Congress:

. Managment is lame/overpaid/underperforming/short-sighted/greedy
. Union members are inflexible, poorly educated, overpaid/greedy
. Is this a sustainable business, Congress is asking, a valid question.
. Products are dated/obsolete/inferior*
*A perfect example is the Buick reviewed with pushrod motor, 4 speed auto tranny and styling that looks like crap. It's slow, poor handling with mediocre gas mileage, horrible resale value and almost zero appeal to the core American population. To keep selling these at a loss in the US is nothing but a waste of US dollars.

mmarshall

Buicks are not limited to pleasing just geezers. That is, as I pointed out in the review, a false, auto-press-induced stereotype.

mmarshall

Buick itself did, by targeting Lexus and declaring Lexus as its primary competiton. I made that clear in the opening remarks.

Thanks. But Buicks please more than just older people.....see my reply to IS-SV above.

The 80s/90s vintage Skylark, like most GM cars of the period, was a piece of junk. I looked at it when it first came out. The difference between that car and trhe new LaCrosse is like day and night.

The LaCrosse is not "huge". It is considered a mid-sized sedan.

Older people often drive full-sized cars for a reason. The instructors in the senoir-citizen safe-driving classes they attend have sold them on the idea that they need a big car around them, with lots of steel, for protection in an accident. So they often buy the largest cars they can afford, which are American brands like Buick or Mercury. A big Lexus LS460, Audi A8, or Mrcedes S-Class just costs too much for them.
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IS-SV

IMHO, it's not false. None of my peers have any interest in a Buick, not even older people like my parents (81). Mediocre cars are tough to sell to any age group.

mmarshall

I respect your opinions, but I think you have undersold Buick a little in the American market, and have fallen for some of the false stereotypes that the auto press has painted of Buick in America.....that of a Granny car and little else. Buicks here are actually quite popular, especially in the Midwest. They have a customer base that is rather widespread, but, because those people tend to be quiet and conservative rather than loud and brassy like many sports-car enthusiasts, you actually hear little of them, and the auto press tends to ignore them..

IS-SV

Targeting Lexus is not the same as executing, and Buick's execution is terrible in the US.

Ford tried to target Lexus (SC coupe) with it's Lincoln Mark XX and that failed because of poor execution too.

Buick vs Lexus/Mercedes/BMW/Infiniti/Audi, no comparison.

Slick85

The interior looks like something that should have debuted in a 1995 car....

mmarshall

Agreed. I made it clear, in the review, that the LaCrosse's drivetrain, despite the transmission smoothness, was no Lexus. But the Lexus ES350, which Buick targets as the LaCrosse's main competition, is disappointing compared to the ES330 it replaces....it has dropped, IMO, from the ES330's high quality level in several areas, so the overall difference between it and the Lacrosse is not that great.

IS-SV

I too respect your opinions, but Buicks poor financial results in the US speak for themselves. I have not undersold Buick IMHO, they have failed to deliver and they are going to pay the price big time finally.

I'm no spring chicken/youngster either (I'm a middle-aged educated financial professional), so I can relate to the conservative enthusiast, just look at my dark stealth-like IS350.


But from an automotive standpoint, all experts watch carefully the automotive trends in California for good reason. And Buick is history here.

mmarshall

Well, ironically, you have a point. An interior this nice SHOULD have debuted in the 1995 Buicks.....and didn't. GM interiors, back then, were junk. It's an enormous improvement over what Buick was offering back then. I'd rather have the new LaCrosse interior over the ones I've seen in a number of its competitors.