mmarshall

Agree with most of what you say, but the door closings are significantly more solid than on the last LaCrosse, which was like a tin can in comparison. Yeah, the chrome-outline logo on the steering wheel should match the tri-clored ones outside, but the steering column has other issues, too (as you yourself noticed), so I didn't make a big deal of that.
Speaking of logos, did you notice that if you push the trunk-lid logo (like on VW products), it releases the trunk without an interior button or the key?

Frankly, I think it competes well, at least on the inside, with the Lincoln MKZ and Lexus ES350...the ES350 looks nice inside, but some of the materials are quite thin, especially on the doors. It actually competes with the Lexus ES closer than anything Cadillac has, because Cadillac doesn't (currently) market a mid-size FWD sedan.

Anyhow, enough from me about cars for one night.....it's time to watch the Hillary/Trump debate. Not even car talk will keep me away from that LOL.

Good Night, everyone.

mmarshall

Here's Motorweek's take on the new Lacrosse, though I'm not terribly impressed by how they did this one. IMO, ,this is not one of their better reviews, and it spent very little time on the test-drive itself.

Road Test: 2017 Buick LaCrosse - Trending in the Right Direction? - YouTube

Toys4RJill

Are you not impressed because Motorweek didn't love, love, love the Lacrosse or was the review really that poorly done? The review was fair, and the car is nice, but I noticed Motorweek called it a "near" luxury car. I think Motorweek was nice. The new Lacrosse is the perfect competitor to the Toyota Avalon. I believe they have the same starting MSRP.

mmarshall

It wasn't really a poor review as such...I just didn't think it was one of the better reviews that John Davis has done. That's not to criticize John himself.......I've met him and talked with him a number of times, and he's a super-nice guy, totally unlike many of the other people in the auto press. But the Motorweek TV show's tight schedule is tight enough that it sometimes doesn't allow him to do what I'd consider a thorough review.

I test-drove a LaCrosse myself today (see my just-posted thread) and, for that matter, I didn't necessarily love-love it myself...It is a very impressive car, especially with build-solidness and fit/finish, but the Impala (slightly) outdoes it in the comfort department...for less money.

Toys4RJill

You really love that Impala. Lol.

mmarshall

I was very impressed with the Impala's chassis, comfort, and overall refinement....combined with its reasonably good build quality (though not quite as solidly-built as the new LaCrosse). And my opinion is not alone, BTW. Consumer Reports gave the Impala a 95 out of 100 in the road-test score...numbers usually reserved for the Lexus LS460, Mercedes S550, and Tesla Model S........from a car at half the price.

Toys4RJill

That's nice. But I don't think the Impala sells as well as it used to and most people dont seem to be all that interested in it.

mmarshall

Part of It, of course, is the SUV-onslaught. People are just going nuts with SUVs, and sedan sales from A to Z are down. The new Malibu itself is also taking away some Impala sales.

And the Impala wouldn't be the only excellent sedan to not sell particularly well. We saw that with the Hyundai Azera, Kia Cadenza, K900, and 2Gen Acura RL. And, for that matter, not to mention Chevy's own SS....an excellent Holden design, though part of the SS's problem is simply limited-production.

Don't want to get too far off-topic, though....the LaCrosse.

Sulu

The Impala is an old nameplate, much, much older than the LaCrosse. The name must bring back nostalgic memories.

LexBob2

Impala sales were -43% for August and -12% YTD. As mentioned, the LaCrosse will be up against Buick's CUV's and SUV's in the showroom. At least they'll have a modern large sedan which should do well initially and then settle in to decent sales to Buick customers.

mmarshall

Well, yes and no. The American-market full-size Impalas/Caprices of the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s IMO, were mostly junk....IMO it was a stretch to even call them rental-grade. Yes, you had some big, bad-a** V8 RWD Impala SS models built in the mid-1990s (until the Arlington, TX plant was re-converted to trucks and SUVs), but IMO their build quality was pure junk. That all changed, though, with the introduction of the present-generation Impala. GM was so embarrassed, for so long, by previous Impalas, that this time they resolved they were going to get it right....and they did. I did a full-review of the preset-generation Impala, and said in the write-up that I thought it was the best Impala to come along in 40 years......since the early 1970s.

Is it perfect? No.....no car is. IMO, it has a rather weirdly-styled dash, uses a couple of cheap interior parts here and there despite generally good fit/finish, and lacks the AWD option that some of its competitors have. And, IMO, the V6 should be standard instead of an option. But it was a superb effort, and does not sell in the numbers it deserves to.....probably because of its past, out-of-date rental-image.

Toys4RJill

So apparently this new Buick Lacrosse has a slow-down wiper blades that slow down as the wiper hits the bottom of the windshield, this is supposed to be in an attempt to be more quiet. . I guess it would be similar to how Lexus and Toyota windows slow down up close.

Has anyone seen this feature before?

mmarshall

Wiper noise in most vehicles is usually not a problem as long as the wiper blades are kept changed at least once a year, and/or if the wipers themselves are used properly...which means NOT wiping them on dry glass (or glass that is not wet enough for their use, such as a too-rapid intermittent or continuous action in very light rain). Unfortunately, many drivers neglect both.

Fizzboy7

I don't see how slowing the wipers down at the end of their movement would make them quieter. As far as I've ever heard, the noises come from like what Mike said.... dry windshield or old blades. In the overall picture of windshield wiper operation, faster speed is wanted to get more water off the glass as soon as possible. Slowing them down is a step backward.

Toys4RJill

I am trying to find where I read it. But I think it would make a difference. But that's just me