pagemaster

Buick officials would love you to give them a chance. The best way to do that right now is to compare the 2010 Buick LaCrosse CXS ($40,795) with the 2010 Lexus ES 350 ($41,900). I can help with your homework.

Both are very solid, entry-level, luxury sedans, though the Lexus has by far the more extensive track record. The ES has proven itself as a quality piece of engineering, if not an overly exciting one.

Both cars coddle passengers. Smooth ride? Sure. Luxury features? Of course. Great resale value? Lexus for certain, while the all-new 2010 LaCrosse is a bit of a work in progress. Super reliability? Lexus has been on top of this for years, but Buick has lots to brag about, too.

The LaCrosse CXS is the top-of-the-line version, with standard heated/ventilated, leather-upholstered front seats that are certainly more comfortable and supportive than the ES 350's leather-covered seats. In the Buick, you sit in easy chairs with handsome double stitching. Very nice.

As for space, these two cars are essentially identical in most respects, though the Buick measures larger in back and feels so. On the other hand, the Lexus has a bigger trunk. The Buick's trunk opening also takes second place to the Lexus.

Note, too, that the rear seats in the Lexus are fixed, with a ski-size pass-through. In the LaCrosse, the rears also hide a ski-size pass-through, but they also flip and fold 60/40 to expand cargo capability.

Rear passengers in the Lexus have only a couple of vents for heating and cooling, while the Buick supplies vents, a simple power point and a genuine two-prong AC power outlet.

Buick also has an edge when it comes to a head-to-head comparison of key features you might expect in a premium car. Not that the ES is ill-equipped; rather, the Buick is just very well loaded.

In driving, the Lexus is dead quiet at almost any speed; you never notice the engine at work, not at all. The 3.5-litre V-6 is a very fine work of engineering. Ultra-smooth and quiet, it develops 272 horsepower, though you're told to use more expensive high-octane fuel.

The direct-injection 3.6-litre V-6 in the Buick LaCrosse CXS makes more power (280 hp) than the Lexus V-6 and it does so with regular-grade fuel. However, the LaCrosse is heavier than the ES, so fuel economy is not as good: 12.2 litres/100 in the city for the LaCrosse and 7.3 highway, versus 10.9 city/7.2 highway for the Lexus ES.

The Buick's engine is strong enough for anything you might throw at it, but the Lexus feels more responsive in, say, overtaking manoeuvres. The Buick's six-speed automatic transmission seems to have busier programming than the six-speed autobox in the Lexus.

Where the LaCrosse wins hands down is in handling. The Buick is firmer than the Lexus, but not too firm in the slightest. The ES is softer by quite a margin, even squishy by comparison. If you enjoy driving even a little bit, you might prefer the Buick.

Buick has a very good car here, one that should have the Lexus people sitting up and taking notice. Unfortunately, the Buick types seem not to have noticed they have created a car with serious blind spots caused by the C-pillars (at the back framing the rear glass) and the thick A-pillars (framing the windscreen), not to mention the bulky side mirrors.

On top of all that, the jutting portion of the wraparound dashboard lurks silently, but don't overlook it. If you do, you might find yourself bruising your knees on entry.

As for the Lexus, its cabin does not feel and look as rich as the one in the LaCrosse CXS. The design nod here goes to the Buick.

In the end, the two entry-lux sedans are fairly close in terms of engine performance and fuel economy, though we'd have to give the Lexus slight edge because the car is so much lighter. And Lexus does have an unsurpassed quality rep, too.

On the other hand, handling, feature content, cabin design and price belong to the Buick. The LaCrosse is prettier, too, though there is that blind-spot issue.

My point: the LaCrosse deserves a road test if you're thinking of a Lexus ES 350.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe...rticle1410358/

PlatLex

dang! impressive for a GM! good to see the hometeam coming serious! Lexus 3.5 v6 is still a great engine though, as they pointed out. Both great cars.

The G Man

$41000 for a Buick wow, I expect to pay less if I were to step down to a Buick.

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

G, you can load up a '10 Enclave to just under $50K and take off the $2500 rebate.

The G Man

Thats exactly what I was saying, where is the bargain if I were to buy a Buick. If the price is the same as a Lexus, I might as well just buy a Lexus.

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

I don't know how they got that LaCrosse to $41K but I'm very happy with my ES.

J.P.

A brand does not determine value or quality. A brand “may” be recognized as quality but not always as value.

Products are what they are. Take the badge off something evaluate the item for what it is. You are saying that even if the Buick was 10x the car the Lexus is, you would still buy a Lexus based on name and it being the same price.

That does not may any sense unless you only care about a brand.

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

To me a brand does determine value and quality.
I don't buy American badges and if I did,I wouldn't buy a Chrysler.
Chrysler is crap both quality and value wise.

The G Man

But they are not saying that, some review gave the Buick a slight edge, but for the most part, its about the same. If all thing being the same, then yes, I would buy a Lexus over a Buick.

J.P.

In some cases a brand does say something about quality and value but in many cases it does not.

If Lexus built a vehicle and they put a Buick badge on it without telling you, you would be saying no way man this is junk! This comes back to what I said that things are what they are. The car could be amazingly engineered with the highest quality and you’re not going to give it the time of day because of the label on the car.

Likewise I think about how many “luxury” items I have bought in the past only to be horrible disappointed.

Another example of things are what they are, we staffed the Hummer plant in Mishawaka when that first launched and the plant manager laughed as someone bought a “brand” and took a vehicle that was already on another brands production line, added a new body and blam.

But the reality was, it wasn’t really a Hummer.

Much like when someone in my fam bought a Jenn-Air BBQ from Home Depot just to find out it was not the once great Jenn-Air, but rather someone paid to use the Jenn-Air name and all the stuff was built cheap in China.

Over time I have learned to step back and evaluate things for what they are, not what their perceived to be.

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

I've been burnt too many times by American badges and I don't even keep a vehicle long..The last couple domestic badges I bought were said to be of great quality and they weren't.
When I get burnt by an Asian brand a couple of times,I'll try a domestic brand again.
Probably a Ford product because Ford didn't take a bailout money.
Screw GM!

PhilipMSPT

iTrader: (5)

Buick made a very good product.

Kudos to them for being to capture the attention of a lot of automotive journalists (as biased as most of them are) to compare it to a benchmark, Lexus or not.

J.P.

If you have been screwed a few times, cannot blam you.

I feel ya on GM even thought I picked up a GM for a tow rig this summer. But with the inlaws discount and during this summer they were giving them away so it was a value buy, dirt cheap

The G Man

If I were to buy a big truck, GM or Ford would still be on top of my list.

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

I agree.
F-150!