2005 Buick Review

Specifications

Domestic Brand Turns Up the Midsize Heat

The venerable Buick Century and its sportier sister, the Regal, will soon be obsolete thanks to Buicks latest entry into the midsize sedan market.

Billed LaCrosse, this four-door front-wheel drive “new kid on the block” could just be good enough to take on the midsize champs with Japanese DNA.

Outwardly, the LaCrosse exhibits a modern, smooth shape with lines that evoke a sense of luxury car elegance. If its long hood is decidedly American, then its slim oval grille is all Buick. And while I dont foresee the LaCrosses shape pulling in the masses the way the Chrysler 300 does, there is little doubt that its more classic midsize lines are attractive, especially to those whose age exceeds their waist size.

Interestingly, GM is proudly touting the LaCrosses “sparkling chrome accents,” which is a styling theme not long ago considered a domestic blight. I must say, the wisps of chrome trim and the eight-spoke chrome wheels on my tester look sharp and contribute to its upscale presence.

With an overall length of 198.1 inches, the LaCrosse is considerably longer than both the Honda Accord, by 8.6 inches, and the Toyota Camry, by 9 inches.

LaCrosses exterior dimensions translate into a “better than adequate” cargo hauling capacity of 16 cubic feet, beating the Honda Accord for trunk space, while being just a tad smaller than the Toyota Camry. But big is not just found under the LaCrosses trunk lid.

The cars interior is remarkably spacious-feeling, due in part to its incredibly clean, uncluttered - almost spartan - layout. The General deserves an “attaboy” for dumping the diamond-tufted velour that once covered everything in a Buick, and coming up with a restrained cabin design that isnt attempting to “wow” us with extra cushioning and glitter.

Not only does the living area look the part, it is well assembled with a high level of fit and finish. I did, however, find joints in the plastic shrouding around the door pillars that could have been better installed by butting up to, rather than layering over, the adjoining fabric-coated trim piece.

One other foible that caught my attention, or should I say caught my shoe, was the foot- operated parking brake. In the released position, it doesnt hide far enough out of the way to prevent my left shoe from snagging it as I exited the car in my usual haste.

Although annoying, the smack repeatedly reminded me to engage the parking brake, something I am more apt to do when the fail-safe device is a console-mounted hand lever. These quibbles aside, Buick has made remarkable cabin progress.

The interior of the LaCrosse is full of comfort and room to stretch out. My tester was equipped with the optional heated, six-way power bucket seats. These wide, supportive ledges were quite satisfying to spend time in. For the performance-minded though, side bolstering is adequate but not worth a letter home.

For those in need of maximum passenger capacity, the LaCrosse can carry six adults when the buckets are replaced by an available front bench - something that is becoming a rarity these days. Front headroom and legroom are generous, although rear headroom is tight for the over-six-foot crowd, and when those seated up front are greedy, rear legroom becomes scarce as well.

Propelling the LaCrosse is a choice between two very capable V6 engines; one has seen a lot of life in various other GM products and one, while smaller in displacement, generates greater power thanks to modern mechanical engineering.

The larger, but weaker, powerplant is the Series III 3.8L (231 cu in) pushrod V6, generating an even 200 horsepower and 230 pound-feet of torque. My tester was equipped with GMs latest and more powerful V6, the DOHC 3.6L (219 cu in) workhorse, which features variable valve timing and kicks out a healthy 240 horsepower and 225 pound-feet of twist.

Although the 3.6L V6 generates a slightly lower torque rating than its older sibling, it manages to deliver its peak torque at only 2,000 rpm versus the 4,000 rpm needed by the 3.8L V6. The more favourable torque curve yields improved acceleration without the need to push the revs into the stratosphere.

With 240 horsepower beneath the drivers right foot, the 3,568 pound LaCrosse CXS is a brisk performer. It pulls steadily off the line with little-or-no torque steer accompaniment, and highway merging and passing is never in doubt, even when ascending some of the larger hills surrounding my neck of the woods.

Although it packs a powerful punch, the LaCrosses 3.6L motivator isnt as quiet and refined as some other V6 engines I have sampled, such as the honey-smooth V6 powering Hondas Accord. Although power outputs are similar, the Honda V6 is less intrusive - but thats not to say the GM V6 is bad, far from it actually. I just wish it could complement the LaCrosses vault-like silence by performing with less groan and more polish.

The elimination of road noise in the LaCrosse is due to Buicks QuietTuning technology, which places 28 special acoustic absorbers under the carpet and hidden behind the interior trim to help absorb noise. Acoustic laminated front and side glass also aid in ridding auditory intrusions. The hushed LaCrosse cabin is an excellent backdrop for GMs hard-hitting, Concert Sound III, nine-speaker upgrade audio system.

The LaCrosses ride is not only quiet, it is comfortable, too. This sedan is gentle on the middle-aged body it targets. The optional Grand Touring fully-independent suspension setup connecting my tester to its 17-inch chrome aluminum wheels did a marvelous job of reworking a rough road surface. The compliant ride remained stable over the worst surfaces my town could serve up.

In spite of its forgiving ride, the LaCrosses underpinnings step up to the plate when sharp turns are dialed-in through the optional Magnasteer, magnetic speed-sensitive variable assist, rack-and-pinion steering.

The handling thresholds of the Grand Touring components combined with GMs quick, crisp Magnasteer make the LaCrosse very satisfying when tackling twists and turns; however, steering feedback is not as communicative as desired. Nonetheless, Buicks taut midsize sedan is a pleasure to pilot.

When equipped with GMs Stabilitrak vehicle dynamic control technology and the optional side curtain airbags, piloting an LaCrosse can be notably safe. Strong, if not somewhat over-sensitive, four-wheel disc brakes are standard equipment, adding to the LaCrosses safety net. Its too bad Buick didnt go a step further by including antilock technology as standard fare, although on the top-line CXS it is included.

The LaCrosse is available in three trim levels beginning with CX, notching up to CXL and crowning with the CXS. In addition to the heavily contented CXL and CXS plateaus, several option packages and standalone selections are available to individualize ones LaCrosse.

While it doesnt immediately jump the queue ahead of its stalwart rivals, the Camry and Accord, the LaCrosse is at least in the same line and creeping up quickly. Provided Buick can compete at the cash register, the LaCrosse will be turning up the midsize heat more than anticipated.