LaCrosse Better than Camry?!?!?!

[cincygoblue]

From Trevor Hofmann
http://automobile.auto123.com/en/inf...ck&artid=32294

Vying for Import Buyers and Measuring Up to the Task
2005 Buick LaCrosse Road Test
by Trevor Hofmann / American Auto Press

When I first saw Buick's new LaCrosse in photos, a model that the brand's marketing arm was touting as the first of a new era, I thought to myself, "What's so different?" I mean, look at it. Does it appear like anything other than a Buick?

Not really. While its round headlight clusters are a bit of a departure, the LaCrosse still sports the now trademark elliptical, vertical-bar "waterfall" grille, flowing Jaguar-like lines and midsize dimensions, somewhere in between the Regal and Century it replaces, that all Buicks have exuded over the last decade or so. No bad thing, its styling is more of an evolution than a revolution.

And now that I've driven it I'm glad I hadn't written off its "all-new"
spin as merely another General Motors' marketing exercise. This is one formidable contender, easily ready to do battle with any import in the land.

"What have you been smoking in your left-coast office," I hear you saying? Yes, I know I've been pretty hard on most General Motors products in recent years, and I'm not ashamed of the fact. I felt all of my criticism was deserved, and if this particular Buick suffered from the same indecencies as Pontiac's Grand Prix, for instance, you'd no doubt be similarly suffering through rants and raves ad nauseam while reading this review. Fortunately, for your sake and Buick's, Bob Lutz and his team got this one right.

I'd go so far to say that any Camry buyer, if they were to spend an hour or two in the Buick LaCrosse, would question their purchase.Not only is the LaCrosse faster, better handling and arguably more stylish, its fit and finish is superb, interior quality above par and reliability rating, at least according to J. D. Powers and Associates 2004 Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS) and 2004 Initial Quality Study (IQS), ahead of the Japanese entry by a fair margin.

Oh, now I've done it! I've blasphemed. Who am I to question the sacred name of Camry, especially about reliability? Don't worry Camry owners, your cars aren't about to fall apart on your way to the office this morning, it's just that Buick, as a brand, rates near the top, in 2nd and 5th place out of 37 nameplates in this year's VDS and IQS respectively, while Toyota ranks 8th and 9th respectively. While just one survey, it's the most influential one and critical for an automaker to score highly on.

. . . But despite the Buick base engine's old world technology, it matches the Camry in city fuel economy and actually beats the the Japanese rival for highway efficiency. Both cars acheive 20 mpg in town while the LaCrosse manages 32 mpg over the Camry's 31 mpg on the highway.

I know which base car I'd rather drive on a daily basis, the LaCrosse. It scoots along at an enjoyable rate, charges past long highway trucks with room to spare before oncoming traffic begins to close in, and is hardly taxed when the car is fully laden. While I can say much the same for the 6-cylinder Camry, the LaCrosse's maximum horsepower arrives 600 rpm earlier at 5,200, and its torque 400 rpm before the Camry V6's at 4,000 rpm, making for a little more snap at takeoff and a little more power when called upon at highway speeds.

Now this article isn't supposed to be a knock on Toyota's Camry, after all it's a multi-award-winning family hauler that deserves the astounding sales it achieves year after year. It's just interesting to point out how well Buick's new LaCrosse competes, and in my opinion, advances the front-drive midsize class.

. . . more at link.

[cincygoblue]

Hmmmm, faster, better handling, more reliable, arguably more stylish and more enjoyable to drive than a Camry? Should sell 500k of these things, though many Camry owners will never consider one, even with the Toyota Sales/Service deficiencies. Go Buick!

[AdmiralViscen]

This topic should be made Sticky in the Buick section.

[AdmiralViscen]

Originally Posted by cincygoblue

Hmmmm, faster, better handling, more reliable, arguably more stylish and more enjoyable to drive than a Camry? Should sell 500k of these things, though many Camry owners will never consider one, even with the Toyota Sales/Service deficiencies. Go Buick!

Mosty Camry owners won't consider it because the Lacrosse doesn't come in a 4 cylinder.

[dav305z]

This is a car that's far more impressive in person than on paper.

[Taycron]

Great article..

[jro4566]

Good article. Nice to see somebody out there in the media likes it!

[GMfan2381]

Good article. Hopefully Buick keeps clawing its way into Lexus territory. But to hear such a positive review makes me smile. Ive seen a few on the road, and they do look much better in person than on paper. GO BUICK! Keep it up!!

[Mike The Canadian]

excellent
I read this in the automart magazine a week back

[giagastormer]

I really respect the writer of this article. He had the balls to pull his head out of his ass and admit that an AMERICAN car company can infact compete with Japan's best.

Way to go Buick, the LaCrosse is a real winner.

[86fleet]

wow, great news, espeically considering that Automobile isn't exactly the most domestic loving mag out there

[Infiniti Z350]

Originally Posted by giagastormer

I really respect the writer of this article. He had the balls to pull his head out of his ass and admit that an AMERICAN car company can infact compete with Japan's best.

Not to take away from the review, but he's not exactly the first guy to do that.

[tama z71]

hey fellas, isnt chevy supposed to compete with toyota?

[Phillip]

Originally Posted by Infiniti Z350

Not to take away from the review, but he's not exactly the first guy to do that.

No, he's not. And if anything, the issue was that there weren't a great number of efforts on GM's part to become a class leader. How can you claim that company X is capable of competing against company Y when their products are regularly off the pace without looking foolish? Now that GM is making serious strides to walk the walk, I think that we can expect to see more articles like this one.

If anything, I appreciate the fact that the LaCrosse was compared to a car it was designed to compete against, because it seems as if numerous 'magazines' have set it up to fail by asking it compete a class up...

[cincygoblue]

Originally Posted by tama z71

hey fellas, isnt chevy supposed to compete with toyota?

Depends who you ask I guess. I'd think the Luscerne is a competitor to the Avalon and the Lacrosse is "a" competitor to the Camry. I'd bet Toyota doesn't want to be known as a Chevy competitor. Buick's intention, as I've come to understand it, is to be a Domestic Lexus, and since they're just starting in that direction, they need to compete with an upscale Toyota model on the entry level end.