Launch: 2010 Buick LaCrosse Photos

[CheetahDC]

Originally Posted by ILikeNiceCars

I'm all of 32 years old

Hey, another young Buick lover! BROFIST. You're not alone. I can't wait to see the new mid-sizer and compact, myself...

[Carver]

Buick Lacrosse on The Good Wife right now!

It looks good, as is made better by Julianna.

[xyagentguy]

Any preliminary numbers on whether or not the new Lacrosse is selling??

[silvergoat2k6]

Originally Posted by xyagentguy

Any preliminary numbers on whether or not the new Lacrosse is selling??

2,383 sold in September, down 11.7% from September '08.

I would hold out a few more months to see how sales are...most dealers around here don't have many new LaCrosses to sell.

I like the car, but I'd like it more if it didn't weigh 4,000-4,200 pounds. GM has to figure out a way to make their new cars lighter.

[philr]

Originally Posted by silvergoat2k6

2,383 sold in September, down 11.7% from September '08.

I would hold out a few more months to see how sales are...most dealers around here don't have many new LaCrosses to sell.

I like the car, but I'd like it more if it didn't weigh 4,000-4,200 pounds. GM has to figure out a way to make their new cars lighter.

I'd like it more if it had another name and if it was RWD like it should...

I don't think it will sell very well.

[FenwickHockey65]

Originally Posted by philr

I'd like it more if it had another name and if it was RWD like it should...

I don't think it will sell very well.

So you're saying it should've been the G8...

Okay.

[bluecobaltkid]

wow thats all i can say...

[CheetahDC]

I wouldn't take the current sales rate as a total indication of future sales. It's just starting
out right? I don't think all dealerships have even gotten them in yet. I haven't seen one at the local dealer yet (unless they came in and sold out, which is possible). They keep getting in (and selling) Enclaves it looks like, though.

[xyagentguy]

It is such a stunning car. I will be really disappointed if it does poorly. If this car does poorly, there is no saving Buick. I realize it's FWD, blah, but seriously, this is as good as it gets. It is easily competitive in every regard, class -leading in some perhaps.

This NEEDS to sell.

[Baggage Handler]

I've seen a couple of these "in the steel" so far. One in a parking lot caught me by surprise, as I did a double take when I realized it was a LaCrosse.

The RWD V8 is a good recipe for something debuting in 1995, but IIRC, forecasts are for gas to go north of 3 again as global economies start to recover. The I-4 is a smart move, I think, although smarter would be to dump the 3.0 V-6 and drop in a 2.0 turbo 4 in the mid 200HP range.

I wanna hear a wastegate pop on a Buick

Anyway, I've also seen the new Taurus, and think that'll turn out to be a big chunk of the LaCrosse's competition. (Regal vs Milan or high end Fusion maybe too?)

[philr]

Originally Posted by Baggage Handler

The RWD V8 is a good recipe for something debuting in 1995, but IIRC, forecasts are for gas to go north of 3 again as global economies start to recover. The I-4 is a smart move, I think, although smarter would be to dump the 3.0 V-6 and drop in a 2.0 turbo 4 in the mid 200HP range.

V8 engines might be not as fuel efficient as a small 4 but RWD OR FWD doesn't make a big difference on fuel economy. GM even proved that some RWD cars can be more fuel efficient than similar FWD cars! And it does make a big difference on how a car feel... RWD should be standard on all Buicks and AWD should be available on some models for those who think RWD isn't ok for them!

[Baggage Handler]

Originally Posted by philr

V8 engines might be not as fuel efficient as a small 4 but RWD OR FWD doesn't make a big difference on fuel economy. GM even proved that some RWD cars can be more fuel efficient than similar FWD cars! And it does make a big difference on how a car feel... RWD should be standard on all Buicks and AWD should be available on some models for those who think RWD isn't ok for them!

Maybe. Depends on how close they are on CAFE. a half mile per gallon in a mid-volume platform might become very important.

As far as the handling... I gotta believe that for 99% of the people who actually buy new cars, if they didn't read it in a magazine, they wouldn't be able to tell while driving whether something was FWD or RWD. I've had some really poor handling RWD vehicles, and some decent handling FWD.

They're making big bets on what the price of fuel will be in 5-6 years, and I don't think they're in a mood to roll the dice and place huge sums on $1's or $2's.

[philr]

Originally Posted by Baggage Handler

Maybe. Depends on how close they are on CAFE. a half mile per gallon in a mid-volume platform might become very important.

They're making big bets on what the price of fuel will be in 5-6 years, and I don't think they're in a mood to roll the dice and place huge sums on $1's or $2's.

I doubt that GM is having such deep reflexions, otherwise, the widely available 3 liter V6 in the new LaCrosse would be eliminated and replaced by the more fuel efficient 3.6 on all models...

Originally Posted by Baggage Handler

As far as the handling... I gotta believe that for 99% of the people who actually buy new cars, if they didn't read it in a magazine, they wouldn't be able to tell while driving whether something was FWD or RWD..

That would surprise me. It's usually quite easy to tell! And it's impossible not to notice which wheels are getting the power in slippery conditions!

Originally Posted by Baggage Handler

I've had some really poor handling RWD vehicles, and some decent handling FWD.

That's true. I have driven very poor handling RWD vehicles too. The worst one was a 1980 Corvette. The car had larger than stock tires and the poorly designed power steering made it very hard to keep in a straight line. There was nothing loose in the direction but the power steering valve (which I replaced even if the old one was good, hoping that the directional stability would ameliorate a bit). After driving that car for an hour and a half on the highway, my slow '75 Electra felt quick and stable compared to this underpowered Corvette and the direction in my '65 Wildcat feels precise!

[philr]

Originally Posted by ILikeNiceCars

I'm all of 32 years old, and unlike a lot of people my age (and younger), I don't blindly follow the pack when it comes to my vehicle purchases. That is, I do not go out and buy a common as dirt Honda Civic and then bling it out with stupid crap (like neon blue lights under the car and 14 foot high spoilers which must be nerve-wracking for pilots of low flying planes).

I love what I see with the Buick Lacrosse. Simply amazing. And if the quality is as good as the Buicks of past, I already know I've found my next car purchase. This is the first car I've seriously coveted since the 1993-1996 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham. And I wanted one of those new in the worst possible way; being a teenager at the time I obviously couldn't afford one.

I'm the same age as you are but I'm not interested in the new LaCrosse.

Back in the early nineties, when I was going to the Pontiac-Buick dealer for parts or service, the parts manager once asked me why I din't buy a new Pontiac Sunfire instead and save money! I told him the only new GM car I'd consider to replace my '68 Wildcat would be a Roadmaster Estate Wagon and then I explained him that since I couldn't afford buying that one and the fuel savings would have been marginal, I'd keep my Wildcat. So I kept my Wildcat for another 8 years and 45,000 miles and I replaced it with a (one year older!) 67 Riviera GS in 2000. It was in good condition so I have driven it daily for just a year, I bought other old RWD Buicks to use as daily drivers. I still got that car 9 years and 30,000 miles later!

[silvergoat2k6]

Saw my first new LaCrosse out on the road yesterday...it was being driven (as usual) by some 70-year-old woman. Buick is going to have to start appealing to more than just blue-hairs if they are going to be an integral part of the new GM.