Have you ever wondered what it would look like if General Motors made a Buick LaCrosse wagon? Until now neither had I. With that said, Nick Wilcox over at Automotive Renderings did wonder just that and decided to draw one out. Taking inspiration from the LaCrosse and the Enclave, he put together this sketch. Not too shabby. Suddenly I would like to see a Buick LaCrosse wagon, that is, if GM could make it look this good.
Source- Automotive Renderings
Hold on to your hats folks. When I was at the GM Product and Technology event put on last August I saw things. Some things were awesome such as the future Buick Regal, upcoming Chevrolet Camaro convertible and the list goes on. Some were not so awesome, such as the Buick that was quickly dubbed Vuick. See it was essentially a re-badged (and I mean literally a new grille inserted) Saturn Vue.
The Vuick thing caught on quick and GM supposedly decided to kill it a mere few weeks later. In fact they were so proudly announcing how fast they acted based on the negative feedback they were receiving (shocking). Anyways, next to that Vuick on the floor was a upcoming small crossover for Buick. This could possibly be dubbed the Encore. It essentially looked literally like a shrunken down Enclave. This my friends looked good. It was most likely based on the new Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain platform.
Yesterday Chris Baccus was driving in Detroit and spotted this test vehicle. He noted it looked like a Buick grille behind the cladding. This my friends is one of two things. The Vuick being resurrected (dear god no) or the baby Enclave (Encore?) that has been severely changed since I saw it and not for the better. Either way you are looking at something that is not production ready. I am sincerely hoping this is not the Vuick coming back from the dead rather just a test mule. I hope they keep the baby Enclaves styling that I saw last fall.
UPDATE-
Some have mentioned this looks an awful lot like the Chevrolet Captiva not sold in America. I have also just received word from GMInsidenews that GM plans to still sell and produce the Vuick but only for China. It will be a youth oriented crossover.
Source- Chris Baccus
I will be really up front and honest with you. When I received the email telling me a 2010 GMC Acadia was coming my way, my first thought was “I will not like this vehicle.” The main reasoning behind this is because I actually like the current Chevrolet Tahoe (the GMC Yukon is fine but I like the Tahoe styling better) and I could not imagine why I would personally buy this mammoth crossover instead of a Tahoe. Yes, I’m aware the Acadia starts roughly around $5,540 cheaper than the Tahoe, but pricing never entered my thoughts when making this judgment. The more interesting thing was, I had just hopped out of a fully loaded Buick Enclave, which rides on the same platform and shares so many parts with the Acadia. I really enjoyed my time with the Enclave, but it still didn’t sway my opinions about the Acadia. So what happened?
The Acadia’s exterior is striking. The headlights are unique and truly good looking. They really set the front end apart from other crossovers. The hood has nice sculpting in the center with lines running from the front clip into the hood on either side. The side profile is less sculpted, but has a bulge towards the bottom of the doors near the rocker panels. The fenders are somewhat over exaggerated but not overly done. The rear taillights are stylized with two round turret-looking shapes in each housing. The Acadia’s exterior is overall, very sharp especially sitting on the optional twenty inch chrome clad wheels.
The Acadia’s interior does have a few design cues shared with the Chevrolet Traverse, though it is worth noting the Acadia came to market before the Traverse. The center stack and instrument panel are all easy to operate and organized well. At night the gauges and switchgear all light up GMC red and white. I personally find this easy on the eyes late at night. The standard fold-flat third row is easy to operate but as a usable seat, the space back there is really meant for a child. With the third row in seating position, there is still room in the back for bags. The seats while large and flat were most definitely road trip worthy.
Powertrain options in the Acadia are limited to the 3.6 liter V6 featuring direct injection. Power output is 288 hp and 270 lb-ft to either the front or all four wheels. The power is handled by a six speed automatic with manual shift capabilities. I am undecided on this transmissions programming. It could be the particular Acadia I was in, but the transmission seemed lazy to me. Shifts were not quick and crisp. They were delayed and took longer than expected when not pushed hard. In all-wheel-drive mode, as the tester was equipped, the EPA rated the Acadia at 16/23 miles-per-gallon. I saw an average of 16.8 mpg in the city and 19.9 mpg cruising at 75 miles-per-hour on the highway. It is worth noting I averaged 22.8 mpg when cruising at 65 mph.
Rear End With Third Row Seat Up
The Acadia was optioned as a SLT-2 model with a sticker price of $42,185. The test model also included the following options: technology package, touch screen navigation with rear view camera, rear seat entertainment, power sunroof with second row skylight, heated and cooled front seats with perforated leather surfaces, and red jewel tintcoat. The total price swelled to $49,740 after destination and the plethora of options! That’s a lot of money for a non-premium CUV.
A few things that stood out to me while I was in the Acadia: first, was the heads up display. I like how GMC decided to include this feature with the technology package. Second, the cooled seats in this Acadia were some of the best I have encountered to date. They seats cooled very quickly and prompted me to pay attention as the seats made my backside chilly. Finally, the iPod/iPhone interface on the optional touch-screen radio worked terrific.
So after driving the Acadia for the week, was it good enough to change my original opinions? I was sure I wasn’t going to like it. My final opinion on the CUV is I kind of like it and I kind of don’t. I definitely was impressed at the end of my test. I liked the Acadia as a vehicle; more than I ever thought I would like it. With that said, I cannot admit the Acadia would be my top pick for $49,740. GMC is deep into luxury territory at that price and in reality, the Buick Enclave has a nicer interior. Looking past GM’s products other vehicles in the same price category as the Acadia include: the Acura MDX, Audi Q7 and many others luxury brand CUVs. For the same price as the Acadia, the Audi Q7 TDI or the Acura MDX might be a better buy in my opinion. The main problem is not the Acadia, but rather GM’s pricing of the Acadia. This vehicle fits in much better at with a $44,000 price ceiling to be truly competitive. The bottom line is, if someone was ready to buy an Acadia and asked me if they should, I would say this: if you like it, it is a good vehicle but if selecting a fully loaded one I might be cautious on purchasing.
Full Disclosure- The review vehicle was provided by General Motors
We have heard time and time again that Buick is in a renaissance. Some told us that the movement started with the Lucerne. They were misinformed dearly. The real renaissance movement began with the Enclave. Buick debuted the Enclave concept at the Detroit Auto Show in January 2006. That concept came to reality less then a year later debuting as a production vehicle at the L.A. Auto Show later that year. So the question is simple: is this every bit the car Buick claims it is? Lets find out.
The outside of the Enclave is really stunning. From the front fenders that flow into the body to the rear fenders, which pick up and flow into the rear taillights— the lines are stunning. The headlights are unique and look great both during the day and when lit up at night. The twenty-inch chrome clad wheels were met with more chrome strewn about the exterior, from the door handles to the rear taillight surrounds. Chrome was all over the exterior of this vehicle. I did have one person tell me it was a little flashy for their tastes. I however think it was tastefully done and not overdone in the least bit. The traditional Buick waterfall grille still resides in the front reminding you that yes, indeed this is a Buick. Though you might be shocked to find this out by looking around the vehicle.
Inside the stunning looks continue. Wood is literally everywhere. Well when we use the term wood we use that generously. The wood is actually plastic with only the wood on the steering wheel being real mahogany. With that said, it does not look bad. The design is aesthetically pleasing and very upscale. The center stack has an analogue clock at the top. The climate control set up and the radio/navigation is shared with the other lambda-based vehicles (Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia and the now dead Saturn Outlook). The second row seats can be had in either a three-person bench seat or two captains chairs. This is a no cost option and I personally liked the captain seating option, though it is not quite as practical since you lose a seat. The third row folds flat and is standard. This is mainly a space for children though an adult could manage for a quick trip across town. The dual laminated glass keeps things extremely quite inside even on the highway. Even with the third row up you still have room for luggage or groceries. The interior—like the exterior—is definitely tastefully done.
The powertrain is shared with the other lambda vehicles as well. Equipped with a 3.6 liter direct injection V6 that puts out 288 hp and 270 ft-lb to either the front or all four wheels. The power is handled by a one-choice six speed automatic transmission, which does have a manual shift capability. The steering is noticeably boosted and is light to the touch. This is not a barnburner but it has enough power to get up and merge onto a freeway. Though I would not suggest racing your next-door neighbors Porsche Cayenne to the country club for pinks, for you will lose.
The Enclave I had was CXL-2 which is the top trim level. Equipped with every option other then the all wheel drive the sticker price rang in at $47,355 including destination. This included such options as the audio system with navigation and DVD, power sunroof with second row skylight and the twenty-inch chrome clad wheels. The navigation system is the older touch screen unit supplied by Delphi, which is DVD-based rather then hard drive based. This is a tad slower then the new hard drive based unit supplied by Alpine in the new Cadillacs. I am hoping this gets upgraded soon. Also the rear seat entertainment, which as part of the audio system package mentioned earlier, drops down from the roof that puts the screen right in the way of your rear view mirror. The newer models from GM are using dual flip up monitors on the back of the front seats. This too hopefully will be upgraded sooner rather then later. Another feature that was missing was auto up windows. Only the driver’s window was equipped with the auto up feature. In this price range that is almost commonplace and a little strange.
One of the biggest downfalls of the lambdas is their weight. They are almost obese, weighing in at almost 5000 lbs (4780 to be exact). You can most definitely feel the engine pulling all this weight around. The EPA rates the fuel mileage at 17/24 for the front wheel drive model I was in. I did manage to average 17.3 mpg in the city and did not have the chance to truly test the highway rating. These are fairly decent numbers especially compared to some of the competition.
In this price range you are deep in luxury SUV territory with players such as the Acura MDX and the Lincoln MKT, among others. The question is simple: is the Enclave a worthy competitor? I would say it is definitely a vehicle I would recommend, but it will not be for everyone. The Enclave to me feels bigger then the MDX and is really just a different personality than MKT. All three are really nice vehicles and the Enclave is definitely class competitive. While some upgrades are needed as time has passed, the Enclave is still the competitive looker it was when it made its debut.
Full Disclosure- The review vehicle was provided by General Motors
Episode 22 starts by introducing our newest member to the AutoBird Podcast team, Justin Loyear joining us from Cheers and Gears. Moving into the garage we talk about the Buick Enclave I was in for the past week. We then move along to the major news of the week segment. This week included-
Next came our main topics which their were quite a few but they all centered on the New York Auto Show. This week the topics included discussion on the 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid & Sonata Turbo, 2011 Kia Optima/Forte Hatch/Sportage, Scions, 2011 Nissan Juke, Chevrolet Cruze Eco and RS, 2011 Hyundai Equus, and last but certainly not least the 2011 Infiniti QX56.
Last we discuss the past week on our respective blogs, Cheers and Gears, AutoBird Blog and Accelerate Mpls. The week in review included- my updated Name That Car: Sebring or 200C, Innovative Ford Fiesta Movement Campaign Stirs Interest, and Name That Car: Dodge Durango or Magnum. Justin had a post on the March sales numbers along with a short recap of the New York Auto Show. Colin had posts on Top 20 Vehicles in March and a post about Craigslist Confessionals by the one and only William Maley.
Let’s be frank: I personally never felt Chevrolet had a great minivan. The Venture was ho-hum at best and the Uplander was a train wreck. In theory you are supposed to keep going until you get it right and I am all for that, but at some point, you need to cut your losses and refocus on something else. General Motors has done that exactly with the Lambda platform based CUVs and left the minivan behind.
The Chevrolet Traverse is the latest (and last to the market) of General Motor’s large CUVs. This is no small vehicle and, in fact, is pretty much the size of a Tahoe. The thing is, while it is almost as big as the Tahoe, it drives and rides completely differently. The ride is much more like a car-based vehicle and the reason for that is the unibody design and construction of the vehicle. The Tahoe is a body on frame design. The Traverse is an older truck style vehicle.
The sister vehicles to the Traverse are the Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia and the now dead Saturn Outlook. The Traverse launched with an upgraded motor from these other vehicles; a 3.6 liter V6 featuring direct injection technology. This engine puts out 281 hp and 266 ft-lb (288 hp in LTZ trim). The direct injection gave the engine both more power while maintaining acceptable fuel economy. The power is routed through the front wheels with all wheel drive as an option. The six speed automatic transmission does have manual shifting abilities via a rocker switch on the gear selector. The engine is rated at 17/24 in front wheel drive form, which is a decent rating for a vehicle of this size. I managed to average 17.6 mpg in mixed driving, although my city driving has lot of stop and go while going into work and really does kill the gas mileage. In the beginning of the week, when it was straight to work in downtown, I was averaging a mere 15.4 mpg. Once I started driving on the highways a more, my mileage crept up above 17 mpg.
I have driven a lambda based vehicle before but it is has been a while. Upon entering the Traverse, I looked in my rear view mirror and remembered just how big this vehicle is. Site lines are good with decent sized mirrors. Those mirrors each feature a refracted lens for your blind spot. Driving this big CUV was a pleasant experience. The steering was not overly light but more is more car-like than big SUV. The power is more than enough to overpower the front wheels on numerous occasions. Slamming the gas pedal will result in the tires trying to grip the pavement, but the traction control quickly kicks in.
The interior is styled very nicely. With a large amount of space to work with, the designers definitely tried their best to sculpt the materials to prevent the look of vast expanses of plastic and it is job well done for the most part. The dash has nice lines and fits well with the current Chevrolet styling theme. The interior was a very dark place with everything being dark charcoal (pretty close to black) and no sunroof option on this vehicle. The seats are wide and somewhat flat and, without question, these are seats made for Americans. I liked the front seatback design which is unique and looks nice. The second row tumbles forward to allow entrance to the third row which is not a place an adult will want to spend time, although a child will be comfortable and it folds flat at the pull of a handle. Another sign that this vehicle is made for Americans is the cup holders because they are literally everywhere.
The styling of the exterior is very conservative. The sides are very plain and almost slab sided. Upon looking further, you will notice a slight character line towards the bottom of the doors and one near the door handles. These are by no means strong lines, but rather soft. The lines all integrate with each other quite well, flowing from one panel to the next with no break. The front is the sharpest part of the vehicle. The dual port grille and the headlights show similarity to the rest of the new Chevrolet vehicles, while still being distinctly different. The overall exterior will not offend anyone and is by far the most conservative of the three other Lambda vehicles.
The Traverse I had was a 1LT with a sticker price of $31,745. The trailoring package, which included a heavy duty cooling system and trailer hitch, cost $525. The rear view camera system is a $450 option was done the right way, in my opinion. With no navigation optioned on this vehicle, the screen was integrated into the rear view mirror; very easy to use and convenient. The total sticker price after destination and options rang to $33,495, and while this is not cheap, it is competitive for its class.
The entire week I had the Traverse, I felt like I should be heading to the soccer field to pick up the kids. While the vehicle has more then enough power to get up and go, it is by no means sporty and that is not its intentions. The vehicle is a family hauler, designed and engineered to deliver the kids to soccer practice and make trips to Costco.
The competition is stiff in this segment and the Traverse is here for the fight. Naturally, the big blue oval is a competitor in the Ford Flex but actually, the Flex and the Traverse are completely different vehicles. I can not imagine someone that wants a Flex will even give the Traverse a second thought and vice versa.
In commercials, Chevrolet compares the Traverse to the Honda Pilot and, while both sport three rows of seating, the Traverse is the larger vehicle. Without a doubt, the Traverse is a highly competitive entry into a cut-throat segment and the vehicle I had at just over $33k is a decent alternative if you do not want a minivan. Chevrolet buyers finally have a vehicle that is not a minivan but can haul the family while achieving acceptable fuel economy
Full Disclosure- The review vehicle was provided by General Motors
2010 Buick LaCrosse
I have heard the “New GM” say over and over again that any product launch can not be just a launch, it has to be a success. The new LaCrosse for Buick is no exception, and in fact, this is the car that is helping to “reinvent” the Buick brand. The Enclave that debuted two years ago went in the reinvention direction, it was however, less reinvention and more a new segment for the brand. The Enclave was the vehicle that started generating younger foot traffic into Buick showrooms. That is a good start, and this new LaCrosse looks to keep that momentum going. So how is the car? Well this is not your grandpa’s Buick.
The last generation LaCrosse was a curvy affair that had four headlights and the bland styling of white bread. Buick has set its sights upon some new comers and some industry leaders ranging from the new Lincoln MKZ and Acura TL to the recently updated Lexus ES350 and let’s not forget the aging, and not gracefully I might add, Toyota Avalon. These are the “main competitors” in GM’s view. The list makes sense to me, although I believe, the main direct competitor is the Lexus ES350. The advertising is poking at Lexus and the Buick is actually better looking.
The exterior design of the new LaCrosse has a very strong sweep spear line down the side. The character line goes continuously from the headlights all the way down the side to the tail lights, creating a long and flowing line that helps to give the sides character. This, along with curves toward the bottom of the doors, keep the car from appearing slab sided. The front has a new modernized interpretation on the Buick waterfall grille. Following the current trend, this car has a high belt line and the result is down right good looking. No yawn inducing smoothed out jelly bean here. The bland styling from the previous generation LaCrosse has been kicked to the curb for LED tail lights and that bold character line down the side. With dual exhaust and finishers, the whole outside screams “I have style”.
Everyone that got in the interior commented on how nice the Lexus was. That is until I told them it was the new Buick. It took their breath away. Once you get past that you are in a Buick, you have to stop yourself because suddenly you want to admit you like this Buick. It is ok, someday it will be the cool thing, and this is the big first step toward that day. The interior was designed with input from the Chinese division within GM. Why would they do that you ask? The answer is because Buick is a smash hit over in China, so they decided to have the market where Buick sells best design the interior. Lets just say, bravo. The gauge cluster looks great, probably one of the best in any GM vehicle. The whole entire dash is covered in soft material which is how it should be. The bottom, by your knees and where the glove box is, continues to be made of hard plastic. It does look good, and you will rarely touch it. The steering wheel both tilts and telescopes to help find the perfect driving position.
The car I had was a top tier CXS model with no additional options other then special paint for $195. The sticker price was $33,960. Equipped with an auxiliary jack and a USB port you could listen to your music from your iPhone or iPod through the Harmon Kardon branded sound system which sounded great. I would even venture to say it rivals the Mark Levinson sound system in the Lexus ES350. The wheels were 18″ with chrome plating. I really liked the CXS standard heated steering wheel.
The car comes with three different engines. The top shelf CXS I had came with a one choice 3.6 liter V6 featuring direct injection putting out 280 hp and 259 lb-ft to the front wheels. Rated at 17/27 mpg, the car averaged 21.5 mpg with a mix of city/highway driving. If you step down one trim level to the CXL you can get all wheel drive as a option, but you can not get the 3.6 V6, you have one choice, a 3.0 liter with 255 hp and 217 lb-ft. The base CX model comes in front wheel drive with the 3.0 V6 standard though a 2.4 liter four cylinder with 182 hp and 172 lb-ft is optional. I was surprised with how well the torque steer was in check with front wheel drive and the larger 3.6 liter V6.
So it seems all cheers here right? Buick hit a home run with no flaws. Well not exactly. The car uses old goose neck hinges for the trunk which significantly eat into the trunk room. Though the arms are covered so they can not crush luggage, that does not stop them from eating trunk space in a large way. Yes the Lexus ES350 uses them too, but that is not an excuse. Also, the seat tracks in the front have a very open design that, in theory, could easily devour a long evening gown while moving back or forth. Also, as I have mentioned, I am not a huge fan of this high belt line trend. Sure I am being nit picky I will admit that, but they did that good of a job. My biggest complaint is simple. You can not see the rear end when backing up. This thing needs a back up camera stat! The only way to get the back up camera is to have the optional navigation package. When the back up camera is standard on the GMC Terrain, which has a base price less then this CXS, something is not right.
The new LaCrosse certainly is not your grandpa’s Buick anymore. This cars main target are the people shopping for a Lexus ES350. It hits that target while being a better value, having more character, and is overall better looking. Certainly a few things I mentioned could use tweaking, but overall this is a nice execution on General Motors part. Buick’s new marketing slogan is “The new class of world class”, and for the first time this brand has a car that is world class.
2010 Buick LaCrosse
Buick has been using the tag line “Take a look at me now” with its advertising and it is not working for them. They are finally starting to get product that would warrant such a tagline such as the Enclave and now, the new for 2010 LaCrosse. Seeing as the tagline and advertising is a bit stale General Motors has come up with a new campaign. The new spot titled “The new class of world class” will start airing soon.
Bob Lutz who has most recently turned his sights on the marketing area of GM is really honing in on Buick’s message. He was recently quoted by Automotive News as saying the new spots are “aggressive stuff”. That’s good because Buick needs some aggressive advertising now that it is one of the four core brands left of GM. I am personally excited to see the new spots and hope they are successful now that Buick finally has some good product both in the showroom and on the way.
2010 Buick LaCrosse Interior
Episode 32 features many different dreams either coming to realization or turning into nightmares. Tony Pimpo, from GMInsideNews, is this Episode’s guest along with Joel Feder and Justin Loyear.
