Accelerate Mpls

I do not even know where to start. The Toyota situation is getting so far out of hand it is not even funny. This started months ago when a family was killed when driving a loaner Lexus ES350. That situation has since come into the limelight of both the media and the government. Currently, the total recall count is a little over 6 million vehicles. This is due to the “sticky accelerator.”

The decision came down Tuesday that all sales would come to a halt on the vehicles affected. This sales freeze will be in affect until a fix can be implemented. Toyota has said they expect a fix in the next two weeks rather than months. With that said, they failed to mention what that fix might be. I would call this a “we are scrambling as quickly as possible” tactic. Many are convinced Toyota does not have a fix yet. Others are reporting Toyota already has the fix and new parts are starting to ship. It is hard to know what to believe at this point. The freeze affects eight models which makes up about sixty percent of all North American sales for Toyota. The list of affected vehicles is as follows-

• 2009-10 RAV4

• 2009-10 Corolla

• 2009-10 Matrix

• 2005-10 Avalon

• Certain 2007-10 Camry

• 2010 Highlander

• 2007-10 Tundra

• 2008-10 Sequoia

Avis/Budget car rental announced they will be removing nearly 20,000 Toyota’s from its fleet immediately. Enterprise Rent-A-Car, who now also owns Alamo and National Car Rental, will be pulling all Toyota’s and Pontiac Vibe’s included in the recall. While numbers were not provided by Enterprise it is estimated to be about 4% of their fleet.

It is coming out now that Toyota has known there was problem since mid 2008. In June of 2008, Toyota announced “sticky pedals” are a drivability issue not a safety issue. Well we all know how that turned out now that people have died. Toyota has ignored this problem. They continued to sell cars when they knew something was wrong! This is just ridiculous. Even further, Toyota was contacted last Friday by NHSTA after they heard the models were still being sold. It took four days for Toyota to make the announcement of the sales freeze on the affected models. It almost seems as if they had no intentions of stopping sales until it started hitting the public and governmental eyes.

I have spoken with many people who are shocked at this whole situation. In a conversation with a gentleman in the baby boomer generation the words, “Never in my life have I seen an auto manufacturer halt sales of over half their line up. This is history in the making.” He continued to compare this situation to 9/11, the difference is that this is going on inside Toyota. Another friend compared Toyota to big tobacco.

Many see this whole situation as getting out of control. I have heard some say it is snowballing. I personally think this is far from over and it will get much worse. Toyota’s reputation has now been thrown into question in front of the public view and in a terrible way. It will be interesting to see how current Toyota owners react when it is time for them to purchase a new car. This could benefit Ford, Hyundai, and General Motors. Time will tell if that happens. In recap, Toyota knew what was going on before people were killed, they continued to sell vehicles, more people died, did not fully think through the recall, things are going to get worse. I think I’m going to get sick.

Episode 8 starts by discussing the past week on both of our respective blogs, AutoBird Blog and AccelerateMpls.  The week in review included GMAC, my Lexus ES350 review, the dead 2011 NSX and the Cadillac SRX I just took delivery of for the week.  The next topic is the Saab story that continues to unfold.  Our conversation moved on to the upcoming Detroit Auto Show (NAIAS) and what we have heard will be there.  The last topic we cover is the 2010 North American car and truck of the year.

You may ask yourself why would someone want to buy a Lexus ES350.  In essence, the Lexus ES350 is essentially a really nice Toyota Camry.  For the higher price you receive a much nicer dealer experience, a cushier ride, and overall a nicer car.  This car has no sporty pretensions about it.  The industry keeps moving towards sporty cars while this car retains the traditional luxury feel.  Lexus has made strides to become a little sportier on other models, but this is a break in that formula.

The ES350 is designed using what Lexus calls “L-Finesse design”.  The result of this design particularly in the ES350, is a bland car.  The car tends to just blend right in.  Those characteristics continue onto the inside with a simple design. The dash is soft touch and gauge cluster is very good looking.  The clock on the dash looks like a cheap wrist watch which seems to take away from the interior.  The seats are road trip worthy, though they have no real support for energetic driving.  With plenty of real wood thrown around the interior, this car is a nice place to spend your time with a few things that seem dated.

The ES350 is powered by a once choice 3.5L V6 which is ULEV II (Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle) certified.  This engine is good for 272 hp and 254 lb-ft which is channeled through a six speed automatic transmission.  The transmission does have manual shifting abilities but no paddles are included.  Like the Camry, the ES350 is front wheel drive and is not available in all wheel drive form.  Rated at 19/27 mpg, the ES350 posts respectable milage numbers.  Though most drivers will not be speed demons the car is rated at 6.8 seconds 0-60 which is respectable in its class.  Torque steer is well in check and the steering is very light.  Driving the ES350 is a very uneventful affair.  The car can literally just cruise along.

The car I had was a base model with optional equipment including heated and ventilated front seats, and a wood and leather trimmed steering wheel and shift nob.  The sticker price for the vehicle I had was $36,645.  That is nearly $3,000 more than the better equipped Buick LaCrosse.  The LaCrosse is more engaging to drive and overall had a better driving balance.  The interior of the LaCrosse also has more design character and feels slightly richer.  I am comparing the ES350 to the LaCrosse in a harsh way and the reason is simple.  The all new for 2010 Buick LaCrosse is trying through both marketing and design, to directly take on the ES350.

So this all seems to circle back to the beginning.  The car drives like it looks, boring, fluid, yet comfortable.  The dealer experience is top notch.  The question I have is why pick this over the Buick LaCrosse?  The LaCrosse seems to be more car for the money and is definitely more engaging to drive.  Picking the Lexus ES350 over the Buick LaCrosse comes down to two simple reasons.  The first is Buick has an image problem.  Though it is worth noting they are working swiftly to try and change the brand’s perception.  The second is the dealer experience.  The Buick dealership does not give out free loaner cars and will not pamper you anything like the Lexus dealership.  At the end of the day, the Lexus ES350 is a fine car, but now there is real competition in the price point now and Lexus needs to step up their game.

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.