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 GMInsidenewsthat GM plans to still sell and produce the Vuick but only for China. It will be a youth oriented crossover.
The Lexus RX350 is the class leader, the segment champion, it is what all others are measured against. You get the idea. Without question the competition is trying to knock this vehicle off its podium. Most “car guys” hate the RX350 and for one reason, it is the essence of beige. What’s beige you ask. Beige is boring, bland, not dynamic, uninspiring and overall just blah. Yet that seems to resonate with the general public in the U.S.
The RX350 is a cross-over utility vehicle that is front-wheel-drive based with optional all-wheel-drive. The 2010 is the third generation of the RX cross-over. The second generation RX was very evolutionary while the third generation is a slightly more drastic change, but still in many regards evolutionary. Though, being evolutionary is not a bad thing, when you are the segment leader. Lexus is doing something right with the RX and rightfully would like to keep the sales momentum going. Losing market share over a huge redesign would be a nightmare. So what is the reason this vehicle sells so well?
The entire experience of both riding and driving the third generation Lexus RX is easy. Everything is easy: from the ingress into the vehicle, to the light steering, to the simple yet good-looking gauge cluster. Things seem intuitive and easy to operate. Everything has a buttery smooth feeling while operating the RX. The transmission is smooth and never seems to have a rough spot, while the powertrain is refined. The ride is never harsh either. The dual pane windows make the RX especially quiet as well. The leather is soft and supple while at the same time the seats are supportive. The family will definitely be very comfy cruising to the coffee shop in this cross-over.
As I mentioned above the exterior on the RX continues as an evolutionary design. The styling is called “L-Finesse design” by Lexus and is used across the whole brand. Highlighted by soft curves and flowing lines the CUV is not “sharp” like the Cadillac SRX styling. Instead, it’s soft and inoffensive. The whole front end of the RX does have more sculpting overall then the previous generation. From the side view, the front fenders have a shoulder like line that continues down the side of the CUV to meet the rear taillights continuing into the rear bumper. The rear has an integrated rear spoiler, which hides the rear wiper when not in use. In my opinion, the exterior overall is improved from the last generation mainly due to more sculpting and more character lines that flow into each other.
The interior of the new RX has had a complete overhaul. The center stack now has a swoosh starting in the center stack that goes across the front passenger seat onto the dash. The center stack has a LCD screen in the upper brow that shows the radio and climate control information. The materials all feel terrific with soft touch pieces placed almost over the entire cabin.
There was however, one piece of plastic that felt particularly out place. This piece felt so out of place I wanted to make a point to talk about it. The piece of plastic on the center console right to the left of the gearshift and it runs down into the center console between the seats. This is the lone piece of plastic that felt ridiculously cheap and it was very hard. It was out of place next to the soft touch dash materials.
Note The Ridiculously Cheap Feeling/Looking Piece Of Plastic
The gauge cluster had a cool blue hue that bled down from the top of the cluster. The rear seats slid fore and aft to either increase rear seat legroom or rear cargo room depending on preference. The seats also fold flat at the pull of a handle. This is a feature I noted on the new Chevy Equinox and GMC Terrain that I thought was especially clever. This feature is notably absent from the new Cadillac SRX.
The powertrain as I mentioned was very smooth. The sole engine choice in the RX350 is a 3.5L V6 putting out 275 hp and 257 ft-lb to either the front wheels while all wheel drive is optional. The power it channeled through the six-speed automatic with manual shifting capabilities. Rated at 18/25 mpg in front wheel drive I saw an average of 18.5 mpg. There is an eco indicator that comes on when you are driving gently. The RX350 I drove was front-wheel-drive and exhibited little to no torque steer (tugging of the steering wheel under hard acceleration). Going around corners the suspension is soft and you will feel some body roll. This is not a sports car or even a sporty CUV, though it makes no such claims.
The RX350 I had was equipped with both packaged and standalone options. The premium package costs $2,400 and added things such as: USB audio connectivity, front seat memory, moonroof, power rear hatch and auto dimming mirrors. Standalone options included: the integrated back up camera system which tied into the rear view mirror for $350, wood and leather steering wheel and shit knob for $330, heated and ventilated front seats for $640. The total sticker price after destination came to $42,220.
Personally I never loved the last generation Rx350. Admittedly I liked it more then the first generation. I somewhat feel the same way about the new third generation. I am not in love with it but it is better then the second generation. Clearly, I am not the correct demographic for this vehicle. This makes sense as it would not be high on my personal list of vehicles to own. All that said, I would have absolutely no hesitation recommending this vehicle to someone looking for a luxurious crossover to get from point A to point B.
Would it be my top recommendation in the competitive luxury CUV segment? Only if the RX is what the person already wants to buy because really I have no reason to say it is a bad vehicle. I just wish there was more engagement to the driving dynamics.
In the end, I can see why this is the class leader in the segment. With this third generation the Lexus RX has the goods to continue holding the sales segment title. If I were to use cooking as a metaphor for the RX: the third generation has certainly had a bit of spice added for additional flavor, but the chef has not deviated too far from the winning recipe that made it the sales success it has enjoyed.
Full Disclosure- Vehicle was from a local Lexus dealership.
As I mentioned in my first review, the new Equinox is class leading, improving heavily over the original version. When equipped with the four cylinder, the Equinox is a great vehicle. The mileage is top of the pack in the 5-seat, SUV class and exclusive features are great, but the real question is how does the Equinox perform with a V6 engine?
The interior of the LTZ tester I had was two tone black and cream. The leather seats were comfortable and looked terrific. The dash was hard plastic but still looked good: hard plastic is not out of place for this segment. The center stack lit up at night in a cool blue but is never overpowering. The center console is able to swallow a fifteen inch laptop whole! There is no question the interior is well designed. One of the nice features was the back seat’s flexibility. The back seat has the ability to slide back and forth like front seats to either create more legroom for passengers or more cargo room in the rear.
The exterior has a strong character line that runs from the front fender to the rear. The styling is round and a more conservative appearance than its brother, the GMC Terrain. The headlights in the upper trim levels have projector low beams with fog lamps that put out a surprising amount of light on the road. The exterior chrome accents on the bumpers, door handles, mirrors and luggage rail inserts all add to the great exterior looks. The exaggerated fender flares are not aggressive and yet add to the Equinox’s stance. The dual exhaust, only available on the V6 model, peeks out from the rear bumper with the dual chrome tips, adding the perfect finish to the rear end.
The Equinox I had was equipped with the optional V6 which costs $1,500 and puts out 264 hp and 222 ft-lb. Combined with all wheel drive, the V6 model is rated at 17/24 mpg. I averaged 17 in the city and 20 on the highway but I am sure it would beat the rated mpg on the highway if the cruise control was not set at 77 mph. Both the four cylinder and the V6 models put the power out through a one choice six speed transmission with manual shift capabilities. The transmission programming is inconsistent, sometimes pulling away from a stoplight, it would rev to 4000 rpm and then perform a lazy shift while pulling away. But then I observed at the next stoplight, while pulling away in the same manner, a quick shift occurred at 2500 rpm. This inconsistency improved under hard acceleration and the transmission shifts quickly at redline, so, it was only under light or partial acceleration that the transmission and the shifts were slow and lazy. Even when using the manual shift, the shifts were again lazy, reacting slowly and taking its time to make the change.
The LTZ model already has most optional equipment included as standard but the model I had was also equipped with 19″ chrome clad aluminum wheels for $900. They looked good and finished off the exterior chrome accents well. The total sticker price on the model I had was $32,940 and had everything other then optional rear seat entertainment.
The new Equinox is selling as fast as GM can produce them and is class leading in many respects. The V6 provides more low end torque which means less revving of the engine to get underway although you do take a hit in the fuel mileage numbers when opting for the V6. The real story with the Equinox is the four cylinder engine, without a question. Some of the competition’s V6 options offer slightly better fuel economy numbers than the V6 in the Equinox but that does not change the fact that the overall package is very competitive. Overall, I would be torn with which engine to choose if I was purchasing an Equinox although I would suggest test driving both. It really comes down to what is important; extra power, especially in the low revs, or overall fuel economy. One thing is for sure: this new Equinox is quite an upgrade. Now if only the transmission programming was as great as the rest of the vehicle.
Full Disclosure- The review vehicle was provided by General Motors
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.
Source- Chris Baccus
