ROAD TEST ~ 2011 BUICK LACROSSE CXS
Buick turns heads and perceptions with the 2011 LaCrosse CXS
If you want to see how General Motors has turned itself around, take a good look at the 2011 Buick LaCrosse CXS.
On our way to a luncheon event, the head of public relations for a German luxury carmaker remarked on the sumptuous interior of the CXS and its wood inlays and French stitching on the leather trim pieces.Trimmed back to four brands (Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac, GMC), platforms and drivetrains are still shared but there is a growing delineation between brands where a Chev looks like a Chev and Caddy looks like a Caddy.
It’s the simple formula of one brand being a step up that made GM the biggest car company in the world half a century ago.
There used to be jokes about people who drove Buicks being doddering oldsters venturing out once a week to buy denture adhesive. Indeed I once saw a study that claimed the average age of a Buick owner was 80.
That changed last year with the arrival of the Canadian-made Buick Regal.
Here was a car that shed the old-man image with style, great fuel economy and, for the first time in a long time, a Buick that was entertaining to drive.
That also proves to be the case with the 2011 Buick LaCrosse.
I was expecting to drive a pillow on four wheels, but such was not the case.
Gutsy and very responsive with Buick’s new high performance front suspension on the CXS model as tested here, it felt balanced more like a rear-drive car than the front-driver it is.
Buick calls it HiPer Strut. It was engineered to reduce torque steer on acceleration at the same time as absorbing loads on the front tires, like hitting a pothole so the inputs to the fingers on the steering wheel still provide excellent feel.
The LaCrosse model lineup is surprisingly diverse starting with the CX powered by GM’s ubiquitous 2.4-litre twin-cam inline four-cylinder with 182 hp and 172 lb/ft of torque. The other three LaCrosse versions rely on GM’s other workhorse, the DOHC 3.6-litre V6 with 280 hp and 259 lb/ft of torque. The 2.4-litre is an option on the mid-range CXL. All versions of the LaCrosse are equipped with a six-speed automatic transmission with sequential shift capability.
While front-wheel-drive is standard, the CXL optionally offers a Haldex-based all-wheel-drive system the same as Audi uses.
With an electronic limited slip differential, up to 80 per cent of torque can be sent to the rear wheels for the most traction. In all other circumstance, the system routes traction to the wheels with most grip.
Later in the year Buick LaCrosse will add the eAssist model that uses a state-of-the-art 115-volt lithium-ion battery system and latest-generation 15-kW electric motor-generator to enable regenerative braking, which takes place anytime the driver is off the throttle.
As handsome as the exterior is, it’s the interior that surprises not by just its elegance, but its size, especially the back seat.
In all dimensions, headroom, hip room, shoulder room and legroom between the front and rear are nearly identical. Legroom for instance is 1,059/991 mm (41.7/39.0 in) front/rear.
All that space in the back results in the trunk being on the small size at 363 litres (12.8 cu ft) but is augmented by the 60/40 split/fold rear seat back.
The CXS as tested here includes almost two pages of features as listed in the brochure, running from a full suite of driver and safety aids to heated/cooled perforated leather seats to the 11-speaker Harman/Kardon 5.1 surround sound system with 384 watts of power or a three-prong 120-volt household power plug.
If you want, the 3.6-litre is rated to tow 454 kg (1,000 lbs). Towing with the 2.4-litre is not advised.
One thing you notice right away is how quiet the LaCrosse is on the road.
It wasn’t until I was going through the brochure that I noticed a line about what Buick calls “QuietTuning” technologies that include gobs of sound deadening materials and acoustic laminated front windows and windshield.
On yet another journey to retrieve my son from college for the weekend, the CXS proved a very enjoyable ride with the long legs of the overdrive sixth gear carrying me along at just over 2,000 rpm.Adding to the drive was the dual glass panoramic sunroof, a $1,600 option.
Another pricey option fitted was the $5,216 touch screen navigation/infotainment system.
As tested, the CXS was priced at $51,480 including a $1,000 shipping fee from the plant in the U.S. Base price for the LaCrosse CXS is $41,870.
Fuel consumption for the V6 in the CXS is rated at 12.2/7.3L/100 km (23/39 mpg) city/highway.
Buick has come a long way in a very short time and it is cars like the 2011 LaCrosse that are changing how a lot of people perceive not just the brand, but GM as a whole.
BODY STYLE: mid-size sedan.
DRIVE METHOD: front-engine, front-wheel-drive.
ENGINE: 3.6-litre DOHC V6 (280 hp, 259 lb/ft)
FUEL ECONOMY: 12.2/7.3L/100 km (23/39 mpg) city/highway
TOWING CAPACITY: 454 kg (1,000 lb)
PRICE: $41,870; as tested, $51,480 including $1,000 shipping fee
