Test drove LaCrosse

[sooner1]

While getting my 01 Regal LS winterized this morning, the salesman who sold me the Regal offered a one-owner 05 Lacrosse with 10,000 miles for a test drive. It was a silver CXL. I checked to see if it fit the garage (it did) and took it out 10 miles out of town to check highway driving. It was hard to tell if it was quieter than the Regal, as we have a lot of wind in central Kansas right now, but it seemed so while in town. Ride was very tight and controlled and brakes felt confident, and much improved over my Regal. In fact, the ABS brakes on my car have been checked twice because of pulsing, but no problems have ever been found. Seats, while somewhat less conforming and somewhat flat, were much firmer than the Regal, with significantly better lower back support. It was harder to see out the rear window, making the bumper radar a good deal. The windows did not seem to have the same height as the Regal; my elbow rested high despite seat adjustment. Stereo, though pretty good, lacked the precise clarity of my Regal's Monsoon system. The car's style does grow on you. I like the nose; it looks a lot like the last Riv. Check out the tail lights in a darkened garage (I did). While everyone is doing that round-light-in-a-parabolic-or-square-frame, the illumination is quite sharp looking. All in all, a very nice experience. Fit and finish were excellent. Had thought that my next car would be an 04 Park avenue or a pre-owned G6 but this drive has really swayed me toward the LaCrosse. It's no GT but it's an exceptional value. If the Regal didn't have 13 more payments, I would have driven home with a new car today. Two last comments: The car was not traded in due to dissatisfaction. The couple traded in on an '06 LaCrosse. In fact, it was the same couple (yes, 85-year-olds) who were the previously owners of my Regal. These are the things one learns in a small town. As for being an old man's car, I'm 44 and will stay with Buick if they keep building cars like this. And last note: the salesman offered a Lucerne for a drive the next time the Regal comes in for an oil change. Randy 01 silver Regal LS with touring package. Central Kansas

[zoomtm]

cool :)

[Cananopie]

I have a 2000 Regal LSE which is loaded for what the Regal offered for at the time. I can't think of anything that wasn't on my package from the sport suspension to the dual climate control to the Spoiler and best chrome rims the Regal offered. Obviously there is a whole lot more that I'm not mentioning but I know what a top-of-the-line Regal entails (though it's now 5 years old but was only 3 years old when I bought it with only 20k miles on it). And I think I failed to mention this but my parents, whom I still live with (hooray for college, it's great not moving on with your life til it's finished) bought a LaCrosse during the GM Employee Pricing Extravaganza. It is a tan-esque CXL 2005 and they were considering a red CXS but they're people of simplicity and the extra money for the 3.6 wasn't worth it because they TRUST the 3.8 (because thats all they've owned for the last decade and a half) and it was fast enough for them. My experience with the CXL LaCrosse compared to my Regal LSE was similar to your experience with your Regal and LaCrosse you drove. I agree completely with the seats, I enjoy the lack of bottom back support the Regal provides because the lumbar support just feels weird to me in the LaCrosse. However the seats are a lot more firm than the Regal. The cluster gauge is really miles ahead of the Regal. When I first got in it I was annoyed the "5s" weren't marked but when I got back in to my Regal and my cluster gauge looked cluttered and less elegant. When you turn on the LaCrosse you don't know the engine is running, opposite of my Regal, not that my engine is particularly loud, but it's obviously noticeable. I'm noting the obvious difference between the Series 2 and Series 3 engine along with the sound deadening the LaCrosse makes the 3800 become a "proper" engine, I know many of you were worried about the lack of elegance the 3800 portrays and from my Regal to the LaCrosse there is a world of difference, any of you who do not believe it must have never sat in the LaCrosse. For more assurance, though I know personal anecdotes aren't proof of anything really, I was out to eat with my friend who is a car buff and we got in the LaCrosse and I started it and he said "Well, aren't you gonna start it?" and I said "I did." That is a real story from someone who enjoys cars, he wasn't ignorant to how engines sound when they start. When flooring it the low-end torque is really good but once you're in the higher RPMS it doesn't give the same effort where my Regal, I feel, does, but I also don't think my Regal has the same starting power as the LaCrosse. The handling is good and really the only negative things about the car is the rear seat with lack of headroom for tall people and legroom for tall people. But the problem I personally have with it compared to my Regal is the LaCrosse seems to have taken the effeminate role in the Buick vehicles while the Lucerne is now the masculine vehicle. I am basing this judgement solely on the engine which, in all actuality, is over half the car for me. Granted both vehicles have the 3.8 as the base engine but knowing the LaCrosse can only have 240 HP NA at most really bugs me and is why I'd appreciate the LaCrosse Super to be made. The Lucerne has at least a more respectable upper-end Horsepower, though I wish it had more power too. My next vehicle buy will be a Buick, it's still a tossup though if it's going to be a LaCrosse Super or a Lucerne CXS.

[sooner1]

Nice to see you've had good experiences with the LaCrosse. Like you, my Regal was loaded. Aside from not having the heated seats, spoiler, or sunroof, it's all there. LOVE the Monsoon stereo. What I didn't mention last time was the steering. It seemed much improved over the Regal. Despite my car's Yokohama Avid touring tires, the car still seems to wallow a bit on sharp turns - the LaCrosse did not. One of my reservations about the LaCrosse was the instrument panel. The close proximity of the gauges in what seemed like a small opening just didn't seem to look attractive compared to the more spread out Regal dash. However, use while driving suggests it is a tighter, more efficient display. The gauges are attractive as well. The attention to minor details, like the less tinny sound of the turn signal, is appreciated. I saw 2 LaCrosses (LaCrossi?) on the way home - one silver like the one I drove, and one white. The more I look at them, the more I like it. I hope a silver or blue one is in my future next year. Red would be nice, but not in dusty Kansas. I did sign up for a Lucerne VIP premier next week at a dealership 90 miles away, though, so we'll see what that experience is like.

[Cananopie]

Yea! You're right! The turn signal is less tinny! I noticed that too, the whole car has a refined elegance the Regal is missing. And I promise you, just drive a LaCrosse a few times and you will prefer the instrument panel, my only complaint is I am not a fan of the little dots they use in the Driver Information Center, I like the Regal's more clear DIC. For praise on the Regal I do also love the Monsoon system very very much but I know the LaCrosse has its own system that my parents do not have in theirs that I'm sure is just as nice if not better. I do have the heated seats, sunroof, and spoiler and I do appreciate them, I really think they make the car a lot better, even the spoiler, it takes the Century image right away from the Regal. I'd only want a black LaCrosse, possibly the blue if I bought one. But for the Lucerne I'd want the all black exterior and the all black interior for the CXS or perhaps the blue exterior with the tuxedo blue/whatever other color that is, I'm still on a toss up for that. I am going to the dealership thing as well, but 90 miles! Wow! You must really love your Buicks too.

[sooner1]

This 01 Regal is my first Buick. I've mostly had Fords/Mercurys before that (74 Pinto, 78 Fairmont, 93 Tracer, 98 Contour) and one incredibly bad 86 Olds Ciera (paint flaked off the roof daily, radio and power antenna both failed, cup of engine collant disappeared daily with no driveway puddles, all with 1 year remaining on car payments). I didn't really start liking Buicks until the 95 Riv, the 97 Park Avenue (I love that ridge that starts at the front and goes along the windows like the Riv), and the 97 Regal. I saw a section on the PBS program "Motorweek" on the Buick Seat Comfort team's work with these models and was impressed, having driven a rental 95 Lumina with lousy seats. Last March, I drove to Kansas City (5 hour drive) for the car show there. They had a black CXL, a steel grey CXL, a cashmere CX, and a red CXS on display. They also had a silver Lucerne on a rotating display. It was a great car show - they had the new Lexus 430, a Ford Fusion, a Mercury Milan, a Lincoln Zephr, a Charger, and a Pontiac Solstice on display. But I love Buicks - if there was three car garage, a Lucerne, a LaCrosse and a Park Avenue would be in it. Our dealer, the only one in town, has a silver Lucerne CX and a standstone CXL on the lot. I really like the silver one and hope to drive it if it's still there in 3 months. They had a red CXS in the show room last weekend but it's gone now and not seen on the lot. A silver 06 DTS is in its place in the showroom and it is incredible, though way out of my league.

[Paolino]

This 01 Regal is my first Buick. I've mostly had Fords/Mercurys before that (74 Pinto, 78 Fairmont, 93 Tracer, 98 Contour) and one incredibly bad 86 Olds Ciera (paint flaked off the roof daily, radio and power antenna both failed, cup of engine collant disappeared daily with no driveway puddles, all with 1 year remaining on car payments). I didn't really start liking Buicks until the 95 Riv, the 97 Park Avenue (I love that ridge that starts at the front and goes along the windows like the Riv), and the 97 Regal. I saw a section on the PBS program "Motorweek" on the Buick Seat Comfort team's work with these models and was impressed, having driven a rental 95 Lumina with lousy seats. Last March, I drove to Kansas City (5 hour drive) for the car show there. They had a black CXL, a steel grey CXL, a cashmere CX, and a red CXS on display. They also had a silver Lucerne on a rotating display. It was a great car show - they had the new Lexus 430, a Ford Fusion, a Mercury Milan, a Lincoln Zephr, a Charger, and a Pontiac Solstice on display.  But I love Buicks - if there was three car garage, a Lucerne, a LaCrosse and a Park Avenue would be in it.

Our dealer, the only one in town, has a silver Lucerne CX and a standstone CXL on the lot. I really like the silver one and hope to drive it if it's still there in 3 months. They had a red CXS in the show room last weekend but it's gone now and not seen on the lot. A silver 06 DTS is in its place in the showroom and it is incredible, though way out of my league.

[post="52370"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

How did you like the Slatestone color?

Regarding the gauges, they are very nice in the LaCrosse, elegant, however, I still hate the way they are illuminated! Ditto on the illumination of the Lucerne although the blue color is more pronounced there. Not sure I'm fond of the red needles though.

[sooner1]

Looking at the Buick website, I thought I would like it. It doesn't look as gold colored as the Buick website suggests. It looks like a mocha color, like coffee with cream added or like hot chocolate. Look at getauto.com for some examples of the sandstone and some of the other colors. The lighter colored cashmere seems to have a stronger gold color. I'd really like to see the dark garnet red but the crimson red is the color they show most often.

[Paolino]

Looking at the Buick website, I thought I would like it. It doesn't look as gold colored as the Buick website suggests. It looks like a mocha color, like coffee with cream added or like hot chocolate. Look at getauto.com for some examples of the sandstone and some of the other colors. The lighter colored cashmere seems to have a stronger gold color. I'd really like to see the dark garnet red but the crimson red is the color they show most often.

[post="52382"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

No, I'm not talking about Sandstone, I'm talking about Slatestone.... and now that I reread your post... I am reading Standstone... I don't know why my brain read "Slatestone"! lol

Nevermind :)

[rivieraranch]

Poor Gas Mileage is the consistent complaint with regard to the CXS with the 3.6 if you read all the consumer comments in the Edmunds website. Even where the consumers do not specifically mention bad fuel economy in their discussion, they invariably rate fuel economy as a numeric value below what they rate the car for other categories.

[Paolino]

Poor Gas Mileage is the consistent complaint with regard to the CXS with the 3.6 if you read all the consumer comments in the Edmunds website. Even where the consumers do not specifically mention bad fuel economy in their discussion, they invariably rate fuel economy as a numeric value below what they rate the car for other categories.

[post="52628"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

Well, I imagine the 6-speed will help with that.

[buickguy]

how is the LaCrosse in the snow?

[NeonLX]

Anyone compared the 3.6L with the 3800? I'm guessing that the 3.6L comes into its own when you really nail the accelerator but in "normal" driving, the 3800 has plenty of guts. Personally, I like the proven durability and the good fuel economy of the 3800 and I'm guessing I wouldn't miss the extra high RPM oomph of the 3.6L...but I could be wrong...

[Cananopie]

Anyone compared the 3.6L with the 3800?  I'm guessing that the 3.6L comes into its own when you really nail the accelerator but in "normal" driving, the 3800 has plenty of guts. Personally, I like the proven durability and the good fuel economy of the 3800 and I'm guessing I wouldn't miss the extra high RPM oomph of the 3.6L...but I could be wrong...

[post="53089"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

If the 3.8 has been enough for you in the past, the 3.8 in the LaCrosse should still be enough for you. It's very quick and definitely gives you the power you're looking for when you floor it. Only when its high in RPMs do you notice a bit of a lull but unless you plan on racing it, it shouldn't be a problem.

Buickguy
I've driven the LaCrosse in the snow a few times and it does very well, of course tires are what really makes the difference. The traction control does the job its supposed to do very well.