Chinese Buick Lacrosse

[Mike The Canadian]

well my thoughts on it are, it looks kinda outdated (grille and side) but good. But the back is very new-sentra and altima like...

the interior is spectacular (anyone recognize the enclave gear selecter? I think...)

http://www.buick.com.cn/lacrosse_pictures.aspx

[Flybrian]

As I said in the other thread, hate the Montego front, the un-sculpted flanks, and the Altima taillamps, but that interior? Especially with the darker wood, its fantastic. It sure 'shrinks' the center stack, my largest gripe about the current LaCrosse. I think that with less wood in certain places would be lovely.

[Sixty8panther]

Wow.... looks awsome. Much better than our Lacrosse or even Lucerne for that matter. Love the stand up hood ornament. It has some obious borrowed styling cues from Nissan, Infiniti & Acura but it still looks good.

[Drew Dowdell]

That would sell really well over here.

[wildcat]

Is the grille a little nod to NA? Previously, Chinese Buicks had grilles with horizontal bars, while NA Buicks have had vertical bars. This one has vertical bars - like Buicks in NA. A small but meaningful change?

Would you rather have the LaCrosse Super, based on the small, silver photo we've seen, or the Chinese LaCrosse on sale in NA?

Will this Chinese design influence the NG LaCrosse on Epsilon? Will its interior be way upgraded?

[pow]

The specs seem interesting... available 3.0L V6 with active fuel management (DoD), Bluetooth, navigation, DVD entertainment, Stabilitrak, side curtain bags, and HUD. The standard engine is a 2.4L VVT.

Not a bad benchmark at all... it looks even better than the LS.

[Darc Requiem]

Is the grille a little nod to NA?  Previously, Chinese Buicks had grilles with horizontal bars, while NA Buicks have had vertical bars.  This one has vertical bars - like Buicks in NA.  A small but meaningful change?

Would you rather have the LaCrosse Super, based on the small, silver photo we've seen, or the Chinese LaCrosse on sale in NA?

Will this Chinese design influence the NG LaCrosse on Epsilon?  Will its interior be way upgraded?

Hmm...can anyone post comparison photos? I only recall the LaCrosse Super photo vaguely. If what I remember is correct, I'll take the Chinese LaCrosse with the NA LaCrosse's powerplants.

[bobo]

Very attractive, especially the interior. The taillights, however, are horrible.

[sciguy_0504]

Imagine how many would be flying off lots in the U.S. if it had that interior? Amazing, just amazing...

I feel like sending a letter to the GM board demanding to know why something like this ends up happening...

[boblutzfan]

The specs seem interesting... available 3.0L V6 with active fuel management (DoD), Bluetooth, navigation, DVD entertainment, Stabilitrak, side curtain bags, and HUD. The standard engine is a 2.4L VVT.

Not a bad benchmark at all... it looks even better than the LS.

The comparison of the two interiors is great. I hadn't thought of the LS - but now that you mention it, the CBL (Chinese Buick LaCrosse) is very similar. I think the center stack is cleaner in the CBL. I like the vertical vents on either side of the NAV unit. These vents look similar to those found in the STS. The dash of the CBL looks much better than the 2007 Lexus ES which would be its natural competition if sold here. I wish that GM would bring this interior to the states ASAP. It has GM parts that are readily available and the design of the interior has been paid for by the GM China unit.

Edited February 24, 2006 by boblutzfan

[nyscene911]

The specs seem interesting... available 3.0L V6 with active fuel management (DoD), Bluetooth, navigation, DVD entertainment, Stabilitrak, side curtain bags, and HUD. The standard engine is a 2.4L VVT.

Not a bad benchmark at all... it looks even better than the LS.

Where's the passenger side airbag on the Chinese Buick? not required over there?`

[boblutzfan]

Where's the passenger side airbag on the Chinese Buick?  not required over there?`

Many new airbags are housed in the dash with no visible seams. I would imagine it is there - you just can't see the seam around it.

[jbartley]

the rear seat console is really nice too!

and those taillights are hideous

[boblutzfan]

the rear seat console is really nice too!

and those taillights are hideous

Yeah, I don't like the rear lights either. Thankfully, that is an easy and cheap fix compared to the interior of the US LaCrosse.

[C.H.U.D.]

Pretty sad when the interior is nicer than the most-expensive Cadillac sedan (STS).

Though the interior is stunning on this LaCrosse, the exterior isn't doing it for me. Too derivative.

[boblutzfan]

Pretty sad when the interior is nicer than the most-expensive Cadillac sedan (STS).

Though the interior is stunning on this LaCrosse, the exterior isn't doing it for me. Too derivative.

I don't know that I would go so far as to say it is better than the STS - but it is definitely better than the CTS/SRX as well as just about every other Chevy/Buick/Pontiac/Saturn interior.

What is sad is that GM will give other markets this kind of interior but will not do it for their home market. Look at GM/Buick's success over in China - year after year of sales increases while in the states GM suffers. Granted the market place is different over there, still with interiors like this - Buick would do much better.

Edited February 24, 2006 by boblutzfan

[Viperfan07]

Wow.... looks awsome. Much better than our Lacrosse or even Lucerne for that matter. Love the stand up hood ornament. It has some obious borrowed styling cues from Nissan, Infiniti & Acura but it still looks good.

Looks good. I can see a little bit of Lexus by the headlights. And what happened to the stand up hood ornaments? Kinda miss them.

[mjdecker]

So much for this car being RWD

http://www.thecarconnection.com/Enthusiast...S178.A8183.html

[toesuf94]

wow. That is hot! I would buy one. And the sticker is at $33,725. Not bad with everything shown. You telling me they can't sell those here?

[Cadillacfan]

I'm sure the US/Canadian buick dealers are salivating. This is exactly what Buick NA needs to become a legitimate Acura/(lower-end lexus) fighter. This car is supposed to be designed to fit the tastes of Chinese buyers but I think it would do great anywhere.

The Lacrosse and Lucerne pale in comparison to it.

Will China bring it? Probably not until Cadillac can improve their cars even more to prevent loss of sales to a car like this.

It's must be good to be living in middle-class China right now. All these companies are devoting money to great products for them and the country is on a verge of a economic boom that will turn China into a powerhouse.

[thegriffon]

wow.  That is hot!  I would buy one.  And the sticker is at $33,725.  Not bad with everything shown.  You telling me they can't sell those here?

For a 2.4 L 4-cylinder with slightly more torque than the G6 that's a lot of money. I think Buick dealers would blanche if their cheapest model was over $29K and a lot of buyers would still expect a final price nearly $10K lower. Not gonna happen. If GM can get rebates on the LaCrosse low enough, then maybe the Global Midsize version will be equipped more like the Chinese model.

[intrigued]

ok, take the US rear end and the China front and sides minus the standup hood ornament, that amazing interior the upcoming 3.6 DI with about 300 hp and the new hydramatic 6 speed sell it for 30-33 grand as the lacrosse CXS and it will destroy the lexus cometition not to mention just about every FWD near luxury car on the market and some rear drivers also.

[thegriffon]

The stand up hood ornament is only on the V6 Flagship grade.

[ToniCipriani]

Reminds me a bit of the XG350. Call me crazy, but I like our LaCrosse/Allure better.

Just wait till the refresh.

[boblutzfan]

Here is the press release for this vehicle. It is based on our LaCrosse... why oh why can't we have interiors like this? There are also some more pictures as well.

http://www.globalautoindex.com/news.plt?no=1392

[ToniCipriani]

Bad wording, I would say. The "LaCrosse" isn't a platform.

I'm interested to know if this is a direct replacement for the Regal. They're still selling it.

[nzr]

Ha, NA misses out again. GM, you suck. Bring that here.

[Paolino]

Here is the press release for this vehicle.  It is based on our LaCrosse... why oh why can't we have interiors like this?  There are also some more pictures as well.

http://www.globalautoindex.com/news.plt?no=1392

Damn.

And I can't believe they get Bluetooth technology, yet we don't!

The LaCrosse there is far more luxurious a car than ours here. I wonder how North America would have taken to it if this was our LaCrosse?

[boblutzfan]

Damn.

And I can't believe they get Bluetooth technology, yet we don't!

The LaCrosse there is far more luxurious a car than ours here.  I wonder how North America would have taken to it if this was our LaCrosse?

Yeah, the Bluetooth thing doesn't make sense. GM tries to use the business case that they can't offer those kinds of products and be profitable - yet I argue that they aren't profitable because they don't offer those products.

I guarantee that if they sold a Lacrosse with those features and that interior with a Velite grill it would be a hit!!

[Mule Bakersdozen LS]

Other than the taillamps and vastly superior dashboard/interior, I can't say I like it much, especially the front end. The spy shots looked better, though the windows look nice.

[Regalguy01]

Let me start by saying hello. I have been logging onto this site for almost a year now and decided I would get in on the commentary today. Let me also say that I am 26 yrs old and driving my 2nd buick ever owned.(have owned 3 vehicles in my lifetime). I am still served well by my 4 year old Regal Ls, Olympic Edition/Joseph Abboud package. I admit, I would have rather had the GS, but the requirement for premium unleaded was too much for me to bite as an undergraduate. Now, 82,000 miles later I still enjoy the comforts of this automobile. There are a few drawbacks, however, and most of them have to do with the interior. I always thought the interior was clean enough, spartan even, but nothing to shout about. This seems to have been addressed reasonably enough with the Lacrosse, in fact the interior is a vast improvement at the least. But as I think about my fav automobile, I aspire to see them do something bold and jaw dropping. When I looked at the interior of the Chinese royaum and the lacrosse, my jaw did drop. Not just at how nicely appointed they are, but that this is not in the lacrosse or lucerne(which is very nice still). I agree with most critics who have questioned if just being just as good as the others is enough. Most import buyers are extremely loyal to their perceived 'bullet-proof' hondas, toyotas and others. While I admit, I do tend to love the comfort of lexus interiors and the style of infinities, quality does indeed rest with us, more specifically buick(see J.D. Powers Survey--any year in the last 10) So what is holding back the throngs of new buyers to the Buick brand? Perception!! People think I drive an 'old man's car' until they actually see and ride in my Buick. (Gran Touring Suspension, no doubt) This tells me that it's not about people perceiving buick as undependable, its about image. I mean lets face it, we all try to buy a car that we feel fits our self-image. I am encouraged by these interiors on the chinese cars and hope to see them stateside soon. The Enclave is definetly a step in this direction. I immediately liked the exterior design of the Enclave, but i literally, choked on my beer when I saw the interior. Beatifully placed controls, generous wood treatments, sumptuous looking leather and gorgeous brushed aluminim bits. I was smiling ear to ear and am hoping that almost nothing will be changed in production. If this is the case, Buick can expect to see me, at age 29, Buying a new Enclave. Long live the premium american motorcar

[boblutzfan]

Let me start by saying hello. I have been logging onto this site for almost a year now and decided I would get in on the commentary today. Let me also say that I am 26 yrs old and driving my 2nd buick ever owned.(have owned 3 vehicles in my lifetime). I am still served well by my 4 year old Regal Ls, Olympic Edition/Joseph Abboud package. I admit, I would have rather had the GS, but the requirement for premium unleaded was too much for me to bite as an undergraduate. Now, 82,000 miles later I still enjoy the comforts of this automobile. There are a few drawbacks, however, and most of them have to do with the interior. I always thought the interior was clean enough, spartan even, but nothing to shout about. This seems to have been addressed reasonably enough with the Lacrosse, in fact the interior is a vast improvement at the least. But as I think about my fav automobile, I aspire to see them do something bold and jaw dropping. When I looked at the interior of the Chinese royaum and the lacrosse, my jaw did drop. Not just at how nicely appointed they are, but that this is not in the lacrosse or lucerne(which is very nice still). I agree with most critics who have questioned if just being just as good as the others is enough. Most import buyers are extremely loyal to their perceived 'bullet-proof' hondas, toyotas and others. While I admit, I do tend to love the comfort of lexus interiors and the style of infinities, quality does indeed rest with us, more specifically buick(see J.D. Powers Survey--any year in the last 10) So what is holding back the throngs of new buyers to the Buick brand? Perception!! People think I drive an 'old man's car' until they actually see and ride in my Buick. (Gran Touring Suspension, no doubt) This tells me that it's not about people perceiving buick as undependable, its about image. I mean lets face it, we all try to buy a car that we feel fits our self-image. I am encouraged by these interiors on the chinese cars and hope to see them stateside soon. The Enclave is definetly a step in this direction. I immediately liked the exterior design of the Enclave, but i literally, choked on my beer when I saw the interior. Beatifully placed controls, generous wood treatments, sumptuous looking leather and gorgeous brushed aluminim bits. I was smiling ear to ear and am hoping that almost nothing will be changed in production. If this is the case, Buick can expect to see me, at age 29, Buying a new Enclave. Long live the premium american motorcar

Great post. Welcome to the board.

[Robert Hall]

wow.  That is hot!  I would buy one.  And the sticker is at $33,725.  Not bad with everything shown.  You telling me they can't sell those here?

Hmmm..since it is not sold in the US, how did you come up with that number?

[Cadillacfan]

welcome regalguy01. It's nice to see more people under the age of 75 let alone 30 who like Buick. We have a few people like you so you'll have a lot in common with a lot of our members if you hadn't already found that out yourself.

It must be really rough seeing all the great Buicks being built overseas and being a fan of the brand. It's tough for me and I'm not even a fan.

[sciguy_0504]

Utterly rediculous.

[gm_rocks]

I wish this was in the U.S., that is one sweet looking car.

IMO, I think it is way better than the Lucerne and it would sell very well if it was here.

[regfootball]

Imagine how many would be flying off lots in the U.S. if it had that interior?  Amazing, just amazing...

I feel like sending a letter to the GM board demanding to know why something like this ends up happening...

UAW DEMANDS / HIGH LABOR AND PENSION-BENEFIT COSTS

INCOMPETENT MANAGEMENT

[regfootball]

I don't know that I would go so far as to say it is better than the STS - but it is definitely better than the CTS/SRX as well as just about every other Chevy/Buick/Pontiac/Saturn interior.

What is sad is that GM will give other markets this kind of interior but will not do it for their home market.  Look at GM/Buick's success over in China - year after year of sales increases while in the states GM suffers.  Granted the market place is different over there, still with interiors like this - Buick would do much better.

UAW DEMANDS / HIGH LABOR AND PENSION-BENEFIT COSTS

INCOMPETENT MANAGEMENT

[Regalguy01]

I thought I might go back an express my opinion on the topic. I agree with most of the posts that the design of the chinese lacrosse really doesn't do much for me. In fact, it reminds me of the current redesigned hyundai sonata. A car that has been lamented as ''much improved'' and ''a car for buick to watch out for''. I suppose this chinese lacrosse is fine for the asian market. But we definetly don't need to see it's exterior in America.

Buick symbolizes American passion, significance and style, in a package that is neither offensive nor ostentacious. If you think of the heralded buicks that people often clamor about, the GNX, Roadmaster, original Wildcat and etc; those cars were more wonders of transport than pioneers of expression. They always looked good, performed dependably, and stood apart from the rest-- but not in a way that necessarily screamed ''gotta have''. At least not in the way the Chysler 300 hemiC or a Mercedes 700 series does. Rather, in a way that made non-owners wonder ''is it really as appealing as it looks?''.

Buick has fallen away from this grace in years of recent. Battling the woes of it's parent company, our beloved GM, it has had to suffer through warmed over platforms and engines, unimaginative styling and forgettable marketing. But alas, Buick and more importanly GM have decided to turn this around. Determined not to have America's oldest and most nameworthy automaker go the way of it's predecessor(The Big 'Oldsmobile') they have started investing in Buick again. The results are impressive too. While the LaX, Lucerne, and Terazza may not blow the competition out of the water, they represent a return of attention to the Buick name. If the Lacrosse turned a few eyes back to the brand, the Lucerne has drifted more than a few feet into the showroom(see luxury car sales, last 3 months). The Enclave, if it is held true to the concept, will undoubtedly bring many luxury-intenders in to test drive and thats the desired outcome of most any auto manufactuer. Long live the Premium American Motorcar.

[daves87rs]

Let me start by saying hello. I have been logging onto this site for almost a year now and decided I would get in on the commentary today. Let me also say that I am 26 yrs old and driving my 2nd buick ever owned.(have owned 3 vehicles in my lifetime). I am still served well by my 4 year old Regal Ls, Olympic Edition/Joseph Abboud package. I admit, I would have rather had the GS, but the requirement for premium unleaded was too much for me to bite as an undergraduate. Now, 82,000 miles later I still enjoy the comforts of this automobile. There are a few drawbacks, however, and most of them have to do with the interior. I always thought the interior was clean enough, spartan even, but nothing to shout about. This seems to have been addressed reasonably enough with the Lacrosse, in fact the interior is a vast improvement at the least. But as I think about my fav automobile, I aspire to see them do something bold and jaw dropping. When I looked at the interior of the Chinese royaum and the lacrosse, my jaw did drop. Not just at how nicely appointed they are, but that this is not in the lacrosse or lucerne(which is very nice still). I agree with most critics who have questioned if just being just as good as the others is enough. Most import buyers are extremely loyal to their perceived 'bullet-proof' hondas, toyotas and others. While I admit, I do tend to love the comfort of lexus interiors and the style of infinities, quality does indeed rest with us, more specifically buick(see J.D. Powers Survey--any year in the last 10) So what is holding back the throngs of new buyers to the Buick brand? Perception!! People think I drive an 'old man's car' until they actually see and ride in my Buick. (Gran Touring Suspension, no doubt) This tells me that it's not about people perceiving buick as undependable, its about image. I mean lets face it, we all try to buy a car that we feel fits our self-image. I am encouraged by these interiors on the chinese cars and hope to see them stateside soon. The Enclave is definetly a step in this direction. I immediately liked the exterior design of the Enclave, but i literally, choked on my beer when I saw the interior. Beatifully placed controls, generous wood treatments, sumptuous looking leather and gorgeous brushed aluminim bits. I was smiling ear to ear and am hoping that almost nothing will be changed in production. If this is the case, Buick can expect to see me, at age 29, Buying a new Enclave. Long live the premium american motorcar

Good point, I think you would be right about that-as I would have to agree-(for the most part). Good post!

[daves87rs]

Ha, NA misses out again.  GM, you suck.  Bring that here.

Agreed. Though it doesn't please as much on the outside-it is bold, which plain and simple, is what buick needs..

[Guest YellowJacket894]

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

When I saw that, my face had such an expression on it you might have thought I was going to sing a rendition of "Mammy".

And, hey, isn't this the car that we thought would turn out to be a Zeta Buick -- Lausanne or something, I think -- for North America?

I bet it's still front-drive, but who cares? This kind of product is something Buick here in North America needs badly. If Buick of NA were selling this, the 300C would have something to think about even with rear-drive.

Goddam, GM! WHY AREN'T YOU SELLING THIS HERE?

Edited February 25, 2006 by YellowJacket894

[Mule Bakersdozen LS]

Welcome Regalguy01! I think Buick will survive, but they really need something that pushes an envelope-Enclave and possibly the Chinese LaCrosse do that, but nothing else right now does. They're still in utterly pitiful shape, and any of these suggestions should be implemented into Buick IMMEDIATELY! That Chinese LaCrosse has some good points, but I don't want to know how slow those engines would be.

[regfootball]

I am so tired of folks thinking the automotive worldscape has revolved around the Chrysler 300. Yes, the Chysler is DIFFERENT, yes it is UNIQUE, and yes its fast. But....for as many people as that say they like the looks, there's an equal amount OR MORE that loathe it.

When you are not mainstream, its easy to define your existence by being different. GM is/was so large, and is so broad, and is set up to try to make so much volume, that having a '300' of their own would be liability.

So let's finally stop it with the 300 being the next best thing to Jesus' return. I am sick of it, its not the revelation that its been blown up to in the press, and it has very little to do with GM's REAL PROBLEMS two of which are

UAW DEMANDS / HIGH LABOR AND PENSION-BENEFIT COSTS

INCOMPETENT MANAGEMENT

Edited February 25, 2006 by regfootball

[nzr]

Goddam, GM! WHY AREN'T YOU SELLING THIS HERE?

Because GM needs to learn how to use their goddamn brain first.

[FunkyPig]

I just looked at the US LaCrosse on Buick's website to compare.

I think the front of the Chinese one is better, but apart from that I think overall the US one looks better! I find it strange that so many people seem to think this is some sort of magic looking car compared to the US one.

Try and look past the controlled stylish photos of the Chinese one... I think it has rather plain straight sides, where the US version has a nice flowing hunch over the rear wheel arch and a nice side window and body shape. Clearly the Chinese one was designed later than the US one as it uses the latest version of the Buick grille. Ideally the US version might get a mid life facelift at some point to adopt the latest grille and therefore look similar to China's version at the front.

Even the interior is pretty close (I do personally prefer the chinese one but its hardly a leap ahead of the US interior).

One thing I find strange is they still sell it with the old 3.8, if Holden can sell the 3.6 HFV6 in its mainstream and affordable base Commodore, surely there is no excuse for GM not making it standard on all LaCrosses. Marketing unfortunately has stopped GM from making it as good as it could be.

[thegriffon]

The HFV6 in the base Commodore is de-contented and lower-powered. While the LaCrosse gets a 240 hp version with dual-VVT, the Commodore gets a 230 hp version with only inlet VVT to save money, as did all V6 engines with VVT before the LY7 (Toyota and then Mercedes followed with Dual-VVT shortly afterward). It's possible the cheaper 3.6 does not meet US emissions regulations, which are far stricter than Australia's.

[trinacriabob]

First reaction: It looks like a Mercury more than a Buick.

What's with the dash? Is it a Cadillac CTS borrowing? I can't tell what platform this car is on, let alone if it is a W-body.

I do like the wood applique and general proportions of the console better than those of our LaCrosse/Allure.

[bobo]

There is a little bit of Mercury Sable in front, and if you squint real hard, you may even see a touch of Bentley in some of the creases. It's a conservative but substantial look, which is appropriate in its role as a luxury car in China.

[Sixty8panther]

Stand up hood ornament: A+

Vertical Grille bars: A+

FWD: D+