DRIVEN TO DRIVE

Archive for December, 2009

It was time to drive the Buick LaCrosse at night

Okay, perhaps it wasn’t technically night time, more like that moment before daybreak when it was still darkish outside.

Regardless, everyday it seems, there is something new to discover about the LaCrosse and this morning I discovered the driver side mirror automatically dims in the glare of light from vehicles approaching in the left side lane. Interesting!

But overall my quasi-night time driving was a pleasant experience. The ambient lighting was very pleasant and somehow instilled a calming effect.  This was interesting, there was enough cabin light to allow a sense of orientation, yet it didn’t interfere by way of contrast with the view outside.  Even the navigation panel dimmed but remained bright enough to reference.

It wasn’t long before the sun rose and I’d had my morning cup of coffee and it was back to reality. It just struck me – when I refer to “the LaCrosse”, am I repeating myself?

Doors and Accessibility

Let’s be frank, I’m not as nimble or bendable as I once was.  There was a time when I could easily get in and out of an F2000 – today I wouldn’t even attempt it.

I understand the Buick LaCrosse isn’t an F2000 but regardless, I found it awkward to get in and out of the LaCrosse.  This may not be a problem for perhaps younger folks or perhaps for people with a shorter stature, but I found the low angled door frame caused me to duck my head.  Once I was inside, no problem, there was ample head room.  It was during the entry and exit that I experienced discomfort. Getting in and out of the rear seats I found was even more awkward.

In its favour the doors of the Buick LaCrosse do open wide which is a good thing in one respect but when seated, trying to close the door was a bit of a reach.  I had to lean right out of the vehicle to reach the door handle so as to draw it closed.  Gentlemen – here is a good opportunity for you to open and close the door for your significant other to save them having to reach so far for the door handle 

This review was written based purely upon personal experiences gained during a test drive of one vehicle over a period of one week. The vehicle was evaluated solely upon its merits and not by price nor in direct comparison to any other vehicle. Prospective buyers are encouraged to contact their local dealerships to arrange a test drive to evaluate the vehicle based upon their own needs and requirements.

My first impression is of a Buick Lacrosse was – I like it.

It’s larger than I had envisaged.  But over all, I like it.  It’s stands proud and has a nice line to it and I really like the sculptured fender panels. The tall shoulder line gives it a strong bold look. It has what I call – roadside appeal. But more importantly, it has a head turning factor. It will get people to look at it and ask – what is that?  Mind you, the strong Buick grill and the three badge Buick emblem are dead giveaways, but regardless, it is definitely a head turner.

Inside the car, I have to say, I was a little overwhelmed.

My first impression was – is this a case of kpd? (knobs per dollar) where quantity attempts to overshadow quality.  Pleasingly, I have to say I was impressed with the quality.  But rather than sit and read the manual for an hour to find out what everything was for, I decided to concentrate on the essentials – where’s the heat?  Dual climate controls zones that could be linked – interesting.  Heated and ventilated seats.  Heated seats are a blessing in the winter, and the ventilated seats would no doubt be refreshing in the hot humid days of summer. Heated steering wheel – oh yes!

Esthetically very nice, but the best thing a new owner can do is take an evening a read the Owner’s Manual.

For example – there is a Super Knob located in the middle of the dash and surrounded by a cluster of push buttons and knobs.  I was getting a little frustrated with the apparent lack of control this control had, until it suddenly dawned on me that the screen had touch control.  Little things like that make all the difference.

Another example was the parking brake.  I couldn’t find one.  There wasn’t a handle brake or a foot operated brake, and as I understand it, a vehicle needs a parking brake by law.  Ah ha – found it – it’s controlled by a button.  That should make for some interesting handbrake turns.

So far I still haven’t discovered how to operate the Remote Start even after I read the section in the Owner’s Manual, and I still haven’t discovered how to open the gas cap cover.

This review was written based purely upon personal experiences gained during a test drive of one vehicle over a period of one week. The vehicle was evaluated solely upon its merits and not by price nor in direct comparison to any other vehicle. Prospective buyers are encouraged to contact their local dealerships to arrange a test drive to evaluate the vehicle based upon their own needs and requirements.

There is something “Alluring” about the Buick LaCrosse.

It would seem that GM has again discovered that people like and buy cars that look good.  While it’s true you can’t tell a book by its cover, it’s the cover that tempts people to read the book in the first place.  In reality, GM make very good cars and vehicles, but they often managed to hide them behind un-appealing bodies or find ways to add “what were they thinking” quirks into them – but let’s not go down that road in case we start reviewing the Aztec.  This is about the Buick LaCrosse, which until recently bore that badge – the “Allure”, here in Canada.

So why the name change?

According to GM, the original LaCrosse (in the US), replaced the Buick Regal and the Buick Century as a 2005 model.  This same vehicle was indeed branded as the Allure in Canada. The only difference between the two vehicles was in the name – the badging, manuals, etc.  The decision was made to eliminate the two different monikers and use the name LaCrosse for the 2010 model.  This was done to simplify this needless duality and was influenced by Canadian dealerships wanting to leverage marketing and advertising initiatives from the US.

This review was written based purely upon personal experiences gained during a test drive of one vehicle over a period of one week. The vehicle was evaluated solely upon its merits and not by price nor in direct comparison to any other vehicle. Prospective buyers are encouraged to contact their local dealerships to arrange a test drive to evaluate the vehicle based upon their own needs and requirements.