DRIVEN TO DRIVE

What’s not to like?

There are four things I don’t like – but let’s qualify that by emphasizing that these are four things I don’t like! Others may agree.  Some people may be impartial and some may even disagree.  I don’t care – here are the four things I don’t like.

1 – The Side Mirrors

From the outside, esthetically – I don’t like them.  They don’t seem to fit the over-all design.  They appear rather angular whereas the rest of the car has beautiful lines and curves.  But that is subjective.  From the driver’s seat – I hate them.  Mirrors are not ornaments – they serve a very real purpose, assuming drivers actually know how to use them, so don’t muck around with them.  When I look at an image in a side mirror I have to put this into perspective – that is, relate it to a known reference.  Many people like to see the side of their vehicle and use this as a reference point.  I prefer to open up the mirrors to gain a wider field of view, but on the Buick LaCrosse, the first thing I encounter is a weird shape.  There is no hard vertical or horizontal for me to reference.  The slanting top of the mirror also cuts off a huge area of relevant information.

In their favour, the mirrors do have heaters that can be activated with the defrost. They also automatically dim with bright head lights, and they have a display warning of vehicles in the blind zone (although I couldn’t get this particular option to work), but over all, oblong shaped mirrors would be a huge improvement.

2 – The Rear Seats

I’m not a big fan of the concept of First and Second Class passengers, especially in passenger vehicles.  The front seats are heated – the rears seats are not.  The front seats have cooling – the rears seats don’t. The front seats passengers have full airbags protection.  The rear seat passengers – well, a full set of air bags is an option. The front seat passengers have very comfortable seats that conform to the body.  The rear seat passengers get a quasi-bench seat to roll around on.  The third (centre) passenger gets to sit on  the hump.  The front seat passengers get plenty of head room – the rear seat passengers, not so much.  Here’s tip – when there are three rear seat passengers, put the shortest one on the hump.  If there are two rear seat passengers – they each get a cup holder.  With three rear seat passengers, all three will have to hold their drinks since the only available cup holders are in the fold-down arm rest.

All is not bad for the rear seat passengers – they do have plenty of leg room.

3 – The Left-Side “A” Pillar

This pillar presents a huge blind spot.  Yes I understand these pillars need to bear the weight of the vehicle in the event of a roll over, but the angle and position of this pillar is somewhat of a real concern and drivers will need to be aware of this especially while turning left.

4 – The Glove Compartment

The glove compartment, a name that lingers from the time when it was actually used for gloves, can be a useful space or not.  In the Buick LaCrosse, its only practical purpose seems to be to hold the many booklets pertaining to the ownership of the vehicle. The space isn’t at all spacious and it certainly isn’t all that practical, however, the thing I really dislike is the fact that it cannot be opened fully if there is a front seat adult passenger.   What were they thinking!?

Having said that – there are lots of things to like, but that’s for another day!

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.

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