A nicely designed engine compartment

The interior hood release is tucked away at the left side of the foot-well. The exterior safety catch is easy enough to locate being dead centre under the hood.  Once released, the hood was incredibly easy to lift, and then it began to rise up by itself aided by a single piston support.

There no great surprises under the hood, everything was neatly positioned and nothing was “flapping in the breeze”.  The transverse mounted 3.6 litre V6 motor was for the most part hidden under the protective cover.

An impractical window washer nozzle

My only peeve was with the impractically narrow window washer fill-up nozzle.  It’s time automotive designers ventured into the real world and tried filling a window washer reservoir in the middle of the night in a howling snowstorm.  If they did, the next filler nozzle they designed would resemble a 4” diameter funnel!

That’s my gripe for the day.

But on the positive side – I did notice a weather seal around the complete engine compartment, not just along the leading edge.

The Cargo/Trunk Compartment

The truck is very tidy and looks very practical having a nice wide almost flat floor.  All sides of the truck were well lined and protected.  The same attention to detail went into the truck upholstery as with carpeting in the cabin area.  Even the speaker cones were well protected.

My only complaint with the truck area was the very rather limited size of access space – more practical for soft sided bags than for rigid boxes.

View of the truck with the rears seats flipped forward

The Trunk space can be extended into the cabin area. The rear seats fold forward in a 40/60 configuration which presents a nice flat extended surface for far larger objects, assuming they fit through the trunk access space.

Looking back into the trunk from the cabin area

Also behind the rear seat centre armrest there is an excess panel covering a small hole leading from the trunk area – a hole about the right size to fit the ends of a pair of skis.  Since this hole serves little purpose other than to accommodate skiis, why not include a ski bag so moisture, grit and grime gathered from a day of skiing isn’t dragged into the cabin area?

OK – so that was my second gripe!

Spare Wheel

Oh how I hate spre wheels - especially the compact type.

Oh how I hate spare wheels, but that’s another story. Since we’re talking about the Buick LaCrosse and the Buick LaCrosse comes with a spare wheel. Let’s look at the spare wheel. Oh how I hate compact spares wheels. Yes, they take up less space. Yes they are light and smaller, hence easier to manage, but where do you put the full size wheel after it has been exchanged for the compact?

You will need three hands to get this little sucker out of the trunk. One to hold up the floor covering and the other two to lift the wheel out. Oh how I hate spare wheels.  This is why we have roadside assistance.

OK – that’s my third gripe for the 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.