Devon test drives a Buick Lacrosse (Used)

Long gone are the days when you'd consider a Buick because you were ready to retire or loved golf. The new Buick Lacrosse is a radical depature from the previous genrations of Buick. Long gone are the dull and bland looks, in are stylish Euro flared Buicks that ooze style and quality. Has Buick finally found a voice for itself? Or is it all talk and no show?

Performance: The Lacrosse comes with two engine choices. The standard 2.4-liter four-cylinder producing 182hp is a mild-hybrid. Stop/start technology comes standard as well as two electric motors to help improve fuel economy around town and on the highway. The 3.6-liter six-cylinder produces 303hp and can be had with all-wheel-drive. The extra oomph from the six-cylinder makes the Lacrosse more enjoyable to drive, but for the average commuter the 2.4 makes the most sense. It's fuel economy advantage helps it become the more ideal choice and our pick of the range.

On the road: The Lacrosse feels very light on it's toes even though the car is nearly the same size as a BMW 7-series. Steering feels very light but weighs up nicely as your pace increases. The comfort is by far the best we've ever experienced in this segment. It's very smooth and irons out bumps completely. Handling however suffers a bit with some body lean in corners, but then again this car won't be pushed to its handling limits. Refinement is smooth as well. There's virtually no wind noise whatsoever in the cabin. Road noise on some surfaces is the only issue here, but this is only a problem with the 2.4 with low rolling resistant tires. The engine start/stop technology on the 2.4 is too eager to shut off the engine at standstill. Once you take your foot off the brake pedal the car tends to jerk a little when the engine reactivates.

Behind the wheel: There's plenty of adjustments for the driver seat and steering wheel. Short and even tall passengers can get comfortable. The dashboard takes a little getting used to. The touch screen menus can be a bit intimidating at first glance, but are very easy to navigate through. The rear seats offer more space than you'd think. It's almost limo like amount of legroom and headroom. The trunk is generous too in the non-hybrid forms. With the hybrid forms the battery eats up some trunk space but not much.

Equipment: The Lacrosse offers a genrous amount of equipment standard. Climate control, electric fronts seats, touch screen infotainment system and leather wrapped steering wheel come standard. You can option for the 3.6 at no extra charge on the base trim. You'll have to pay extra for leather seats and integrated turn signal indicators on the side view exterior mirrors. Top of the range trim adds Xenon headlamps, all-wheel-drive and keyless start.

Buying & owning: The Lacrosse is on point with the Nissan Maxima and Toyota Avalon. If you stay light on the options list you can get a Lacrosse at a decent price. The 2.4 makes the most sense financially if you want to save money on running cost thanks to the eAssist mild hybrid technology applied to it. Resale value should be strong thanks to strong demand for a Lacrosse.

Quality & safety: The interior feels much more upscale than ever before. This is a step up for GM and Buick. There are a few bits of the cabin that feel sort of been there done that, but the overall impression is very good. Reliability should be good as with most Buick vehicles. Four-wheel anti-lock brakes, frotn and side curtain airbags come standard. You'll have to pay extra for a rear view parking camera and parking assist. An engine immobilizer and anti-theft alarm come standard to keep theft at bay.

The Lacrosse is a major step forward for Buick. It's sylish, roomy and very comfortable to drive as a daily car. It may not offer the sporty drive feel like a Nissan Maxima but it offers a unique driving experience that other cars in this segement don't offer. It's not the most exciting of its rivals but for the money we think that it's worth a strong look. 

Likes: Stylish looks inside out. Ultra comfortable ride comfort. Plenty room for five inside.

Dislikes: Bland driving experience. Engine stop/start too eager to shut off engine. Road noise on hybrid models.

Devon M

We drive a Maxima to the Max!

Nissan has made a lot of radical claims with the new Maxima. The first one being that the Maxima is a proper sports sedan like it used to be in it’s glory days. Secondly, the Maxima is more fun to drive than any other sedan in this segment. Radical claims require radical proof. Hand over the keys!

There’s only one engine that can be had with the Maxima and that’s a 3.5-liter six-cylinder pumping out 300hp. You’ll either love the Maxima or loathe it. We certainly had mixed feelings about it. The Maxima isn’t a dull to drive car as it blends comfort and agility quite well for a large sedan, but what lets us down is how off-putting the steering feedback is. You’ll want to hammer through corners and the chassis is willing but the steering gives you very little feedback where it matters the most. It’s like the chassis and the steering are on two different channels. You never feel all that confident when you want to drive it spiritedly. The engine is quite lovely when revved hard though and while you can only get this car with a CVT (continuously variable gearbox) it doesn’t feel all that lethargic as some other CVTs we have driven. The only problem with it is that it feels like it robs you of those valuable revs and even when you drive it in manumatic mode it just doesn’t feel rewarding to drive. It’s like Nissan thought they turned up the volume on the sport and instead turned up the comfort and turned off the steering. Driving the Maxima around town is quite easy actually thanks to light steering and the smooth ride comfort is always welcome. The Maxima is light on its toes on the highway and when you aren’t driving like a hooligan it is a very tame sedan with more to like than you’d think.

The infotainment system feels pretty much straight forward in design. Everything is within reach of the driver’s hand and while we love the touch screen system, the different menus can get a little distracting. What we loathe the most is the fussy Bluetooth Connectivity. We often found ourselves constantly having to reconnect our mobile device and when we were using our GPS to find a certain location the system just booted us out completely. The front seats are comfortable though with plenty of support and those in the rear won’t feel too shortchanged on space but the slopping roofline does mean that taller passengers in the back won’t be too comfortable. The boot space is actually good too.

Our Maxima was the top of the range platinum trim which comes with premium leather seats, around view camera monitor, driver attention alert and climate controlled front seats. Also fitted to our Maxima was heated steering wheel, navigation system, memory setting for front seats and adaptive cruise control. Despite it having the deep discount, we personally wouldn’t bother with it. Our pick would go to either the S or SL trim. Both offer really good value and decent amount of kit without being overly expensive like our tester car and with those discounts those trims are even more appealing.

Nissan has claimed that the Maxima is the sportiest sedan in its segment and well we think that Nissan has made radical claims without the actual deliverance of the goods. The 3.5 engine is amazing and the chassis is willing, we just wish that the steering was more tuned to match the handling and the gearbox was more in tuned to the engine. It’s such a shame that the Maxima has these short comings because if those were retooled this would be one hell of a sedan to drive and own.

Likes: We love the way it looks and the interior is pretty well laid out. The 3.5 six-cylinder offers oodles of flexibility and it’s comfortable to drive when you’re not driving like a hooligan.

Dislikes: The CVT robs the Maxima of its sporting nature. The steering and chassis are on two different channels. Bluetooth connectivity was fussy and too fiddly to operate.

New cars (we sit in & critique)

Toyota Avalon

Likes: The sportiest looking Avalon we've seen in a long time. Interior has improved dramatically as well. We can't wait to see what it's like to drive.

Dislikes: The front grille could have it's own postcode.

Overall: It's a massive step forward for the full-size sedans.



Honda Civic SI

Likes: It's still a special machine to drive compared to the mainstream Civics.

Dislikes: SI isn't available on the hatchback. It doesn't feel particularly faster than the non-SI turbo form.

Overall: A few extra horsepower and firmer suspension goes a long way.



BMW 4-series

Likes: It feels well-balanced and the turbo four-cylinder offers strong performance. It's much sleeker looking than the a 3-series.

Dislikes: The interior is lifted from a 3-series. BMW is stingy with the standard kit.

Overall: The 2-series is lighter and more engaging to drive.



Hyundai Sonata

Likes: It's more efficient, more stylish and more upscale than the previous generation.

Dislikes: It's not as engaging to drive as the looks suggest.

Overall: Value-minded buyers will rejoice with this one.



Smart Fortwo ED

Likes: It's one of the more affordable electric cars on the market. It's actually much easier to live with than the gasoline powered versions.

Dislikes: Limited appeal.

Overall: It's the smartest Smart ever.