Buick LaCrosse Pays Visit to Cars.com in New Commercial

We couldn’t help but notice that some of the streets look awfully familiar in the commercial for the new 2010 Buick LaCrosse.

That’s because they filmed it at the intersection of LaSalle Street and Jackson Boulevard in Chicago. This intersection is known as “the scene from ‘The Dark Knight’ where Batman flips the Joker’s big rig” or its otherwise known as “right outside our office building.”

There’s even a parting shot of the El running around the Loop, and for those of you who have no idea what that means, you should pay a visit to Chicago.

This isn’t the first time we’ve found ourselves being stalked. Lincoln tried to sneak a camouflaged MKX right by us on the other side of the building only to get caught for a few spy pics.

In our office, we found this commercial to be preposterous. We have to get test cars in and out of a nearby garage all the time, and that LaCrosse should have been sitting in traffic for at least 30 minutes. The scene of the pedestrians walking in the middle of the street, however, is spot on.

Buick Announces Pricing for 2010 LaCrosse

Buick announced that the base 2010 LaCrosse luxury sedan will start at $27,085. Other trim levels include the CXL FWD for $29,645, the CXL AWD for $31,820 and the CXS for $33,015. We guessed at a $28,000 starting price when the car debuted in January.

The LaCrosse looks to offer a lot of value at that price. The Acura TSX is one of the few entry-level luxury cars that competes in the price range, starting at $29,160. The new VW CC is another new model that offers similar power and amenities. It starts at $27,100 and is selling well.

The 2010 LaCrosse is scheduled to begin production this summer.

More Buick LaCrosse News

2010 Buick LaCrosse Video

Cars.com’s Joe Wiesenfelder explains the three generations of GM interior quality, which would be reason enough to check out this video. In addition, though, you get a tour of the 2010 Buick LaCrosse, a vehicle he finds to be vastly improved compared to its previous incarnation. While not the sleek, hip car all the kids will be talking about, GM shows its stylized side in this new design.

Up Close: 2010 Buick LaCrosse

The Buick LaCrosse is catching up with the rest of the GM pack. To be blunt, GM vehicles fall into three basic categories, dictated — or at least indicated — by their interior quality, which in turn depends on the era in which the model was introduced or redesigned: before GM had a clue; after GM got a clue and was at least trying; and after that, when it finally began to succeed. (For successes, see the Chevrolet Malibu, Saturn Vue and Cadillac CTS.) The first-generation Buick LaCrosse, introduced in 2005, belonged to the middle group, with inoffensive, thank-you-for-playing interior styling and decent but uninspiring performance.

2010 Buick LaCrosse at 2009 Detroit Auto Show

• Competes with: Acura TSX, Lincoln MKZ, Lexus ES
• Looks like: Buick might have hope yet
• Drivetrain: 255-hp, 3.0-liter V-6 or 280-hp, 3.6-liter V-6 with six-speed transmission; front or all-wheel drive
• Hits dealerships: Late summer 2009

Buick is hoping its complete redesign of the LaCrosse sedan will be as successful at bringing in new buyers as its Enclave crossover was last year. After perusing the specs and these eye-catching pics, we’d have to say it’s got a shot, especially compared to the model’s sedate predecessor. 

The new LaCrosse may look more compact than the 2009, but it’s only 1.1 inches shorter. It’s nearly 500 pounds heavier, however, and that’s without the optional all-wheel drive. Not to worry: The 2010 offers a pair of more powerful direct-injected V-6s that should return mileage similar to the outgoing model’s 17/28 mpg. Both are based on Cadillac’s new V-6.

In the base LaCrosse CX and midlevel CXL, drivers get the 255-hp, 3.0-liter V-6 that was introduced in the 2010 SRX a few days ago. The old LaCrosse had 200 hp. The CXL will also have optional all-wheel drive. The top-of-the-line CXS will have the same 3.6-liter V-6 as Cadillac’s CTS, but with less horsepower, at 280. Both engines are teamed with a six-speed automatic transmission. Mileage numbers have not been released, but we’d expect the CXS to do slightly better than the CTS’ 17/26 mpg.

The LaCrosse is based on GM’s new global midsize sedans, but is slightly larger. GM has not revealed interior specifications, so we don’t how headroom, legroom and the size of the trunk measure up. Because it’s based on the global sedans, we expect/hope that the new LaCrosse will handle better than the old one; perhaps the characteristic floaty driving feel of big Buicks is at an end. The company promises “quiet tuning” to keep the cabin isolated from road and wind noise.

Oh, and did we mention the gadgets? Standard features weren’t broken down, but offered in the car will be navigation, Bluetooth, a USB port, a backseat DVD system with dual screens, and more. Buyers will be lucky if the USB input comes standard. And yes, it has a Heads Up Display too.

Pricing for the 2009 LaCrosse starts at $25,640, and we’d hope the 2010 stays near that mark. Because of the advanced engines, though, it’s more likely to start around the $28,000 range to be competitive with the Acura TSX, which starts at $29,000. More photos below. 

Would You Buy a Buick?

Tonight at midnight EST, Buick will drop the veil on its all-new 2010 LaCrosse sedan. It’s the largest leap the brand has made to reach new buyers with its sedans. For the past few decades, Buick has been seen as a car company for the senior set, but that changed with the introduction of the Enclave crossover in 2007.

Would a competitive sedan get you into a Buick dealership to cross-shop with Acura, Lexus and Lincoln?

2010 Buick LaCrosse to Debut at 2008 L.A. Auto Show

We’ll be honest — there’s not a whole lot to get excited about here. Sure, the image above is the first official glimpse of the 2010 Buick LaCrosse, and we’ve learned that it will debut at the L.A. auto show this November. But big deal. So it’ll be the first GM car sold in the U.S. on its newest global sedan platform. So what. No one cares about that.

What they’ll maybe care about is that this will be Buick’s smallest sedan offering, it most likely won’t drive like a boat and it will inherit some styling from the Invicta concept car that was shown off earlier this year. OK, it’s a little exciting, even if it is a Buick. Oh, and GM, this is the perfect time to get rid of the name LaCrosse. Thanks.

GMC, Pontiac, Buick Employee Pricing Discounts

Next up in our series of GM employee pricing sale posts are GMC, Pontiac and Buick. As usual, the biggest savings are available on trucks and SUVs, including deals like nearly $10,000 discounts on Sierra models, or the nearly $5,000 that’s available on the popular GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave three-row crossovers.

Even though the discount isn’t as big, the all-new 2009 Pontiac Vibe gets almost 10% off, which should definitely give it a leg up in the competitive hatchback segment. Mike Hanley recently reviewed the new Vibe here. Pontiac’s all-new G8 sedan is also getting healthy discounts, as it hasn’t sold nearly as well as expected.

See below for a list of deals. They represent only a tiny sampling of the trim levels available at GM’s site, so be sure to visit it for the exact trim level and zip code you need.

Buick Invicta Concept: The Next LaCrosse?

• Looks like: Buick wants to borrow some of Jaguar’s XF magic
• Defining characteristics: Coupe roofline, more menacing Buick grille
• Ridiculous features: A menacing Buick
• Chance of being mass-produced: High, very high. Buick is a big deal in China and it needs to be cutting edge there. U.S. buyers will reap the rewards.

No story about the emergence of China as a consumer market is more intriguing to car buffs than the way Buick is lauded as a desired brand there. In the U.S., you hear Buick and you think “grandpa” or, at best, “Tiger Woords.” Besides the recent Enclave crossover, there hasn’t really been a Buick worthy of attention.

The Chinese, however, want new Buicks of every shape and size and have gotten updated large sedans from Australia and smaller sedans built just for the Asian market. Now Buick has unveiled the Invicta concept car you see here, and says it will be the global design face of Buick.

The word is the Invicta will replace the aging LaCrosse in the U.S., although the names may vary in different markets. The concept is powered by a turbo-charged four-cylinder producing 250 hp and is teamed to a six-speed automatic. Nothing outrageous about that, and it also seems aimed at an increasingly fuel-conscious America.

The extreme slope of the roofline will probably be tamed in production but we’d expect the front and rear ends to stay true to the concept. Check out photos below and let us know if you think this Buick sedan will help the brand’s image in the U.S.

First Drive: 2008 Pontiac Torrent GXP, 2008 Buick LaCrosse Super

Many car companies take aging models and snazz them up to make them relevant again. So GM isn’t alone when it comes to tarting up two underachievers like the Pontiac Torrent SUV and Buick LaCrosse. Joe Bruzek and I got to take them on the track and city streets and came away somewhat unimpressed. 

2008 Buick LaCrosse Super

Driving the LaCrosse Super reminded me of the first time I took out the last Impala SS. It drove just like the original, but with a huge, honking V-8 powering the front wheels. The Impala, however, was an underappreciated car with lots of value to it. The LaCrosse is still your grandfather’s Buick, he’ll just have a harder time driving it.

The LaCrosse Super’s ride is comfortable and dead quiet, but there’s a lot of body lean when cornering. Plus, I felt like there wasn’t a lot of headroom for such a large sedan. The blue gauges mixed with a dark brown interior was also not the most eye-pleasing combo. Don't believe me? Check out the photo gallery below. — David Thomas