You don't like the color? Check. The car comes in other colors.

Buick is essentially for the 60+ age group. The LeCrosse is hoping to lower that to at least the upper 50s. Not a very ambitious goal, but does explain your gripes.

It's safe to say whatever you were smelling had zilch to do with the fake wood trim or the so-called "cheap shiny plastic". However, since you associate the 2, that already reflects your bias against the car since you are looking for anything to throw at it.

Personally, I find the interior on par with Toyota,

[quote]The worst part of the entire LaCrosse is the rear seat. For some reason, it seems as if there's less room back there than in the old Century/Regal. Perhaps that's the best way to sum up the LaCrosse. A car that should have actually been more in every way than it's mid-90s predecessors ended up being less. Less spacious. Less comfortable. Less tasteful. Less appealing by every measure that counts. The mediocre old Century/Regal could be forgiven many of it faults because of its realitive old age. However, the LaCrosse is supposed to be an "all new car." It's very hard to look past its flaws - there are far too many of them.[quote]

Not to put too fine a point on it, but the LeCrosse makes the previous Century?Regal look like pure unadultered CRAP!!!!

Anyone who stops by their local Buick dealer, and check out both interiors side by side will likely not only agree, but use even stronger terms than I would.

Here's where I'll agree with you 100%. From the moment I 1st saw it, it reminded me of a Taurus that was designed & built by Lexus. It has all the feeling of quality, but the thing looked like the Taurus that Ford should have made 3 or 4 years ago in a refreshening.

Not all that bad mind you, just not very creative in a market that is now emphasizing high style as much as high quality.

I actually like the Fusion. The FiveHundred, though pretty classy inside, is still a bit of a yawn. Both in appearence & performance.

The Buick LeCrosse is still primarily a product of the old GM. This was one of the 1st cars Bob Lutz sent back to be redesigned. The timeframe limited it to the nose, tail lights, and more interior work.

The upcoming LeCerne's skin is one of the last of the "Wayne Cherry" cars. He was a rather good designer, but he spent far too long under the restrictive old management, and IMO it shows. Things under his direction (without management dictating) looks really good, but it doesn't grab you the way the new duds from the other guys do.

Ed Welburne's directed stuff should be hitting the streets starting in late 2006-early 2007 time frame. By every account, we should be in for a great time.

Just goes to show you how long it takes for cars to cycle through the system.

 

It sounds like someone's annual bath is long over due.

 

Nissan Maxima the best bloated Altima I've ever seen

 

I think the LaCrosse is absolutely laughable when placed side by side with its so called "benchmark" ES330. The LaCrosse looks like a platic kid's electronic keyboard next to a mahogany grand piano when sat next to the ES330.

GM still hasn't learned how to make an interior that flows instead of looking like it was put together piece by piece from a playschool toy bin.

With that said, in terms of the motor, chassis, reliability stats, ride quality/quitness, etc... it's definitely a car worth considering.

It just looks far less impressive on the surface, which is what GM time and time again has claimed they were working on, only to fall flat on their face IMO.

 

My wife has LaCrosse on her list of vehicles to replace her GTP when the lease is up next year.... we sat in one at a dealership about a month ago. I thought the interior was very well put together, and actually pretty rich looking for the price range.

I liek the profile, and the rear end as well.... ym only issue, as it has been from the beginning, is that the front clip look slike a 1997-ish Taurus...

 

Threxx, keep in mind that while the ES330 might have been a "target" or "benchmark" car (especially in terms of quiet, which I believe it achieves or is within the margin of error), realistically the LaCrosse has to bridge the gap of both the lower priced Century and the more expensive, better equipped Regal. A LaCrosse starts out in the low to mid 20s, I think. Optioned up all the way, it is probably very close to the ES in price. But at the lower end, it plays in a price category that the ES does not see, I believe. It may not have quite the interior level that the ES has, but in terms of performance, ride, handling, and noise suppression, it is in the same league at least.

Even still, check on out in person (if you've only seen it in pictures). The dash is quite upright and conservative, but is more stylish and better finished than, for example, the 300C that is raved about so often (bland, plasticky dash in that ugly car). The ES inside (and really all Lexus interiors) is very nice indeed (though the new Avalon dash is lame, imo, but that's wearing the Toyota badge). The thing that really impresses me about the Lacrosse, though, is the high level of fit/finish. The panel gaps and overall fit of the exterior are very Lexus-like to my eyes (a compliment to both cars). The same is basically true for the interior for me. I think the Lexus wood trim looks a little better (not necessarily more "real", just a better color of "stain" to my eyes, though that partially depends on the color of the dash and seats accompanying the wood). About the only minor beef I have with the Lacrosse dash, though, is the flush mount radio/hvac controls integrated into the black trim. It reminds me of the Lincoln LS cars - the radios fit flush, but the buttons don't take advantage of all the space available (like Lexus and Cadillac do). Instead, it looks like a normal, rectangular shaped radio layout (buttons and ***** all aligned in a 7x5" box or whatever) that is sitting behind a wider piece of trim, so there is excess plastic to either side. That is the main part that seems "compartmentalized" to me; the rest just seems conservative (but still well put together).

My $0.04.

 

One thing I noticed with GM cars is the terrible smell of the leather interiors. It smells exactly like Redzed claims as being chemical smell. It is horrible.

On the La Crosse, I just do not like this car at all. Not a great replacement for the LeSabre. At least the lesabre has a decent sized back seat. The Lacrosse ruined that.

 

I've honestly never noticed that... I've had several leather GM cars, too...

LaCrosse was the intended as a replacement for Regal and Century... not LeSabre...

 

I always thought GM cars had some of the best "new car smell" (maybe because I mostly grew up with GM cars), whether it be cloth or leather. New Cadillacs with leather smell yummyCorrect. The new Lucerne is more of a LeSabre/Park Avenue replacement.

 

Ahh.
What is the replacement for the Lesabre? Lucerne I guess? Anyone know of any pics of it. My father owns a 2002 and might be looking for the replacement and if a new model comes out soon I might tel him to wait.

 

Some Lucerne info and a gallery

 

LOL I must have skipped your response when responding to Darths.

So any pics of this car or timeframe when it is to hit the showrooms?

 

Doh! See my edit above. You replied before I could get the edit up.

 

I'd assume this chemical odor you are talking about is the smell of fermaldahyde (I think that's how it is spelled).
Your actually not supposed to put your babies in new cars for a while because of this.
The fact that you blamed it on fake wood trim is very amusing.
This was obviously a new car and had the smell of chemicals (preservatives) still in it. This happens with all new cars...............

even Nissans!!!! )I KNow its a hard on to believe.

 

formaldehyde or formyl aldehyde. It is good for you though