Buick's LaCrosse: The best 1996 Taurus I've ever seen!

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Jul 18, 2005 | 09:34 PM

#31

Morginie

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Joined: Jul 2004

Posts: 188

Re: Buick's LaCrosse: The best 1996 Taurus I've ever seen!

Quote:

Originally Posted by HAZ-Matt

formaldehyde or formyl aldehyde. It is good for you though

Oh course anything that can preserve dead bodies in a jar is good for you

Jul 19, 2005 | 12:15 AM

#32

Threxx

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Joined: Sep 1998

Posts: 4,320

From: Memphis

Re: Buick's LaCrosse: The best 1996 Taurus I've ever seen!

Quote:

Originally Posted by 96_Camaro_B4C

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.

I've seen some decible measurements for the new LaCrosse and they are relatively impressive, but just barely surpassing the current Toyota Camry (a car that it more realistically competes with, rather than the ES330, of which is of course the luxury version of the Camry). The Camry is getting a ground-up redesign in about a year and a half, as well. The ES330 is from the tests I've read, on average about 3dB quieter than the Camry during full throttle and cruising due to quite a bit of extra sound deadening, upgraded glass, sheet metal, underbody, motor isolation, and subframe dampening.

I'm not referring specifically to build quality and/or gaps and such, as I haven't objectively measured the two... I'm just talking about the overall look and feel of the interior of the ES is so ridiculously far ahead of the LaCrosse it's funny to even think some people consider them in the same league (yes, do a search... I had a few people tell me that until I posted pics to compare and magically it got really quiet).

The LaCrosse in terms of pricing is similar to the Camry in lower end trims, and surprisingly just under the ES330's pricing option for option in higher end trims (although of course once you consider the discounts you can usually get on the LaCrosse, you can get it for quite a bit less than the sticker prices of the two may imply)

With all that said I've got enough experience with the ES300/330 to know that I hate its motor and transmission in terms of the whole package's "feel". Very smooth and decently powerful, but it just feels like somebody filled the whole thing with mayonaise to make it feel 'slicker' than it really should be. In the end it feels slow to respond to quick inputs and like it's almost slipping when it shifts. Yes, every last one I've driven has been like that.

So in that respect I can almost guarentee that however the Lacrosse's DOHC powertrain feels, I think I'd prefer it. Even if they are still using a 4-speed auto. With the ground up redesign of the Camry and ES coming up not too long from now they will definitively be going to the new GR-series V6 used in the Avalon (280 horsepower in the Av... not sure what it'll be in the Camry and ES) and getting rid of the now aging 3.0/3.3. Expect a hybrid/AWD option to surface at the same time or in under a year after release. They'll probably retain the 5-speed auto used in the Avalon for the Camry, although a 6-speed auto may make its way into the ES upon release or sometime after as an update.