Gorgeous, handsome, elegant, flowing; any of those adjectives could describe the 2017 Buick LaCrosse and its new interior cabin pretty well. In fact, “elegant” and “flowing” are two words Liz Wetzel, LaCrosse interior design director, really enjoyed using when we spoke with her at the 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show.
Normally, we take a feature spotlight to look at one particular piece of a new vehicle, but we think taking this whole interior and taking a closer look would bring more insight.
Foremost, Wetzel said what we see here is the future direction of Buick interior design. That means expect to see more of those horizontal lines, running the style into the doors of the cabin with much fluidity. Wetzel said this approach not only creates a more cohesive look, but it makes for a visually more spacious and balanced cabin.
One of the biggest pieces to this new interior design is the addition of a floating center console, made possible by the 2017 Buick LaCrosse’s use of the eight-speed transmission with Electronic Precision Shift. Wetzel said her design team was eager to implement the technology and return the space normally taken up by a traditional shifter back to the consumer. The space is ideal to store items up to the size of a tablet.
We asked if we should expect the floating center console to become a new trademark of Buick interior design. The answer was a resounding yes, as Wetzel said any time the Electronic Precision Shift can be implemented into a new product, expect a floating center console.
Finally, Wetzel said the 2017 LaCrosse become the perfect time to introduce a new, modern lighting scheme for the car. Gone are the aqua blue accents lights, though, they can still be found in small doses in the interior cluster and dashboard.
Instead, new Moon White ambient lighting takes its place. Wetzel said it creates a much more modern and premium look, noting the aqua blue became too pungent at times in the outgoing car, especially with certain interior color combinations.
We tip our hats to the 2017 Buick LaCrosse interior design team because, as you can see, it’s truly a job well done.
Comments
love the gloss wood
I do too, but there is a bit too much of it in the new Lacrosse. That big piece across the dash is just too much for me.
I always swap my vehicle’s interior lights with ‘crystal’ white LEDs. Makes for a crisp cabin and much more usable light at night, good move on Buick’s part
I did that to my 11 Regal. Pure white lights inside and out. Looks great on my white car!
Overall, I really like the new interior. I’m really saddened by the loss of the ice blue ambient lightning though. I really love the light pipe in my Lacrosse, and three of my previous cars had the ice blue lightning (two Oldsmobiles and a Chevy). The one car that I owned with white interior lights came across as really low end. Too bad they can’t put in a color wheel like Ford to let the customer choose the color that fits their own style or mood.
I wonder if some people will not like it? I love the new interior
If this is the future of Buick, I wonder what is in store for Cadillac? The screen looks very similar to CUE minus the knobs, and the gauge cluster looks identical to the digital gauges on premium Cadillacs. Is GM going to position Buick alongside Cadillac as a non-performance but equally luxurious brand?
That would be a good idea. Different kinds of luxury. But I don’t think this cabin is as good as that of a Cadillac… and that’s not speaking of the “true” next-gen Caddies that we haven’t even seen yet.
For the Lacrosse, yes, but for the rest of the Buicks smaller than full-size, no. By no means should GM handicap Buick to keep the differentiation between the two, but Cadillac should always be at least a step ahead in interior materials, tech, comfort, and especially performance.
Yes, Cadillac should always be a step ahead on performance and tech. Buick should take the lead in comfort. Interior materials is a draw.
The gauge cluster is actually very similar to the current Lacrosse as well.
Buick’s LaCrosse should be a big hit based on cost alone as the old LaCrosse was about $32K meaning this new car should be in the sub-$40K price and continue to offer a lot of value.