The 2017 Buick LaCrosse is no Buick Avenir, but it certainly is a handsome looking thing in our eyes. The new LaCrosse ushers in a new face for the brand, an entirely new way of designing Buick interiors and much more.
In today’s community question, we ask if the 2017 Buick LaCrosse has met, exceeded or fallen short of your expectations. But first, we’ll recap a few things.
The 2017 LaCrosse is the product of over three years of development. Buick looked at its core strengths and exploited them to the fullest extent. That means the LaCrosse is as quiet as it has been, as elegant and packs more content that its competition.
Over 100 areas have been tested individually for quality, sound and materials to ensure a proper experience in the 2017 LaCrosse. These include things like the window switches, wiper noise and gas cap.
If you ask us, the 2017 LaCrosse certainly does meet expectations, and certainly exceeds them in a few places, especially in the interior and front fascia design. But, this isn’t a question for us, it’s a question for you.
Vote in our poll below, and talk to us in the comment section to discuss if the 2017 LaCrosse soars above expectations, meets them or falls flat.
Comments
The new LaCrosse has definitely exceeded my expectations especially on the interior. It appears modern, well executed and luxurious.
The exterior looks good but pictures and even video can only tell you so much.
Well too soon to tell.
I like what I see but I need to see and touch it in person. I also need to see all the options and the pricing to see if it meets the segment or my expectations.
As of now I will say very good so far.
To answer now is like asking me if I liked my Steak before the meal.
To me, the biggest thing that has not met my expectations is the trunk. The press release claims 7% more luggage space, which is only about one cubic foot over the ridiculously tiny 13.3 cubic feet in the current car. That means at 14.3 cubic feet (and this is approximate, as they haven’t released the actual size), the trunk is still smaller than a Chevy Sonic Sedan, and about four and a half cubic feet less than an Impala! To top it off, there are pictures of the open trunk on Autoblog, and the hinges are no longer in pockets to prevent luggage from getting crushed. I’m sure the space the hinges waste hasn’t been figured into the 7% number, so there could actually be a net loss in usable space. Why can’t they just use hydraulic hinges like so many previous Buick models?
I took a 10-day, 7-state road trip with my wife in our 2015 Lacrosse, and it was a chore to repack the trunk every morning to fit everything in, and we’re only two people. I’m glad we at least didn’t have to pack around hinges to make sure nothing got damaged. Sure, the 2017 Lacrosse seems to meet or exceed many of my other expectations, and it’s still high on my shopping list, but c’mon Buick… every review of the current car makes mention of the trunk being undersized for the size of the car, and you still dropped the ball.
I’ll definitely say it met my expectations; yet, a little more could be done so that it can exceed them. The styling is handsome, but not Avenir-striking. But this was to be expected, as is the case with every concept car that showcases a future product. The exterior strongly says “Buick”: which is either good or bad depending on your perception of the brand! The Lacrosse’s biggest drawing point is its interior! From what I can see in these photos and videos, the Lacrosse has an interior that’s befitting of a Cadillac! I Love the sea of soft-touch material covering almost every surface! Plus the wood accenting looks genuine and blends together nicely!
I was hoping for an advanced AWD system since this car just HAS to be FWD! I’m glad Buick delivered! I’m looking forward to experiencing the twin-clutch AWD system! The 3.6 NA V6 sounds good, but I’m only expecting it to be slightly better than the 3.6 in the current Lacrosse. The 8-speed should deliver good fuel economy, but I don’t know about performance. Plus GM’s new weight-saving body structuring sounds awesome! So I expect this car to feel lighter and slightly more dynamic!
What Buick can do to make it better is offer more engine variety! Hopefully, a TTV6 is somewhere in this car’s future! I’d love a GS performance Lacrosse to have fun in! A possible hybrid model would be welcomed also! Along with greater trunk space! A 7% increase in cargo room doesn’t sound all that appealing!
Overall, good job!
The car has tasteless styling. From 30 feet you have to look for the name too know what it is. GM doesn’t want to offend anyone and they certainly didn’t this time. It’s not even ugly. I am sure the interior, ride and reliabilty are all up to Buick standards. Anemic power and styling make this what Buick has always been …my Grandfathers car.
Behold!
The return of the Lucerne.
Look at that jelly bean. Cripes.
At least it does not look like a Toyota. We have too many Generic turd looking cars as it is.
You want something fun and exciting? Have a look at Cadillac. You want something understated and comfortable, that’s not necessarily too slow to get out of its own way? Buick is your answer. Unique selling propositions all around.
The car’s interior exceeded what I was expecting . Also the exterior has a more sculpted modern look to it . Buick has a very good reputation these days for quality and I see no reason not to think this car will be the same .
This by no means is your grandfathers car . Their target is for a younger demographic , pre- Social Security age .
I wonder though if people still want a car this long . Something bigger than a Regal for sure , need to see it in person probably . Like the return of the red, white and blue tri-shield . Grabbing a feature from the past isn’t always a bad thing . My uncle is a die hard Buick fan and I am sure he will be ordering one of these next summer .
This car needed to be a game changer. In my eyes, it doesn’t accomplish this in terms of exterior design with that C pillar that just drops off.
From the video, I can say that this car is good enough and should help grow but not transform the brand. I don’t think, however, that it belongs going to Europe as an Opel, unfortunately.
Buick needs to follow through on a concept car. I remember the recent Rivera concept being praised-it was supposed to define the brand. Now it’s Aveair. Buick/Opel needs a plan that takes risks.
I initially felt the perpendicular side view was the weakest design element. I still do but because of this video —
— I no longer cringe. Until this video I didn’t notice that ‘wave’ embedded on the rear door. That wave aptly distracts from the slightly inelegant ‘stretch’ on the side of the car.
Actually, I’m somewhat disappointed. The car looks very much like the Hyundai Azera from the side. This is Buick’s flagship car and it is again on a FWD chassis, no AWD, it borrows the 3.6 liter engine from Cadillac, no LED headlights, wheels are a carryover, I hate “C” pillar windows, look “cheesy”, interior is no game changer, and it rides on the same chassis as the new Malibu, instead of the alpha.
Buick has a ho-hum line-up of made in Canada, Korea, exported from Germany, and soon, China, vehicles. All, FWD, all, 4’s or V6’s. True, this new LaCrosse will be made in the USA, but it comes up short as the flagship. Buick needs the Avenir now, and a RWD Coupe like a Riviera. It’s long past time for Buick to be great again. The LeSabre, Invicta, and Electra shields have their colors back, wouldn’t the names be great. What the hell is a Cascada?
Just so you know, there is AWD, it continues to be optional, and a much more advanced system this time. Also, they didn’t steal the engine from Cadillac, it’s already in the Camaro too, and I expect it to show up in the Impala sooner than later. The headlights aren’t LEDs, but they are HID which will be standard instead of optional.
Also, Cascada is Spanish for waterfall.
Like stated there is a AWD option and there will be more versions to come. This is just the intro model.
The interior exceeds my expectations.
With the exterior, I feel it should’ve been made more Buick-y. I already miss the chrome waterfall and the oval ventiports being on the hood. The new ventiports look way more generic, and my least favorite design detail is how they treated the sweepspear. The lines look more like an Acura ILX than any traditional Buick. The lines up front look fine, but they added an unnecessary crease over the rear wheels, and instead of continuing to fade downward, the rear line is curved into the front door handles.
Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s a very gorgeous car, but I think it lacks some of the good Buick styling.
I am certainly impressed with its exterior, however, I have a major complaint with the interior – an obtrusive console. It would seem that the engineers are convinced that everyone wants one, when the reality is many would rather have additional space that wider front seats afford. One practical solution would be using existing technology to have the ability to adjust the height of the center console to personal preference. I would also prefer a column shifter or a push button transmission to maximize interior space. I am the demographic they are aiming for at 33 years old and I wish GM and other automakers would stop with the “one size fits all” mentality when coming up with a front seating configuration.
I did get to the L.A Auto Show and spent much time at the Buick exhibit. The 2017 Lacrosse is in my opinion looking much better than the pictures. I did get to sneak my way into the interior of the car as well. And admit I am quite impressed. I admit I didn’t have the time to go from the back seat to the front positioned for my 6’2″ frame. The front is roomy. I like the layout of the dashboard. The trunk was opened, but I didn’t get a chance to look at it up close, but can see that it is larger than my 2012 Lacrosse. This automobile looks so good I had to ask which one of them I could take with me right then. I can’t wait to see the road tests results for the 2016 Malibu which is on the same platform. The A frame and C frame issues have been resolved. I really believe not having the boat tail back to this vehicle helps with the rear seating and trunk space. The back of the car is very reminiscent of the Lucerne. Hopefully when this vehicle is released to showrooms, Buick still has their 24 hour test drive promo in place…because this one I will definitely take for the 24 hours. My only concern is how they will market this. With the 2012 all the options I wanted plus more were on the Premium III and it didn’t cost me my arm and leg. And I am as happy today with my 2012 as I was when I pulled it off the dealer’s lot brand new. ‘When better cars are built, Buick will build them’ is true.