2018 Buick LaCrosse Avenir Breaks Cover With Premium Trimmings
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We knew a Buick LaCrosse Avenir was coming, but it’s here a smidge earlier than anticipated. Buick revealed the 2018 LaCrosse Avenir overnight, and in typical Avenir fashion, it wears plenty of concept car-inspired cues like Buick’s first Avenir-branded car, the 2018 Enclave Avenir.
The most notable difference is up front where designers inserted a 3D-mesh upper and lower grille. The pattern recalls the Avista concept, and also pulls its chrome wings flanking the Buick badge as well. The exterior also receives “Avenir” badging and standard 19-inch Pearl Nickel wheels, though 20-inch Midnight Silver wheels will be available.
Moving inside the LaCrosse Avenir, the interior features a Chestnut color theme with embroidered front-row headrests and additional “Avenir” badging on the sill plates. The Avenir trim also adds a panoramic moonroof, and Bose Centerpoint Surround Sound premium audio as standard.
The powertrain goes unchanged from range-topping LaCrosses. The 2018 LaCrosse Avenir gets a familiar 3.6-liter V6 engine paired to a nine-speed automatic transmission. Buyers can opt for all-wheel drive and the Dynamic Drive Package, which features continuous variable real-time dampening control.
The LaCrosse continues to underperform for Buick, which we think is a real shame, but maybe added luxury will stir up buyers looking for a full-size luxury sedan. Look for the LaCrosse Avenir to reach dealerships in early 2018.
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So no new LED headlights. What a huge letdown.
LED lights are grossly overrated
It’s a nice looking car, it’s a shame Buick is still has such an ugly steering wheel. That part doesn’t look premium at all..
Definitely some classic cheap GM touches. For an Avenir model, I expected more.
This LaCrosse practically makes the XTS even more irrelevant! 90-95% of the content, with some newer GM features not available on the XTS, for thousands less! But luckily for Cadillac, they still have those customers that just have to have a premium FWD luxo-barge with a Cadillac badge on it to feel “special!” SMH…
J, LMK when the Lacrosse receives rear climate controls, 3 extra cu.ft. of rear cargo capacity, a larger fuel tank, 100 more HP, and a much comfier ride. Also, as Tom said, the steering wheel looks way too cheap.
Still has about 90-95% of the XTS’s content for thousands less without the aforementioned things you listed. I agree about the steering wheel though, but styling is subjective. And why GM doesn’t offer rear seat climate for the LaCrosse and other premium products remains a testament to their cost-cutting ways! Nevertheless, I’d appreciate the XTS more if it rode on the latest full-sized FWD platform, had GM’s 9-speed automatic, their newest 3.6LV-6, and the GNK AWD system. For GM to not include these things in the XTS lineup shows where their priority is. And you can bet a TTV6 Caddy engine is gonna eventually find its way into the LaCrosse….But like I said, Cadillac is lucky to have that “traditional” customer base, in addition to the strong livery service…..
More gears + newer engine = more problems. Another nod the the XTS, its tried and true technology.
The 2018 XTS is a joke. We passed by several parked alongside the other 3 Cadillac sedans and didn’t even notice them until we got out and looked at the window sticker. The new Lacrosse has a more modern chassis and suspension design, a newer 3.6 and 9 speed automatic to Cadillac’s old 3.6 LFX and 6 speed automatic. GM really cracks me up sometimes. It reminds me during the mid 1980’s when Chevy got a newer designed more powerful 4.3 FI V6 for the Monte Carlo and El Camino and the more costly Buick Regal and Cutlass had to soldier on with the weak carbureted Buick 3.8. GM seems to have a knack of doing things backwards. Who can forget when a Cadillac had a severely underpowered HT 4100 with 125-135 HP in it’s massive C-body car line when a cheaper Chevy Caprice had a far superior 150 HP 305 V8. You just can’t make this stuff up!
steering wheel is cheesy looking for any Buick . it does have great looking lines to compete with anything in its class but come on what is with the colors , there dead colors in and out . Prices are getting to high.. A good thing it is built in America
I love it: the grille, the wheels and there’s that interior color that I’ve been waiting for. The Buick website shows the 19″ wheels, which look even better than these IMO. Now the price…?
I sure hope they allow the bundle of 19″ wheels and Mag Ride for the Avenir. I love the Mag Ride and the handling profile they dialed in to the new Lacross but those 20″ wheels kept me away from this option for now. The the roads are just too bad here in the NE for such a low profile tire. They should do a new tuning for MRC+19″ wheels and 45 or 50 series tires. Buick’s top of the range goal be to true to the brand and deliver the ultimate in comfort and lux, with some suprising potential for performance when needed. Not a Vsport wanna-be.
The LaCrosse doesn’t have Magnetic Ride Control. It has continuously variable real time damping, which is not as advanced. Different technologies for different vehicle applications and cost structure.
I stand corrected and that’s good information to know.. In fact I’m interested to know the difference. Either way it’s great technology…I really like the ride it provides in the LaCrosse. Even if it “enables” a lower profile tires, I still don’t see the logic of force-bundling such extremes as a 40 profile. For a Buick.
Give it Cadillac’s twin turbo 3.6L V6 V-sport engine and magnetic ride control and I’m in. Why on earth GM doesn’t is a mystery to me. Of course I’m not an engineer and don’t know if that would work on the Lacrosse platform, but I sure wish it would because the Buick looks so much better to me than the CTS does.
Can never figure this out either. The LGW, LF3 and LF4 are simply under utilized in both Buick and Cadillac. Heck even the Impala should have gotten a detuned version. What a waste. While a weak company like FCA stuffs a Hellcat in everything under the sun.. us GM fans with a multitude of engine options all across the spectrum are left to ponder. Seriously.. I love my LT4 in my V and my LT1 in my Z51, but my Impala with an LF3 would have been a real conversation piece. YES!!! I’m talking about an AWD Impala like the lame Taurus. GM’s biggest sales issues could be solved by catering to the niches. The ATS missing the VSport option was another mystery.. even if it were a detuned 380HP version of the same engine the CTS-VSport had (LF3) not to mention an OPTIONAL extra-cost option of an LT1 instead of the LF4 only.
GM has gotten terrible at performance variants of anything other than the Corvette and Camaro, which are impractical for the vast majority of drivers these days. Ford positively slaughters GM on this. Name just about any Ford model in their lineup and there is some type of turbo high powered variant offered. Even the old hoary Taurus offers the SHO with 365 HP. Even Hyundai offers higher powered variants of the Elantra!
Lets hope Buick has as much success wirh rheir Avenir trim as GMC is having with the Denali line-up . Gm is taking a gamble rhough dressing uo a model tgat they cant sell .
Good looking car.
After a few days to think this over, I have a lot of questions. I can’t stop staring at it, but what exactly is GM providing here? Don’t get me wrong, I love the design changes, but I question if there is any actual added value, or is this just an alternate style. The wheels, grille and lower valance are different, but does that make them more premium? The interior color and sill plates are different, but again what makes them more premium? …because Buick says they are?
I haven’t heard anything about the wood trim being real, or the headliner being sueded. Both of these things were included on the “Ultra Luxury Package” in the previous style LaCrosse. Instead of just replacing the standard “Buick” door sills with “Avenir” sills, they should be illuminated. GM doesn’t seem to get little touches like illuminated door sills. While they are at it, an illuminated grille emblem or grille outline would let oncoming traffic know they are looking at something special -even at night. How about puddle lamps that illuminate a Buick emblem or Avenir script on the ground upon approach, or the ability to customize the interior accent color to suit ones mood or style instead of being stuck with the dingy “moon white” GM chose? I’m also assuming that power folding exterior mirrors are still missing, and the steering wheel doesn’t have the automatic heated feature starting to show up in other GM cars (even the Chevy Bolt).
A Lacrosse Premium runs around $45,000 with Bose and a sunroof, so I’m guessing that this is going to be in the neighborhood of $50,000 when it arrives (not including options such as dynamic drive package or all wheel drive). Are customers going to be willing to pay that much more for some different trim bits and an exclusive interior color? It does come with 19″ wheels over the standard 18″ ones on regular Lacrosses, and the headrests are embroidered, but what is GM really giving us for the money here?
For the 50 large that this car will command on the sticker it really angers me that so many things were not included on this car. Fake wood. Power windows that only express down on the passenger and rear doors. No illuminated sill plates. And not even a different drivetrain to add power like the 3.6 or 3.0 TT V6’s. I’m having doubts that sticking the word Avenir and slightly different wheels and trim is going to do anything for sales.
New Lacrosse Avenir??? Change the name to protect the guilty Buick Lacrosse 2017, worst car ever!!! Hope many got fired.