2010 Buick LaCrosse
After decades of being too closely associated with older, more conservative buyers, Buick made a breakout in appealing to a younger, more affluent set with the 2008 Enclave crossover utility. The Enclave has been an unqualified success. A second effort is ready with the all-new Lacrosse sedan. While the name is familiar, the car is anything but. It’s a fresh approach with stunning good looks inside and out. Now we’ll see if the Lacrosse can deliver.
Except for the name, the 2010 Buick LaCrosse is all-new. And even that was a point of discussion, since it was first revealed as the Invicta concept at last year’s Beijing Auto Show, and is sold in Canada as the Allure. Its sexy, Asian-penned styling could be mistaken for anything from a Lexus to a Mercedes. Scimitar blade-shaped headlamps flank an Enclave-like waterfall grille. Stylized Buick portholes have migrated from the fenders to the hood.
A high beltline makes room for a deeply sculpted “sweepspear” body line, and provides the greenhouse a low-slung look, even though this LaCrosse is two inches taller.
The less-original rear has lots of chrome- on the license plate header, edging the taillights, and plating the dual exhaust. Wheels come in 17’s, 18’s, or our top-of-the-line CXS Touring’s 19-inch chrome-painted alloys wearing low-profile Eagle RS-A rubber. As part of the ground-up redesign, the outgoing LaCrosse’s pushrod engines are gone, replaced by a trio of twin-cam motors, all with fuel saving direct fuel injection, and a six-speed automatic transmission. Base CX and mid-level CXL share a 3.0-liter V6 with the new Cadillac SRX, churning out 255 horsepower and 217 pound-feet of torque.
Our LaCrosse CXS sports the same award-winning 3.6-liter V6 that powers the Enclave, rated at 280 horsepower and 259 pound-feet of torque. It will be available in front or all-wheel-drive, a first for a Buick car. Due soon is the Malibu’s frugal Ecotec 2.4-liter four cylinder. This new base is rated at 182 horsepower and 172 pound-feet of torque, with highway fuel economy well into the 30’s.
But even our CXS 3.6 did pretty good in that area. Government fuel economy ratings are 17 city, 27 highway. We achieved a fine 24.5 mpg in real-world driving with regular gas. With an Energy Impact Score of 16.3 barrels of oil consumed annually, and a carbon footprint of 8.7 tons of CO2 per year, the LaCrosse CXS is on par with its premium rivals. Ditto acceleration: zero to 60 in a respectable 7.5 seconds, with a quarter mile of 15.9 at 90 mph. The big six delivers fine low-end power off the line. Shifts, however, were soft and delayed.
Handling from its new-generation Epsilon platform was actually better than expected. Despite some tendency to understeer, the LaCrosse shifted its weight well along a taut suspension equipped with optional real-time damping. Steering had reassuring heft and a strong self-centering feel. With standard stability and traction control, LaCrosse is much nimbler than its 4065-pound curb weight suggested. Grippy anti-lock disc brakes and a nicely-modulated pedal made for stops averaging a short 125 feet from sixty. Stability was excellent.
Now for the best part; Invicta’s gorgeous and emotional interior theme was delivered intact for LaCrosse, including elegant door treatments, twin-pod instrument cluster, cool blue lighting, and graceful center console. Beefy seats are wrapped in finely-stitched soft leather with available heat and ventilation. Eight-way power is standard for the driver as is excellent lateral support.
All trims are equipped with satellite radio, automatic climate, and OnStar. Our CXS was loaded up with navigation and rear view camera, oversized sunroof, and head-up display. The split rear seat cushions are a little low, but there is generous legroom, besting the Lexus ES 350 by 4 1/2 inches. There’s an armrest with pass through, an available power rear sunshade, and dual screen DVD. The trunk, however, at 12.8 cubic feet, is smaller and less useable than the ES’.
Base pricing for the LaCrosse is $27,835 for the CX; the CXL starts at $30,395, $32,570 with all-wheel-drive, and the CXS starts at $33,765. In China, where Buick is number one in sales, the venerable brand is revered as a style-setter. With the Enclave, and now the 2010 LaCrosse, that image is starting to take hold in America as well. The “new” General Motors has a lot riding on the success of the LaCrosse, and from where we sit, this ride looks fantastic.
Specifications
- Engine: Cxs 3.6-Liter V6
- Horsepower: 280
- Torque: 259 Lb Feet
- 0-60 MPH: 7.5 Seconds
- 1/4 Mile: 15.9 Seconds @ 90 MPH
- 60-0 MPH: 125 Feet
- EPA: 17 MPG City/ 27 MPG Highway
- Mixed Loop: 24.5 MPG
- Energy Impact: 16.3 Barrels Oil/Yr
- CO2 Emissions: 8.7 Tons/Yr
2024 Hyundai Sonata
Updated Sonata Continues To Deliver
Comfort and room to roam used to be core elements for attracting buyers to midsize family sedans. But thanks to SUVs, that’s not enough these days. Now, luxury, tech integration, performance, fuel economy, and even all-wheel drive have become must have sedan ingredients. And one more, value. So, let’s see if the latest Hyundai Sonata gives us all a lesson in chemistry.
The seventh-generation Hyundai Sonata midsize sedan has been on the road since 2020, and as usually happens when vehicles approach the end of their lifecycle, this 2024 Sonata gets a makeover to keep the looks fresh and electronics current until an all-new one arrives.
Standard tech includes a crystal-clear 12.3-inch digital gauge display and a 12.3-inch touchscreen for infotainment. Both are now combined into one wide curved housing similar to what we’ve seen from BMW and other luxury brands. This required a complete dash overhaul; a big interior change you can’t miss. Top Limited trim ups the game with navigation, leather seating, 12-speaker Bose premium sound, head-up display, and sunroof. It’s quite roomy inside, though maybe not quite as spacious or as comfy as some rivals with newer designs. On the other hand, rear seat legroom is very generous with long distance comfort.
There are three powertrain choices. The base front-wheel-drive SEL works with a 191-horsepower, naturally aspirated 2.5-liter I4. And for 2024, you can now add all-wheel drive to it for $1,500. The sporty N Line puts a turbocharger onto that 2.5 which boosts output to 290 horsepower, but it remains front-wheel-drive only, as does this Hybrid. The Hybrid is 2.0-liter I4 based with a 39-kW electric motor that combine for an output of 192 horsepower.
The real draw with the Hybrid is fuel economy of course, and the Government Ratings are 44 City, 51 Highway, and 47 Combined. We manage just 42.7 mpg of Regular in our driving loop, but that’s still slightly better than in our recent tests of both the Toyota Camry Hybrid and Honda Accord Hybrid. And it earns a much better than average Energy Impact Score, using 6.3 barrels of oil yearly, with 3.1 tons of CO2 emissions.
Minimal body roll and light steering had us whipping in and out of the cones with a surprising amount of speed.
The price for that great fuel economy was paid at our test track with a slow roll to 60 of 8.0-seconds. There was no sense of urgency off the line, and while the engine sounded like it was really working hard, numbers on the speedometer were slow to climb. That meter was reading only 89 mph after 16.0 seconds as we crossed the quarter-mile. On a much more positive note, the Sonata Hybrid’s true six-speed automatic transmission provides a much more enjoyable experience than competitor’s CVTs.
And the experience in our handling course was positive too; minimal body roll and light steering had us whipping in and out of the cones with a surprising amount of speed. We didn’t experience much in the way of oversteer or understeer, and stability systems stayed out of the way. In our panic braking runs, the pedal was soft, and we could really hear the ABS working overtime, but stops were straight and fade free, averaging a fine 114 feet from 60 mph.
The Sonata has always attempted to set itself apart when it comes to exterior design. That meant an awkwardly shaped “Digital Pulse Cascading” grille when this gen debuted; we much prefer the more traditional and sportier take of this update. The rear fascia also gets revised, looking both sportier and more upscale at the same time, with wide H-themed lighting to accentuate the Sonata’s width.
Pricing starts with the SEL at $28,650; adding the hybrid powertrain boosts it to $31,950, Limited comes exclusively with the hybrid engine and tops the lineup at $38,350.
Hyundai’s long-time formula for success, delivering more for less and tacking on a longer warranty than rivals, has done a great job of getting them where they are today. The 2024 Hyundai Sonata’s high value, impressive powertrain options, which now include all-wheel drive, and better than average driving dynamics, will ensure they stay a major player in the midsize sedan segment for years to come.
Specifications
As Tested
- Engine: 2.0-liter I4
- Transmission: 6-speed manual
- Horsepower: 192
- Torque: 151 lb-ft.
- EPA: 44 City | 51 Highway | 47 Combined
- 0-60 mph: 8.0 seconds
- 1/4 Mile: 16.0 seconds at 89 mph
- Braking, 60-0 (avg): 114 feet
- MW Fuel Economy: 42.7 mpg (Regular)