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
2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz
Hyundai’s Trucklet Gets A Lot Techier And A Little Truckier
Small trucks are once again a big deal here in the U.S., with more options to choose from than we’ve had since the 1980s heydays, including newcomers like this Hyundai Santa Cruz. And just like the Hyundai Tucson crossover that it’s based on, the Santa Cruz gets some major updates for 2025. So, it looks like it’s time for us to do some more tiny truckin’!
The Hyundai Santa Cruz pickup truck, and the Hyundai Tucson compact utility that it’s based on, get some significant updates for 2025, mostly revolving around style and tech. So, while our focus here is on the Santa Cruz, just know that most of what you see also applies to the Tucson.
The biggest changes happen inside where the Santa Cruz adopts Hyundai’s curved panoramic display that puts the 12.3-inch driver display and 12.3-inch infotainment screen into a single housing that stretches from behind the steering wheel to over the center stack. And while the center stack itself remains relatively minimal, they’ve redone the climate controls and actually added a few more physical buttons and dials back in. There’s also a better-looking steering wheel with a Driver Attention Sensor behind it; and while the Tucson moved its gear selector to the column, the Santa Cruz keeps its beefy old school shifter right there on the console. That, combined with an overall feel that’s not quite as open as the Tucson, goes a long way towards helping this trucklet feel more truck-like.
XRTs have a Surround View Monitor, Blind Spot Monitoring, and some branded logos. Rear seat room is more plentiful than you’d think seeing it from the outside, but you do sit very upright, and the seats themselves are not very comfy.
Exterior changes center around the usual new grille and wheel choices, but the off-road-inspired XRT gets a tiny bit more serious, featuring a unique front fascia with added tow hooks and a tidied-up undercarriage for better approach angles; plus, exclusive 18-inch wheels with all-terrain tires. No changes to the integrated 4-foot bed with all trims getting storage cubbies on the side of the bed as well as underneath the floor. The integrated bed cover comes with XRT and above or is available in SELs as part of an added Activity package which also adds a sliding rear window.
[It] is certainly one of the best riding vehicles around with a bed.
The Santa Cruz is certainly one of the best riding vehicles around with a bed, nothing rough or tumble here. In XRTs, you will hear a little more road noise from the more aggressive tires, but it’s far from being annoying. And the Santa Cruz’s size makes it very easy to whip in and out of parking spaces.
Nothing changes mechanically; that means a standard 191-horsepower, 2.5-liter naturally aspirated I4 engine in SE and SEL. While XRT and Limited get the turbocharged version of that engine with 281 horsepower, 311 lb-ft of torque, plus standard all-wheel drive. AWD is available on SE and SEL for $1,500. The turbo engine gets a unique dual-clutch transmission which gets an added tow mode for ’25, while the non-turbo works with a traditional automatic; both are eight-speeds. Max tow rating is 3,500 lbs. with the standard powertrain and 5,000 lbs. with all-wheel drive.
After towing our crew to Mason Dixon Dragway, the turbocharged Santa Cruz XRT delivered us to 60 in 6.6 seconds, about half a second slower than what we achieved back in ’22 with a Limited. Full power was a little late to arrive, but once it showed up, it was ready to get to work, providing steady power the whole way down the track. Our best quarter-mile time was a 15-flat at 96 mph. At wide open throttle, DCT shifts were smooth with no power loss moving through the gears, but it does still stumble a little at slower speeds around town.
The handling experience with the XRT was also different from Limited, as the off-road tires struggled to get a good grip on the pavement when we pushed hard; leading to oversteer and more roll than we remember. There was great feel and feedback coming from the brakes in our panic braking runs however; also, consistent fade-free stops from 60 in just 105 feet.
Government Fuel Economy Ratings are 19 City, 27 Highway, and 22 Combined; we averaged a good 23.1 mpg of Regular. That’s an average Energy Impact Score; consuming 13.5 barrels of oil annually, with CO2 emissions of 6.7 tons. Starting price is a low $30,100, but things get much more serious for the XRT which starts at $41,600, though that’s still well below the average transaction price for a pickup truck these days.
So, until Subaru brings back the Brat or Baja or something similar, the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz will remain as the most car-like “truck” you can buy. For purists, that’s an absolute turn-off, but for a lot of others, it’s exactly what they desire.
Specifications
As Tested
- Engine: 2.5-liter turbo-4
- Transmission: 8-speed DCT
- Horsepower: 281
- Torque: 311 lb-ft
- EPA: 19 City | 27 Highway | 22 Combined
- 0-60 mph: 6.6 seconds
- 1/4 Mile: 15.0 seconds at 96 mph
- Braking, 60-0 (avg.): 105 feet
- MW Fuel Economy: 23.1 mpg