2010 Buick LaCrosse

2010 Buick LaCrosse

Episode 2902
Lucas Oil "Keep That Engine Alive"Auto Value and Bumper to BumperTire Rack "The Way Tire Buying Should Be"

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
2023 BMW X7 Driving

2023 BMW X7

Should Keep The BMW Faithful Coming Back For More

Episode 4238
Lucas Oil "Keep That Engine Alive"Auto Value and Bumper to BumperTire Rack "The Way Tire Buying Should Be"

While BMW got serious about their SUV game around the same time as most other luxury brands, it took them until just a few years ago to deliver a 3-row example. This year, that X7 is updated with new style and new tech. So, let’s see if that makes it the ultimate premium 3-row family machine.

When it comes to utility vehicles, bigger seems to be better for a lot of people. So, for BMW, there’s none bigger or better than the X7 3-row utility, which for 2023 gets a comprehensive update after just 4-years on the market. That includes a facelift to bring it more in line with the new 7-series carline, which is to say joins the more vertical, aggressive grille party. Also, the actual headlights have been moved lower in the front fascia, with squinty DRLs above for the first time on a BMW. In back, taillights take on a 3D posture, with a new chrome bar connecting them.

There are also multiple new M Sport packages to choose from to spice up the exterior, with larger air intakes up front, high-gloss black trim, upgraded exhaust, cascade grille lighting, and 22-inch wheels, as well as M Sport brakes…

…and the interior too, with aluminum trim and exclusive steering wheel. But, by far the biggest change inside for ‘23 is a new dashtop curved display that eliminates the typical BMW well-hooded gauge pod and blends 12-inch Live Cockpit Pro into the 15-inch infotainment touchscreen, which now features iDrive8. Both a Head-Up Display and a large panoramic sunroof are standard.

2023 BMW X7 Interior Dashboard

Whether set up for 2 or 3 passengers, 2nd row seat room remains plentiful, and though the X7 doesn’t look ungainly large like many of its competitors, access to the 3rd row is quite good. Cargo space is reached through a fairly unique, Range Rover-style, split tailgate, which is quite oddly satisfying to watch unfold. There’s room for 48.6 cubic-ft. of goods behind the 2nd row, with a max of 90.4 cu.-ft.

The base xDrive40i has always been the sensible choice, even more so now with a new inline-6 turbo getting a significant bump in horsepower from 335 to 375, and a 48-volt mild-hybrid system that results in a total of 398 lb-ft. of torque.

At our Mason Dixon test track, there was enough to blast this big beast to 60 in just 5.4-seconds. That’s only about half a second slower than the V8 did the deed back in 2019. Making that optional 523-horsepower V8 simply overkill at this point. Our best ¼-mile pass was 13.9-seconds at 100 miles-per-hour. All X7s get a quick shifting sport-tuned 8-speed automatic transmission, which adds a new Sprint Function that finds the lowest usable gear instantly and maxes electric boost with a hold of the left shift paddle. What fun!

New looks and updated tech are cool, but BMW has also addressed dynamics as well, with a retuning of all chassis systems, including the optional Dynamic Handling Package which adds adaptive suspension with roll stabilization and uses GPS and camera data to prepare for what’s coming. We’re not sure if our slalom course was anticipated, but the X7 sure felt well-equipped to handle it. All-wheel drive is standard on all X7s, along with comprehensive drive modes.

In our braking runs, the pads bit down hard quickly, stopping us from 60 in just 115-feet with very little nosedive.

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Government Fuel Economy Ratings for the 6-cylinder are 21-City, 25-Highway, and 22-Combined. We averaged just 21.0 miles-per-gallon on Premium.

There’s an average Energy Impact Score; 13.5-barrels of oil yearly, with CO2 emissions of 6.5-tons.

Pricing starts at $78,845, and it’s a significant step up from there to $104,095 if you want the V8. Even more reason to stick with the 6-cylinder as far as we’re concerned.

It took the ultimate driving machine folks quite a bit of time to enter the 3-row family crossover segment, but when they did, they were able to create their largest utility ever and keep it consistent with their values. For 2023, the BMW X7 gets even more dynamic, embraces new tech, and looks better too. All things that should keep the BMW faithful coming back for more.

Specifications

  • Engine: I-6
  • Horsepower: 375
  • 0-60 mph: 5.4 seconds
  • 60-0 Braking: 115 feet (avg)
  • MW Fuel Economy: 21.0 MPG
  • Transmission: 8-speed automatic
  • Torque: 398 lb-ft.
  • 1/4 Mile: 13.9-seconds at 100 mph
  • EPA: 21 City / 25 Highway / 22 Combined