Overview & Reviews

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 4 of 4.00

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  Look Elsewhere - 2016 Buick LaCrosse
  By Steve H. - October 23 - 6:51 am

  The Lacrosse was a potential candidate to be a retirement gift to myself in a year or two. I decided to rent one for a week to take on a 1,000 mile trip. It is now off my list. The first shortcoming is the cramped driving position. Im 6 foot, 190 lbs and the position is much tighter than it has to be. The console flares as it approaches the dash reducing valuable seating real estate. My right leg was constantly fighting the console trying to get my foot squarely on the accelerator pedal. The foot well size is reduced by the intrusion of the wheel well. The seat went back far enough, a big plus. The dash seems to be close to the seating position and it curves as it approaches the door. I hit it the corner twice during exiting. Then there is the road noise. It is unacceptable for a car of this supposed caliber. The noise is intrusive starting about 35 mph on anything but smooth asphalt. At highway speeds, it is a constant nuisance. Thankfully, the wind noise is minimal, as it should be. Handling was very excellent and the ride was OK, nothing worth noting. Brakes, OK. The climate control worked very well and the controls were easy to understand. The entertainment system was another weak area. The screen was a nice size, but distracting because of the scarcity of buttons on the dash. The screen is tilted and so is the bezel which made is difficult to push the smallish station preset icons. Everything has to be done via the two knobs and a couple of buttons or the touch screen. Either way, it causes the driver to divert their attention from the road. The sound was excellent and it was not the premium radio. The powertrain (V6) was excellent, as was the gas mileage. I averaged just over 30 mpg (calculated) for highway (mostly), suburban and in-town driving. The trunk was nice and big and the fit and finish were excellent. By contrast, Im leasing a 2015 Verano which is superior in several areas. It does not exhibit as high a level of road noise as the Lacrosse and the entertainment system is easier to use because it has buttons for things like the radio presets. The drivers position is not as cramped, even though it is slightly smaller overall and the pedal feel of the brakes is better. However, it is smaller and does not have the same ride comfort as the Lacrosse which runs 10-20k more. Maybe the redesign will improve many of these deficiencies which would put the Lacrosse back on my list.