Third-generation Buick LaCrosse

The previous-generation Buick LaCrosse was the dark horse of the luxury car market and for General Motors, it was made to be a world-class luxury car that will make owners of German or Japanese luxury cars envy on how this car behaves. With the all new, third-generation, Buick LaCrosse finally making the spotlight, can its "world-class luxury" promise still be kept like last time?

2017 Buick LaCrosse

First and foremost, let's take a bite on the new LaCrosse's design and for this new model, it looks very rewarding to look at on its first impression and the more you look on its design, the more you'll appreciate its world-class styling that draws flak to the Germans and Japanese. The thing is, the new LaCrosse was heavily inspired from the Avenir Concept, a concept turned reality like the previous model, and it was the first to come with Buick's brand new company face that will soon be applied in future models very soon. The waterfall grille is gone and now comes with the winged grille that harks back to the legendary Wildcat II concept from the 50's. 

A bit of checkered history though, but one thing that makes us noticed is the sideline because when you look further, it looks broadly similar to the Hyundai Grandeur, which costs cheaper than the new LaCrosse's 32,065 US Dollar starting price. Such thing makes us go hmmm...because even though it was costly to own than those Korean premium midsize saloons like the Kia K7 and the Hyundai Grandeur, the new LaCrosse will sadly not make it in the hands of South Koreans as an Alpheon, It's a shame because it looks very nice to look at, compared to the present-day Chevrolet Impala the Koreans got their hands on.

2017 Buick LaCrosse interior

2017 Buick LaCrosse interior

Spend minutes inside the new LaCrosse and you will find that its well-crafted interior is modern Buick mandarin to you and while it promises a world-class level of comfort and silence as learned from the previous model, the new LaCrosse isn't all about business and leisure even after hours. Sure, it now comes with Apple Carplay or Android Auto connectivity, but if you are so busy driving on the road, there's not enough time to toy around with such feature unless if you're stuck at rush hour traffic. Not to worry though because if you were stuck at traffic, you can get in touch with almost anyone thanks to its 4G connectivity that most General Motors models had. If you were being chauffeured by your personal driver, getting indulged inside the new LaCrosse is just one of the many meanings of the lap of luxury because it's like being on a personal office desk on wheels. It's all work, all play that won't make you dull, even on Mondays.

2017 Buick LaCrosse

Being the flagship of the Buick lineup in America, the new LaCrosse comes exclusively with a brand new 3.6L V6 engine, which produces 305 HP of power and 268 lb-ft of torque, mated to an 8-speed automatic gearbox. Living it up to its world-class performance that matches the German saloons, the new LaCrosse comes with a 5-link rear suspension and an optional Sport Mode feature to make it more responsive in the corners. Summing it up, the new suspension doesn't make the LaCrosse feel as American as old Buicks from the last century and therefore, a bit more European, but when compared to cars like the BMW 5-Series and the Lexus GS, the new LaCrosse is nowhere near enjoyable as the other two, but when opted to the optional All-Wheel Drive with Active Twin-Clutch, the way it behaves is somewhat Audi A6 territory, swooning even under the weather.

As a technologically-focused Buick ever made, the new LaCrosse comes with driving aids such as Front Automatic Braking, Adaptive Cruise Control, Forward Collision Alert, Front Pedestrian Braking, Lane Keep Assist, Automatic Parking Assist, Side Blind Zone Alert, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, and a Rear Vision Camera.

As mentioned, the new LaCrosse starts at 32,065 US dollars, which sounds very reasonably priced to owned but more pricey compared to Korean cars such as the K7 and the Grandeur. It maybe living up to its "world-class" promise but judging from its current standing now, feels like the LaCrosse is almost cutting short from the competition, even though its dream of selling it to South Korea as a new Alpheon was ended in rubbles, thanks to the Chevrolet Impala. That makes us very sad...

Available colors: Crimson Red Tintcoat, Black Onyx, Summit White, Ebony Twilight Metallic, White Frost Tricoat, Graphite Gray Metallic, Dark Sapphire Blue Metallic, Quicksilver Metallic, and Dark Forest Green Metallic.

Photo: General Motors