That thing's got a V-8!

Those of you who know me, know that if you were to cut me open, you would likely find a Buick emblem stamped onto the front of my heart. The Buick division of GM has long been an important part of our family but I will save all of that for other blogs another time. Recently, I've had the privilege to be driving a brand new Buick LaCrosse Super. Don't feel bad if you have never heard of this model before; neither had I until I found myself sitting in one. If you know what a LaCrosse looks like, you basically know what the Super version looks like. There are a few, nice, cosmetic differences such as a lower front spoiler, a small rear spoiler, ground effects along the sides, and those infamous portholes that any lover of the 50's recognizes in a heartbeat as pure Buick. Normally, the LaCrosse does not have portholes at all. These last couple of years, those have only been used on the upscale Lucerne and now the new Enclave suv. Of course, this just makes the Super stand out even a little bit more. In addition to these exterior styling cues, the Super model also has a special, leather interior and I must say, it is impressive. It's difficult to describe but the cocoa leather interior of my car has such a design in each seat so as to almost appear woven. Everyone who saw it, was impressed. Of course, power seats and accessories are standard in this model. The instrument panel is unique to the Super as well but enough about the interior because that's not really what this car is all about.....

What really matters with this car is that it is a performance variant of the regular, standard, family sedan, LaCrosse. This is the family car for the Mom or Dad who would like to be driving a Corvette but hasn't figured out how to fit the family and accessories comfortably into such a beast. They can buy one of these for about $30K less, save the money, and when the kids are grown, go out and get the Vette! In a nutshell, this car has a high performance V-8 that is mated to an automatic transmission which really allows it to fly. The engine is a 5.3 liter, which to us old school folks, translates roughly into a 327 cubic inch V-8.
It is the peaceful, roomy, comfortable family sedan that, when called upon to get up and move, will do so with ease. I have to say that, in my opinion, there is no feeling nor sound like a high performance V-8 throbbing under the hood, and through the gas pedal. True, there are other fast cars with fewer cylinders that may be more economical, or may suit one's everyday driving needs better but when it comes down to it, pedal to the medal in this car is sure to bring a smile to one's face and evoke a sense of American pride for which there is no substitute. Did someone say, "economy"? This car gets better mileage than most suv's available today. I have put about 1,000 miles on this car thus far and I am averaging 22 mpg. On the road driving yields between 24 and 25 whereas city driving is 17 - 20, depending completely upon how much American pride one decides his/her foot needs to feel, hahaha! The way this is accomplished is through a fuel management system which literally shuts down 1/2 of the cylinders when they aren't needed. Everyone whom I have shown this car too and explained this system too wants to know how it feels and if you can tell when it's running on only 4 cylinders. You cannot. It feels no different at all. The engine is nothing but smooth and has power on demand without delay. There is no supercharger or turbocharger kicking in to create power...this is a naturally aspirated engine that simply derives it's power from 8 cylinders. Some of the GM vehicles such as the Impala SS and LTZ, even go so far as to indicate to the driver how many cylinders are being used at any given time. However, the Super does not. What it does do is run smooth and haul rump (gotta keep this PG). As for the rest of the car, the interior is comfortable, roomy, and quiet. It has a smooth ride, although the Super's performance suspension and 18 inch wheels do detract slightly from the smooth, cushy, Buick-like ride, of the more standard models. A fair trade off? I suppose that depends upon what you want to get out of the car. If you're traveling a lot and just cruising the highways, I would say that this wouldn't be the best choice. However, if you're hauling the family around town and like to be able to pull up to the light, kids in tow, and smoke the little rice burning teeny bopper who pulls up next to you, then you are the person Buick is building this car for. It may not be the big blocks of yesteryear that many of us know and love but it is by far, the classiest, nicest feeling family sport sedan that I have had the pleasure of driving recently. My hat's off to GM for having the guts to still turn out some cars that don't necessarily fit the mold!

As for complaints about the car, honestly, my biggest complaints are that the cupholders aren't large enough to accomodate full-size(44oz) cups and the side pockets in the front doors are too small. You have to be careful what you stuff in them because it goes in easier than it comes out! Also, I'm not a lover of brown colors on cars but this car pulls it off well. It is my understanding that the colors for the Super, both interior and exterior, are solely available on the Super and no other Buick product. Perfomance wise, the only thing that could make it better would be rear wheel drive. This powerplant does send quite a bit of torque to the front wheels but hey, we can't have it all, right? This is one classy car, from appearance to performance, it's got you covered. If you get the opportunity to try one out, I highly recommend the experience!

One last tidbit of information...the test data on this puppy have proven it to run dependably at a top speed of 150 mph! Not too shabby for a family hauler, eh?

Report card:

styling: A-
comfort: A
Ride: B
Economy: B+
Drivetrain: A+
Overall: A-