2014 Buick LaCrosse AWD

Specifications

1. Engine: 2.4L 4-cylinder with 182 hp or a 3.6L V6 with 304. 2. Transmission: Standard six-speed automatic. 3. Fuel Economy: 17 mpg city, 26 mpg highway. 4. Price: Starting from $34,460 with AWD V6 models from $39,540. 5. Price as Tested: $45,475.

Preview

Improved as it is, the Impala might still strike drivers with life experience as somewhat pedestrian looking. It offers most of the same perks, but in the sort of work-a-day package that seems more at home outside an office or school than parked at a weekly bridge game or golf course. It also doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

Cadillac’s XTS certainly makes up for whatever flash you’ll miss in the Chevrolet, but the touch-based cabin controls can be frustrating. Both the screen and center stack controls call for an acclimation period that someone who didn’t grow up with computers might find daunting.

Thankfully, the LaCrosse is able to fill that gap as a sedan that sits between both of those cars in terms of pricing, equipment and style. For once, General Motors’ rebadge and repurpose policy strikes true.

Interior

Like its body, the cabin comes with a handful of straightforward improvements. The center stack has far fewer buttons and is easier to understand. In fact, it goes from having 17 to seven this year and comes with a standard eight-inch color display that offers touch capability but doesn’t require it for very many tasks. 

All-wheel drive is available, but only with the V6 and a starting price just over $39,000 compared to about $34,000 for the four-cylinder model. Loaded with high-end options including “white diamond tricoat paint” for $995, the LaCrosse can set you back by roughly $48,400 while powering the front wheels or about $50,000 with all-wheel drive.

The driver’s seat vibrates, buzzing your bum to signal where an approaching car or obstacle is, which is handy in a car this size. 

For an extra $1,745, the car comes with adaptive cruise control and “automatic collision preparation,” which automatically applies the brakes if you don’t. I didn’t have the stones to test the system to its full capacity, but it did slow the car down more than once during highway driving.

The “ultra luxury package” costs another $2,495 and adds real wood inserts, a heated, leather-wrapped steering wheel, perforated leather seats (all models save the entry-level version come with leather seats) and a micro suede headliner. At the price Buick asks, heated rear seats would be a nice bonus considering cars that cost much less offer it these days.

Regardless of which trim packages you pick, the LaCrosse mutes outside noise especially gracefully. If you’re serious enough to schedule a test drive, try asking the sales representative to stand outside the passenger door and talk to you through the window. Roll it up on him and lock the door and you’ll see exactly how well the car modulates annoying outside noises. 

Under The Hood

The V6 engine, all-wheel drive and a long list of safety features introduced to the car this year. For $2,125, drivers get a heads-up display, blind zone monitoring, articulating headlights, a frontal collision warning system and rear cross traffic alert. That last one is especially helpful because a heavily raked rear window and thick pillars would otherwise make navigating tight spaces tricky to say the least.

Front-wheel drive models come with a HiPer-strut front suspension that helps mitigate torque steer and a four-link rear suspension. All-wheel drive models come with standard struts and an H-arm setup to accommodate the rear differential.

Both the direct-injected 2.4-liter four-cylinder and 3.6-liter V6 carry over for 2014 with 182 hp and 304 respectively. For a car north of 300 hp, the LaCrosse feels especially subdued on the highway. In the lower range, you’ll find the six-speed automatic helps create ample acceleration. Unfortunately, at higher speeds, throttle input is slow to respond and makes passing more of a calculated maneuver than an impulsive joy. The same engine feels more eager to go in Chevrolet’s Impala. 

Manually selecting gears with a plus-minus rocker on the shift lever takes care of that, but you’ll sacrifice fuel economy in doing so. Official fuel consumption estimates suggest the car should return 17 mpg in the city, 26 on the highway or a combined 20 and in my two-week test, that’s almost exactly what happened. Over two tanks of gas, the car beat that average and returned between 22 and 23 mpg overall. 

Overall, the LaCrosse is 197 inches long and it feels it. Tight turns can border on being uncomfortable and especially thick A-pillars often obstruct everything from cyclists to other cars.