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Jan 11, 2009 01:41 PM
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The brand-image smashing 2010 Buick LaCrosse has debuted out on the floor of the 2009 Detroit Auto Show, cut crystal platters of rock candy, and old Werther's Original were nowhere to be found.
Say what you will about Buick as a brand for old people, but the new 2010 Buick LaCrosse does it up with styling designed to attract a younger crowd (in their 50's), a comfortable, well appointed interior and enough gadgets to make technogeeks happy. Add to it direct injection V6's and a six speed transmission with optional all wheel drive and an active suspension and you have a proposition for decidedly un-Buick-like performance.
BUICK TRANSFORMATION CONTINUES WITH THE 2010 LACROSSE LUXURY SEDAN
* Sculpted styling defines Buick’s modern global design
* Luxurious interior crafted of premium materials with cool blue ambient lighting
* Intelligent personal technologies enhance the driving experience
* Responsive performance via efficient direct injection dual overhead cam engines paired with six-speed automatic transmissionsDETROIT – Redesigned from the ground up, the 2010 Buick LaCrosse luxury sedan makes its world debut at the 2009 North American International Auto Show in Detroit on Jan. 12. The LaCrosse offers all-wheel-drive, a suite of advanced intelligent personal technologies and safety features, and a choice of two fuel-saving V-6 engines.
“The new LaCrosse was created with great attention to detail, craftsmanship and advanced technology,” said Susan Docherty, Buick-Pontiac-GMC vice president. “It builds on the success of Enclave as the next step in Buick’s transformation. And, as with Enclave, our goal is to attract a whole new buyer to our dealerships for LaCrosse.”
Sculpted design
Buick’s long heritage of leading designs, such as the Y-Job Concept, the Roadmaster and the Riviera, helped define American automobile design through the years, according to Ed Welburn, vice president of GM Global Design. Today, Buick design is a product of a global team and resources. Creative collaboration between designers in the United States and China, in partnership with the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC) as well as chassis and body engineers in Europe resulted in the first General Motors vehicle to be created on three continents.
“The new LaCrosse is intended to represent modern elegance,” said Welburn. “Throughout the design, you experience a balance of contrasts. Both the interior and exterior have been designed with harmony in mind. The exterior balances taut, sculpted lines with sensuous accents and surfaces. Inside, smoked chrome accents, warm wood, first-class leather and materials combine with cool blue ambient lighting to create an inviting environment.”
The exterior design is faithful to the Buick Invicta show car introduced at the 2008 Beijing Auto Show.
“It is instantly recognizable as a Buick, with its signature ‘sweep spear’ body-side styling, portholes inside the character line on the hood, and waterfall grille,” added Welburn.
Luxurious interior experience
Inside, the two-tone interior is defined by a flowing, uninterrupted design theme that wraps around the instrument and door panels. Attention to detail is evident throughout the interior, including the analog instrument cluster, chrome offset by dark wood accents, and the contrasting thread and French stitching on the instrument panel.
Buick’s signature QuietTuning – an engineering process to reduce, block and absorb interior noise – provides a distraction-free passenger environment.
An unexpected, inviting touch is the cool blue ambient lighting throughout the cabin from the center console, instrument panel and door panels.
Intelligent personal technologies
The contemporary atmosphere of the cabin includes the digital connectivity and personal technology offered in the new LaCrosse. That includes features such as in-dash navigation, Bluetooth connectivity, an auxiliary audio input and a USB port. For rear-seat passengers, a power rear-window sunshade and a DVD entertainment system, with two display screens integrated into the seatbacks, is available.
LaCrosse’s intelligent technologies also work to deliver a 360-degree field of vision behind the steering wheel, for a greater feeling of comfort, security, and safety. It starts with the available heads-up display in the windshield, allowing the driver to monitor speed without taking his or her eyes off the road. At night, the available adaptive lighting package can direct the high-intensity discharge headlight beams up to 15 degrees for enhanced illumination of the road and its curves.
LaCrosse offers Side Blind Zone alert that notifies the driver if a vehicle in adjacent lanes is traveling in the driver’s blind spot. The LaCrosse is also available with a rear-view camera, with the display integrated into the navigation-system screen.
The technology available on LaCrosse enhances a suite of standard safety features that is designed to meet the criteria for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) 20 Star Safety Rating. Highlights include front-, side-, and roof-mounted head-curtain air bags, StabiliTrak stability- and traction-control system. The safety and security of OnStar is also included for the first year of ownership.
Responsive performance
LaCrosse’s stiff body structure serves as the foundation for precise suspension tuning, safety and a quiet ride. Buyers can choose from a family of efficient, direct-injection six-cylinder engines and a fuel-conserving six-speed automatic transmission with tap-up/tap-down control.
The direct injection engines in the LaCrosse create more power with less fuel and reduce vehicle emissions through greater combustion control – particularly cold-start emissions that are reduced by up to 25-percent.
The 2010 LaCrosse will be offered in three models - CX, CXL and CXS:
* CX – equipped with a new 3.0L direct injection V-6, premium cloth seats and 17-inch wheels. The 3.0L engine generates an estimated of 255 horsepower (190 kW) and 211 lb.-ft. torque (286 Nm) and is mated to a six-speed automatic transmission.
* CXL – also equipped with the new 3.0L direct injection V6, adds leather-appointed heated seats, dual-zone automatic climate control, fog lamps, outside rearview mirror with LED turn indicators and puddle lamps, and 18-inch wheels. Intelligent AWD is available.
* CXS – equipped with a 3.6L direct injection V-6; real-time active-dampening suspension; perforated, leather-appointed, heated and cooled seats, and chrome-plated 18-inch wheels (19-inch optional). The 3.6L engine, mated to a six-speed automatic transmission, generates an estimated 280 horsepower (209 kW) and 261 lb.-ft. of torque (354 Nm).LaCrosse production will begin this summer at the Fairfax Assembly facility in Kansas City, Kan.
Send an email to Ben, the author of this post, at ben@jalopnik.com.
Original material is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution.
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