Not your father's buick

My test drive of the LaCrosse CXS left me with a very good first impression. The CXS version has the 3.6-liter VVT (variable valve timing) DOHC V6 engine, with 24 valves. I've owned three GM cars with their 3.8 liter V6 engine, which is what comes in the two lower-end LaCrosse's. I always thought the 3.8 V6 had plenty of power, so much so that I didn't want my 16 year-old son to drive my Bonneville when he was a new driver. Why you would want more power than that is unclear to me, so I specifically asked to drive the higher horsepower new 3.6. I was not disappointed.

The LaCrosse CXS clearly had more power than my old Bonneville had, and also more than the V8 Olds Aurora I drive every day. I'm not really into high horsepower, I basically drive from one traffic light to the next, going to work each day, in a suburban area. Regardless of my docile nature, the responsiveness of the engine was fun and put a smile on my face.

However, I want to be comfortable on my boring drive to work, so I was attracted to LaCrosse's telescoping and tilting steering wheel, and its power seats with power lumbar support. I've narrowed my car selections down to three factors: front-wheel or all-wheel drive, telescoping steering wheel, and a lot of adjustable lumbar support. By the way, I'm 6 foot, one-inch tall with a bad back, and I have a driveway with a big hill on it. I just want to be comfortable, and get up my driveway in the winter. These requirements narrow my car choices dramatically, but so what, I'm picky. Even the Lexus ES330 doesn't have a telescoping steering wheel and the LS430 is rear wheel drive, so they're off my list.

I found the comfort level of the LaCrosse pretty cushy. The lumbar support came out a lot, which my back loves, but it did not move up and down as in Cadillacs or BMWs. I might have wanted to move it up higher if I was able to. In general the seats seemed very nice, but I want to spend two hours in them to know for sure. The angle of the seat back was adjusted by a lever, but the other adjustments were motorized. The back seat was fairly comfortable and roomy. It had more leg room than our Aurora, and was about the same as our Volvo S80. Rear leg room is quoted to be around 37 inches, but you have to sit in a car really know. It would be fine to take another couple out to dinner in, you wouldn't be embarrassed to ask them to get in there, but it is not as big as in the Ford 500, a really roomy car.

The ride was very quiet, and it muffled the bumpy streets around the car dealership. You did hear a bit of engine noise when accelerating, but it was still relatively quiet, comparable to the Lexus ES330 I drove recently, and quiter than either our Volvo or Aurora. The CXS version comes with a firmer suspension that felt very light and quick to me, and made it more fun to drive. Better than our Aurora, but I'm not sure the suspension was better than the Volvo. The LaCrosse definetly has more power than the 2.9 in line six (no fuel injection) of the Volvo.

The rear seats fold down to expand the trunk cargo area into the rear seat, just like our Vovlo S80 or a Saab would. What a great idea that can turn your sedan into a pickup truck for those trips to Home Depot!

The XM satellite radio was very intuitive to listen to, and the music of the 80's, 90's and today came through with great clarity. I didn't like the visor. When I pulled it out to the left, as you might to block the early or late day sunshine, it was not long enough to block the sun for someone who puts the seat back about 3/4's of the way. Our Aurora has a pull-out plastic extension piece to solve this problem, so I was disappointed they left that out on the LaCrosse. Our Volvo visors take two hands to yank them out of the plastic clip and are too short also, not exactly a safety feature from those Volvo engineers.

In conclusion, I'll test drive this car again before I make a purchase decision. GM has added some nice features that make this car a candidate in the mid-sized market.