2011 Buick LaCrosse Review

Buick's goals with each new car seem the same: Get less stodgy and attract younger buyers. The redesigned LaCrosse's insipid TV ads may not help the cause, but the car they feature should. The LaCrosse is comfortable, luxurious and easily the best-looking Buick since the Clinton administration. More important, Buick didn't turn it into a sport sedan — something no one ever asked of the brand, and a temptation I'm glad GM didn't give in to.

So did the General accomplish its mission? I'd like to think so. I'm in my 20s, and I want one.

Trim levels for the LaCrosse include the base CX, CXL and more-powerful CXS. All-wheel drive is optional on the CXL. With this redesign, the LaCrosse moves to a new platform from last year's Chevrolet Impala-based model. I test-drove all three trim levels of the 2010 version; you can compare it to the 2009 version here.

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Recommended Fuel
Use regular unleaded gasoline with a posted octane rating of 87 or higher. If the octane rating is less than 87, an audible knocking noise, commonly referred to as spark knock, might be heard when ...

Luggage Carrier
CAUTION: If you try to carry something on top of your vehicle that is longer or wider than the luggage carrier — like paneling, plywood, a mattress and so forth — the wind can catch it as y ...

Cruise Control
Cruise Control : Press to turn the cruise control system on and off. : Press to disengage cruise control without erasing the set speed from memory. RES/+: Move the thumbwheel up to ma ...