Buick’s LaCrosse sedan enjoyed a solid 14-year run in North America before being axed so the carmaker could put all its energy into the booming crossover and SUV market. But the Chrysler 300-sized notchback lives on in China where an all-new fourth-generation model has been launched for Buick buyers who just can’t live without a traditional trunk.
Though the formal three-box sedan doesn’t pretend to be a crossover like Toyota’s new Crown, the LaCrosse does employ the same new-generation design language we’ve seen on recent Buick crossovers and SUVs such as the Encore, Envista, and Electra 5 EV. Signature design elements include the wing-shaped front fascia, new grille and badge design, and McLaren-style hockey-shaped DRLs that sit above LED headlights.
Those lights feature 222 LED lighting sources on the range-topping Avenir model and will provide an illuminated welcome display as the driver approaches, says Buick, while the rears – which are connected by an obligatory light bar – have 352 LED sources. Buick has only released a close-up shot of the rear to go with the wide front-three-quarter and dead-on front photos, but that’s enough for us to get a hint of the fastback roof design the company references in the accompanying blurb. And while there’s no side-on image to give a clue to the scale of the car, Buick does say the new LaCrosse has more head-, knee- and legroom than the old car despite quoting an identical 114.4-inch (2,905 mm) wheelbase.
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But it’s probably not the space, but the style and technology that will strike passengers when they climb aboard the LaCrosse Mk4. The old car’s dashboard was generic, cheap-looking 2010s GM stuff, with an old-fashioned gearshift lever on the tunnel, a dated steering wheel, and a ton of bland grey buttons. The new one takes a giant leap forward with a 30-inch-wide, 6K digital display that combines the instrument pack and infotainment system, gets rid of the shifter to free up space on a new floating console, and proudly displays its Buick logo on a much bigger badge located on a much cooler-looking wheel.
The new LaCrosse also gets 5G connectivity, the ability to accept over-air updates, and stylish laser-brushed trim, while Chinese customers forking out for the Avenir-grade flagship are treated to LED backlit trim and three levels of heating, ventilation, and massage for front and rear passengers as standard.
Things are less exciting under the skin, at least according to technical details we found on China’s Ministry of Information and Technology in December last year. They specified the powertrain as a 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbocharged engine developing 237 hp (240 PS) and coupled to a nine-speed automatic transmission, though Buck hasn’t officially confirmed the engine lineup.
Do you think this all-new LaCrosse would go down well in North America, or is Buick doing the right thing by leaving it in China?
