2018 Buick LaCrosse Avenir First Test: Quietly Cruising

Buick is a brand that straddles the line between luxury and mainstream in North America but aspires to move higher up the ladder. Last year, the brand launched its Avenir line, a luxury-oriented trim with its own unique interiors and exterior design cues. The Enclave was the first to feature an Avenir variant and for 2018, Buick has added the LaCrosse Avenir, but should you consider it over a Kia Cadenza and Toyota Avalon, or even the Lexus ES? We’ve gotten hold of a front-drive LaCrosse Avenir to answer that question.

At the track, the 2018 LaCrosse Avenir hit 60 mph in 5.6 seconds and finished the quarter mile in 14.2 seconds at 99.7 mph. Road test editor Chris Walton was impressed with the car’s quick acceleration, lack of torque steer, and the nine-speed automatic’s quick shifts and well-spaced ratios. Stopping from 60 mph took 123 feet; however, Walton noted that the brakes had good fade resistance but the tires screeched and there was kick-back and vibration coming from the pedal.

The 2018 LaCrosse Avenir finished the figure eight in 26.4 seconds with an average of 0.68g and produced 0.84g of lateral acceleration. Testing director and figure eight guru Kim Reynolds noted that the car’s suspension was on the soft side but well-damped. He also noted that the LaCrosse understeered too much when pushed and felt that the power was like an on/off switch, especially through corners.

As we’ve learned from track testing, the 2018 Buick LaCrosse Avenir is a highway cruiser, not a sports sedan. It rides comfortably and absorbs road imperfections well so the driver and passengers are isolated from the outside world. Throw the car around on a winding road and you’ll find that it’s completely out of its element as it plows through corners and gives you a lot of understeer. Further cementing the LaCrosse’s status as a highway cruiser is its steering, which is light and not very communicative.

Torque steer is mitigated thanks to GM’s HiPer Strut front suspension, which also keeps the cabin isolated from the road. Things get floaty over bumps but it never gets to the point where you feel like you’re bouncing from one cloud to another. Active dampers are available via the Dynamic Drive package that also adds 20-inch alloy wheels and a Sport mode. That should minimize the floatiness but the larger wheels could potentially hurt the LaCrosse’s ride quality.

GM’s 3.6-liter V-6 produces 310 hp and 268 lb-ft of torque in the 2018 LaCrosse and is more than enough for passing slower traffic and climbing up grades. The nine-speed automatic is a peach; it shifts smoothly and willingly drops a gear or three when needed. You can shift manually but it’s best to leave it to its own devices because the paddles are slow to respond. Our friends at EQUA Real MPG were able to put the 2018 LaCrosse Avenir through its fuel economy testing regiment where it yielded 19.5/31.8 mpg, which is 1.5 mpg less than the EPA’s city rating but 1.8 mpg higher than the EPA highway rating.

Despite it being a luxury-oriented large sedan, the 2018 Buick LaCrosse Avenir’s ride is barely an improvement over some mainstream large sedans. The Kia Cadenza’s ride is almost as plush but is less floaty and the XLE and Limited trims of the 2019 Toyota Avalon is about on par with if not better than the Buick’s. Where LaCrosse sets itself apart is in quietness. Road, powertrain, and wind noise are minimal, making the car feel like a bank vault with wheels on smooth roads.

Build quality is good but there’s room for improvement, especially considering that the 2018 LaCrosse Avenir is aimed at enticing buyers away from established luxury brands. Plastics used throughout the cabin are consistent, armrests are padded, and everything within touching distance feels nice. However, the quality isn’t up to same standard as vehicles from established luxury marques and even certain mainstream brands’ luxury-oriented offerings. Avenir models get a glossy, golden-tinted wood trim that makes the interior look more upscale; however, certain pieces like the one above the air vent to the left of the driver wasn’t aligned properly and you can see through the gap.

As a big sedan, the LaCrosse Avenir is great a carrying people around. Rear seat accommodations are spacious for three even on a long drive thanks to abundant head- and legroom. The 15-cubic-foot trunk is shaped for maximum usability and it’s expandable via the standard 60/40 split-folding rear seats. Front seats have plenty of adjustability for both passenger and driver but don’t have much side bolstering and thigh support. Avenir models come standard with heated, ventilated, and massaging front seats that are sure to keep you pampered when you’re on the road. Visibility is good except out of the rear window, which is narrow and can make maneuvering into a tight parking spot tricky.

The infotainment system on the 2018 LaCrosse Avenir is user-friendly and doesn’t have a significant learning curb thanks to the responsive 8.0-inch touchscreen. Navigation is standard on the Avenir trim but the graphics could use an update. Voice commands are intuitive and don’t require super specific phrases. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are integrated well so you can have Google Maps or Siri take over all multimedia functions. Climate controls remain mostly hard buttons but certain functions like air circulation and direction are only accessible via the touchscreen. An 11-speaker Bose audio system is standard on the 2018 LaCrosse Avenir and it sounds crisp and clear; however, it’s not as refined as Harman audio systems found in some of its competitors including the Lexus ES, Toyota Avalon and Kia Cadenza.

The LaCrosse Avenir is distinguished from the standard car with its generous swath of chrome exterior accents and a unique grille with a mesh pattern and wings extending from the tri-shield badge. It has special wheel designs with a Pearl Nickel finish on the standard 19-inch alloy wheels or optional Midnight Silver-finished 20-inch alloy wheels. Inside, there’s optional Chestnut brown and black two-tone leather upholstery, contrast stitching, and metal sill plates with Avenir script on it. The Avenir trim builds on the Premium grade with additional features like a large sunroof, rear cross-traffic alert, and blind spot warning system. Our tester came with the Driver Confidence package #2, which adds automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control, and automatic parking assist.

At $47,480, our tester isn’t that much more than a loaded mainstream full-size sedan and priced closely to a Lexus ES 350 with similar equipment. The 2018 Buick LaCrosse Avenir distinguishes itself with its user-friendly multimedia system, quiet cabin, spacious seating and a powerful yet refined V-6 engine. It cruises effortlessly on the highway and keeps occupants isolated from the world around them. Sadly, the lack of attention to detail in the interior means it falls short of being a full-fledged luxury car and it doesn’t have the level of refinement expected of one.

2018 Buick LaCrosse Avenir
BASE PRICE	$45,790
PRICE AS TESTED	$47,480
VEHICLE LAYOUT	Front-engine, FWD, 5-pass, 4-door sedan
ENGINE	3.6L/310-hp/268-lb-ft* DOHC 24-valve V-6
TRANSMISSION	9-speed automatic
CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST)	3,681 lb (59/41%)
WHEELBASE	114.4 in
LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT	197.5 x 73.5 x 57.5 in
0-60 MPH	5.6 sec
QUARTER MILE	14.2 sec @ 99.7 mph
BRAKING, 60-0 MPH	123 ft
LATERAL ACCELERATION	0.84 g (avg)
MT FIGURE EIGHT	26.4 sec @ 0.68 g (avg)
REAL MPG, CITY/HWY/COMB	19.5/31.8/23.6 mpg
EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON	21/30/24 mpg
ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY	160/112 kW-hrs/100 miles
CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB	0.80 lb/mile
*SAE certified

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