2017 Buick LaCrosse First Test Review: Premium But For the Details
Although they don’t enjoy the market dominance they once did, large sedans are far from dead. Buick only makes one big sedan these days, but for many, it remains the brand’s calling card. Today’s Buick might sell more Encore cute utes, but the 2017 LaCrosse is the brand’s raison d’etre.
Given its flagship status and our infatuation with the last-generation LaCrosse, we had high expectations for the new model. Although we found quite a lot to like about this big Buick, we were disappointed to find many small details had been overlooked in the quest to get the fundamentals perfect.
Our biggest beef was with the interior. It looks very nice, until you get up close. Numerous editors complained about cheap materials on the dashboard and center console. It also took a lot of heat for fake wood that wouldn’t fool a toddler and fake stitching on the dash top that isn’t even carried around the corners, much less actually joining anything. The rubberlike buttons were picked on, too. Several editors frowned at the old monochrome logo on the drab steering wheel because there’s also a modern colorized badge on the nose. The BMW knock-off shifter isn’t very intuitive, but that can’t be blamed on Buick—it’s showing up in a lot of GM products.
Read more on the Buick LaCrosse from 2017 Car of the Year testing HERE.
We were also slightly let down by Buick’s trademark QuietTuning, which kept the cabin whisper-quiet on the highway but seemed to give up on bad pavement. The rear seat, although praised for its leg, hip, and shoulder room, also lost a noticeable inch of headroom.
The good news is there’s some payback. The new Epsilon II chassis is an excellent one, and the LaCrosse actually handles very nicely. For a big sedan like this, it’s downright sporty if you drive it hard enough. It understeers at the limit, but that limit is much higher than you might expect, and the stability control intervenes quite stealthily. Not that any of this matters to Buick customers, of course.
The performance improvements are quantifiable, too. Our all-wheel-drive tester handily outperformed a 2014 LaCrosse we tested across the board. The new chassis sheds nearly 300 pounds as advertised, and that’s comparing a new all-wheel-drive car to an old front-driver. Paired with a new eight-speed automatic, the 2017 LaCrosse takes 0.5 second out of the old car’s 0–60 time by getting there from a stop in 6.1 seconds. In the quarter mile, 0.5 second disappears, as well. The new car needs just 14.6 seconds at 97.9 mph.
It isn’t just straight-line speed, either. Although skidpad performance improves by just 0.01 average g to 0.84, the new LaCrosse drops 0.3 second off the old figure-eight time, lapping in 26.8 seconds at 0.66 average g. Credit the chassis and the new transmission, mostly, as the updated 3.6-liter V-6 makes only an additional 6 horsepower and 18 extra lb-ft of torque.
The only anomaly in our testing was in braking. Despite the weight loss, the new car needed an extra 10 feet to stop from 60 mph. We suspect this is related to tire choice, as average g didn’t increase much on the skidpad and didn’t change on the figure eight. With this chassis, even better performance might be just a tire upgrade away.
There are other bright spots, as well. An EPA-estimated 21/31/25 mpg city/highway/combined (FWD) and 20/29/23 (AWD) is good for such a big car. It’s also a good-looking car, inside and out, and it stands out as such in its segment. The long features list is also appealing and includes a standard touchscreen information and entertainment system, 4G LTE Wi-Fi hot spot, power seats, keyless entry, and a backup camera.
It does come at a price. Although stripper LaCrosses start just under $33,000, our loaded Premium was $48,495, which is in full luxury car territory. A loaded Kia Cadenza, by way of comparison, rings up several thousand dollars cheaper.
The new Buick LaCrosse is fundamentally a good car and a strong update from the previous model. It’s a letdown, unfortunately, due to a failure to sweat the small details, and that’s a pity because it’s so close to being a home run. It’s a good car, but we’ve come to expect better from Buick. Thankfully, it’s nothing Buick can’t fix easily enough, but it’s a fix we’ll be waiting a few years for, as the car is brand spanking new.
| 2017 Buick LaCrosse (Premium) | |
| BASE PRICE | $41,990 |
| PRICE AS TESTED | $48,495 |
| VEHICLE LAYOUT | Front-engine, FWD, 5-pass, 4-door sedan |
| ENGINE | 3.6L/310-hp/282-lb-ft DOHC 24-valve V-6 |
| TRANSMISSION | 8-speed automatic |
| CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST) | 3,732 lb (59/41%) |
| WHEELBASE | 114.4 in |
| LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT | 197.5 x 73.5 x 57.5 in |
| 0-60 MPH | 6.1 sec |
| QUARTER MILE | 14.6 sec @ 97.9 mph |
| BRAKING, 60-0 MPH | 123 ft |
| LATERAL ACCELERATION | 0.84 g (avg) |
| MT FIGURE EIGHT | 26.8 sec @ 0.66 g (avg) |
| REAL MPG, CITY/HWY/COMB | 18.7/30.7/22.7 mpg |
| EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON | 21/31/25 mpg |
| ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY | 160/109 kW-hrs/100 miles |
| CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB | 0.79 lb/mile |
The post 2017 Buick LaCrosse First Test Review: Premium But For the Details appeared first on Motor Trend.
from Motor Trend http://ift.tt/2gDqeF5
2017 Genesis G90 3.3T AWD First Test: Function Over Form
Last year, Hyundai announced plans to separate its luxury offerings into the new Genesis brand. Of the six vehicles Genesis plans to launch by 2021, the G90 is one of two already on sale. The Genesis G90 might be much nicer than the car it replaces, the Hyundai Equus, but has it carved out a name for itself in the luxury category?
Unlike the Equus, the 2017 Genesis G90 comes with a V-6 engine. It’s a new 3.3-liter twin-turbo V-6 rated at 365 hp and 376 lb-ft of torque. Although it doesn’t have the same 429 hp as the Equus we tested back in 2012, the G90 is just as quick; it hit 60 mph in 5.4 seconds, which is 0.1 second quicker than its predecessor. The G90 took 13.9 seconds to run the quarter mile at 100.7 mph, and the figure eight was completed in 26.9 seconds at 0.67 g. Braking from 60 mph to a complete stop took a respectable 118 feet.
Yes, you can also get a Genesis G90 with a V-8 engine, which is a carryover from the Equus. Packing 420 hp and 383 lb-ft of torque, a rear-wheel-drive G90 V-8 tester hit 60 mph 0.4 second quicker than the V-6 model. Don’t expect to notice the difference on the road, however. The V-6 proves more than competent enough in daily driving, and our editors agreed after driving both that there’s no compelling reason to move up to the V-8, because they feel similar dynamically.
Read more on the Genesis G90 from 2017 Car of the Year testing HERE.
After the first day of driving, it’s easy to pinpoint the G90’s best quality. It’s too early to say whether that quality is enough to lure luxury buyers to Genesis, but it’s significant nevertheless. Its well-controlled ride spares drivers entirely from the usual jumping and jostling you’d expect while traveling over speed bumps. Even if you fail to slow down, the ride remains perfectly undisturbed. So much so that every time I drive over a speed bump now, I wish I were in a Genesis G90. The praise from our staff was overwhelming, and editors noted it’s a top performer on our special surfaces testing.
“G90 has this creamy luxuriousness to it like an experienced pour of Irish stout,” editor-in-chief Ed Loh said. “It’s rich and smooth from the engine response to the suspension damping, body control, and NVH isolation. Impressive, especially after driving others in the competitive set.”
“Real nice and real smooth,” senior features editor Jonny Lieberman said. “Buttery creamy. This is the best-riding Korean car I’ve never actually experienced. Better than even the old Equus.”
After praising its ride and engine, Angus MacKenzie deemed the G90 “a Korean full-size luxury car that’s better than anything America or Japan can build. And yes, that includes Lexus.”
The superior ride—as well as the extremely quiet cabin—is enough to forgive the G90 for a few peccadilloes, including the boatlike feel that’s common in vehicles in the same class. Fortunately, Sport mode helps sharpen its senses.
“This thing is big and a little heavy feeling, but it goes around a corner nicely,” associate editor Scott Evans said. “It’s genuinely fun to drive a bit hard.”
My bête noire: The G90 isn’t terribly fuel efficient, rated by the EPA at 17/24/20 mpg city/highway/combined with all-wheel drive. In the real-world tests we conducted, we achieved similar numbers: 17.1/26.2/20.2 mpg. Compare these figures to other V-6-powered competitors such as the Audi A8 L and BMW 740i xDrive, which both net 22 mpg combined according to the EPA.
For a brand looking to compete with luxury offerings from Europe and Japan, the design of Genesis’ flagship sedan is rather sedate. Other than the shiny wheels, the G90 adopts a pretty conventional look. That theme is perhaps more apparent inside the cabin. Take all the luxury car interiors you can think of and strip them of their distinguishing characteristics, and you have the Genesis G90. It’s chock-full of features and high-quality materials, including supple Nappa leather seats with heating and ventilation, a Lexicon 17-speaker surround-sound system, HD navigation, three-zone climate control, a wireless charger, a crisp head-up display, and the obligatory shiny wood trim. There are virtually no options on the G90, so all of these features come standard. Some of our editors noted there are way too many buttons inside the cabin, but you could argue that the easy-to-use 12.3-inch touchscreen at least partially compensates for that issue. In general, the interior is much nicer than the old Equus.
Every top player in the luxury car market has a signature standout feature. For BMW, you might say it’s the driving dynamics embodied by the 3 Series. For Mercedes-Benz, it’s the dripping opulence of the S-Class. Audi boasts impressive technologies such as its Audi connect with Google Earth technology, and Lexus, for better or worse, is typically known for its dependability. What is the hallmark of Genesis? That remains to be seen.
“When Lexus made its debut and changed the industry, it brought Japanese reliability to the market segment while matching the luxury of the Germans at a discounted price,” technical director Frank Markus said. “I’m not sure what the new trump card is for Genesis here. I presume it is just lower price.”
Said executive editor Mark Rechtin: “There is nothing exceptional or advancing of the segment about this car. It’s merely good enough. But to be a new luxury entry, you have to change the game, change the dynamic, and the Genesis does not do that. ”
Although the Genesis G90 may be a paradigm of refinement and execution, it doesn’t have enough of that new, special “something” luxury buyers typically desire. It doesn’t make us think of the segment differently, but it is another option in an increasingly crowded space.
| 2017 Genesis G90 3.3T (AWD Premium) | |
| BASE PRICE | $71,550 |
| PRICE AS TESTED | $71,550 |
| VEHICLE LAYOUT | Front-engine, AWD, 5-pass, 4-door sedan |
| ENGINE | 3.3L/365-hp/376-lb-ft twin-turbo DOHC 24-valve V-6 |
| TRANSMISSION | 8-speed automatic |
| CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST) | 4,693 lb (52/48%) |
| WHEELBASE | 124.4 in |
| LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT | 204.9 x 75.4 x 58.9 in |
| 0-60 MPH | 5.4 sec |
| QUARTER MILE | 13.9 sec @ 100.7 mph |
| BRAKING, 60-0 MPH | 117 ft |
| LATERAL ACCELERATION | 0.83 g (avg) |
| MT FIGURE EIGHT | 26.9 sec @ 0.67 g (avg) |
| EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON | 17/24/20 mpg |
| ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY | 198/140 kW-hrs/100 miles |
| CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB | 0.99 lb/mile |
The post 2017 Genesis G90 3.3T AWD First Test: Function Over Form appeared first on Motor Trend.
from Motor Trend http://ift.tt/2fwR2e4
Electric Maserati Alfieri May Bow in 2020
Move over Tesla, Porsche, and Mercedes-Benz — an electric Maserati Alfieri is in the works.
Peter Denton, Maserati manager of North Europe, said that the fully electric sports car might arrive as early as 2020, after the variants with combustion engines. Denton broke the news during a launch event for the Levante SUV in the U.K., according to a recent report by just-auto.com.
“Alfieri will be bigger than a Boxster and Cayman. It is being designed as a competitor to the 911 but it will be a larger car. More the size of a Jaguar F-Type,” Denton told the site.
The sporty Alfieri concept made its debut at the 2014 Geneva auto show, but its launch date has been pushed back several times. A coupe version was expected this year and a convertible was planned for 2017, according to previous reports.
Now, it seems that the earliest we can expect to see Maserati’s 911 fighter will be in 2019.
No “official” details have been released from Maserati at this time.
Source: Just-auto (Subscription required)
The post Electric Maserati Alfieri May Bow in 2020 appeared first on Motor Trend.
from Motor Trend http://ift.tt/2gDtm3P
Report: Jeep to Send Off Wrangler JK With Six Special-Edition Variants
According to a report from Automotive News, the JK generation of Jeep Wrangler will go out with a special-edition bang. A run of six packages will send the JK off through the middle of 2017, when the next-generation JL Wrangler arrives.
Citing dealer ordering information, AN says the Wrangler Sport Freedom and Sahara Winter editions will be the first packages made available. As the name might suggest, the Sport Freedom edition is the star-spangled four-wheeler ripped straight from a patriot’s wildest dreams. The package includes “Freedom” star hood and rear fender decals, American flag decal on the driver’s side front fender, and “other interior and exterior badging.” A set of 18-inch Sahara “granite crystal” wheels fills the four wheel wells, contrasting well with a black fuel filter cover and taillamp guards. AN claims the two-door Sport Freedom will sticker for $30,690 and the four-door will arrive for $34,590, available from December 2016 through February 2017.
The Wrangler Sahara Winter edition isn’t nearly as adorned as the Sport Freedom, but still arrives on dealer lots sporting edition-specific badges and decals on the hood and front/rear fenders. Notably, new LED headlamps and fog lamps make their appearance, alongside “premium” off-road rock rails, hard top, and remote start for those editions equipped with the automatic transmission. The Sahara Winter edition is available between December 2016 and May 2017 for $37,440 (two-door) and $41,240 (four-door).
If these don’t tickle your fancy, Jeep has four more special JKs in store before the JL takes over the production line. Dealers will stock the Sport Big Bear edition from February through July, the Sahara Chief from March until June, and the Sahara Smokey Mountain edition from March through July. AN didn’t get any specifics on what is included with these packages, but we can imagine each comes with special badging, decals, and colors.
Finally, the Rubicon Recon edition JK will replace the current Rubicon Hard Rock in February, offered until the end of JK production in September 2017.
Source: Automotive News (Subscription required)
The post Report: Jeep to Send Off Wrangler JK With Six Special-Edition Variants appeared first on Motor Trend.
from Motor Trend http://ift.tt/2gDrPen
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)