Filed under: In the Autoblog Garage, Sedans/Saloons, Sports/GTs, Buick, First Drive
In the Autoblog Garage: 2008 Buick LaCrosse Super
by Chris Shunk on Oct 26th 2007 at 12:31PM 
Click the image above to view the high resolution gallery
There was a time when Buick was at the top of the automotive food chain, just below Cadillac. Harley Earl was creating cutting-edge designs, the cars were packed with power and luxury, and affluent Americans were snatching up Buicks by the thousands. There was even a top of the line Buick that carried the "Super" moniker, representing the best of the storied nameplate.
By the '90s, the average age of a Buick customer reached into Senior Citizen territory, and its products were considered by many to be closer to Chevy than Cadillac. With the launch of the LaCrosse in late 2004, however, Maximum Bob and his crew declared that the drought was over, and that Buick would receive much-needed attention. While the subsequent launches of the Lucerne and Enclave were bigger strides towards giving GM the Lexus-fighters it so desires, the LaCrosse tangled more with other domestics than it did any luxury brand.Enter the 2008 model year, and GM has given the LaCrosse a needed freshening. Buick also unveiled the LaCrosse Super, with four port holes on each side demarcating a 300-hp V8 under the hood. The General thinks it has a sleeper on its hands, and we get to see if it's right with a week-long stay in the Autoblog Garage. Hit the jump to read the full review and view more high-resolution pics.
Gallery: Buick LaCrosse Super
All photos ©2007 Chris Shunk / Weblogs, Inc.
click on any image to enlarge
The big aesthetic change for the 2008 LaCrosse is the new-look Buick grille. Much larger and more pronounced than the schnoz it replaces, the new front end also gives the LaCrosse a more contemporary look. The rest of the tweaks to the front end are subtle yet effective, with the fog lights growing in size, the front air dam opening up a bit, the bumper now comes to a point, and a more elegant shape was given to the bottom trim.
Out back, the tail lights remain unchanged, but edgier skirting and a small spoiler give the Super a much more defined look. The two large tail pipes and a small Super badge are the only two queues that something fun lies under the hood. The port holes, love them or hate them, give the side view of the LaCrosse Super a much classier appearance than the base model, and the more shapely skirting makes for a better-looking sedan. Buick rounds off the chrome parade with 18-inch wheels, which are overkill on some vehicles, but on the Super they look right at home. Our tester came with a rich brown metallic paint, which looked either charcoal or black under certain lighting. This blogger has never liked the color brown on any car, but on the Buick it looked pretty damn good.
Unfortunately, Buick took brown a little too far on the inside of our tester, but the materials used feel luxurious to the touch. It should be noted that the lighter beige interior also available in the LaCrosse has a much nicer contrast and would have been preferred. The soft-touch surfaces on the dash remind us of a Lexus ES 350, and the soft, rich leather-wrapped steering wheel feels expensive.The center stack is very logically laid-out, and utilizes the same tactile switches that are used in many other GM products. The brushed aluminum helped provide more contrast inside the cabin, but it still looked a little plain compared to some of the LaCrosse Super's competition. We were a bit disappointed that the LaCrosse doesn't have an available navigation screen, but the Super, along with all Buicks, comes standard with OnStar.
The OnStar navigation service is, in many ways, better than an LCD navigation screen in that you can speak to an actual human to get information that you may not have handy to program into a nav screen. For example, we were looking for a restaurant with a name we couldn't remember and address we couldn't recall, yet by pressing the OnStar button on the rear-view mirror and telling the operator the city of the restaurant and the name we thought it was, she was able to tell us all restaurants with similar names in the area. Once we determined the correct name, directions were loaded to the Super, and a voice guided us through every turn. The trip odometer also transformed into an information center and told us the distance to the next turn. Cool stuff and much cheaper than a $2,000 navigation system.
The nine-speaker Concert III sound system pumped out crisp sound, great bass, and was easy to operate with redundant controls on the steering wheel. XM satellite is standard on all Buicks, and it's a great addition to any road trip. While XM sounds great on a high-end sound system, the LaCrosse was impressed passengers more with the sounds it didn't make. The cabin is so quiet that your ears almost pop when the door is shut. The LaCrosse seems to be even quieter than the church-silent Enclave we reviewed in August.
The best aspect of the Super interior resides where your rear rests. The leather seating surfaces of the LaCrosse were so terrific, we found ourselves looking for excuses to sit in them. Soft leather is abundant, leg support is perfect, and lateral support keeps you planted just enough during spirited driving without being intrusive otherwise. We'd love a cooled seating surface option to go with the rump roasters offered by Buick, though most vehicles in this price range don't yet have that feature.Of course, the big deal with the LaCrosse Super isn't the comfort or the styling; it's performance. The Super marks the first use of a V8 engine in a LaCrosse, and 300 HP driving the front wheels can be a bit tricky for even the best engineers. The Super also makes due with just a four-speed auto tranny, which is a gear or two behind most of the competition. Also challenging for GM performance engineers is the fact that the LaCrosse platform is known for its plush, cushy ride, which is pretty much the polar opposite of what you'd want to work with in a sporty vehicle.
With all these things on our mind, we found the LaCrosse Super to be a vastly different vehicle from the base LaCrosse, and were pleasantly surprised at what the Super brought to the road. The performance gurus took a pillow-soft platform and made it stiff and compliant by using much stiffer Bilsteing monotube struts. Steering was also tweaked, and the brakes were up-sized. The result is a Buick that can not only hit 60 in 5.7 seconds, but can also hit a turn at speed without feeling like it's going to tip. The Super is one of those vehicles that makes you think you're not going as fast as you are, so we had to really watch the speedometer while accelerating and cruising on the freeway. The LaCrosse Super's steering is also far more weighted and precise than what we're used to in a Buick, and coupled with four pinned-down wheels, this sedan was both more fun to drive and more luxurious than the V8-powered Impala SS we drove a year ago.
The engineers that put the Super in the LaCrosse deserve a small round of applause for what they did here, as it represents a great deal of fun and amenities for a relative bargain. GM intends to only make as many LaCrosse Supers as people will want, and 10% of overall sales tends to be the magic number. Even though the base LaCrosse can be had with an improved 3.6L V6, our V8-powered Super with a $33,750 price tag is the only LaCrosse that we'd consider. For shoppers looking at a Mercury Sable, Toyota Avalon, or Chrysler 300C, the LaCrosse Super is definitely worth a passing glance.
All photos ©2007 Chris Shunk / Weblogs, Inc.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
raz 12:48PM (10/26/2007)
This brand is dead. After neglegting it for so many years GM just now tries something new.
Come to any 20 something person and ask them what do they know about Buick....most will tell you it is an Old people mobile. This car is almost dead, it is on life support, but it is a little better than Lincoln.
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Javi0084 3:33PM (10/26/2007)
I'm a 20 something person and I love Buicks, especially the '98+ Regal GS.
Cajun_Mike 2:02PM (10/27/2007)
You're a moron. The Buick Enclave is a serious looker and I just turned 40. My younger sister keeps raving about a Lucerne she got for a rental six months ago.
I'm on the lookout for an Enclave Super next year with a V8.
TriShield 12:52PM (10/26/2007)
Ugly, plasticy, V8 and FWD... yes it's definitely an old school GM car.
The sooner they euthanize this thing, the better.
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Jay 5:49PM (10/26/2007)
Theres no mention of plastic in the review you test tube baby...try reading the jumps before you post comments under them...
Matt 7:33PM (10/26/2007)
TriShield:
The next time you have a thought, just... let it go.
Dave T. 12:56PM (10/26/2007)
I found the Super very tippy in the turns. There is a ton of body lean compared to other sedans. Take the new Cady CTS for example.
There is also tons of torque steer which is hard not to have with this setup. I totally agree on the brown colors. didn't you think the blue speedo was ugly too?
The ride is super soft though and the thing is dead quiet inside. They did a lot of good things but it doesn't come close to winning over wallets.
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Jay 6:00PM (10/26/2007)
Well you're comparing a vehicle designed to compete with the Avalon and Taurus, to a purpose built sports sedan designed to compete with the C-class and 3 series. Thats not exactly a fair comparison.
raz 12:56PM (10/26/2007)
Look here folks, a lot of people say that it takes a lot of money and time to make a new car. So GM did this Buick. My question is why Buick? Why not spend money on a Minivan?
Look GM had to exint Minivan game because they had horrible product, Buick also had bad cars, so why did GM chose to revive Buick......what is the potential of this car? They should have uses money spent on Buick to build a much better Minivan. Look at Oddisey and Caravan...they are like tanks, GM should have build a good, light Minivan that gets great MPG, fut to drive and is family friendly. But GM chose to spend big bucks on Buick, Saturn Sly/ Solstace and Camaro. I bet a good Minivan could have easily outsold this Buick and Sky/Sol..combined. And i bet GM could have made a profit from each minivan.
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Derek 10:58PM (10/26/2007)
Er, maybe because anyone would rather be seen in a Buick than a minivan?
Jon 9:55PM (10/28/2007)
"Why not spend money on a Minivan?"
Whatever you're on, I want some.
I'm not sure if the "crossovers" popping up everywhere are any indication to you, but the minivan market is all but dead. There's no way a minivan could outsell the Sky, Solstice, or Camaro.
Guenther 1:06PM (10/30/2007)
I'm OK being seen in a Buick Minivan- Can you TeraZZa!
raz 12:57PM (10/26/2007)
I have to say...it looks good. I will not comment on V8..i never drove the car, but it looks pretty good
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henrykrinkle 1:03PM (10/26/2007)
Great! I've been looking for a car with a Kia Amanti front end and a last-gen Taurus back end that has the power of a modern V6 but all the nose plowing heaviness of a V8.
But wait, what's that? Only 10% of overall sales will be Supers? My calculator doesn't have enough decimal places to figure that one out. I'm glad there's a picture above because otherwise I'd never get to see what one looks like.
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Justin 1:27PM (10/26/2007)
are you even serious? I know the lacrosse is far from perfect, but you are making it sound so much worse than it actually is. Here we go...
"I've been looking for a car with a Kia Amanti front end"
That doesn't mean it can't look good, which I personally think it does. I'd take it over a Kia any day.
"that has the power of a modern V6 but all the nose plowing heaviness of a V8."
uhoh we have hp/L n00b on our hands. Go read up on the GM ls series v8's and come back please. You are wrong on so many accounts.
konchita 1:56PM (10/26/2007)
Justin:
The General's own 3.6 L V6 with direct injection is making over 300hp, is lighter and has better economy. Bragging on a 300hp V8 isn't realistic any longer.
The original comment is very valid.
henrykrinkle 2:07PM (10/26/2007)
"That doesn't mean it can't look good, which I personally think it does."
Good for you, but most won't and the sales will reflect it.
"uhoh we have hp/L n00b on our hands. Go read up on the GM ls series v8's and come back please."
Okay, I did and I'm back. The 5.3 liter LS4 used in this car makes 303hp. That's 57hp/liter. It's a special shortened block and is the only LS engine that will fit transversly. Even in regular form the 5.3 tops out at about 320hp. That's 60hp/liter. Sure, the bigger LS engines make more power but if they don't fit, they don't count.
Now look at the GM 3.6 V6. In it's weakest form it makes 255hp. That's 70hp/liter. Yeah that's less total horsepower but let's not forget the DI version in the Cadillacs. It's 304hp gives it 84hp/liter and better economy than any of the above mentioned engines.
Point is, the new tech V6s make the smaller V8s almost obsolete in most applications and totally preposterous in this application.
tanooki2003 2:11PM (10/26/2007)
Actually justin I think henrykrinkle is right on the money with his comment.
First of all most modern V6 engines now are just 30-40HP shy of 300HP (naturally aspirated of course), second of all who cares about the ls lineup of GM's engines. I prefer to look outside the box called GM and look at other companies, even what imports offer. There are always better engines outside of GM.
IMO putting a V8 in a car like this these days is totally impractical as when I used to own a 96 Ford Thunderbird LX with the V8. That car would constantly get spanked by imports with non turbo V6 engines, and even imports with 5 speed manual non turbo 4 bangers in them, even though the torque was much higher than the HP rating on that Thunderbird. V8's in cars like these makes them feel "Buickey" or in other words swishy, watery, and front heavy. Save the V8's for the muscle cars
The only reason i can see you sticking up for this car is either you already own a LaCross, or have own many Buicks in the past and will never consider anything else.
I personally would take the Kia Amanti with the 3.8L 264HP V6 in it over this car. I have rented one before while going on a long 5 hr drive and I must say it is a truly comfortable enjoyable car that is quite fun to drive without that Buickey feel. I like it when a car has a tighter gripping European like suspension instead of the grandpa/grandma sail boat swishy cloud like ride that plagues many luxury domestic cars. I think some domestic companies are finally starting to get it, not yet Buick.
Justin 8:59PM (10/26/2007)
Again what's the point of the PEAK hp/L argument? How is running less displacement an advantage if the engine isn't much if any lighter (thanks to DOHC) and doesn't get much better fuel economy than an ls v8 (unless you give up a lot of low end power/torque)?
Show me a DOHC v6 that makes 320 hp, 340 lb-ft, is as/more compact than an ls4, gets as good of fuel economy, and doesn't cost more to make.
Justin 9:20PM (10/26/2007)
"First of all most modern V6 engines now are just 30-40HP shy of 300HP (naturally aspirated of course)"
Yes and they're also not much smaller than an ls and don't get much better mpg in the more powerful 6's.
"second of all who cares about the ls lineup of GM's engines. I prefer to look outside the box called GM and look at other companies, even what imports offer. There are always better engines outside of GM."
lol that's nice. I thought we were talking about drivetrains for a Buick Lacrosse Super though.
"IMO putting a V8 in a car like this these days is totally impractical as when I used to own a 96 Ford Thunderbird LX with the V8. That car would constantly get spanked by imports with non turbo V6 engines, and even imports with 5 speed manual non turbo 4 bangers in them, even though the torque was much higher than the HP rating on that Thunderbird."
Umm yeah, the 96 Thunderbird was made by Ford, not GM, so I'm pretty sure it didn't have an ls4.
"V8's in cars like these makes them feel "Buickey" or in other words swishy, watery, and front heavy. Save the V8's for the muscle cars."
Why? They're not that heavy. And wouldn't "cars like these" feel "Buickey" anyways? That's in the chassis, not the engine/drivetrain.
"The only reason i can see you sticking up for this car is either you already own a LaCross, or have own many Buicks in the past and will never consider anything else."
???? Ummm, yeah, I'm a 20 year old mechanical engineering student, whose only car that I have really driven is a 1990 accord. I just happen to prefer v8's, preferably pushrod, and preferably GM IMO.
"I personally would take the Kia Amanti with the 3.8L 264HP V6 in it over this car. I have rented one before while going on a long 5 hr drive and I must say it is a truly comfortable enjoyable car that is quite fun to drive without that Buickey feel. I like it when a car has a tighter gripping European like suspension instead of the grandpa/grandma sail boat swishy cloud like ride that plagues many luxury domestic cars. I think some domestic companies are finally starting to get it, not yet Buick."
That's nice, but I thought this was about ls v8 vs. dohc v6.