Liking the LaCrosse

Into an uncertain market, General Motors throws the Buick LaCrosse. MSN reports that GM held up the introduction of Buick’s new premium mid-sized sedan (replacing the aging Century and Regal) for a whole year because Vice Chairman Bob Lutz didn’t think it was snazzy enough.

As far as I’m concerned, Lutz (GM’s product chief) always has put style over substance, and his influence extends to the company’s strategic thinking: He continues to downplay any concern about the fading large-SUV market (it peaked in 2000 and has been declining ever since), and thinks the company can be saved by rushing the next generation of its Suburban/Tahoe models into production. But gas prices are topping $2 a gallon, and large SUV sales slipped 12 percent in the last quarter of 2004 alone.

Why do Americans continue to buy Japanese cars? Lutz thinks it’s because of exchange rates, and insists that there’s no real quality difference between a Chevy Malibu and a Toyota Camry.

"The average person still believes that the Japanese cars’ quality and reliability is head-and-shoulders above General Motors, and it simply is no longer the case," Lutz said in an interview in 2003. As long as he continues to rationalize that way, the company won’t get serious about building world-beating cars.

That said, GM has at last begun to pay attention to what should be its bread and butter: passenger cars. The Chevrolet Cobalt and the Pontiac G6 are steps in the right direction, and the LaCrosse is a respectful update that can stand up to the foreign competition without alienating the car’s natural market, Middle America.

It starts with styling. The look of the LaCrosse has vague Audi echoes, particularly in its side profile. The overall impression is of a Midwestern executive who’s been to Paris and Munich a few times. It’s sophisticated without being somehow, like John Kerry, "too French."

And the tasteful interior is a considerable step up from the usual GM blandness. Here’s where Lutz’ leadership actually shines; he said in that 2003 interview: "[W]e still have to … do interiors and exterior fits and finishes that tell the customer, ‘Wow, this thing was put together with great attention to detail and love of craftsmanship.’"

You actually feel cosseted when sinking into the leather-and-(fake) wood LaCrosse cabin, which also features a clear, logical and elegant dashboard layout.

My test vehicle, an upmarket and sportier CXS, featured just about every amenity the modern driver might request, with $4,600 worth of options (sunroof, XM satellite radio, 17-inch chrome wheels, power seats) that brought the price to $33,650. I can see why the GM bean counters made those things into options, but if they’d been included for the $28,335 base price, it might have helped with quality and value perception. Stability control, for instance, costs $495 extra.

One of the best things about the LaCrosse is its ultra-quiet cabin, which on the CXS model is mated to a relatively good-handling chassis with stiffer suspension, performance steering and bigger wheels. The CXS is also upgraded under the hood, with the 3.6-liter 240-horsepower V-6 from the Rendezvous SUV. That’s a serious horsepower advantage, but it bears some fuel-economy penalties. As tested, the CXS gets 19 mpg in town and 27 on the highway; the models with the base V-6 are a little easier on the wallet with 20 and 29. If Buick offered a five-speed automatic, those numbers might improve slightly.

I’d like to think that the LaCrosse, Cobalt and G6 herald the beginning of a quality revolution at GM, and that we’re about to be blown away by a wave of impressive model launches. Because, despite what Bob Lutz might tell you, winning market share is not just about exchange rates.