I think I like Lacrosse better as a name. It rolls off the tongue easier. I kept calling it that at the dealer today, and they looked at me like I was insane.

Maybe so.

So anyways, I got a 2006 Allure CXL today as a loaner at the dealership. The car had 35k km on it, and it was blue.

Nice rims, not too bad on the outside, but it's too bland in the end. If anything, it might need bigger rubber, as it strangely looks a little tall from the outside with the standard CXL rims.

Inside, I got a two tone interior of grey and darker shades of grey. And a huge swatch of some of the most fake fake wood I've ever seen adorning the entire face of the dash. Strangely, the fake wood on the shifter did NOT seem as fake, as it was polished, whereas the fake wood on the dash just screamed it, because it was dulled a bit more. General feel of the materials was quite good- soft surfaces all around. Only sore spot for materials was the center armrest- felt like cheapo vinyl.

Fit and finish looked good to my eye, both inside and out.

As far as ergonomics go, the Buick isn't bad, but it isn't good either. You get the impression that you're seated very high in this car, even with the seat lowered all the way. And while I'm at it, how the hell do you offer power up/down and power lumbar, but no power recline? The seats themselves are VERY soft. Too soft. You can't really feel secure in them if you do anything in a hurry. Going straight ahead though, and it's like sitting on a couch. Lots of legroom, lots of headroom, lots of room in general otherwise though.

While the interior and exterior scored an easy 'average', where the Lacrosse falls flat is in its driving dynamics. Simply put, a combination of a slow as hell engine, overly twitchy and non-linear steering, grabby brakes, and a too thin steering wheel prevents you from doing anything too caffeinated in the Lacrosse. First, the engine- the 3800 feels VERY tepid in this car. Far weaker than my 3500 V6 in my G6, and far weaker than the 4 banger Honda engine my brother just got in his Accord. This is not good. The fabled midrange and low end torque seemed nonexistant. Second, the steering- almost dangerous. Seriously. It was next to impossible to make a smooth turn in the Lacrosse. I don't know if it's electric or hydraulic, but the steering offers absolutely no rhyme or reason as to its responses- you expect a quicker response, and it bogs down, and vice versa. Just very hard to judge. Third, the brakes- reminded me of my dads old LeSabre from 1985- barely touch them and they're almost setting off the ABS. This is a change from the traditional mushy pedal feel of other GM's I've driven in the last 10 years, but not one for the better.

Lastly, the fuel economy on this particular car was awful- full tank of gas got me 500km of driving, mostly on the highway. Not good at all, especially considering the fuel tank nears 70 litres in size.

Anyways, colour me unimpressed. This is just another bland large car offering from Buick and GM. The interior is pretty good save for the large swath of fake wood, but the rest is simply uninspired. And no, I doubt the 3.6 would change my opinion much.