The Chinese Buick Lacrosse caused slight frustration from North American Lacrosse owners when it was launched on the Chinese mainland last year, simply because the Chinese one looks far better than the US version - its true, we even had a poll on it right here on China Car Times, and the people decided the Chinese one was far better looking.
Lacrosse sales in China could be described as average compared to the Honda Accord, and Toyota Camry, to counter this, Buick has slightly upgraded the Lacrosse for 2008.
Shanghai GM designed the Lacrosse specifically for the Chinese and Taiwanese markets at their Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center in Shanghai. The Lacrosse has the same chassis as the American version, but has different engines (2.4l and a 3.0 V6), exterior and interior, Shanghai GM have codenamed the new Lacrosse the SGM18 and should be on the market later this year. The SGM18 Lacrosse is lighter than previous incarnations (2.4l is 10kg, the 3.0 V6 25kg) The 08 Lacrosse also offers new color schemes, and different alloy designs.
Shanghai GM are also planning a hybrid version of the Lacrosse for Olympic use
this lacrosse looks awful!
it looks like it’s a regular lacrosse trying to be lucerne.. since when is the lacrosse a luxury car??
something similar to that terrible kia opirus..
regular cars are supposed to look good!!! Not upclass…
Are you bonkers? The Buick Lacrosse is a million times better than the Kia Opirus effort.
am I bonkers????
really don’t think so.. are you??
it might be thousands and billions of millions of times better than the kia opirus effort, but my point is that the Lacrosse is trying to be something it isn’t, just the way that awful Opirus is.
So it doesn’t matter if it’s doing it BETTER, what matter is that it is still doing the same thing.
Not that I want to criticize Buick China with no reason, but I just think cars that want to appear more than what they really can offer stupid.. and by the way, the design of this lacrosse is totally bland. At least the American one has some personality…
not that I like Buick, still…
>>>> At least the American one has some personality………
The US one looks like a Chrysler Neon!
nope, it looks nothing like the Neon… do you say that just because of it’s round headlights???
If so, than the American Lacrosse would also be copying Mercedes E-classes, so many jaguars, the already copied awful Opirus, the old ovoid Taurus, the new bettle, the old bettle and all the old cars that had round headlights…
Please show me ANY similarity of the US lacrosse and the neon… because I really can’t find any!! Which is not the case of the Chinese spec lacrosse and the Ford Five Hundred…
The chinese lacrosse’s front end is the 500’s carbon copy!
And, even if the US lacrosse looked like the neon… it still would have tons more personality than this awful chinese one!
and note that I never said I tough the US lacrosse was beautiful, I just think it at least has personality and it’s not ridiculously trying look like an upclass car…
let me tell you what this car looks like:
FORD FIVE HUNDRED (2005-2006)
http://www.fordforum.com/models/five-hundred/images/Ford-Five-Hundred.jpg
C’mom, nobody can deny this resemblance…
I know that, unfortunately, chinese cars are often “inspired” by other brands designs, but this front end has been copied in a way that seems like the Buick China designers have got them a pic of the Ford 500 front end and carbon copied it…
this “new version” (looks like new bumper and grille to me) could follow the new design of the Ford Taurus to keep the logic, ahahaha
the Ford Five hundred is an excellent car.. it’s got huge legroom, great finishing, great materials, ok engine, honest price… what made it a fiasco for Ford???
IT’S BLAND DESIGN!!!!
That 500 looks like a Fiesta/Focus/Mondeo mash up, It probably didnt sell very well for many reasons, not necessarily the design alone.
yes, the 500 failed because of it’s design…
part of the insucess is due also to the so-so 210hp V6, but it’sgone in the new Taurus now… but mainly because of the design..
The thing is that the 500 is an excellent car, but so are all it’s japanese competitors… and the thing is that, nowadays, if people want a car with a tasteless design but good quality, people in America go to Honda and Toyota seeking for their proved reliability… if Ford made a 500 dressed like the 300C, it would sell like hot cakes… just like ford did it right with the Mustang..
The Ford 500 is a bloody bathtub, rides like one and you would have to be a rubber ducky, taxi driver or cop to drive one. Comparing that with the Buick is like comparing a Xiali with a Jetta-bloody stupid!
>>>The Ford 500 is a bloody bathtub,
Typical American car then, eh?
>>>The Ford 500 is a bloody bathtub,
>>>Typical American car then, eh?
I don’t get you people at all…
why are you criticizing these “typical american cars” if you are SO IN LOVE with one??
Can anyone define BUICK for me better than and typical bloody bathtub american sedan, the “doc’s car”, for cruising infinite highways, whith an ultra soft suspension and ultra low mileage??
The Chinese Buicks, are only American thanks to their names.
They are either designed and made in China, or OEM from Suzuki, or ex Daewoo models.
ok, but in this case, the lacrosse is the same american car with different front and rear ends…
sorry, the chinese one is even larger, which make the “bloody bathtub” even more suitable
American stats:
LxWxH = 5030mm x 1855mm x 1460mm
Chinese stats:
LxWxH = 4998mm x 1851mm x 1461mm
The US one comes with bigger engines, namely 3.6 and 3.8 V6’s, the Chinese one is either 2.4 or 3.0 V6
The car sits on the same platform and shares a same name, but there are many differences.
ok chinese is 3 cm shorter, so now we don’t call it a bathtub anymore..??
it uses the same plataform, means that most of it’s driving dynamics are very similar, so if you say the american Lacrosse is a bathtub, the chinese is going to be one as well…
I can’t believe that, just by reducing the power and changing the front and rear fascia, you can call it a totally different car. The chinese Buick IS A LEGITIM AMERICAN BATHTUB, and I just can’t see any arguments against that…
And it doesn’t matter what engine it uses, or are you saying you rather have a smaller engine with smaller output??? The size and output of the engine doesn’t define it being a bathtub or not, or else the M5 V10 would be doomed… by putting a smaller engine will only make that bathtub underpowered…
what makes a truly american junk is the exagerated size and poor driving dynamics…
by the way, if it is for me to have a bathtub, make it with whole lot more power, please…
“The Ford 500 is a bloody bathtub” …
can you define “Buick” for me, please…?
“rides like one and you would have to be a rubber ducky, taxi driver or cop to drive one”
can you define “Buick” for me, please?
I’m sorry, but the word “Buick” has been the EXACT description you’ve given since Buick… was born!!!
Or do you REALLY think Buicks have been built to compete with M5s and E63 AMGs????
Thus, I never compared the riding qualities of these two cars… which, by the way, are VERY SIMILAR, if you really want to know… have you ever been in one of these two cars??
I’ve driven both, and couldn’t really tell the difference of them.. just like a Toyota Avalon, as well…
Anyway, I never meant to compare both… if you could read my post better, I was comparing the COPIED BLAND AND TASTLESS DESIGN of this bland and tasteless Buick…
and this has been my point since the beginning of this discussion… IT’S DESIGN, I think it’s awful.
Didn’t mention once the finishing, the legroom, the driving dynamics, or whatever else you might think I meant to say…
and, by the way….
cops drive Crown Vics, not front wheel drive V6 Ford Five hundreds…
taxi drivers?? I’ve never seen one driving a Five Hundred, if you see one, please take a picture and email it to me, I’ll give you an 1 million dollar prize!
So, who drives the Ford Five Hundred?? OLD PEOPLE, seeking for a soft, comfortable car, perfect for highway cruising… just like the people who buy BUICKS and toyota avalons…
not cops and taxi drivers… please get better informed next time before posting.
and by the way, rubber ducks don’t step out of bath tubs and can’t really reach the pedals…
Jackson please go have a good hot soaking bath and RELAX!!!!
haahahah
relaxing for me, only after couple beers… =)
sorry if I made anyone feel I’ve overreacted… just trying to make my point of view
I have no idea what he is on about anymore.
about ME??
you have no idea???
Well, I’ve made my point very clear, I’m sorry if couldn’t really understand that..
my argument, since the very beginning, was about the (lack of ) beauty of this awful Buick…
no matter how many distortions has this discussion taken in order defend this ugly Lacrosse, I just didn’t find any argument strong enough to convince me otherwise…
You have your opinion, I have mine.
This does not take away from the fact that the Chinese one, in my opinion, is better looking than the US one.
great!!!!!
if you have said that since the beginning instead of replicating me, wouldn’t this discussion be so much more constructive???
Yes, you are right.
And better built as well!