The Buick brand is engineered from the ground up as a serene space, but does its 2017 Buick LaCrosse mid-sized sedan really stand up to our please-be-quiet LA road test?
For those new car buyers who expect a totally chill environment in their new car, don’t pass up checking out Buick and its lineup of luxury-minded sedans, CUVs and SUVs. Why? We recently spent an entire day with GM’s Global Noise and Vibration Center director Marissa West. She – along with sound and editing artists from Culver City’s Sony Studio Pictures – gave us a crash course on sound engineering when it comes to cars, theatre, movies and even restaurants.
GM’s West says it is the Buick brand’s goal to create a peaceful environment that “brings all the noise levels lower.” West’s noise reduction team, she says, “delivers on a quiet tuning process” by reducing, blocking and absorbing all sounds coming at their driver whether inside or outside the car.
For passing traffic and wind noises, says West, Buick has a “blocking strategy” by using sound-deadening materials and acoustic-laminated sound glass. All Buick cars absorb unwanted noises with liquid-applied sound deadeners. Even tire component in Buick vehicles have standard requirements for less road noise.
However, West says the most important part of reducing noise in cars is having excellent seals, which comes standard on every “quiet tuned” Buick vehicle.
West says Buick is committed to providing personal peace by “bringing down the overall ambient noise” inside the car. When ambient noise is lowered, says West, this allows for better functioning and enjoyment of Bluetooth, podcasts, music and even voice recognition (as well as Siri or Google voice applications).
Then on a tour of Culver City’s Kirk Douglas Theatre and to Sony Studio’s Foley sound artist stage, we learned ever more about sound engineering and how technology such as active noise cancellation systems can make your daily drive into one of the most peaceful moments of your day.
2017 Buick LaCrosse Road Test Review
So, let’s get down to it. How did it feel to drive the built-in-Detroit 2017 Buick LaCrosse and is this mid-sized sedan quiet especially at a base price of $32,990?
Outside, the new 2017 Buick LaCrosse is a stunner. This newly-redesigned LaCrosse, so says Buick, is “longer, lower and wider” plus features an “aggressive” new “waterfall grille.” We agree. The reconfigured exterior styling with lots of shiny chrome details makes the 2017 LaCrosse look like yet another run-of-the-mill Euro luxury sedan and in a very good way.
Inside, the 2017 LaCrosse is definitely luxurious. The cabin is roomy with generous head and leg room even for tall adults who sit in back. The driver’s cockpit is definitely a place of pure comfort. The massaging, heated and cooling captain’s chairs are certainly sumptuous. We thoroughly enjoyed the three heated seat settings as well as the little details such as the rubberized cellphone holder, a feel-good steering wheel with thumb-based controls and the soft interior lighting upon hitting the start/stop button.
The 2017 LaCrosse is also loaded with cool infotainment technology. The crisp 8-inch color touchscreen displays Buick’s IntelliLink system, which integrates everything from Bluetooth to voice recognition to music to navigation to park assist and much more (like OnStar 4G LTE, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto).
The 2017 LaCrosse is also both fun and relaxing to drive. We were impressed with this 3.6-liter V6 power plant and eight-speed transmission, which effortlessly powered down LA freeways and over the Hollywood Hills with speed and grace (and fuel efficient at an EPA estimate of 21 city and 31 highway for FWD models).
All other driving dynamics such as steering, handling and braking contributed to performance befitting a luxury sedan. This overall excellent drive – along with Buick’s commitment to noise reduction – definitely makes driving the 2017 LaCrosse a serene event in the midst of busy LA traffic.
Ready for a quiet luxury ride to make your days and nights ever better? Consider a road test of the 2017 Buick LaCrosse.
