LaCrosse > S90 according to at least one journo

"AMC/Renauledge" (n2skylark)
12/23/2016 at 12:07 • Filed to: None

I take a lot of shit on the FP for being a Buick guy. I post this knowing full well that even a whisper of favor given a big, new Buick over the new and worshipped S90 is going to come off as sacrilege around these parts. And I am not afraid.

I love the new S/V90/XC. What I don’t understand is why so much ink has been spilled at Jalopnik about the S90, whereas the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! was met with !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

They’re incredibly similar vehicles. Similar size. Similar luxury features. Similar performance. And they’re tuned similarly. So what’s the deal?

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

DISCUSSION (46)

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > AMC/Renauledge
12/23/2016 at 12:09

Volvo is for people who want a boring car, with Land Rover reliability.

Sovande > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
12/23/2016 at 12:17

I dare you to drive my Volvo and still think it’s boring.

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > AMC/Renauledge
12/23/2016 at 12:18

The Buick needs AWD and to drop that stupid name.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Sovande
12/23/2016 at 12:20

I’ve driven many Volvos. All were less exciting than a Camry. All were less reliable than a Soviet Nuclear plant

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > AMC/Renauledge
12/23/2016 at 12:23

God damn that’s a pretty car. Love the new corporate grille.

Rico > AMC/Renauledge
12/23/2016 at 12:27

Ah so this is what I saw! I was driving the other day and did a double take on this Buick and was surprised at how great it looked.

C62030 > AMC/Renauledge
12/23/2016 at 12:29

If I could have this car’s exterior, but with the S90's interior, I would be a happy man.

Sovande > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
12/23/2016 at 12:29

Weird. Mine have all been very reliable. 1998 V70 - 225,000 miles when I sold it, 1998 V70 T5 Manual 205,000 miles when I sold it (built at 300 hp - would make a plaything out of a Fiesta, for instance, while my kid waved from the rear facing seat) and my current 2008 C30 has about 120k on it. None have needed anything but normal wear items and two have been tuned with extensive suspension mods. Boring must be subjective. Walking past BMW’s, Camaro’s and many other cars on the highway in a 20 year old station wagon with a 3rd row seat was quite the opposite of boring for me.

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > Sovande
12/23/2016 at 12:37

I still miss my 08 C30

He doesn’t like volvos very much since his family had some bad luck with older ones. It’s a useless discussion (I’ve tried)

jimz > AMC/Renauledge
12/23/2016 at 12:50

I think the Volvo’s interior is “cleaner” looking, and if it’s like the XC90 has a bit nicer materials in critical areas. I do not like the centerstack touch screen, it tries too hard to be an iPad and is rather cluttered in practice.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > AMC/Renauledge
12/23/2016 at 13:07

So the Buick is almost as good,possibility more reliable,and you could buy the Buick with enough left over to buy a fun car. Yup that sounds like a good deal to me.

AMC/Renauledge > jimz
12/23/2016 at 13:12

Volvo’s interior is absolutely jaw-dropping. No wonder Tesla poached its designer.

AMC/Renauledge > C62030
12/23/2016 at 13:12

Me too!

AMC/Renauledge > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind
12/23/2016 at 13:13

The LaCrosse is available with AWD . The same system that’s in the Focus RS! And I agree on the name. LaCrosse should be a crossover name, if anything.

AMC/Renauledge > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
12/23/2016 at 13:16

Me, too. The new grille is fresh and dimensional. I’m also really happy to see color returned to the badge.

AMC/Renauledge > Rico
12/23/2016 at 13:18

It’s gorgeous. I especially love the rear 3/4 view. Something about those taillights...

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > AMC/Renauledge
12/23/2016 at 13:26

I’m glad the sea-of-chrome in-your-face waterfall has been replaced with something a bit more tasteful.

victor > AMC/Renauledge
12/23/2016 at 13:27

Gotta thank the picky Chinese consumers for the current Buick.

AMC/Renauledge > victor
12/23/2016 at 13:38

Sorta. I mean, the LaCrosse was designed and engineered in the US. But, sure, it was designed for Chinese and American tastes.

Volvo is actually owned by a Chinese automaker. They have a lot of thanking to do, too.

AMC/Renauledge > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
12/23/2016 at 13:39

Yup. I’ve seen rumors that even the brand-new Envision is set to get a facelift with the new grille pretty soon.

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > AMC/Renauledge
12/23/2016 at 13:41

Bit of a difference though

Although supported by Chinese money, the volvo was designed ground up in sweden to be a Volvo

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > AMC/Renauledge
12/23/2016 at 14:07

That looks awesome and you know I’m in the same boat as you. I like Mercury and Lincoln. Only 1 is worth writing about anymore (at least from a news perspective) and they continually shit on Lincoln every opportunity they get.

How does a 400 hp 400 torque twin turbo awd mid size Lincoln get zero props?

AMC/Renauledge > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder!
12/23/2016 at 14:17

The S90 was designed to be a Volvo for the Chinese market, as well as everywhere else. I don’t really see how that’s much different from Buick’s design mission. The LaCrosse was designed and engineered here in the US, as well, to be a Buick. I think it accomplishes that task well.

Keep in mind that it wasn’t Buick who first sent the US a Chinese-made vehicle. It was Volvo, with their S60 LWB.

I don’t really see much of a distinction.

AMC/Renauledge > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
12/23/2016 at 14:21

True. Lincoln does get shit on. It gets some occasional props, though. I remember the auto show debut of the revised MKZ. And the Continental has been reported on quite a bit.

With Buick, they didn’t bother to write up the Cascada review at all. They barely mentioned anything about the new LaCrosse launch (and only after I harangued them on Oppo), either.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > AMC/Renauledge
12/23/2016 at 14:27

I hear ya. Its stuff like this that pisses me off so much though:

http://jalopnik.com/every-jalopnik-writer-i-sure-won-t-buy-a-lincoln-anyt-1790318502

A while right up in how bad Lincoln’s campaign is(and thats fine lol) but then they say “I wont be buying one anytime soon” ok, but WHY?! How do you right that with no back up? No explanation. Infuriating. I went back once through my profile (way too much work haha) and found the first post I ever made on jalopnik was calling them on their bias, I made account over half a decade ago just to call em on it. Nothing has changed.

Milky > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
12/23/2016 at 15:38

Clearly haven’t driven a V70r or a C30 polestar. Those are my only Volvo experiences and they were real good.

Joe6pack > AMC/Renauledge
12/23/2016 at 16:13

Let me start off by saying that I too am a Buick fan. I think it’s preconception and bias. Buick is considered near luxury while Volvo is considered luxury. We own an Enclave and I have sat in the previous XC90. I will take the Enclave thank you very much. However, with Cadillac as the top GM luxury brand, Buick is always going to have a perception problem. GM is very protective of Cadillac these days. I got that straight from my Buick dealer. They can’t do anything to overshadow Cadillac including sell a used Caddy CPO which they can do with any other GM branded product.

BTW, who decides what’s luxury and what is near luxury? Is it the manufacturer?

shop-teacher > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder!
12/23/2016 at 16:56

To be fair, he doesn’t like much of anything ;)

shop-teacher > jimz
12/23/2016 at 17:57

I agree, although I do still like the Buick quite a lot and it’s a fair bit cheaper.

AMC/Renauledge > Joe6pack
12/23/2016 at 18:12

Luxury and near luxury are pretty arbitrary terms.

And I’m in full agreement on GM’s posture with Cadillac vs Buick. Thing is, if Cadillac weren’t run so poorly as a luxury marque, GM wouldn’t have to defend it against Buick encroachment. But Cadillac is jealously guarded, massively funded, AND utterly incapable of marketing cars above Buick’s price range in any serious volume. It’s absurd.

GM pumps billions into Cadillac and sales are barely affected. GM gives Buick odds and ends from around the globe, still leaving huge gaps in the line and sales more than double.

It’s really frustrating to me. I wanted an Avenir. Cadillac gives us a 4cyl CT6 that’s priced within a whisper of a top-end LaCrosse instead. And sales totals are predictably mediocre as a result.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Milky
12/23/2016 at 18:17

I have not, but the C30 is a previous gen Focus ST so it should be good(though from what I’ve read, it’s not as good, because Volvo likes Saabing things), and the V70R has fairly poor reviews in comparison to other things in it’s class. That’s just driving dynamics. Reliability, you are better off with a 3-series than the V70R. Or an S4. Or a Lada.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder!
12/23/2016 at 18:20

The older ones are the ones that are supposed to be reliable though, and they aren’t in comparison to other shitboxes from the 80's and 90's. They offer nothing that a Camry does not offer. They are only loved here by a select few because they ARE shitty cars.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > shop-teacher
12/23/2016 at 18:21

I like plenty of things, I just don’t get the fascination for such awful appliances. If it were a Lada type fascination it would be understandable, but it’s not, people act like they aren’t below Audi in reliability ratings, and they don’t get piss poor marks for driving dynamics.

victor > AMC/Renauledge
12/23/2016 at 18:37

Gen 3 is us designed, gen 2 was shanghai designed. The interior materials and aesthetics are to suit pretty picky Chinese buyers. Since they make up 80-90% of lacrosse volumes, we get what they want.

victor > AMC/Renauledge
12/23/2016 at 18:37

That said, Volvos interiors are also now top notch thanks to the Chinese. Remember those chintzy ford era interiors?

AMC/Renauledge > victor
12/23/2016 at 18:41

The 2G LaCrosse interior was Chinese designed. The exterior was done in the US by Brian Nesbitt’s team, I believe.

Milky > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
12/23/2016 at 19:08

S4s, 3 series, focus sts, etc don’t have turbo 5s in them and are all common place af.

Or sound like this (actual friend’s car):

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Milky
12/23/2016 at 19:18

Previous gen Focus ST’s had the 5 cylinder. The Audi S4 at one point had a 5-cylinder.

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
12/23/2016 at 20:58

To be fair though, modern gm isn’t really that reliable either

(Regarding your initial comment)

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder!
12/23/2016 at 21:25

They never really were though, they just didn’t used to have European repair costs.

shop-teacher > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
12/23/2016 at 23:33

Half the time you don’t even like your own vehicles.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > shop-teacher
12/23/2016 at 23:36

This is true. I bought a Jalopnik meme car. I’m paying the price.

shop-teacher > AMC/Renauledge
12/23/2016 at 23:37

The new LaCrosse is simply gorgeous. I’d rather have a V90, but I like buying new and a new V90 just ain’t gonna happen for me. A base LaCrosse though, that is very doable.

shop-teacher > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
12/23/2016 at 23:43

See what I’m saying? Last I read you had a revelatory moment by changing the shit knob, and now you’re unhappy again. On any vehicle, I guesstimate you post about a 25:1 ratio of negative to positive. You may not hate EVERYTHING, but you sure don’t like much.

AMC/Renauledge > shop-teacher
12/24/2016 at 03:04

Yeah, the V90 is brilliant and I love it. Absolutely. As wagons go, it’s my favorite.

As sedans go, I’m more impressed overall by the S90. But I’m not $16,000 more cash impressed. The Buick has most of that impressiveness without the expense.

shop-teacher > AMC/Renauledge
12/24/2016 at 03:08

Yeah, that sums it up well.