The 2008 Buick LaCrosse gets interior and exterior upgrades as well as an available V8 engine. Four models of this midsize sedan are offered. CX and CXL versions have a 200-hp 3.8-liter V6. The sporty CXS has a 240-hp 3.6-liter V6. New for 2008 is the high-performance LaCrosse Super with a 300-hp 5.3-liter V8, sport suspension, and unique trim. All 2008 Buick LaCrosse models have front-wheel drive and a 4-speed automatic transmission. Available safety features include curtain side airbags, ABS, traction control, and an antiskid system. Satellite radio and OnStar assistance are standard. An available front-bench seat for CX and CXL models raises passenger capacity from five to six. Also available are leather seating and rear-obstacle detection.

Like the recently introduced Buick Enclave luxury crossover and Super models, the 2008 LaCrosse features a more distinctive front end. The new design brings the 2008 LaCrosse sedan in line with a common Buick family appearance. The fascia, hood and chrome waterfall grille are new. The 2008 model will also offer four new exterior colors, including Scarlett Red, Gold Mist Metallic, Dark Mocha Metallic and Dark Slate Metallic.

Inside, the ’08 LaCrosse continues to offer a well-equipped, comfortable and quiet interior. More comfort and convenience features are now standard for CX, CXL and CXS models for 2008. The LaCrosse CX, for example, is a richer entry-level car, adding a leather-wrapped steering wheel, theft deterrent system, illuminated vanity mirrors, driver information center personalization and more. All trim levels now have a chrome exterior appearance package, factory remote start feature, XM Satellite Radio, telescoping steering wheel column, redundant steering wheel controls and dual-zone climate control as added standard equipment.

Interior styling received a makeover for 2008, and the LaCrosse deserves its place in the entry luxury segment. Sporting a new cowhide-wrapped wheel, intrusion proofing, cosmetics mirrors, XM Satellite radio, and air conditioning, the cabin of the LaCrosse is the place to be. The driver’s envelope is well placed, to easily scan the instrument cluster, and to track only a short distance laterally to find radio and environmental controls.

Whether you opt for the CX, CXL, CXS, or the Super, the 2008 Buick LaCrosse tops the segment with standard safety features. Curtain side airbags, front driver and passenger airbags, anti-lock brakes, and a traction stability system buffer your passengers against injury. Safety accounted for, the LaCrosse responds gingerly to a tap on the accelerator, hugs the corners, and breezes to a safe stop using the best suspension and steering assemblies available.

What Buick is hoping is for the new LaCrosse Super and its 300-hp V-8 to really bring in new fans. The all-new trim level adds a 5.3-liter V-8 engine with active fuel management to keep mileage reasonable, yet still reach 60 mph in 5.7 seconds.
The rest of the lineup retains the same engines as the outgoing 2007 models, in CX, CXL and CXS trims. We’re a bit surprised GM didn’t significantly alter the LaCrosse’s interior. With so much attention paid to the new grille and Super trim level, the interior didn’t get the new upgraded materials seen in most other new models, including the Buick Lucerne.

2008 Buick LaCrosse Models:
2008 Buick LaCrosse CX
2008 Buick LaCrosse CXL
2008 Buick LaCrosse CXS
2008 Buick LaCrosse Super

Buick has launched a cruise missile into the hot and highly competitive crossover SUV wars. Arriving half a year behind its well-reviewed Saturn Outlook and GMC Acadia cousins, this most upscale of GM’s new large crossover trio is quieter, more refined, and more attractive, than most anything else in its segment. And, thanks to its tightly tuned suspension, communicative steering, 275-hp 3.6-liter DOHC 24-valve VVT V-6, and six-speed automatic transaxle, it loses none of their (for their size) crisp handling and respectable performance.

The Enclave will join a wave of new crossover utility vehicles, or CUVs, that combine the smooth ride and responsive handling of a car with the cargo capability and high seating position of a traditional, truck-based sport utility vehicle.

The exterior design is contemporary, with bulging front and rear fenders and organic shapes. Buick added its trademark portholes and strips of chrome surround the glasshouse and tail lamps and brighten the bumpers, roof rails and door handles. The rear roof tapers down toward the rear.

The Enclave features six bucket seats in three rows. Measuring 202 inches, the Enclave is longer overall than the upcoming seven-seat Mercedes-Benz GL 460.

But Enclave is more about style and ride than simple raw numbers. Of the three GM crossovers built on this chassis, Enclave offers the most appealing—“sensual,” the company calls them—bodylines and quietest ride. Showing off Buick’s luxury outside are curved fender creases in the front and rear, plus a waterfall grille. Refined “ventaports” on the hood recall Buicks of past.

Inside the cabin, the theme remains high style, with wood grain trim highlighted by bright metal borders—not to mention a real wood and leather steering wheel. Oh, and don’t overlook the wood-chrome-leather shift lever that completes a luxury message.

Enclave’s seats accommodate eight passengers in a two-three-three arrangement from front to back. Second- and third-row seats are 60/40 bench types that fold down for added stowage space. Or, order captain’s seats for the second row, and you get a walk-through passage to accommodate rear-seat passengers.

The Rendezvous’s styling suffered from having to use as much of the donor minivan’s structure as possible. This time around, GM started with a clean sheet of paper, and it shows. Not only does the ovular Enclave look totally different from the much more square GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook, but all three vehicles look so good that people who usually wouldn’t consider a GM vehicle are giving them serious consideration.

The proportions are pretty much perfect, with a long wheelbase and tight overhangs. (You can’t say the same about most competitors, which have shorter wheelbases.) The hood is very short, but this isn’t evident because of how the front fender arches extend well past the touch down of the A-pillar–the automotive equivalent of French-cut panties. The boldly arched fenders and tall streamlined front end give the Enclave an appearance that is at once aggressive, upscale, and pretty. As a result of this styling, the buzz surrounding the Enclave has been tremendous, especially considering that this is a domestic people mover, not a sports car.

2008 Buick Enclave Models:
2008 Buick Enclave CX FWD
2008 Buick Enclave CX AWD
2008 Buick Enclave CXL FWD
2008 Buick Enclave CXL AWD