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| The new grille looks great, and its curvaceous beltline looks positively sporting. (Photo: Buick) |
Now we have the 2010 LaCrosse... er... Allure. Of course, it won't matter all that much what it's called in either country, because GM has started to refigure something they once knew better than almost any other automaker, styling sells. Where some of us were left feeling a bit flat at the original Allure, this upcoming 2010 model, designed via a collaboration between GM's US and Chinese operations at its new Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC), should lay such criticisms to rest. Its Invicta Concept-inspired styling, a car introduced at the 2008 Beijing Auto Show, squarely targets the traditional North American Buick buyer, who remains older than average despite inroads to younger buyers that the brand has enjoyed with its highly successful Enclave crossover while, like that Enclave it should appeal to the forty- to fifty-something crowd too.
“It is instantly recognizable as a Buick, with its signature 'sweep spear' body-side styling, portholes inside the character line on the hood, and waterfall grille,” commented Ed Welburn, vice president of GM Global Design.
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| Wedge-like profile puts many premium designs to shame. (Photo: Buick) |
Personally, I like its new chrome grille, a stronger more masculine look than the original car's oval Jaguar-esque design and even bolder than the one added to the far superior mid-cycle upgrade, and the Buick signature chromed portholes are now atop the hood rather than the more traditional placement on the sides of the front fenders where the Lucerne wears them; three aside denoting a six-cylinder powerplant underneath. Its sculpted side panels give the new Allure an almost aggressive animality, reaching back to new jeweled tail lamps and stunning chrome embellishments attached to an abbreviated notchback rear end that could land it square in the middle of Lexus ES350 territory, that is if its interior is up to scratch.
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| Impressive... Buick just might have the full premium package here. (Photo: Buick) |
Of course, without actually climbing inside we'll have to leave a full account of soft-touch details, switchgear damping levels and general feel-good quality to an upcoming road test, but if the new Malibu is anything to go by, mixed with the classy nature of the Enclave and brought up to 2009 competitive specs, it should be good in all these respects, and it looks pretty impressive from the photos GM supplied. The perforated leather on the seats and door panels appears high-grade, the plastics have a top-level matte finish and most likely made of that premium-set soft stuff we journalists ramble on about (or at least I do), and the general design is not only attractive, but it looks like Buick put a lot of effort in to make it something very special indeed. Just look at those beautifully shaped door armrests, backlit from below in the fixed door pulls. They mirror the seats' lower side bolsters and a similarly arcing under-lit centre armrest and cupholder arrangement that swoops down to butt up against a particularly elegant wood covered lower console, itself meeting up with a centre stack of audio, HVAC and general infotainment equipment to rival a high-end home stereo in design. Very nice, Buick.
