Very nice car and well put together. The doors closed with a resounding THUNNNK.
It was White Diamond Tricoat with the Ebony interior. The seats were very snug and had great support with many adjustments.
A local dealer had one in the parking lot with 17 miles on the clock. I would have been happy to just sit inside it but the salesman saw me admiring it and he snagged the keys and dealer plate and said "take it for a little spin" providing he copy my d\l which was no big deal.
I fumbled with the proximity key and hopped inside and my 11 year old son jumped in the back. I placed the key in the cup holder in the center console and pushed in the start/stop button on the dash..... the car barked to life with a fast idle and settled down once warmed up. I released the push-button e-brake and started on my way, just the two of us, no salesman, no pressure.
The trans shifted easily with nice short throws and easy clutch uptake. The metal-covered pedals are well-placed and light. I was looking for a place to rest my left foot once we were at road speed but no dead pedal to be found...just a flat piece of carpet with no protection. I've driven stick cars for a long time and this once felt "just right".
The car is very quiet. Not much noise going on under the hood and just a little exhaust note through the 3" exhaust, slight turbo lag was noticeable and the car really wanted to get going in the upper edges of the rpms......70 mph came up pretty quick before I knew it in a 2nd-to-3rd gear pull. I would say the car is a solid 14.7 to 15.0 runner once some seat-time was gotten. I toggled between the "Sport" and "GS" suspension settings and the dashboard turned from blue to white.
The sport setting was nice in the short time I spent in it.
The Brembo brakes felt very confident, and traction control can be defeated by pushing the button. I didn't get a chance to spin around through the console-mounted NAV/radio features but I'm sure they would be pleasing as well. The flat-bottom wheel (with thumb rests) felt nice in the hands and made the car feel almost tossable through tight corners...very nimble for its size. It could shed a few pounds which could be a good or bad thing depending how you look at it. Do you want the features and refinement that Buick is known for or do you want a stripped-down bruiser?
Now onto the price. The sticker on the car came to $38.6K and had the optional 20" wheels (which look sweet), NAV, sunroof and upgrade paint. I could see myself in this car but am torn right now because I still love my LaCrosse very much and the performance would be a step in the wrong direction for me. Feature-wise, the GS is an awesome car but the "bang for the buck" is not there. Yes, a tune would most likely solve that problem but you're throwing money at an already expensive car......Camaro 2SS territory IMHO.
If you get a chance to take one for a spin at your local dealer, do not hesitate, you will be impressed!
p.s. You lose the fog lights in place of bi-xenon headlamps.
It was White Diamond Tricoat with the Ebony interior. The seats were very snug and had great support with many adjustments.
A local dealer had one in the parking lot with 17 miles on the clock. I would have been happy to just sit inside it but the salesman saw me admiring it and he snagged the keys and dealer plate and said "take it for a little spin" providing he copy my d\l which was no big deal.
I fumbled with the proximity key and hopped inside and my 11 year old son jumped in the back. I placed the key in the cup holder in the center console and pushed in the start/stop button on the dash..... the car barked to life with a fast idle and settled down once warmed up. I released the push-button e-brake and started on my way, just the two of us, no salesman, no pressure.
The trans shifted easily with nice short throws and easy clutch uptake. The metal-covered pedals are well-placed and light. I was looking for a place to rest my left foot once we were at road speed but no dead pedal to be found...just a flat piece of carpet with no protection. I've driven stick cars for a long time and this once felt "just right".
The car is very quiet. Not much noise going on under the hood and just a little exhaust note through the 3" exhaust, slight turbo lag was noticeable and the car really wanted to get going in the upper edges of the rpms......70 mph came up pretty quick before I knew it in a 2nd-to-3rd gear pull. I would say the car is a solid 14.7 to 15.0 runner once some seat-time was gotten. I toggled between the "Sport" and "GS" suspension settings and the dashboard turned from blue to white.
The sport setting was nice in the short time I spent in it. The Brembo brakes felt very confident, and traction control can be defeated by pushing the button. I didn't get a chance to spin around through the console-mounted NAV/radio features but I'm sure they would be pleasing as well. The flat-bottom wheel (with thumb rests) felt nice in the hands and made the car feel almost tossable through tight corners...very nimble for its size. It could shed a few pounds which could be a good or bad thing depending how you look at it. Do you want the features and refinement that Buick is known for or do you want a stripped-down bruiser?
Now onto the price. The sticker on the car came to $38.6K and had the optional 20" wheels (which look sweet), NAV, sunroof and upgrade paint. I could see myself in this car but am torn right now because I still love my LaCrosse very much and the performance would be a step in the wrong direction for me. Feature-wise, the GS is an awesome car but the "bang for the buck" is not there. Yes, a tune would most likely solve that problem but you're throwing money at an already expensive car......Camaro 2SS territory IMHO.
If you get a chance to take one for a spin at your local dealer, do not hesitate, you will be impressed!
p.s. You lose the fog lights in place of bi-xenon headlamps.
