New cars: Buick LaCrosse CXS

Los Angeles Times

Call it the American Lexus. General Motors’ first car since it emerged from bankruptcy, this “near-luxury” sedan aims to compete against the Lexus ES 350. Instead, the new LaCrosse CXS blows it “out of the sky.” The 3.6-liter direct-­injection V6 is super-quiet under a scalloped hood. Other features include a six-speed automatic transmission and touch-screen navigation.

Motor Trend

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The CXS even apes the Lexus 350’s basic profile and proportions. The interior’s vaguely Asian aesthetic features double-seam stitching, “relatively convincing faux wood,” and ice-blue ambient lighting. Shut the doors, roll up the acoustic-glass front windows and extra-thick rear ones, and a dome of silence will descend, “providing meditation-garden levels of tranquility.”

The Washington Post

The CXS outperforms another rival, the Acura TL, in acceleration, ride, and handling. Standard equipment includes Bluetooth and iPod hookups, onboard navigation, and OnStar emergency service. Some front and rear visibility has been sacrificed in pursuit of hot styling, so opt for the rearview camera and electronic proximity-monitoring system.