The new, redesigned 2014 Buick LaCrosse will turn heads…

It may be down the road before it arrives to dealerships, the redesigned 2014 model of the Buick Lacrosse will be sure to turn some heads.

Between the down-home of Chevrolet and the Hollywood-Vegas glitz that is Cadillac, GM’s Buick division offers cars for sophisticated drivers who don’t like being conspicuous but do appreciate high performance and a little luxury behind the wheel. Nowhere is that niche better defined than in the redesigned LaCrosse.

Look at the exterior and there’s no mistaking the massive waterfall grill, a veritable Niagara of shiny tubing. Lights have been updated with LEDs, and the distinctive Buick hood vents now perch on the sides instead of on top. Step to the back, and note the chrome strip that now covers the width of the car and extends to frame the slanting taillights. Fascia improvements for 2014 include integrated exhaust finishers that veer at the same angle as the headlights, only in the opposite direction: a far cry from the tailpipes of yore. A wider range of wheel options including optional twenty-inch wheels complete the sleek but subtle package.

On the inside, there’s a redesigned center console, along with new door panels and seats. The gauge cluster and center stack now offer two display panels, each eight inches wide and configurable by the driver. GM’s Intellilink system, an augmented version of the Chevy My Link, now allows for more voice customization and other features including Pandora, the popular music-streaming service. Here’s news you won’t hear from most other car companies: on the 2014 LaCrosse, Buick has actually reduced the number of buttons on the dash, slashing them from seventeen to seven.

While there are four interior color combinations on the LaCrosse, the most talked-about is sure to be the 2014 Ultra Luxury package, incorporating faux suede in the headliner and door panels, genuine ash wood in the dash, and super-smooth leather seating. Safety is very much on Buick’s mind in the LaCrosse, with adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, and alerts of forward collisions, changes in terrain, and rear cross traffic all seamlessly integrated into the whole. The Cadillac XTS’ Safety Seat Alert has migrated to the LaCrosse as well, at least as far as the vibrating seat that occurs when crash danger exists. This is sure to provoke a “seat-of-the-pants” reaction in Buick drivers when crashes are imminent!

The E-Assist engine that squeezes every possible mile from the 2.4L four-cylinder engine will be back, as will the 3.6L V6 powertrain. Real-time damping suspension continues in V6 models equipped with Buick’s Touring Package. While it’s still too early to say how the numbers will turn out, gas mileage stands to improve with active grille shutters that boost aerodynamics.

All told, the Buick LaCrosse shapes up as another winning entry in the GM stable for 2014.