2009 Buick LaCrosse

The Buick LaCrosse Super (*est. $33,805) is a very different animal, with its 300-horsepower, 5.3-liter V-8 engine (although it keeps the same four-speed automatic as the lesser). The Super comes decked out with big aluminum wheels and dual chrome exhaust outlets, and it mystifies some critics. "Clearly, Buick's fastest-ever car (150 mph top end) makes no sense," TheTruthAboutCars.com's Michael Martineck says of the LaCrosse Super. It's certainly fast, and Martineck says he kind of likes it -- despite the fact that its front-wheel-drive setup isn't really a good match for that level of horsepower. But he wonders who will buy the ramped-up Buick LaCrosse. Edmunds.com recommends the Pontiac G8 GT (*est. $31,755) or Chrysler 300C (*est. $37,135) instead, if you're looking for a big V-8 sedan.

The Buick LaCrosse Super delivers a low 19 mpg in mixed driving (16 city/24 highway), according to the Environmental Protection Agency. The LaCrosse CX and CXL don't do much better, at 21 mpg mixed (17 city/28 highway). That's three or four mpg less than better-reviewed midsize four-cylinder sedans, including the Honda Accord (*est. $20,905 to $28,955), which experts say is also safer, roomier and holds its resale value better than the Buick LaCrosse.

The LaCrosse gets some of the worst safety ratings of any family sedan. It does a "poor" job protecting occupants in rear-end crashes and only a "marginal" job in side crashes, the nonprofit Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says. Government crash tests show that the driver would have an 11 to 20 percent chance of serious injury if the LaCrosse were hit in the side by a pickup or SUV moving 31 mph. With most family sedans, the risk is less than 6 percent.

Several reviews predict that the LaCrosse will lose its value quickly. "The LaCrosse is a lame duck, slated for 2010 replacement," says Martineck at TheTruthAboutCars.com. "I mean, how many ways can you say depreciation?" Kelley Blue Book estimates that a new 2009 Buick LaCrosse will lose 62 percent of its value within a year.

The 2009 Buick LaCrosse didn't get any special accolades for reliability until J.D. Power and Associates came out with its latest dependability survey, awarding the LaCrosse first place among midsize cars. Another major owner survey gives the LaCrosse only average marks for dependability. The Buick LaCrosse is covered by a four-year/50,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty and five-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty.

We found expert road tests of the Buick LaCrosse at Consumer Reports, Edmunds.com, ConsumerGuide.com, Kelley Blue Book and Car and Driver. Each of these reviews is less thorough than the last, from the exhaustive Consumer Reports write-up to the short pros-and-cons style review at Car and Driver. TheTruthAboutCars.com provides the most comprehensive review of the LaCrosse Super. Official fuel economy and safety tests are helpful, as is J.D. Power and Associates' dependability survey.