LaCrosse charms motorcycle experts

LARRY TATE FOR THE TORONTO STAR

A motorcycle reviewer, Steve Bond drove to Indianapolis in a Buick LaCrosse, a ride he found impressive.

Steve Bond

SPECIAL TO THE STAR

INDIANAPOLIS–What says "winter getaway" like a windy, frozen city smack dab in the American Midwest?

Usually, when motorcycle journalists go somewhere in winter, it's to an exotic, sunny locale with blooms on the roses and babes on the beach.

Not this time.

I joined Wheels motorcycle racing correspondent Larry Tate on a trip to the not-so-Garden Spot of America in February – Indianapolis.

The terrain around Indy was a flat, featureless barren winter wasteland, much like Saskatchewan, but without the ambience. And colder, with more snow, than home in southern Ontario.

Indy is famous for its 500-mile race in May as well as a round of the Moto GP championship, but our goal was the Indianapolis Powersports Expo – the largest commercial motorcycle parts and accessories show in North America.

My 1992 Cavalier recently suffered a terminal illness and Tate's Management Group denied access to their vehicle so I whined at Wheels editor Mark Richardson until he finally arranged for a car.

General Motors came through big time with a 2010 Buick LaCrosse CXS, which GM compares to a Lexus ES350. Option packages brought the list price up to $50,960 from the standard $40,795.

My Significant Other was incredulous when she saw the LaCrosse. "I can't believe they're letting Dumb and Dumber loose with a car like that. Neither one of your records from last summer is exactly stellar, is it?"

Geez, break a few ribs, destroy a shoulder or two and your reputation is forever sullied.

Neither of us has a cellphone, so the array of buttons, dials and gizmos (about 40 on the centre console alone) was initially intimidating – it reminded Larry of a 777 cockpit mock-up he'd recently seen.

You can't tell much about a motorcycle or car until you rack up a few miles, so the 2,100-km round trip gave us a good feel for the LaCrosse.

The A pillars are thick, limiting visibility toward the front quarters and the stylish high beltline means that nothing forward of the windshield wipers is visible from the driver's seat. There's gotta be a hood and fenders out there somewhere, but I couldn't see them. Larry, several inches shorter than me, was even worse off. It made navigating through a strange parking garage a bit of an adventure.

The low roof created the feeling of confined quarters but side visibility was fine for quick shoulder checks, and opening the screen over the moon roof lightened the interior significantly.

Despite our different heights, we both thought the buttons, dials and sundry controls on the console were within easy reach and intuitive, but the shift lever and the storage boxes/cup holders too far back for comfort.

We agreed that the heads-up display (part of the $1,395 moon roof package) was downright distracting, and kept it off. I don't know why you'd need what's playing on the satellite radio displayed on the windshield. Speaking of satellite radio, we love it. That plus the heated seats and – oh, joy – heated steering wheel, certainly made touring on four wheels instead of two seem rather decadent.

The LaCrosse CXS with the 3.6L V6 and six-speed automatic was a great highway cruise missile, as 100 km/h arrives at a relaxed 1800 r.p.m. Rolling down the superslab is remarkably quiet – quieter than most libraries.

The LaCrosse handled well for a car weighing 1,850 kg as it burned around on ramps with little body roll, no doubt thanks to the StabiliTrak system and self-adjusting electronic shock absorbers.

Comfort is job one on the LaCrosse. The heated and cooled leather seats are infinitely adjustable (including lumbar support) and there was lots of legroom and headroom, even for me at 6-foot-3. The two-position memory set for seat adjustments means Madame and Monsieur (or Bond and Tate) won't squabble over the settings.

We saw more of midtown Indianapolis than we wanted when I inadvertently touched the nav screen to see what a yellow traffic warning icon meant.

The system then steered us toward the slowdown rather than our hotel, while Larry seethed and started navigating by the seat of his pants and a 1971 road atlas he'd brought along. My bad.

Fuel consumption was a respectable 9.0 L/100 km (31.3 m.p.g.), most of it with the cruise set on 75 miles per hour (120 km/h) to take advantage of the 70 mph (112 km/h) speed limit on U.S. interstates.

We left Indianapolis in the middle of an exuberant snowfall. Several times, the stability control kicked in, but the LaCrosse was rock solid through the goop, surprising considering the low-profile 245/40 sport rubber on 19-inch rims.

Overall we were impressed with the LaCrosse's handling and how it devoured the interstate in comfort.

With files from Larry Tate

Freelance writer Steve Bond usually reviews motorcycles for Wheels.stevebond8@yahoo.ca

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