Buick seems to have been focusing all of its recent energy on moving into new segments; first the Rendezvous crossover, then the Rainer SUV, and next the Terraza minivan.  But what about the sedans that helped to make the brand what it is?  Never fear, Buick hasn’t forgotten its core customers.  The new LaCrosse is proof of that.

Taking its name from the 2000 show car of the same name, the LaCrosse replaces the Century and the Regal in Buick’s lineup.  This simplification makes perfect sense; both the Regal and Century …

Don’t let the autopilot take over full-time; you’ll miss out on the exhilarating rush from the 5.5 liter double overhead cam V8 under the hood.

This is a car that feels good when driven hard, but doesn’t demand rough treatment.

For those BMW fans who hated the looks of the 7-Series, redesigned in 2002, and who can’t stand the sight of the new Z4, we have some bad news.  The distinctive “flame surfacing” design theme isn’t going away any time soon, you see.  The 2004 BMW 530i is the latest offering from the German manufacturer to display the carefully sculpted, organic surfaces that have been envisioned on BMW show cars for years.

The new bodywork is evidence of a ground-up redesign.  In addition to the new face, the 530i reenters the …

There’s nothing quite like the confidence of driving with all four wheels.  Case in point:  2004 Audi A4 versus surprise early-spring Michigan snowstorm. As the snow came down and the salt trucks were sluggish to respond, drivers were fishtailing left and right.  The medians were full of overconfident sport-utes. Meanwhile, our serene silver sedan plowed through the worst of it without a complaint, illustrating the results of Audi’s long-term love affair with all-wheel drive.

The A4 is Audi’s lowest-priced entry into the sports sedan market, and it’s a familiar face. Getting …

The updated Mazda6 drives just like the previous version, which isn’t a bad thing.

It’s comfortable on the suburban roads it was bred for, and the excellent range makes it a good road-tripper as well.

Saabs are an acquired taste.  They’re so relentlessly quirky, it’s hard to love ‘em on first drive.  From the moment you get in, there’s one little thing after another reminding you how different it is.  The ignition key still goes into the floor, instead of the steering column.  Nothing is shaped quite like it is in any other car (despite several years of ownership by GM).  And the drive offered by Saabs like the new-for-2003 9-3 is tough to compare to anything except that of another Saab.

The 9-3 is all-new …

It’s not enough to be a good car these days.  Not everyone wants to be a fashion plate, of course, but cars that can’t stand out from the herds of generic three-box sedans clogging the freeways are increasingly doomed to also-ran status, no matter how good they are.  As a result, the competent and conservative wallflowers of the industry have taken it upon themselves to dress up a little in recent years.

A lack of distinction has always been the only problem for Mitsubishi’s Galant.  Long hailed as an equal to …

We always compare the latest Pontiacs to the old ones, for some reason.  To celebrate the all-new 2004 Grand Prix, let’s compare it to some other cars for a change.
('04 Grand Prix GXP pictured)
The Grand Prix occupies a unique place in the market, in that it’s sportier than the average family sedan from Ford or Honda, but not a fast enough or luxurious enough to be considered a serious challenger to Audi or Acura.  That hasn’t stopped Pontiac from making a big sporty family sedan its goal, however, and with …