Buick Rekindles the "Super" Badge

General Motor's Buick division is bringing back the historical "Super" badge that will go along the 2008 models of Buick LaCrosse and Lucerne sedans. According to Buick, the Super badge is "designated exclusively for Buick's most premium, powerful models and returns to Buick vehicles after 50 years." Car fans will first witness the revived LaCrosse Super and Lucerne Super models at the forthcoming 2007 New York International Auto Show (NYIAS) early this April.

The Buick LaCrosse Super can now be identified by its all-new sleek exterior appearance accented by new exterior features in the front fascia including waterfall grille, hood, chrome trim lower grille, and chrome fog lamp bezels. The Buick LaCrosse Super comes in four exclusive exterior color scheme including Black Onyx, Platinum Metallic, Dark Mocha Metallic, and Red Jewel tint coat. At the rear, the LaCrosse Super features integrated park assist sensors, rear deck lid spoiler, dual chrome exhaust tips, and of course, the Super badge that marks the vehicle's identity. The LaCrosse Super also comes with a large standard 18-inch aluminum wheels (chrome-finish wheels are also available) with P235/50R18 all-season tires.

On the inside, the LaCrosse Super showcases its interior styling and comfort for customers. The front seats now come with seatback bolstering and new woven-embossed leather inserts. The instrument panel, center console, doors, and gear shift knob, are trimmed with wood grain accents marking the vehicle's interior exclusivity. Adding up to the exclusive interior features of the 2008 Buick LaCrosse Super is the Super badge on the instrument cluster graphics, along with new front sill plates, instrument panel center stack with silver finishing, and Super-specific floor mats. In addition, the LaCrosse Super also comes with Buick's exclusive QuietTuning system, which reduces, prevents, or blocks engine noise to enter the interior.

The power plant under the sleek hood of the Buick LaCrosse Super is a 3.5-liter V8 engine belonging to GM's popular small-block V8 engine range. It pumps out a maximum 300 horsepower (224 kW) and produces 323-lb.ft (438 Nm) of peak torque. The engine is equipped with GM's Active Fuel Management (AFM) engine technology that allows the operator to switch between four- and eight-cylinder engine configurations. As a result, the engine offers low fuel consumption and lower exhaust emissions.

Buick also enhanced the driving dynamics of the LaCrosse Super by installing specifically tuned steering, braking, and suspension systems to improve vehicle handling and ride control, thanks to Bilstein monotube struts, large front and rear rotors, StabiliTrak stability control, and recalibrated chassis control. In addition, the LaCrosse Super has a high-precision performance chip similar to the Mercedes performance chip found on the Buick LaCrosse's competitor, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class models.

Dwyane Thomas is a part time cook and full-time auto-enthusiast. This 31-year old Civil and Environmental graduate is a consultant at one of the engineering firms in Pennsylvania.