#LacrosseAvenir

Buy/Drive/Burn: 2018 Upmarket American Sedan Showdown

Last time on Buy/Drive/Burn, we took a look at full-size sedans of an American persuasion and non-luxury intent. The consensus was loud and clear on which vehicle of the trio to burn; the Taurus was the subject of a flame war. Citing the sedan’s outdated everything and bad packaging, most of you didn’t like it.

Some of you also complained that the three offerings were too basic, and lacking in content and luxury. Today we turn up the luxury dial and look at three full-size Americans which are a bit more aspirational.

Ready, comrades? This might be tough.

Corey Lewis Apr 12, 2018

Recent Comments

SPPPP Speaking of soggy bottoms, those vinyl seats look very uninspiring. But the rest of the car looks pretty nice. I am not such a fan of combining a Nissan CVT with an over-stressed 3-cylinder, but I guess time will tell how that works out.
Lichtronamo Like most here, have a L2 Charger at home. Have only plugged into a publicly accessible charger 2x only to try it. We have an EV and ICE car in our garage, so we haven't driven the EV on a longer trip. I would like to try it on a road trip. I think the driving characteristics of an EV with somewhat longer stops along the way would be enjoyable.
Theflyersfan No Chevy SS, No Camaro, No Monte Carlo, hell, no Lumina. Behold the 2024 Hendricks Chevy Suburban stock car.
Theflyersfan 2023 Nissan Rogue: Coming soon to a rental car lot near you! So it can be driven at 10 below the speed limit in the left lane when the right lane is wide open. I guess I'm of the age where I remember what Nissan was and still shudder at what they became, although I think I am seeing signs of life. The days when the 300ZX TT was up there with supercars in terms of performance. When the first Altima had the mini-Infiniti J30 styling and interior. When the Sentra SE-R and NX2000 ran with the GTIs and Civic Sis. The Maxima was the Japanese 3-series for those who didn't want to pay that much for the 3-series. And then 20 or so years ago, appliances like this started to appear and the quest for the most sales made as cheaply as possible took over and flushed all of that down the drain. The new Z can help, the new Pathfinder looks like it got the plot back after being lost in the weeds for a while, and I know there's someone in Nissan that would love to go Beast Mode on the Altima. But I look at the Rogue and I see a cheap Toyota. Styling cliches of the times. Gray on Gray on Gray on Gray on Gray with black trim. Name written out in big letters like R O G U E is supposed to have me making a quick U-turn to the next Nissan dealer.What do I see with a Rogue? I see a CUV that was purchased at too high of an interest rate for too long of terms because they wanted something new and the Toyota dealer said no and the Mitsubishi dealer went out of business 10 years ago. I see Point A to Point B transportation where someone prays for reliability, but knows after 80,000 miles, the fuse has been lit on the bomb between the seats. And they justify it by saying that by 80,000 miles, they'll have a better, higher paying job, and one of the kids will be out of braces, and they can refinance the home they overpaid on, and so on. But the better paid job never came. And the braces turned into other medical bills. And the interest rates never went down and you're still overpaying on that house. And there the Rogue sits at 85,000 miles and a dead transmission that will cost thousands to fix. That's what I see when I see a Rogue.
MaintenanceCosts My house, currently under renovation, has a L2 charger. Charging via L2 at home is dead simple and way less time-consuming than trips to the gas station. The rental townhouse we’re living in during the renovation only has a regular 120V outlet in the garage. We’ve been using it, and it actually works just fine given the amount we drive, as long as we always remember to plug in. If we forget to plug in for a couple of days straight then it can be tough to get back ahead of the curve. Looking forward to having my L2 back once the project is done.

Car Reviews By Make

view all

Top stories

Buy/Drive/Burn: 2018 Upmarket American Sedan Showdown

Latest Car Reviews

2023 Dodge Hornet First Drive – Feeling the Sting

TTAC Rewind: 2015 Hyundai Genesis Capsule Review

2022 Genesis G80 Review - A Little Less Conversation

2022 Toyota Corolla Cross Review – Basic Transport, Complete Anonymity

Drive Notes: 2022 Lincoln Navigator Black Label

TTAC Rewind: 2016 Chrysler 200 Limited Rental Review

TTAC Throwback: 2011 Nissan Quest

Latest Product Reviews

Here’s How To Get the Best Deal on Winter Tires Right Now

10 Tips for Preparing Your Car for Winter

The Best Heated Seat Covers for Your Car

FLO Home X5 and G5 Charging Stations

The Best Ski and Snowboard Racks

Recent Comments

Car Reviews By Make