Is there a particular generation or year of LaCrosses that you are looking for? I own a 2009 Buick LaCrosse. I have not driven or been in a Buick Century before, but I would assume that there are similar qualities between the Century and the first generation of LaCrosses (2005-2009). Since 2k2cse has owned a Century before, with a couple of modifications I might add, his insight may be what you're looking for. However, I wanted to compare the new generation of LaCrosses in terms of the old one. Where do I even start? Okay, first of all let me introduce you the car. The dealership gave me a 2014 Buick LaCrosse eAssist as a loaner car for a day or two. A big shoutout to Buick Customer Service for handling some issues that I experienced with the dealer, but that is another story.
Ride Quality.
This is a big one. Very big. From what I have researched, the 2014 eAssist does not have magnetic ride control or the active suspension that you'll get on the other models but the ride quality in comparison to my 2009 LaCrosse was night and day. It soaked up the bumps incredibly well without having the magnetic ride suspension, and also without being firm. I would assume that it would be even better with the active suspension, and have more handling characteristics since you can adjust them depending on driving conditions. Anyways, I took the eAssist down a side road where there is a ton of uneven pavement, and in my 09 LaCrosse I would be bouncing all over the place for a couple of reasons: the suspension was not as tuned as the new ones, and the seats did not have much bolstering.
Side bolstering in the 2005-2009 LaCrosses are nonexistent in my honest opinion. I find myself holding onto the steering wheel, which is not good for evasive maneuvers if need be, and clenching my side muscles to ensure that I stay in my seat. The 2014 models, and I would presume the 2010-2013 models before the facelift, have excellent seating position and a full range adjustments. The seats really fit you like a glove, but don't be confused thinking that it is uncomfortable getting in and out of the seats. It is extremely easy, and you would be begging not to be leaving the car. However, you may find that the car may either be too big or too small. I, personally, liked the feel of the interior and cockpit-like-feel as stated before. Everything was still in easy reach, but in terms of size, everything was a lot larger matching the proportions. The headrests are even adjustable where they can protrude forward so you can lean your head back at a stoplight with maximum comfort.
Although there were some quirks that I did not like, for example, the auto-stop function and what seemed to be the transmission being very clunky around 30 mph when coming to a stop. The engine would turn off when you come to a complete stop and turn back on once you take your foot off the brake, but in that second that it takes to turn back on you can feel the car jerk ever so slightly - this is only on the eAssist model. It was annoying in stop-and-go traffic, and was especially annoying when we had to return the car back to the dealer in rush hour traffic. I just put the car in manual mode and it disabled the feature entirely, but there wasn't a feature to disable it universally elsewhere in the car's settings.
Tech.
This concerns me in the long run, but in short term I think it's leap years ahead of my car. The touchscreen information center, climate control, and digital tachometer are very high-tech and awesome to look at it. Considering that the car I drove was a "base model," it was priced quite nicely considering all the standard features it had. It didn't have push-button start, but I didn't mind. Like I mentioned before, the car had an auto-stop function for the engine to turn off to improve fuel mileage - this is only on the eAssist model.
Performance.
The 4-cylinder and 2.4 L left much to be desired, but you can completely ignore this one if you're going straight for the upper models with the V6 in all generations. It felt quite slow, and even with my foot buried to the floor when trying to accelerate it took a while to get there. Although, this car has great gas mileage and that's the whole point of the eAssist model. I averaged 28-29 mpg, even in rush hour traffic.
Looks.
I think the 2014 looks awesome, and for obvious reasons. Although, I think I like the side and 3/4 profile of the 2010-2013 models better. From a straight-on angle the 2014 looks cool, angular, and modern. I even got a thumbs up from a schoolkid on a bus, so I think Buick is doing something right at targeting different demographics. Even though the eAssist model I had didn't have the LED daytime running lights and HID lighting package, it was still a looker from afar.
So there you have it. You may find that the newer generation of LaCrosses to be a much more tighter feel in the interior in comparison to your Century, but I feel that the setup is a on point with the current generation of luxury vehicles. I find it ten folds much better than what I currently drive, and that is an awesome and should be the most obvious answer car engineers and designers alike should hear. In my opinion, I think you'll personally need to go out and sit in either car for yourself and play around with them.
