2012 Buick LaCrosse photos and review

2012 Buick LaCrosse photos and review,The LaCrosse has by most standards already been a success for General Motors’ reborn Buick brand, but only two years after a heavy redesign GM has already decided to make sizable and welcome powertrain upgrades. For starters, the previous range-topping 3.6-liter V6 engine has been updated with an additional 23 horsepower, for a total of 303 ponies.

Despite the boost in power, the engine retains its fuel economy rating of 17 in the city and 27 mpg on the highway. Buick attributes the power gain and retained fuel economy to several refinements to the engine, including a lighter aluminum alloy engine block, a new cylinder head design, larger-diameter intake valves in the heads and new, longer-duration camshafts. All told, GM engineers were able to save 20.5 lbs from the total vehicle weight through the use of lighter materials and improved packaging.

Of course, the arguably bigger news comes in a smaller package – a 2.4-liter EcoTec package paired with a mild-hybrid system GM has dubbed “eAssist.” eAssist makes use of a 115-volt lithium-ion battery, paired to a 15-kilowatt electric motor that is capable of producing 15 horsepower and 79 lb-ft of torque – putting total output at 182 horsepower and 172 lb-ft of torque.

The system also makes use of regenerative braking, which combined results in a 25 percent increase in fuel economy to 25 city, 36 highway.

In addition to this mild hybrid technology, Buick also equipped the latest LaCrosse with Start-Stop engine technology, which seamlessly powers down the engine at idle to conserve fuel, despite current EPA regulations failing to reflect savings in fuel economy ratings. Rounding out the changes that make these fuel economy figures possible is a six-speed automatic transmission, underbody aerodynamic tweaking and low-rolling resistance tires.

Like many other hybrids on the road, Buick will also equip the LaCrosse with an ECO gauge that allows drivers to see real-time usage and adjust driving accordingly for optimal economy.

The trade off for such a welcome gain in fuel economy comes in the form of a somewhat smaller trunk space, as well as the addition of approximately 65 lbs.

The latest LaCrosse will also have a full-color driver information display center as well as IntelliLink as standard, which will utilize Bluetooth and USB technology along with an eight-inch touch/display screen. IntelliLink is Buick’s latest telematics system and it covers several functions ranging from phone pairing to music management.

The other news for the latest model year is that the LaCrosse is no longer offered with trim levels; instead, the car is simply sold with three distinct powertrains: front-wheel-drive with the eAssist system, front-wheel-drive with the 3.6-liter V6 and all-wheel-drive with the V6.

2012 Buick LaCrosse photos and review