Buick LaCrosse to Get 30 MPG Highway

GM announced today that its all-new LaCrosse will get 30 mpg on the highway thanks to the direct-injection four-cylinder from the Chevy Equinox and GMC Terrain. Via webcast, GMC-Buick vice president Susan Docherty said that makes it the “most efficient premium sedan” in its segment — including cars like the Acura TL, Lexus ES 350, Lincoln MKZ and Toyota Avalon, she later added.

The four-cylinder, which makes 182 hp, will come only on the base LaCrosse CX, with the midlevel CXL and top-dog CXS getting 255-hp or 280-hp V-6s. All three engines have six-speed automatics. GM estimates EPA certification of about 20/30 mpg city/highway for the four-cylinder, chief engineer Chris Meagher said. Once the four-cylinders hit dealership lots, it could be responsible for 25% of all LaCrosse sales, GM says.

Pricing for the four-cylinder model hasn't been announced, but the 2010 LaCrosse CX with the V-6 starts at $27,085; given the $1,500 cost difference between the same two engines on the Chevy Equinox, we’d estimate the four-cylinder will start in the $25,000 range. All three recommend regular unleaded gasoline, vehicle line director Jeanne Merchant said; several would-be competitors sip premium. Here’s how the trims stack up:

Comments

Ofcourse people and firms are protesting the GM bankruptcy. It does not follow normal bussiness rules. Only those who benefit from this illegal grasp of bondholder, dealers and taxpayers money think this is a good idea. If the bankruptcy had been done normally, we US citizens would support, but this FAKE bankruptcy is pitiful. We loose Billions and then deal with a REAL bankruptcy chatper 7 in a few months.

The "refinement" of a four-banger in a car that probably weighs 3500 lbs. is going to make the new LaCrosse feel more like a rental car than a "premium" car. This reminds me of when Chrysler decided to put the 2.7L V6 in the 300 and Charger.

segfault,
Mike Hanley drove the new Equinox with the four and he said that vehicle didn't feel underpowered. I'm guessing this won't feel powerful but I think as long as it doesn't feel sluggish GM is getting the desired mix. Personally I'd pay the extra $1500 for the 6.

I doubt in real world driving you would get 30mpg. With a car that big your foot will be pressed to the ground trying to keep up with the rest of traffic as that honk and pass you. I think it's garbage.

Nic:

So you also think the Venza with a four cylinder is garbage? How about the Highlander? How about the 2010 CX-7 that will have only 161hp standard?

The Equinox is close to the same weight and has a projected 0-60 time of 8.7 secs which is faster than the CR-V. The Lacrosse will be adequate with this engine.

Dave:

When is that Equinox review coming?

Of course, it's misleading to compare the I4 LaCrosse with the V6 MKZ, I think. The I4 Mercury Milan gets 24/31, and for a little more money than the I4 LaCrosse, you can get a Mercury Milan Hybrid that gets 41/36.

OS,
Soon!

Nelson:

The hybrids are available near this price but the normal I-4 versions of the Fusion/Milan only get 22/31 in spite of being smaller and ligher and less powerful than the Lacrosse. Only the S version of the Fusion (with low resistance tires and other features) gets 23/34. The Accord is smaller than the Lacrosse, has less hp and weighs less and gets 21/30 with auto. Honda loves to advertise the mileage of the manual accord but we all know few people buy such models.

OS:
Wow you are soooo smart for figuring out I think 4 bangers are garbage. How did you do that?! They are just an excuse so they do not have to make more fuel effecient V6's. As in the Honda Accord 3.5L V6 which gets the EPA estimated 19 mpg city / 29 highway

Original:

The Fusion/Milan's regular I4 is rated at 175 HP. That's 7 HP less than the LaCrosse. I don't think that is "less powerful," really.

You are correct that as far as the Fusion is concerned, only the Fusion S gets 23/34. However, the non-premier Milan, which has more standard and optional features than the Fusion S, also gets that.

When I was shopping for my current car (eventually bought a Fusion Hybrid), I looked at the LaCrosse's sibling, the Malibu. It's not a bad car. But I just saw no compelling reason to buy it. I suspect that's going to be the case with the LaCrosse as well.

Nelson,
As we'll point out in a feature story tomorrow only a very specific Fusion S model gets 23/34 and the Mercury Milan does not. The i4 in the Milan gets 22/31 mpg

OS,

Nic is partially right! I can't say I press pedal to the metal in I4 Highlander but I have never reached 27mpg highway, even driving 55mph. The most so far was 23mpg with 99% highway. And generally, about 19.5mpg.
So, the 2008 standard EPA ratings are still not perfect

Nic:

Honestly I don't know what you are talking about. You say this engine is an excuse not to make more efficient V6s but the Accord I4 only gets 21/30 with the automatic which is about the same as this heavier car.

Nelson:

This is not the sister to the Malibu. Its on a new platform and is larger and heavier. The Lacrosse has more space and FAR more features than the Malibu as well as standard DI engines across the line. The fact that you didn't like the Malibu isn't really relevant to this car since its a totally different car. The next gen Malibu will be based on this chassis however. The Malibu has sold quite well so I'm not sure why you feel its such a forgettable car.

Tony:

Most testers have found the new EPA ratings to be accurate. Early reviews of the Equinox with this engine suggest it will be able to acheive the suggested mileage. Not sure why the Lacrosse would be any different.

The LaCrosse is a decent car as I've had it on many trips as a rental. The CXL is fine but the CXS feels more balanced in terms of power to weight ratio and the gas mileage is very respectable. Either way neither compares with an Accord and with a 184hp engine I have no doubt it will feel way underpowered. It's obvious GM is doing things like this to offset their poor SUV EPA numbers.

Dave,

I thought you were right about the 22/31 for the Milan, but I wanted to double-check. For some odd reason, the EPA lists the Milan S (which doesn't exist) as making 23/34 with the auto (www.fueleconomy.gov).

On Mercury's website, though, it does show the base Milan rated at 23/34. Unless that's a mistake (and with all the different ratings for the 16s/17s/manual/auto, I wouldn't be surprised).

Source: http://www.mercuryvehicles.com/milan/specifications.asp

Billy
You're right they must have added that! crazy.
http://www.mercuryvehicles.com/milan/
Highly touted there.

dave:

This is an all new car that has nothing in common with the old one except the name. GM is adding this engine because fuel efficiency is a priority due to CAFE and they want to be ahead of the curve. Their reasoning really doesn't matter anyway as long as the product is offered. GM's SUVS and pickups get better mileage than their Nissan and Toyota counterparts so your theory about countering the "poor" mileage of their large vehicles makes little sense. This car wont be much more sluggish than the base model Accord or a four cylinder powered crossover like CR-V. A honda civic with auto needs over 9 seconds to get to 60 and yet hundreds of thousands are sold each year.

OS:
I didn't think you would understand. For some reason you need everything explained in layman terms. I really don't know how many ways I can explain that if GM would produce a more fuel efficient V6 for the car that they would not even have to bother putting a 4 cylinder in the car just for it to get 30mpg. Honda has done such a great job with their V6 it gets BETTER EPA ratings than their own 4 banger In my own opinion they should not even offer the I4 in the Honda. Does this help or are you still clueless?

Note the Accord's V-6 has cylinder deactivation and 271 hp. Note the top of the line Lacrosse will have the larger GM V-6 shared with the CTS and 280 hp and get 17/26.

Should it too have cylinder deactivation? Maybe. But at that end of the spectrum folks aren't as concerned with mpgs.

Remember the 4 cyl model of any midsize sedan us usually far and away the bigger seller.

another interesting Accord note:
The Lacrosse 4 cyl should be priced nearly the same as the Accord 4 cyl EX-L with leather. I'm assuming all Lacrosse's will have leather?

The Accord EX-L has more power, plus Honda has a reputation for making smooth four-cylinders. My memory of the new Equinox is that GM had to add a noise cancelling system to eliminate all of the lugging noises that the four-cylinder powertrain makes. Can't wait to see how well that works when people add aftermarket radios.

That website for the Mercury Milan is messed up. They have the MSRP on the Hybrid as $27,500, but when you go to build and price, it's north of $31k.

Nic,
Don't even bother engaging with someone who's sole argument is based on being anti-Japanese. You can never get your point across with a racist.

Dave

Throwing a 4 cylinder against all 6 cylinder cars is a fair fight when talking about fuel economy?
Why don't they think about an underdog called TSX? That puppy gets 21/30 and it is a four cylinder that pumps out 201hp.

the new Camaro is 200lb heavier then the v6 accord and get the similar mpg as the Accord. the LaCrosse is a larger car then the accord, and will move well for old people with a 4cyl any way

"Honda has done such a great job with their V6 it gets BETTER EPA ratings than their own 4 banger In my own opinion they should not even offer the I4 in the Honda. Does this help or are you still clueless?"

Nic:

I think you're about half as smart as you think you are. The Accord I-4 gets 21/30 vs 19/29 for the VCM equipped V6. Without VCM the Accord gets 17/25 in the Coupe. The Lacrosse gets a whopping 2mpg less than the Accord V6 but this is primarily due to weight. Furthermore, the base Accord makes 177hp vs 182 in the heavier Lacrosse and still gets the same 30mpg on the highway. The 3.6L DI v6 in the lacrosse makes more hp and more torque than the HOnda V6.

Dave:

Calling me a racist because I don't agree with your poorly supported and ill informed positions is the most ridiculous thing I've ever read in my life. You really need to grow up some.

J:

TSX is smaller than Lacrosse, in fact its smaller than the Accord. No other similarly sized entry lux models have an I4. If you stretch you can include the CC but its much smaller than the Buick as well.

segfault:

Ecotec is plenty refined. Read reviews of the Malibu or Equinox. That noise cancellation feature doesn't mean the engine was unrefined. The ecotec is far better than any four cylinder GM ever had in the past and they refined it further when the Cobalt came out.

OS,
Glad that you mentioned NO ONE else has an I-4 for those cars.
Just a marketing technique that GM employs to show that they are "reviving".
Also, since you mentioned the Accord, what is its mileage again?

Accord gets 21/30 with auto and 22/31 with manual.

I would think going after better mileage is a plus. If anyone but Buick was doing it people would be praising them for going after MPGs instead of HP. The days of the hp wars are coming to an end, this is the future.

If Original Sheth is "racist" for defending American made products from misconceptions with what appear to be facts (he usually has something to back it up), then simply dismissing American products and always assuming the import is superior based on old product that is in noway related could be consider Treason.

yeah, that's how crazy that whole racist comment is to me. These are cars, not people.

Broq

and just in case someone can't properly comprehend my previous post- I don't think anyone is a racist or a traitor, lol

Broq

So, OS, the Accord beats the Buick in terms of size and mileage then, right?

@segfault Even worse! Try 4000 pounds, without the driver! Weak sauce, made even worse when paired with your standard GM autoslushbox. Definitely not a powertrain Buick buyers will be clamoring for.

http://www.buick.com/vehicles/2010/lacrosse/features.do?year=2010&brand=laCrosse&seo=goo_%7C_2008_Buick_Retention_%7C_IMG_Buick_LaCrosse_%7C_Buick_LaCrosse_Specs_%7C_buick_lacrosse_specs

GM is just slipping a 4-banger under the hood so they can tout that "highest MPG" claim and aid their CAFE figures. Exactly how many LaCrosse's equipped with a 4 they'll manufacture and sell are an entirely different matter.

J:

LAcrosse is larger, has a slightly smaller trunk and gets 1 less mpg in the city. It also looks better inside and out vs the Accord. I'll take the Buick.

Tony:

All automakers advertise their most efficient trim, regardless of sales. What else is new? Are you suggesting Honda and Toyota do differently? I hope not.

Just because of the look made you take the Buick over the Accord. Look is subjective.