Hoovey689

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2012 Buick LaCrosse dropping trim levels, V6 available as no-cost option

In addition to having eAssist added to its four-cylinder powertrain, the 2012 Buick LaCrosse is undergoing a few other changes. We aren't talking about styling or content tweaks – instead, General Motors is revising its packaging strategy for the LaCrosse. Buick will be ditching the CX, CXL and CXS trim level designations and simply offer large option packages that encompass all of the available amenities.

For 2012, the 2.4-liter Ecotec engine with eAssist technology will be offered as the "standard" powertrain. We recently had some very limited drive time with an eAssist-equipped LaCrosse (stay tuned for our full impressions), and found the four-cylinder with 182 horsepower and 172 pound-feet of torque to be pleasantly adequate and its highway rating of 37 miles per gallon downright remarkable. eAssist-equipped cars will look no different than other LaCrosses, save the addition of model-specific 17-inch wheels on efficiency-optimized tires and other fuel-saving upgrades not visible from outside the car.

The General's 280-horsepower direct-injected 3.6-liter V6 will still be made available, complete with the new HiPer Strut front suspension that helps keep torque steer to a minimum, but buyers can now select it as a no-cost option, and also opt for all-wheel drive.

Final pricing information has not been released, but Buick tells us that the entry level LaCrosse will start around $30,000. Currently, the LaCrosse has a base MSRP of $26,995, which suggests the addition of eAssist and its associated fuel-saving parts isn't cheap. What Buick has effectively done is ditched the "base" LaCrosse model and left two identically priced models for buyers to choose from: one focused on exceptional fuel economy and the other on power.

Production on the 2012 LaCrosse will start this summer with the first round of cars hitting dealerships this Fall.

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/03/25/2...ble-as-no-cos/

mmarshall

This, of course, will simplify assembly-line operations and (maybe) save a little on trim-specific parts and logos.

37 MPG highway is indeed remarkable for a plush Buick this size. Small econobox Fiestas and Elantras can manage only around 40....and some small hybrids as well (the Prius excepted).

Good. I'd want the V6/AWD combo, even with the 4's excellent 37 highway mileage. The LaCrosse, BTW, and the Malibu are both on my Top Ten possible list for my next car-purchase....not too long ago, I wouldn't have touched an American-designed GM product with a 10-foot pole.


Ouch. That's a $3000 increase in the "base" price. Once they start with base price tags that high, Buick stands to have some of its potential customers down the street in Lexus showrooms, instead, looking at ES350s.......which is exactly the car that Buick, in PR ads, is now trying to compete against.

SLegacy99

....Interesting, as I thought the push was toward the eAssist 4 cylinder.

Sounds to me like GM's 2.0L Turbo with eAssist would make one hell of a car.

LexBob2

It will be interesting to see what a nicely equipped 3.6 in either FWD or AWD lists for. Seems like they'll be close to, if not over, $40K. With the success of the LaCrosse, Buick might think it's a good time to take the price/profit up on them.

mmarshall

You're spot-on. The last AWD Lacrosse I looked at in the showroom was just over 40K list.

LexBob2

It seems risky for Buick to take the LaCrosse into the low to mid $40's territory, but they could always offer deeper discounts on them if sales slow down.

mmarshall

If I understand the original article correctly, the $3000 price-bump will not be on the higher-line LaCrosse models models with the V6 and AWD, but on the lower-line ones.

I was also concened, above, that upping the lower-level-model prices that much might drive some potential LaCrosse customers into cross-shopping the ES350. If the prices of the upper-line models also increase, that would make the (possible) losses to Lexus even worse. This was my reply:

GS69

2012 Buick LaCrosse to Get More Powerful v6

DETROIT -- General Motors said today that the 2012 Buick LaCrosse will get a more powerful version of its direct-injected, V-6 engine when the sedan goes on sale this summer.

The engine will deliver 303 hp, up 23 hp from the current version. It will be available on most trim levels at no extra cost from the LaCrosse's standard 2.4-liter, 4-cylinder engine with GM's eAssist mild hybrid stop-start system.

Despite the added power, the new engine will deliver the same fuel economy as the current V-6: 17 mpg city/27 highway.

GM is using "lighter-weight components and enhancements to improve the engine's performance, efficiency and durability," Tom Sutter, global V-6 engineer, said in a statement.

The engine is made of a lighter-weight aluminum alloy. A new cylinder-head design has larger intake valves and longer-duration intake camshafts. Holding open the larger valves longer pulls more air into the combustion chamber, producing more power.

The 2012 LaCrosse will be the first GM vehicle to get eAssist, which combines a lithium ion battery and an electric motor-generator that enables regenerative braking.

The powertrain will generate 182 hp and get 25 mpg city/37 highway, GM estimates, up from 19 mpg city/30 highway on the 2011 model.

LaCrosse sales are down 7% this year, to 23,362 units, through May.