The 2012 Buick LaCrosse
What the critics say about the $29,960 Buick LaCrosse
Automobile
The folks at Buick might just be “among the most progressive thinkers in the entry-level American luxury car market.” Thanks mostly to a “mild hybrid” system that’s been made available as a no-cost option, the new LaCrosse now offers “subcompact fuel economy in a full-size car.” For hybrid-averse buyers, the company is still offering a conventional 303-hp V6 engine. But why hold back? The four-cylinder with eAssist is roughly 25 percent more fuel-efficient, and it makes the LaCrosse a quicker car.
TheDetroitBureau.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Think about what the new fuel-economy numbers mean. At 25 mpg city and 36 mpg highway, the fuel economy of the eAssisted LaCrosse actually “rivals that of small cars like the Mini Cooper.” Unlike the Mini, of course, the Buick also provides “a full-size luxury package with ample room for five adults.”
Road & Track
Either version of the new LaCrosse is priced “about $3,000 north” of the 2011 base model, but that hike buys such “content” upgrades as dual-zone climate control and alloy wheels. None of the new features are “earth-shaking,” but together they offer consumers a glimpse of what future hybrids might look like. In “a commonsense market segment,” this Buick is one “smooth, commonsense car.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Ukraine's Olympians: going for gold in the line of fire
Under the Radar Hundreds of the country's athletes have died in battle, while those who remain deal with the psychological toll of war and prospect of Russian competitors
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Democrats now have a chance to present a vigorous, compelling case'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
What has Kamala Harris done as vice president?
In Depth It's not uncommon for the second-in-command to struggle to prove themselves in a role largely defined by behind-the-scenes work
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published