The 2012 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.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

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.

Sign up

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.”