General Motors may be on to something here.
Instead of burdening the new Buick LaCrosse luxury sedan with a sophisticated (read complicated) hybrid system and its added expense, engineers have stayed with a simplistic system that saves money and a surprising amount of fuel.
We're talking about compact-car fuel efficiency. And for long-suffering motorists in traffic-clogged Manhattan, that is no small virtue.
Hard as it may be to believe, when properly equipped this rival to the Lexus ES 350 and similarly posh people movers is rated by the EPA at 25 miles per gallon in the city and 36 on the highway.
I admit to my own initial skepticism, but I became a believer after a week of mostly ordinary driving on urban and suburban roads that resulted in 25 mpg in the city and 35 mpg highway. Overall, I averaged 29 mpg.
What's the trick, you might be wondering.
It's not a trick, it's what General Motors calls eAssist, a mild-hybrid powerplant that combines a 2.4-liter, four-cylinder engine with an electric motor. The engine generates 182 horsepower and 172 pound-feet of torque. The motor, powered by a lithium-ion battery pack mounted in the trunk, adds 15 horsepower and 110 pound-feet of torque.
Unlike the high-tech hybrid package developed by Toyota, it cannot propel the Buick on electricity alone.
But the electric motor does help the gasoline engine to accelerate and it allows it to shut down at traffic stops and then restart almost unnoticeably when the driver pulls away. At the same time, coasting and braking generate electricity that recharges the battery pack.
The result is an automobile with adequate, if not exuberant, acceleration and surprising fuel efficiency.
Because it is less complex, Buick can put the base price of the LaCrosse with eAssist in the same ballpark as the more powerful but less efficient V-6-powered LaCrosse.
When Buick began to aggressively modernize its line-up a few years ago, it was generally understood that the competitive target was Lexus. The LaCrosse leaves no question that this was the goal.
After only a short ride, a passenger will notice that this Buick is at its best as a comfortable and quiet cruiser, ready to run up the miles along the interstate at extra-legal speeds. while its soft suspension soaks up most road imperfections.
But don't get the idea that this car carries on the tradition of those big floaty land yachts of old.
The LaCrosse is competent in all normal driving situations. able to get around corners without excessive body lean and able to accomplish Its duties without constantly reminding the driver of its front-wheel-drive configuration.
A couple of miles on a curvy back road is enough to prove its competence and remind the driver that it is a close relative to its German luxury/sport counterpart, GM's Opel Insignia.
For luxury-car buyers, one of the most important considerations is an atmosphere of peace and quiet inside the cabin. Here, the Lacrosse excels.
As the result of a sound-deadening package Buick calls Quiet Tuning, the distractions and annoyances of the outside world are mostly prohibited from filtering inside the passenger cabin.
Unless it is is pushed hard enough to unmask the grittiness inherent in the four-cylinder engine, the Buick goes about its business silently and smoothly, pretty much the same as its V-6 counterpart.
The six-speed automatic transmission transitions from gear to gear almost seamlessly. The strong antilock four-wheel disc brakes came in handy on one particular occasion when rush-hour traffic suddenly accordioned on a highway under construction.
The electrically-assisted rack-and-pinion power steering does not offer a lot of feedback, but it is properly weighted and is communicative enough to let the driver know when the front tires are approaching the limit of their grip in unexpectedly.
tight turns.
Inside, the Buick has upscale stitched leather upholstery and premium dark wood-grain accents. There are comfortable, power-assisted bucket seats for the front passengers and a roomy rear seating area with space for three adults.
Automotive design is pretty much in the eye of the beholder, and this beholder thinks that the LaCrosse is a handsome sedan that stands apart from the competition.
However, there is one element I thinks detracts from the Buick's overall flowing lines, I'm talking about those chrome hood ornaments that are an apparent tribute to the porthole Buicks of many years ago.
To me they are tacky, and look that they were stuck there by someone with a pot of glue who couldn't find any better place to put them.
Trunk space is dialed back from 13.3 to 11.4 cubic feet to make room for the lithium-ion battery, but that's approximately the same amount of space that was available in the 2004 Acura TL sedan that I used to call my own. I never attempted a cross-country journey with four adults and all their luggage, but the space was always adequate for all of my weekend and vacation trips.
But let's get back to luxury, which is what the Buick is primarily about. If you want it, the Buick can provide it, starting with a long list of standard features that range from dual-zone climate control, rear parking assist and a seven-speaker sound system with satellite radio capability, to a driver-information center that can be personalized, a Bluetooth hands-free cell-phone system and key-fob operated remote starting.
Add $3,385 to the $32,440 base price and you will get an upgraded 11-speaker, 384-watt sound system; navigation; blind-zone alerts in the outside mirrors; high-intensity discharge headlights; and a heads-up display of instrumentation and radio stations in the windshield. When everything is added up, including destnation charge, the suggested price comes to $36,685.
Smooth, quiet, competent and surprisingly fuel efficient --- that's a combination Buick hopes is putting the LaCrosse on the radar for buyers whose preferences have traditionally leaned toward imports.
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