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Buick has announced pricing of $30,820 for the LaCrosse e-Assist, which becomes the base LaCrosse now, replacing the regular 2.4-liter four-cylinder version. The sticker includes an $850 destination charge.
A conventional 3.6-liter V6 engine is still optional.
The car uses GM's mild-hybrid belt-alternator-starter hybrid system, along with a 2.4-liter version of GM's four-cylinder Ecotec engine. In its previous life this system was used in the Malibu Hybrid. However, in the Buick, it's an evolved version that uses a new 115-volt lithium-ion battery that weighs 65 pounds. The conventional six-speed automatic transmission remains.
Although GM refrains from calling it a hybrid, the mild hybrid system shuts down the engine at stops and provides some regenerative braking capacity. It also improves low-end torque and throttle response but cannot propel the car without the gas engine running.
GM says the newly renamed eAssist system should net the LaCrosse a 37 mpg EPA-rating on the highway, though the agency has not yet signed off on that rating. The last four-cylinder LaCrosse we tested returned 37 mpg on the highway and 15 mpg in the city, for an overall 23 mpg. GM claims a 24 percent fuel economy improvement overall.
We think positioning the eAssist as the base version is a good move. The LaCrosse e-Assist will go on sale later this summer.
—Eric Evarts
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