Buick releases pricing of new mild hybrid LaCrosse e-Assist

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