Buick Lacrosse An All-Around Good Hybrid
The 2012 Buick LaCrosse is not General Motors Co.’s first mild hybrid.
Perhaps that’s good. More importantly, the base model 2012 LaCrosse with eAssist is all-around good, if not great. It’s a large sedan that out performs many subcompacts when it comes to mileage.
GM’s first mild hybrid was the 2007 Saturn Vue Green Line. The new LaCrosse, which rolled into dealerships in the fall, just shows you that an old dog can learn a few new tricks.
Whereas the original mild hybrid was more of a means for GM to put the word “hybrid” on a quarter panel, the LaCrosse with eAssist is just the opposite. It doesn’t have the word hybrid on it; understated greenness indeed.
There will be people who buy this Buick and marvel at how quiet it is at traffic lights. They may not even notice that the engine is off. (This is part of the eAssist system, which makes this car a mild gas-electric hybrid.)
What engineers did with this car is fascinating and absolutely genius. Allow me:
Cars engines are like the three branches of the U.S. government: They don’t use power equally. There are moments during acceleration, depending on a number of factors, such road grade, wind resistance and driver’s desires, that the engine has to work harder. Even cruising along the highway at the same speed, the engine works differently at different times. Listen to it when you’re using cruise control and the car approaches an overpass.
Engineers mapped out all of these moments for the LaCrosse. Then, they added a small 15 kW 15-horsepower motor to assist the engine at those precise moments. The reason the LaCrosse is a mild hybrid is that it never really drives itself on electric power only. Some gas-electric hybrids can go up to nearly 50 mph on electric power only.
But those need much bigger motors and battery packs. That weight, while helping the car, also limits it. Additional weight costs gas mileage. The LaCrosse uses a relatively small battery pack that is neatly stored in the trunk (Making it up to 1.6 cubic feet smaller than a gas-only LaCrosse.)
Vehicle Runs Seamlessly
They did more than just add an electric motor. The 2.4-liter gas engine comes with lots of fuel-saving features. It includes a fuel shut-off system that kills the engine when the car is slowing down. And instead of the brakes taking over, the LaCrosse uses a regenerative braking system that ties the wheels to a generator to produce electricity that goes to the batteries.
The grille includes an active air flow regulator to close up the grille and make the car more aerodynamic when less air is needed.
And, of course, there’s the start/stop system that kills the engine when the LaCrosse is not moving. All of the systems inside the car continue to run while the car is stopped. It feels completely seamless. An electric motor will start the engine instantly when the driver removes his foot from the brake.
There is also a hill-assist system that captures the brake pressure to hold the car in place even when the engine shuts off. This prevents the car from rolling back slightly if stopped on an incline and prevents that awful, leaning-too-far-back-in-a-chair sensation.
Buick also touts an eco-gauge inside the cabin that helps drivers find just the right touch to driving in the most efficient manner. While lots of carmakers offer these systems, few actually do much to convince me to actually save fuel from behind the wheel. The price at the gas pump does that.
The true genius behind the eAssist system is that it is a sum total gain, step by step by step. And some things are tougher to measure on exactly how much one affects the other. The low-rolling resistance tires spin a little better when the aero is better but the regenerative brakes have a little more work to do. The end result is a 32 percent jump in city mileage and 36 mpg on the highway. The subcompact 2011 Nissan Versa with a five-speed manual — that’s three sizes smaller than the LaCrosse — gets 26 mpg city and 34 mpg highway.
As for the car’s performance, eAssist is nearly undetectable. There’s no electric surge or rush or a rumble of the engine. Just clean, smooth acceleration and an insanely quiet ride. The car doesn’t feel heavy on the road or like anything other than a well-built Buick.
This car emphasizes that sometimes the journey is just as nice as the destination.
Extremely Comfortable Ride
The LaCrosse arrives with that comfortable and well-crafted interior. Later this year, it will also arrive with Buick’s all-new IntelliLink with an 8-inch screen in the center stack.
IntelliLink is a big step forward for Buick telematics, providing Bluetooth connectivity and app operation on the actual screen. (Currently, you can put Pandora, Stitcher SmartRadio on the screen and operate them through the onboard system through your phone’s connection. Little by little, we’re becoming a Smartphone economy.
More importantly, this car is extremely comfortable, with big front seats and a spacious second row. The LaCrosse is ideal for growing families with adult-sized children — or someone who hauls around more than two adults at any given time. (The front row has 41.7 inches of legroom and the second row has 40.5 inches.)
As for its exterior, the LaCrosse maintains its long lines and elegant curves. It doesn’t overstate its premium status but underscores it.
The key to this car is that all of the technology was not added merely for technology’s sake. It was created to enhance a good car’s performance.
Making good better is never a bad thing.
Source: [Detroit News] |
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