Known for its effortless style and luxurious features, Buick LaCrosse is just as adept at providing premium levels of performance and safety. The midsize sedan, which was awarded a 5-Star Overall Vehicle Safety Rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in 2015, offers protection with several available active safety features such as Forward Collision Alert, Lane Departure Warning and Side Blind Zone Alert.
2016 Buick LaCrosse © General Motors
Those safety features, along with the latest in connectivity and Buick’s signature quietness, help LaCrosse stay on course as a top competitor in its segment.
For 2016, LaCrosse is offered in five trim levels: LaCrosse 1SV (1SV), LaCrosse (1SB), Leather (1SL), Premium I (1SP) and Premium II (1SR). They included front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive configurations (limited trims), available with two powertrains: a standard 3.6L direct-injected V-6 (FWD and AWD) and a 2.4L engine with eAssist light electrification technology (FWD only).
The 2.4L with eAssist is available on 1SB and 1SL. Each engine is paired with a six-speed automatic transmission.
2016 Buick LaCrosse © General Motors
Other new updates for 2016 include 20-inch wheels available on AWD premium models and three new premium paint colors: Dark Sapphire Blue Metallic, Graphite Gray Metallic and Ebony Twilight Metallic.
All models include a number of standard features, including:
- StabiliTrak electronic stability control with full-function traction control
- Four-wheel anti-lock brakes with Intelligent Brake Assist
- OnStar (with complimentary six months of Directions and Connections service)
- Premium audio system with AM/FM/SiriusXM Radio/XM Travel Link (with three months of service), Bluetooth, two USB ports, CD player, auxiliary input jack, steering wheel-mounted controls,
- Buick IntelliLink eight-inch color touch-screen radio with an enhanced screen
- Rearview camera system
- Eight air bags, including rear-seat thorax air bags
- Leather-wrapped steering wheel
- Dual-zone automatic climate control
- Remote keyless entry
- Power windows with driver and front passenger express up/down
- Heated and power outside rearview mirrors
- Electric parking brake
- Eight-inch-diagonal, high-resolution full-color driver information center
- Auto-dimming inside rearview mirror
- Eight-way power driver seat in addition to four-way power lumbar
- Remote start
- Universal Home Remote.
Buick’s QuietTuning engineering process is standard on all models. It reduces, blocks and absorbs unwanted noise, making LaCrosse one of the quietest cars in the segment.
2016 Buick LaCrosse © General Motors
Experience Buick Protection on all 2016 Buick models includes the first two visits of scheduled maintenance services for two years/24,000 miles, whichever occurs first. It complements Buick’s four-year/50,000-mile bumper-to-bumper limited warranty and six-year/70,000-mile powertrain limited warranty.
Eye-catching exterior
2016 Buick LaCrosse © General Motors
Crisp lines and bold design elements make the LaCrosse instantly recognizable as a modern Buick. Light-emitting diode (LED) lighting elements enhance a technologically advanced presence. The headlamp housings, for example, have a more angular appearance and LED signature accents. They are also positioned slightly outboard to reinforce the car’s presence.
Bi-Xenon high-intensity discharge (HID) headlamps are available on Leather and Premium I and II models. Their enhanced brilliance improves visibility, while they are also energy-efficient and environmentally friendly (mercury-free). The HID headlamps are articulating, turning with the direction of the front wheels to enhance visibility around corners.
2016 Buick LaCrosse © General Motors
A full-width chrome accent reinforces the car’s stance in back, while fully integrated exhaust outlets (3.6L models) are framed with a chrome finish within the rear fascia. It’s a more integrated appearance that showcases Buick’s attention to detail. An integrated rear spoiler is incorporated in the trailing edge of the deck lid for greater aerodynamic performance, and wraparound LED taillamps provide a safety benefit by illuminating more quickly than conventional bulbs when the brakes are applied.
Ultrasonic rear park assist is standard on Leather and Premium I and II models.
Exterior colors for 2016 include: Summit White, Ebony Twilight Metallic, Dark Chocolate Metallic, Sparkling Silver Metallic, Quicksilver Metallic, Deep Garnet Metallic, Dark Sapphire Blue Metallic and White Frost Tricoat.
An inviting interior
2016 Buick LaCrosse © General Motors
A warm ambience and ergonomic features naturally flow throughout the cockpit of the LaCrosse. A flowing, mindful design mixes contemporary colors, complementing trim and premium soft materials to reinforce LaCrosse’s luxurious attention to detail.
2016 Buick LaCrosse © General Motors
The instrument panel houses a configurable eight-inch color driver information and cluster display, with the chrome-framed “center stack” integrating an eight-inch color touch screen for the next-generation IntelliLink infotainment system and dual-zone climate controls with capacitive-touch operation. The center stack blends into a center console that offers generous storage and a comfortable armrest.
Four-way adjustable front headrests provide a great range of comfort, particularly for taller drivers, while rear-seat headrests fold down to enhance rearward visibility. The front headrests are now fully wrapped, expanding the use of soft-touch materials throughout the cabin. LaCrosse also offers a heated steering wheel standard on Premium models and available on Leather models.
Interior color/trim choices are offered in four combinations:
- Light Neutral/Cocoa, offered with cloth or Soleil Keisel leather seats and Kyoto Maple wood-style décor
- Ebony, offered with cloth or Soleil Keisel leather seats and Cellini wood-style décor
- Choccachino/Ebony with Soleil Keisel leather seats with contrast stitching and Phantasm wood-style décor.
- Sangria/Ebony with semi-aniline full leather seats and authentic Tamo Ash wood trim (Ultra Luxury Interior Package).
An available Ultra Luxury Interior Package – offered on Leather and Premium I and II models – adds a synthetic suede headliner and pillar coverings, semi-aniline full leather seats, console and door armrests, as well as authentic Tamo Ash wood trim.
2016 Buick LaCrosse © General Motors
Buick’s unique QuietTuning engineering in LaCrosse helps make it one of the quietest passenger environments in the segment. Specific QuietTuning features include acoustical laminate on the windshield and front side glass; expanded baffles in the roof pillars; extensive use of melt-on sound deadeners throughout the entire lower body structure; and sound-absorbing material throughout LaCrosse’s engine, passenger and cargo compartments.
IntelliLink and OnStar with 4G LTE
2016 Buick LaCrosse © General Motors
LaCrosse’s standard IntelliLink system gives customers the best of both worlds when it comes to infotainment. It provides easy, intuitive operation of basic functions, plus it is highly customizable and capable of linking devices such as smartphones and MP3 players, giving users more ways of staying connected.
IntelliLink, which has been revised as a more intuitive feature for 2016, includes an eight-inch-diagonal color touch screen that also serves as the display for the standard rearview camera system and available navigation system, as well as the controller for LaCrosse’s audio system. An available, premium Bose® Centerpoint® audio surround system with 11 speakers is optimized for LaCrosse’s refined interior acoustics.
Connectivity features include text messaging alerts for smartphone users with Bluetooth profile (M.A.P.), which reads incoming texts through the vehicle’s speakers, and Siri Eyes Free for iPhone iOS 6 and iOS 7 users to enhance connectivity and convenience. Each enables voice-controlled connectivity, to help keep phones safely stored and hands on the wheel.
2016 Buick LaCrosse © General Motors
In addition everything from navigation to phone to Pandora, IntelliLink is designed to accommodate new features and is highly customizable. It incorporates natural language voice recognition that allows customers to safely place calls, enter destinations, browse media, play music and control other functions simply by telling the vehicle what to do. The LaCrosse now has two USB ports in the 2016 models.
OnStar with 4G LTE and a standard built-in Wi-Fi hotspot also brings the LaCrosse’s connectivity to a new level. It provides a mobile hub for drivers and passengers to stay connected. The hotspot is on whenever the vehicle is on and comes with a three-month/three-gigabyte data trial, after which the owner can purchase additional data. Up to seven devices can connect with the Wi-Fi system.
4G LTE is the most current and fastest mobile data network – 10 times faster than 3G and 100 times faster than the previous generation of OnStar hardware. Paired with OnStar, 4G LTE also offers stronger, broader coverage than smartphones on the same network and it’s easy to use because if the vehicle is on, the connection is on.
At the time of purchase, six months of OnStar Guidance includes all of OnStar’s advisor-based safety and security features, including Automatic Crash Response and Stolen Vehicle Assistance, as well as turn-by-turn navigation.
Five years of OnStar Basic Plan includes RemoteLink Key Fob Services, allowing owners to remotely start and lock/unlock a car (if properly equipped), and activate the horn and lights from anywhere with a data connection. It also includes OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics, which runs monthly checks of a vehicle’s engine, transmission, anti-lock brakes and more, and Dealer Maintenance Notification, which sends a diagnostic report directly to a preferred dealer to simplify service scheduling.
Powerful, yet efficient
2016 Buick LaCrosse © General Motors
LaCrosse is offered with two efficient engines: the standard 3.6L V-6 rated at 304 horsepower (227 kW) and a 2.4L four-cylinder engine witheAssist light electrification technology, rated at 182 horsepower (136 kW) and available on 1SB and 1SL models. Each is matched with a six-speed automatic transmission.
LaCrosse with eAssist uses a lithium-ion battery system and electric motor-generator to enable regenerative braking capability. Instead of providing all-electric propulsion, the system provides power assistance to the internal combustion engine. The eAssist system also allows the engine to shut down fuel delivery in certain deceleration situations, or at a stop, which saves additional fuel.
A range of 17-, 18-, 19- and 20-inch tires, along with finely tuned chassis and suspension elements, contribute to strong handling, while premium wheel designs complement the driving experience with style. The 20-inch wheels are now available on premium AWD models for 2016.
2016 Buick LaCrosse © General Motors
LaCrosse is also available with an advanced Haldex all-wheel-drive system with electronic limited slip differential (eLSD) that automatically decides how to distribute torque based on vehicle speed, throttle position and individual wheel slip. It also contributes to a refined driving experience, with minimal torque transferred to the rear wheels when all-wheel-drive traction isn’t required, for a quieter, smoother ride.
Available on 3.6L front-wheel-drive models with 19- or 20-inch wheels is real-time damping and Sport Mode Selectivity, which uses four electronically controlled dampers to constantly “read” the road and make adjustments within milliseconds. It also features Buick’s HiPer Strut front suspension, which enhances ride and handling by reducing torque steer, delivering more linear and communicative steering through improved camber control and delivering improved impact isolation on bumps and rough surfaces.
Electric power steering is standard on models with the 2.4L engine, as well as 3.6L-equipped front-drive models. This technology helps save fuel by drawing energy only when the wheels are turned. It also contributes to the LaCrosse’s driving experience with variable assistance at different vehicle speeds.
Safety and security features
2016 Buick LaCrosse © General Motors
Radar- and camera-based safety features with carefully developed directional alerts help LaCrosse drivers quickly identify potential crash situations so they can react. These features are offered in two Driver Confidence packages:
Driver Confidence 1 (available on 1SL, 1SP and 1SR) includes Forward Collision Alert, Lane Departure Warning, Lane Change Alert, Side Blind Zone Alert, Rear Cross-Traffic Alert, following distance indicator, HID headlamps with articulating headlamps, fog lamps and head-up display.
Driver Confidence 2 (available on 1SP and 1SR) adds Collision Preparation (with Collision Mitigation Braking), Full-Speed-Range Adaptive Cruise Control and the Safety Alert Seat.
Collision Mitigation Braking can intervene in certain crash-imminent situations, automatically triggering emergency braking if the driver fails to respond to a previous alert. The Safety Alert Seat vibrates on the left or right side, or both sides simultaneously, depending on the direction of the crash threat.
2016 Buick LaCrosse © General Motors
Lane Change Alert warns the driver of fast-approaching vehicles in the next lane that are up to 230 feet behind the car. Additional safety features include a standard rearview camera system, eight standard air bags – including rear-seat thorax air bags – StabiliTrak, traction control and four-wheel disc brakes with ABS and intelligent brake assist.
Price
Recommended retail price (MSRP) starts from $31,065
