Buick does not build many cars like the Buick LaCrosse: a 4-door sedan with 2.4 L GM Ecotec engine#LE5, built from 2004 to 2006 in the decade of stability control, dual-clutch gearboxes and the first serious hybrids. Its designer of record is Wayne Cherry (2001) / James C. Shyr / (2006 interior; 2007 exterior).
How it came about
The Buick LaCrosse is a four-door, front-wheel-drive sedan manufactured by Buick since the 2005 model year, and marketed variously across four generations for the North American and Chinese markets. The first-generation LaCrosse replaced the Century and Regal in North America beginning for the 2005 model year as a five- or six-passenger, four-door, front-wheel-drive, V6-powered sedan using GM's mid-size W platform—and marketed in Canada as the Buick Allure. Notably, the first generation was also offered with a V8 engine, as a high-performance sub-model marketed as the LaCrosse Super (2008–2009). LaCrosse production and marketing began for China with the 2006 model year.
The second-generation LaCrosse was introduced for 2010 as a larger premium sedan for North American and Chinese markets using a long-wheelbase (LWB) variant of the Epsilon II platform shared with the Cadillac XTS—and available solely as a five-passenger sedan with a range of four- and six-cylinder engines. The third generation was introduced for North America and China for the 2017 model year using the GM Epsilon platform shared with the Chevrolet Impala, notably offering a mild hybrid powertrain combining 20-kilowatt (27 hp) electric and 2.5-liter Ecotec gasoline engine. North American production ended with the third generation, with the 2019 model year; however, it continued to be offered in China, with a 2019 facelift. The fourth-generation LaCrosse, launched in 2023, is currently manufactured and marketed solely in China. It is powered by a turbocharged 1.5-liter or 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine.
The hardware
Under the skin sits 2.4 L GM Ecotec engine#LE5; other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. The gearbox is a 4-speed GM 4T60-E transmission#4T65-E / 4T65-E automatic / 4-speed GM 4T60-E transmission#4T65E-HD / 4T65E-HD automatic / 6-speed automatic (China). The wheelbase is 110.5 in. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Family and rivals
Where it sits in Buick's history is not in doubt: the Buick Century (for 2005) / Buick Regal (for 2005) / Buick Lucerne (for 2012) came before it; it was built at Oshawa, Ontario. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Ford Mustang, the Hyundai Tucson, the Chrysler 300. Its Buick stablemates include the Buick First Call and the Buick Funeral Car.
The money
On the used market today a Buick LaCrosse typically changes hands for $8,500–$24,700, and running it — fuel and maintenance at its age — costs about $3,485–$6,442 a year. Insurance sits around $1,150–$2,130 a year. The figures are class-level estimates from the federal record, with the formula on the methodology page; the model-year pages carry complaints, recalls and repair costs year by year.