With a fresh new look, the Buick LaCrosse made headlines when it was released for its attractive styling and quiet interior. The 3.6L V6 that it comes with was also praised for being both powerful and smooth. Now for the 2018 model year, it will receive a standard hybrid powertrain that sees improvements to the fuel efficiency.
The hybrid system will not be one that can run on pure electricity alone, instead it will be a “mild-hybrid”. It will provide extra power during heavy load situations and it can recover energy under braking. It also provides smoother engine starts than a conventional starter motor making the Auto Start/Stop feature more refined. A 2.5L 4 cylinder engine will be mated with an electric motor to provide up to 19% more fuel efficiency than the 3.6L V6. No horsepower or torque figures have been released yet but the lithium-ion battery pack is rated at 0.45-kilowatt-hour.
Expect the 2018 Buick LaCrosse to come later this fall with a slightly lower starting price thank the current V6 model.