37-MPG 2012 Buick LaCrosse Pricing Announced for Columbia SC

2012 Buick LaCrosse eAssist Driver Interface

A full-color driver information center is one of the many improvements coming to the 2012 Buick LaCrosse for Columbia SC.

Jim Hudson Buick, the #1 Buick dealership in all of South Carolina, is thrilled to announce pricing information for the 2012 Buick LaCrosse with eAssist™, which is expected to deliver 25 percent better highway fuel economy than the current model.  This exciting new release from Buick will be priced starting at $29,960 before an $860 destination charge and optional equipment.

“LaCrosse with eAssist is the smart choice for those who want great fuel economy without sacrificing the driving dynamics and passenger comfort that have made Buick the fastest-growing major automotive brand in the United States,” said Tony DiSalle, U.S. vice president of Buick Marketing.

LaCrosse with eAssist uses a variety of advanced technologies and aerodynamic body enhancements to deliver up to 37 highway miles per gallon, better than the Lexus HS Hybrid and Lincoln MKZ Hybrid, as well as non-hybrids like the Acura TL, Lexus ES350 and Lincoln MKS. eAssist will be the standard powertrain for LaCrosse, which will be built at the Fairfax Assembly Plant in Kansas City, Kan.

The fuel economy boost that LaCrosse with eAssist offers comes from state-of-the-art lithium-ion battery system and electric motor-generator that enables regenerative braking capability. This “light electrification” system also will be available on the 2012 Buick Regal later this year.

Although eAssist is now standard equipment, a new, more powerful and more efficient version of the direct-injected, E85-capable 3.6L V-6 with variable valve timing, is available to Columbia drivers at no additional cost on all but the base package and is included on the Premium 2, Premium 3, and lineup-topping Touring models.  The front-wheel-drive 3.6L model is rated at an SAE-certified 303 horsepower (226 kW) – an improvement of 23 hp – and 264 lb.-ft. of torque (358 Nm). All-wheel drive will be available on V6-equipped models with the Leather, Premium 1, or Premium 2 packages, though it has not been officially rated as of yet.

The 3.6L V6 engine features a new, integrated cylinder head/exhaust manifold design and a composite intake manifold designed to reduce its weight by more than 20 pounds, which increases horsepower without any loss in fuel efficiency. The direct-injected engine also warms up faster, which can cut emissions of unburned hydrocarbons by up to 25 percent.

In addition to the exciting new engine options that improve performance and fuel economy, new standard features for 2012 include dual-zone climate control, 17-inch alloy wheels, full-color driver information center, and Bluetooth and USB connectivity.

Later in the year, LaCrosse with eAssist will come with standard Buick IntelliLink, which uses Bluetooth or USB to connect the driver’s smartphone to a new 8-inch, high-resolution, full-color touch screen display radio. IntelliLink expands on Buick’s current Bluetooth and USB capabilities to allow smartphone control via voice activation and steering wheel-mounted controls. It also enables streaming stereo audio from the phone through services like PANDORA® Internet radio and Stitcher SmartRadio®.

Most importantly, Buick IntelliLink enables seamless integration of stowed portable devices with each vehicle’s infotainment system, allowing drivers to keep their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road.

“LaCrosse with eAssist is the most advanced LaCrosse to date,” DiSalle said. “The winning combination of advanced technology, no-compromise driving performance and luxurious style and passenger comfort stand to make LaCrosse with eAssist a must-have sedan.”

2012 Buick LaCrosse Just Weeks Away from Columbia SC

Jim Hudson Buick should start receiving the 2012 Buick LaCrosse in several weeks once production begins in Kansas.  Jim Hudson is the #1 Buick dealership in the entire state of South Carolina, serving the midlands including Sumter, Newberry, Orangeburg, and Lugoff with a focus on complete customer satisfaction.  Columbia SC drivers have voted Jim Hudson Best New Car Dealership in The State’s annual Readers’ Choice poll.  For more information, call Jim Hudson Buick toll-free at (888) 377-4971, visit them at their showroom located at 7201 Garners Ferry Road, or visit their Buick LaCrosse Columbia SC website.

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Buick LaCrosse CXS Compared to Acura TL in Columbia SC

Pushbutton start is available on the 2011 Buick LaCrosse.

Pushbutton start is available on the 2011 Buick LaCrosse at Jim Hudson Buick

These days, drivers in Columbia, South Carolina have an exceptional number of choices when looking for a luxury sedan.  For drivers looking for a mid-size sedan, two common choices are the 2011 Buick LaCrosse CXS and the Acura TL.

The Buick LaCrosse CXS features a 3.6L engine making 280 horsepower, the same as the Acura TL, but makes 259 lb-ft of torque to the Acura’s 254.  In addition, the Buick reaches peak torque at 4800 RPM compared to 5000 RPM in the Acura, allowing it to accelerate more smoothly and quietly.  With its advanced direct-injection technology, the LaCrosse also edges out the Acura on highway fuel economy under EPA testing.

LaCrosse rides on a longer wheelbase for added stability, which also allows it to have over four more inches of rear legroom.  The available active suspension system (part of the Touring Package) allows the suspension to soak up minor bumps in the road, a system not available on the TL at all. In case those bumps turn into something less kind to your tires, LaCrosse offers the assurance of a compact spare tire in the trunk as standard equipment that the TL still doesn’t offer.

Inside the cabin, the LaCrosse offers many more luxury amenities the Acura TL simply does not offer.  The keyless start system allows you to start your LaCrosse at the press of a button rather than fumbling for keys, while ultrasonic rear parking assist helps you back into and out of parking spaces with ease.  Navigation-equipped LaCrosse sedans also receive a rearview camera for even more assurance while going backwards.  Your rear-seat occupants will stay cool thanks to the power rear sunshade, which you can leave up to help cool the interior during hot summer months.  Those occupants will also hopefully have no need to appreciate the available rear-seat side-impact airbags, offering them the same thorax protection the front-seat occupants receive.  Along the journey, you can also enjoy the 11-speaker Harman/Kardon Matrix 5.1 surround sound system that delivers rich sound from your compact discs, iPod or MP3 player, or the 170 channels of XM Satellite Radio service (with a three-month trial included).

Perhaps the most surprising thing when comparing the Buick LaCrosse CXS to the Acura TL is the price: while offering all these additional features, the LaCrosse starts at $34,515, over $1,000 less than the Acura’s $35,965.  With this exceptional combination of luxury, performance, and value, it’s no surprise that Columbia drivers are flocking to the 2011 Buick LaCrosse CXS.

2011 Buick LaCrosse for sale in Columbia, South Carolina

The 2011 Buick LaCrosse is available from Jim Hudson Buick, the #1 Buick dealer in the state of South Carolina.  Jim Hudson has been serving Columbia drivers for over 30 years with a commitment to complete customer satisfaction, and is proud to carry a great selection of Buick LaCrosse models.  Jim Hudson has been voted Best New Car Dealership an unmatched ten years and counting by readers of The State, and has also been recognized multiple times in the Free Times Best of Columbia poll.  For more information, call Jim Hudson Buick at (888) 377-4971 or visit their Buick LaCrosse Columbia SC section of their website.

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OnStar Demonstrates Buick LaCrosse with Future Technologies for Columbia SC Drivers

Today, OnStar unveiled a demonstration of technologies that could be offered in the future, all using an advanced version of the navigation system available in the Buick LaCrosse for sale in Columbia SC.  Many of these new technologies are becoming possible thanks to the rollout of new LTE 4G cellular data technologies by Verizon Wireless.  OnStar and Verizon Wireless have been partners for over a decade, as OnStar connects thousands of vehicles daily using Verizon’s wireless network.

Among the features previewed in the short clip embedded below is the ability to preview live traffic cameras when setting a route, allowing drivers to tweak their planned path to avoid delays.  Also promising for Columbia drivers who cringe at parking in close quarters is a system of small cameras around the vehicle that could activate if an impact was detected while you were out of the vehicle, allowing you to capture images of whoever hit the vehicle and send the information to your smartphone.  Those same cameras could allow you to take a live look around or inside your LaCrosse from anywhere, providing added peace of mind as you approach your vehicle.

Even today, OnStar offers Columbia Buick customers a host of safety and security options unmatched by any other manufacturer.  Every 2011 Buick LaCrosse comes standard with six months of OnStar service, which includes features like Turn-By-Turn Navigation that downloads the route directly to your digital information center, even if your LaCrosse is not equipped with the available navigation system.  Those directions can be downloaded directly from Google Maps, or by an OnStar Advisor when you press the blue OnStar button on your rearview mirror.  Your OnStar Advisor can also give you information about where nearby businesses, ATMs, and gas stations are in order to get you going quickly.

OnStar also provides Columbia drivers with added safety and security, including Automatic Crash Response that will contact OnStar immediately when a crash is detected.  The advisor will contact local emergency services with your exact location and stay on the line with you until help arrives. It all happens automatically, even if you’re unable to answer the call yourself.  OnStar also features Stolen Vehicle Assistance, which will allow the police to locate your vehicle once it’s been reported as stolen, and Crisis Assist to help you navigate to safety during natural disasters or other crises.

Convenience is also provided by OnStar, including complimentary roadside assistance should your LaCrosse need a tire change, a tow, or a little gas to get to the next service station.  OnStar can also command your LaCrosse to flash its lights and sound the horn in case you can’t find it in a crowded parking lot, and even unlock your doors if you’ve locked yourself out.  Every month, OnStar will also automatically email you maintenance information about your LaCrosse, making it easier to keep on top of scheduled maintenance critical to keeping your LaCrosse in top running order.

Visit Jim Hudson Buick in Columbia SC for your 2011 Buick LaCrosse

Jim Hudson Buick has carried the new Buick LaCrosse since its launch in 2010, and has a great selection to suit any taste.  Jim Hudson has been voted Best New Car Dealership in Columbia SC by readers of The State an unmatched ten years running, a testament to Jim Hudson’s commitment to complete customer satisfaction.  For more information on the 2011 Buick LaCrosse, visit Jim Hudson’s Buick LaCrosse Columbia SC website.


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Rumored Buick LaCrosse GS coming to Columbia SC?

2012 Buick LaCrosse GS Spy Shot

Spy shots of a rumored Buick LaCrosse GS

Today Autoblog.com posted spy photos of a special Buick LaCrosse spotted up in Michigan.  This particular LaCrosse looks like any other Buick LaCrosse for sale in Columbia, SC — until you reach the wheels.  In place of the normal 18-inch chrome wheels (or 19-inch alloys on a LaCrosse with the Touring Package) are a meaty pair of 20-inch wheels that appear to be borrowed from the European Opel Insignia OPC.  The Insignia is known as the Buick Regal in Columbia SC, though all ride on versions of the same Epsilon II global platform underneath.  If this entered production, speculation is that it would be dubbed the Buick LaCrosse GS as other Buick performance cars have in years past.

In Europe, the Insignia OPC features a 325-horsepower turbocharged V6 engine.  Here in the United States, the top-of-the-line 3.6L V6 in the LaCrosse CXS is rated at 280 horsepower.  If more features than the wheels carry over from the Insignia OPC, expect for quite a punch from a sedan that already offers Columbia drivers a great combination of smooth acceleration and superb handling.

Visit Jim Hudson Buick for your Buick LaCrosse in Columbia SC

If these spy photos belong to anything that enters production, whether as a LaCrosse GS or something else, you can bet it will be available at Jim Hudson Buick in Columbia, South Carolina.  Jim Hudson has years of experience serving Columbia SC Buick customers with a commitment to complete customer satisfaction before, during, and after the sale.  Shoppers have voted Jim Hudson Best New Car Dealership in Columbia, SC an unmatched ten years running in The State’s annual Readers’ Choice poll.  For more information on the Buick LaCrosse, visit Jim Hudson Buick at 7201 Garners Ferry Road in Columbia, SC, call them at (803) 783-0110, or visit their Buick LaCrosse Columbia SC website.

New Buick LaCrosse for sale in Columbia SC

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Buick LaCrosse with eAssist Coming to Columbia, SC

Columbia, South Carolina Buick dealership Jim Hudson Buick is proud to announce the unveiling of the 2012 Buick LaCrosse with eAssist technology, a suite of systems designed to improve fuel economy approximately 25% compared to the current four-cylinder 2011 LaCrosse for an estimated 37 highway miles per gallon.

2012 Buick LaCrosse eAssist Driver Interface

A revised instrument cluster is one of the few hints of the eAssist system's presence on the 2012 Buick LaCrosse. (GM Media)

The eAssist system uses an electric motor coupled to the Ecotec four-cylinder engine on the LaCrosse instead of the alternator found in traditional engines. A 115V battery pack located behind the rear seats provides the motor with up to 11 kilowatts (roughly 15 horsepower) of electric assistance while the LaCrosse is under heavy acceleration. This is a significant improvement over the 2 kilowatts of the last-generation belt-alternator-starter system found on models such as the Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid and the Saturn Aura Green Line. The eAssist system also provides up to 15 kW of regenerative braking power, capturing energy for later use that would otherwise be lost to heat and friction. The system also allows the 2.4L Ecotec engine to shut down fuel delivery in certain situations, allowing the motor to spin the engine to a stop at just the right position to restart smoothly. Unlike many hybrid sedans available in Columbia, the LaCrosse will retain its split-folding rear seat; cargo space will be reduced slightly to 10.9 cubic feet in order to make room for the battery that weighs in at around 65 pounds.

LaCrosse with eAssist will also include improved aerodynamics thanks to a new underbody tray and actively-controlled shutters on the lower part of the front grille. These shutters open and close according to the cooling needs of the engine; when the extra cooling ability is not required, the shutters can close to divert more air around the car to improve aerodynamics even further.

The new eAssist system will come standard on all 2012 LaCrosse sedans equipped with the four-cylinder engine. Pricing has not been announced, but is expected to be around $30,000. For more information about the Buick LaCrosse sedan, visit Jim Hudson’s Buick Dealer Columbia SC website, or visit them in person at 7201 Garners Ferry Road in Columbia.
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