Will A Four Cylinder Engine Work With The LaCrosse?

A 2.4L I4 engine will find its way into the Buick LaCrosse early 2010. But can this engine move all that metal and occupants too safely and efficiently?

Last week, General Motors announced that its 2.4L ECOTEC I4 engine would be finding its way into the Buick LaCrosse during the first quarter of the new year. That engine, smaller than the two six cylinder engines now offered, is being made available to help Buick raise its fuel economy numbers.

GM believes that customers will be attracted by the engine’s high fuel economy, estimated to be 30 miles to the gallon on the highway, three mpg boost over the smaller V6.

Not Enough Power?

But will the new engine be too small for drivers accustomed to having more power at the ready with their six cylinder motor? Right now, drivers can choose the 3.0L V6 offering 255 horsepower and 217 pound feet of torque or they can select GM’s popular 3.6L V6 which is found in the Chevy Camaro and Cadillac CTS among other models and produces 280 horsepower and 259 pound feet of torque.

That makes for two tons of car being moved which means even with a smaller, lighter engine, the still heavy Buick LaCrosse may be a bit slow off of the mark.

GM says that the smaller engine will produce 182 horsepower and 172 pound feet of torque. What’s more, the automaker’s research indicates that one-quarter of LaCrosse buyers will opt for that engine which is able to gain more power thanks to direct injection. Paired with its fuel saving six speed automatic transmission, the lighter LaCrosse will be equipped by an engine that GM says is not even offered by its competitors.

But maybe there is a reason for that.

Plodding Sedans of Old

Buick owners are generally much older than Chevy drivers, with many of them remembering the underpowered cars built by GM and others in the late 1970s through much of the 1980s. Those cars were heavy, had smaller engines, and they were slow off the mark.

You’d step on the gas and be underwhelmed by what was returned which wasn’t much. If had the misfortune of trying to enter an interstate, you prayed to God asking that a tractor trailer wouldn’t bear down on you as you sought to get up to speed.

Fully Occupied, But Slow?

Fuel injection, turbocharging, and other technology advancements have improved things since, but you’re still moving a lot of metal without taking into consideration as many as five adult occupants who could easily add as much as one thousand more pounds to the LaCrosse. That means that the four cylinder engine will have to work extra hard to move 4500 pounds under some conditions.

Honestly, I can’t see this engine being a viable option for anyone other than the solitary driver who occasionally has passengers. Certainly not for business people who take their clients to lunch and are accustomed to getting the power they want when they need it.

GM has set the four cylinder equipped LaCrosse’s price at $26,995.

Source: GM Corp.

No Reprieve For Pontiac G8

The Pontiac G8 will go away when the Pontiac brand is retired, in contrast to rumors that Chevrolet would sell the Australian made sports sedan as the Caprice. GM CEO Fritz Henderson put to rest a suggestion by Bob Lutz that the Holden built model would become the flagship car for the Chevy brand, dashing the hopes of some.

With GM deciding to keep the Holden Commodore (Pontiac G8) out of the US, hopes that the automaker would bring the Chevy El Camino back have been dashed too. GM had announced months prior to the shutting down of the Pontiac brand that the Holden Ute would not be sold as the Pontiac G8 ST as originally planned. Enthusiasts wanted GM to call the truck the "El Camino" but GM scotched that idea too.

Problems with the 2010 Chevy Camaro have recently surfaced. Camaro SS models equipped with the manual transmission are temporarily on hold as GM investigates a problem when drivers used the Launch Control feature, including failure of the output shaft. GM hasn't issued a recall of the car, instead has decided to issue an "in production review" to determine just how serious of an issue it is. Once GM's review is complete, a recall order may be in the offing.

GM says that the Cadillac CTS Coupe, a concept car introduced at the 2008 auto show in Detroit, is still a go. The CTS franchise currently includes the sedan and V-Series sedan model and will be joined later this summer by a CTS wagon. The CTS line will likely become the standard bearer for GM's luxury brand with both the DTS and sTS slated to be replaced by one model within the next few years.

Buick's all new midsize sedan, the 2010 LaCrosse (Allure in Canada) is now arriving in showrooms across North America. Early reviews of the sedan have been good, providing a much needed boost for the Buick line. GM is expected to soon announce a fourth Buick model which may share the upcoming Chevy Cruze's platform. No word yet what GM plans to do with its full size sedan, the Buick Lucerne. The Enclave SUV is the other model that rounds out the Buick line.

Photos Copyright GM. Corp.

See Also — Fuel Efficiency Adviser Helps Drivers Conserve