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Contact: Steve Parsons Parsons Buick of Plainville | 151 East Street Plainville, CT 06062 860-747-1693 |
June 6, 2010, 10:37 AM ET
Four-Cylinder Buick Surprises With Smooth, Frugal Power
Four-cylinder engines have a reputation for churning out more noise than power, especially when climbing long hills or trying to pass other cars on the highway. Sometimes they just can’t do it. That is one reason drivers in the U.S. have sought out vehicles with more powerful six and eight-cylinder motors.
But I’ve had an affection for “four-bangers” ever since my mother bought a BMW 320i in 1979. That car ran oh-so smoothly and powerfully compared with the Volkswagen Beetle she had been driving previously. It convinced me that four cylinders are usually enough. Now Buick is embracing the four by offering its 2.4-liter Ecotec engine in the LaCrosse, a big, roomy sedan that in the past would never have come with such a small engine. I drove it last week and was surprised by how well it performed.
Anyone who drives regularly on highways with steep hills, whether it’s the Pennsylvania Turnpike or Route 405 in California, knows how important horsepower is. If the engine isn’t strong enough for the car it will labor unpleasantly on long hills, often wailing in a low gear, while slowly dragging the car along, unable to accelerate.
The Buick’s Ecotec puts out 182 horsepower, which nothing to shout about by today’s standards. Other cars its size typically have between 250 and 350 horses under the hood, and higher-end versions of the LaCrosse have bigger engines with up to 280 horsepower. But the four-cylinder engine has enough muscle to handle uphill treks without much fuss. For the most part it sounds and feels like the V6 engines many people have gotten used to in the past 30 years.
Still, you have to pay attention to your speed and think ahead more while driving the four-cylinder LaCrosse than with more powerful cars. Impatient, impulsive drivers may not like it. If you allow the car to slow down at the start of a long hill and then try to accelerate to catch up with faster traffic, you’ll find the transmission shifting down not one, but two or three gears. At that point you hear the engine screaming to to muster enough power to move the heavy car. It’s one of the few situations in which the engine seems over-matched, but you can easily avoid it maintaining speed or picking it up a bit when approaching hills.
The best thing about the four-cylinder LaCrosse is the way it rewards smooth, thoughtful driving. Its ride is quiet and comfortable enough that you wouldn’t mind spending all day at the wheel. I averaged 29 miles per gallon on the highway and felt I could have done better if I had stuck strictly to the speed limit.
GM Increases Number of J.D. Power IQS Awards
2010-06-17
- Tahoe, Avalanche, Escalade, and Sierra 1500 receive quality awards
- Malibu, CTS, Suburban, Lucerne, Yukon XL among top three in segment
- Lansing (Mich.) Grand River wins Bronze award for plant quality in North/South America
DETROIT – General Motors Co.’s commitment to continuous vehicle quality improvement received significant recognition in the 2010 J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality Study (IQS) with 10 models ranking in the top three in their segment for quality performance in the first 90 days of ownership.
GM’s Lansing (Mich.) Grand River assembly plant - home of the Cadillac CTS family and STS - was awarded the study’s Bronze Plant Award in the North/South America region, and was the top-ranking plant in the United States.
Vehicle segment wins for the Chevrolet, GMC and Cadillac models support the quality improvement trend seen in internal evaluations, which show that, since 2007, GM has reduced warranty repairs by 45 percent per vehicle in North America.
GM trucks swept the top three spots in the large crossover/SUV category with the Chevrolet Tahoe leading the way, followed by the Chevrolet Suburban and GMC Yukon/XL. The Chevrolet Avalanche was the top-ranked large pickup for initial quality, tied with the GMC Sierra. GM also took the top spot in the large premium crossover/SUV segment (Cadillac Escalade) and ranked in the top three in the midsize car (Chevrolet Malibu), entry premium car (Cadillac CTS), and large car (Buick Lucerne) segments.
“Delivering top-quality vehicles for our customers is our overriding priority,” said Dan Nicholson, GM vice president of Global Quality. “Our entire team is committed to improving our vehicles, and we never lose sight of the fact that the competition is also moving fast.”
The 2010 IQS is based on responses from more than 82,000 purchasers and lessees of new 2010 model-year vehicles surveyed after 90 days of ownership. The study is based on a 228-question survey designed to provide manufacturers with information to quickly identify design-related problems, defects and malfunctions.
About General Motors: General Motors, one of the world’s largest automakers, traces its roots back to 1908. With its global headquarters in Detroit, GM employs 205,000 people in every major region of the world and does business in some 157 countries. GM and its strategic partners produce cars and trucks in 31 countries, and sell and service these vehicles through the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, FAW, GMC, Daewoo, Holden, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling. GM’s largest national market is the United States, followed by China, Brazil, Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Italy. GM’s OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and information services. General Motors acquired operations from General Motors Corporation on July 10, 2009, and references to prior periods in this and other press materials refer to operations of the old General Motors Corporation. More information on the new General Motors can be found at www.gm.com.