2019 Buick LaCrosse Price, Review, Ratings and Pictures

The 2019 Buick LaCrosse is available in five trims: 1SV, Preferred, Essence, Premium, and Sport Touring, ranging between $30,495 - $ 44,395. The 2019 Buick LaCrosse gets a 2.5-liter engine as standard across the trims except for the Sport Touring trim which gets a 3.6-liter V6 engine as standard. The 3.6-liter V6 engine is available on all except the base 1SV trim.

The standard feature list includes 18-inch alloy wheels, power-adjustable front seats, an 8-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, tilt and telescoping steering wheels. As you move higher up the trim levels you add auto-dimming outside rearview mirror, perforated leather seats, heated and ventilated front seats with massage function, memory function for driver seats, wireless charging, air ionizer, and head-up display. 

The Sport Touring trim is based on the Essence trim with few add-on features like 19-inch alloy wheels, blacked-out mesh grille, body-color decklid spoiler, body-color fender accent. There are few optional packages available on Essence, Premium, and Sport Touring trim. Premium trim gets a driver confidence package as standard. The sun and shade package, sights and sounds package, and dynamic drive package are available. The driver confidence package II is exclusively available on the Premium trim. All the above packages are available on Essence and Sport Touring trim.

2019 Buick LaCrosse Buying Advice

For $41,995 the Essence trim gets AWD and a 3.6-liter V6 engine. The Essence trim also has all the packages available except for the driver confidence package II. All this makes the Essence package bang for the bucks and only misses out few luxury features which aren’t a necessity as such. For those who don’t need an AWD, the Essence FWD trim variant can be had with a 3.6-liter V6 engine by paying an extra $2,500 which still keeps the MSRP under $40,000. For those who aren’t comfortable in paying close to forty grand for a Buick car, we recommend checking out used Buick LaCrosse in our listing to grab the best deal out there.

The 2019 Buick LaCrosse comes with a 194 HP 2.5-liter, Inline-4 eAssist engine with 187 lb-ft of torque for all except Sport Touring trim. The Sport Touring trim comes with a 310 HP 3.6-liter, VVT Direct Injection V6 engine with 268 lb-ft of torque. The engine also gets cylinder deactivation and Start/Stop technology and comes mated to a nine-speed automatic gearbox with FWD. The 2.5-liter engine comes mated to a six-speed automatic gearbox with FWD only. The 3.6-liter engine with the nine-speed automatic gearbox is available in Preferred, Essence, and Premium trim with AWD standard.

The 2.5-liter engine of the 2019 Buick LaCrosse goes from 0-60mph in 7.4 seconds and the quarter-mile timing stands at 15.7 seconds. The 3.6-liter V6 engine of the 2019 Buick LaCrosse goes from 0-60 mph in 5.6 seconds and the quarter-mile timing stands at 14.1 seconds. The Chrysler 300 with a similar 3.6-liter V6 engine is slower by a second from the LaCrosse. The Chrysler 300 goes from 0-60 mph in 6.6 seconds. The Kia Cadenza takes one-tenth of a second less and goes from 0-60 mph in 6.5 seconds. The Nissan Maxima is two-tenths of a second slower than the LaCrosse.The Nissan Maxima manages 0-60 mph in 5.8 seconds.

The performance of the Buick LaCrosse can be compensated by opting for the bigger engine but its puny brakes with 11.8-inch rotors on the front and 11.3-inch rotors at the rear play the spoilsport. The LaCrosse takes 123 feet to stop from 60-0 mph. For comparison, the Chrysler 300 and Kia Cadenza both stop from 60-0 mph in just 120 feet. 

The ride and handling of the LaCrosse are best suited for sedate drivers. The suspension setup is soft and the car resists hard cornering. The standard 18-inch alloy wheels ensure plush and comfortable ride quality thus making it a perfect long-hauler. Those who are ready to compromise on comfort for better handling can opt for the dynamic drive package which includes 20-inch wheels, continuously variable damping, and sports mode. The car equipped with this package completely transforms in terms of handling while the ride quality takes a hit. The LaCross gets excellent noise insulation making it very soothing to drive through traffic and on interstates with no or little unwanted noise filtering through the cabin.

The gas mileage of the 2019 Buick LaCrosse is decent thanks to the hybrid eAssist engine standard on all trims except Sport Touring trim. The LaCrosse with this engine returns an EPA-estimated 25/35/29 mpg across city/highway/combined respectively.

The bigger 3.6-liter V6 engine with FWD returns EPA-estimated 21/30/24 across city/highway/combined respectively. While the 3.6-liter V6 with AWD reduces the figure by one mpg across all. The standard FWD LaCrosse gets a 15.8-gallon fuel tank while the AWD variant gets a slightly bigger 16.2-gallon fuel tank.

The Buick LaCross returns the highest gas mileage of 29 mpg (combined). Next comes Nissan Maxima with a gas mileage of 24 mpg (combined). The last position is shared by Chrysler 300 with a gas mileage of 23 mpg (combined) and the Kia Cadenza with combined gas mileage of 23 mpg. 

Some might say that the LaCrosse compared here has a 2.5-liter Inline-4 engine while the others have a bigger V6 engine making it apples and oranges comparison. So to keep the comparison fair, the 3.6-liter V6 engine of LaCrosse returns combined gas mileage of 24 mpg which is similar to the Nissan Maxima’s gas mileage and one mpg more than Chrysler 300 and Kia Cadenza’s gas mileage.

The interior of the LaCrosse is a mixed bag with the lower trim getting synthetic leather and a mix of hard and soft-touch plastics. While the higher trims are truly luxurious with perforated leather seats and top notch materials used inside the cabin. The LaCrosse seats up to five passengers with an ample amount of shoulder room and leg space in front as well as rear. The headroom is decent in the front row but gets very low in the rear thanks to the sloping roofline. The controls are more or less placed within easy reach. It's the touchscreen that is sometimes cumbersome to operate while on the move. That said, the ingress and egress from the car are very easy thanks to ample leg space and wide-opening doors.

The front seats are powered and get heated and ventilated functionality. The massage function in the front seats is available. Driver seats memory function and heated steering are available so is the power tilt and telescoping steering wheel. The car gets dual-zone climate control as standard. The panoramic moonroof and rear sunshade can be had via sun and shade package available in Essence and higher trims. The car also gets QuietTuning technology which includes triple door seals, acoustic laminated glass, and active noise cancellation to make the cabin free from outside unwanted noise.

The Kia Cadenza and the Nissan Maxima are the most spacious in the front seats while the Chrysler 300 and the Kia Cadenza are more spacious in the rear. The cargo capacity of the Buick LaCrosse is 15 cubic feet. While the Chrysler 300 has the biggest cargo capacity of 16.3 cubic feet followed by Kia Cadenza’s 16 cubic feet of cargo space. The Nissan Maxima with a cargo capacity of 14.3 cubic feet has the smallest trunk among all.

Infotainment System

The Buick LaCrosse gets an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with IntelliLink, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto as standard. You also get Bluetooth, multiple USB ports, a WiFi hotspot, and an 8-speaker stereo as standard.

A 11-speaker BOSE premium audio system, wireless charging, navigation, HD Radio, satellite radio are available. The infotainment is pretty easy to use but it is placed a little away from the driver makes it difficult for people with shorter hands to reach for it especially while driving.

Highlights of the infotainment system include:

• 8-inch touchscreen
• 8-speaker stereo
• 11-speaker BOSE premium audio system (available)
• USB ports
• Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• Bluetooth connectivity
• Wireless device charging (available)
• HD Radio

The looks of the Buick LaCrosse received a major update in the year 2017 and since then the car has aged well. Upfront the car features aggressive-looking headlamps fitted with xenon bulbs as standard while HID headlamps are available. The car gets lots of sharp lines and creases along the hood to give it a muscular persona.

The front grille has a waterfall design with a straight line cutting across it on which the Buick logo rests. Moving to the side the car rides on 18-inch alloy wheels while 19-inch and 20-inch alloy wheels are available. The side profile of the car is well proportioned which hides well the length of the car. The Sport Touring trim gets distinct exterior highlights. The panoramic moonroof and rear shades are available with the sun and shade package.

The 2019 Buick LaCrosse’s dimensions are 197.5-inches in length, 73.5-inches wide without including the side mirrors. The standard LaCrosse stands 57.5-inches tall and weighs 3490 pounds. These dimensions are similar to the Chrysler 300 except for the ground clearance and wheelbase. Speaking of which the Chrysler 300 has the longest wheelbase of 114.4-inches and the smallest ground clearance of 4.7-inches. The Buick LaCrosse has the highest ground clearance of 6.5-inches. That said the Kia Cadenza has 112.4-inches of wheelbase while the Nissan Maxima has the shortest wheelbase of 109.3-inches.

Exterior features of the 2019 Buick LaCrosse:

• 18-inch (standard) or a 19-inch alloy (available in Sport Touring trim)
• HID headlamps with LED lighting
• Powered panoramic moonroof
• Halogen font foglamps
• LED taillamps
• Acoustic laminated glass

The NHTSA has rated the 2019 Buick LaCrosse with an overall safety rating of five out of five stars. The 2019 LaCrosse scored a perfect five out of five-star rating in Frontal Crash, Side Crash, and Rollover Rating with a rollover risk of 9.9%. The IIHS has rated the 2019 Buick LaCrosse ‘Good’ in front overlap, side, roof strength, and head restraints and seat test. But the ‘Poor’ rating for the headlights made the 2019 LaCrosse miss the ‘Top Safety Pick’ award.

The Buick LaCrosse safety features include ABS with EBD, traction control, automatic headlamps, stability control, rearview camera, park assist, eight airbags. Apart from the standard safety features; available in LaCrosse’s higher trims are Driver Confidence Package and Driver Confidence Package II. These two packages include lane change alert, rear cross-traffic alert, forward automatic braking, adaptive cruise control, front pedestrian braking.

List of safety features available in the Buick LaCrosse include:

• Rearview Camera
• Automatic Parking Assist
• Rear Cross-Traffic Alert
• Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning
• Lane Change Alert with Side Blind Zone Alert
• Safety Alert Seats
• Forward Automatic Braking
• Forward Collision Alert
• Front Pedestrian Braking

2019 Buick LaCrosse Vs 2019 Chrysler 300

The Chrysler 300 is a better car than the Buick LaCrosse in terms of space, ride and handling, and performance. The Buick LaCross on the other hand is decently stacked with features and more attuned towards being a luxurious and comfortable sedan.

So if you want an overall better performing car that looks good too Chrysler 300 is the way to go. But if you are more inclined towards luxury and in-cabin experience then the Buick LaCrosse won’t disappoint you.

2019 Buick LaCrosse Vs 2019 Nissan Maxima

The Nissan Maxima is all about power and performance. The car has some serious power under the hood and driving in it will keep you entertained all day long.

The Buick LaCrosse on the other hand has better fuel economy and boot space but lacks in all other areas in comparison to the Maxima. That said the Nissan Maxima is the better choice between the two.

2019 Buick LaCrosse Vs 2019 Kia Cadenza

Kia Cadenza scores high in terms of features list, cabin space, and ride quality. The Kia Cadenza comes loaded with tech and offers a very comfortable ride quality with the spacious rear. Look Wise also the Kia Cadenza looks much better than the Buick LaCrosse.

The Buick LaCrosse happens to appeal to a very thin majority of people you prefer a quiet and comfortable cabin over good performance and handling. The Kia Cadenza on the other hand has a little bit of everything along with loads of tech. Thus between the two Kia Cadenza happens to be a better proposition.

The 2019 Buick LaCrosse is a simple and elegant-looking car. You get a beautiful interior, comfortable ride quality, and a silent cabin. With two engines on offer and an AWD available the car tries to be an all-rounder. But the lackluster performance and the higher premium of the bigger engine with AWD make it a not so attractive choice. That said the handling is lackluster until you get the driver dynamic package. Thus the only highlight of the Buick LaCrosse is its luxurious and silent cabin. This we feel is very hard to convince a buyer in the segment who is spoiled by the likes of the much powerful and better riding Chrysler 300 and Nissan Maxima.