Initial Quality – The 2010 Buick LaCrosse is completely redesigned, and had not yet been included in the J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality Study (IQS), which measures owner satisfaction with vehicle quality after 90 days of ownership, at the time this review was originally published.

Performance and Design – The 2010 Buick LaCrosse is completely redesigned, and had not yet been included in the J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Automotive Performance, Execution, and Layout Study (APEAL), which measures owner satisfaction with performance and design attributes of a vehicle, at the time this review was originally published.

Predicted Reliability – The 2010 Buick LaCrosse is too new to have been included in the J.D. Power and Associates Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS), which measures owner satisfaction with a vehicle’s reliability after three years of ownership. Based on the historical performance of the Buick LaCrosse in our Initial Quality Study and our Vehicle Dependability Study, the 2010 model receives a predicted reliability rating of 4 out of 5 Power Circle Ratings.

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Fuel Economy – The 2010 Buick LaCrosse is equipped with one of two V-6 engines: a 3.0-liter or a 3.6-liter driving the front or all four wheels through a six-speed automatic transmission with a manual shift feature. According to the EPA, the 3.0-liter V-6 is rated to return 18 mpg in the city and 26 mpg on the highway (16 city/25 highway with AWD). The 3.6-liter is rated to deliver 18 mpg in the city and 27 mpg on the highway paired only with front-wheel drive. Both engines are designed to operate on regular unleaded fuel. Buick is planning to add a four-cylinder CX model before the end of the model year.

Our review vehicle, a LaCrosse CXS with the 3.6-liter V-6 engine, averaged 19.7 mpg in mixed driving with a highway emphasis. Combined with the LaCrosse’s standard 18.4-gallon fuel tank, this actual fuel economy figure results in an approximate 360-mile range between fill-ups of regular unleaded.

Safety – According to the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the 2010 Buick LaCrosse receives 5-star crashworthiness ratings in front- and side-impact tests. The NHTSA also gives the LaCrosse a 4-star rollover rating with or without the optional all-wheel-drive system.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) calls the 2010 Buick LaCrosse a “Top Safety Pick,” with a “Good” rating in the frontal offset impact test, a “Good” rating in the side impact test, and a “Good” rating for rear impacts.

Environment – According to the EPA, the 2010 Buick LaCrosse consumes 17.1 barrels of petroleum annually with the standard 3.0-liter V-6 (18 barrels with all-wheel drive). Models with the 3.6-liter V-6 consume 16.3 barrels of petroleum annually. Carbon footprint ratings are 9.2 for the smaller V-6 and front-drive, 9.6 for the smaller V-6 and AWD, and 8.7 for the bigger V-6. The LaCrosse’s EPA air pollution scores were not available at the time this review was published.

Note: This review was published on November 10, 2009. It may not reflect data that has become available for this vehicle since that date.