Used 2012 Buick LaCrosse Sedan Consumer Reviews

2.0 Stars!

So updating this after almost 15000 miles on the car. Performance: Acceleration in this is excellent, watch out for the torque steering in this. If you hammer it while even turning slightly like to pass someone it will yank the steering wheel back straight. Fastest stock V6 I have owned bar none. There are a lot of reports on transmission issues with the 2012 and surrounding years. The way this is geared it's going to shift high especially that 2nd to 3rd shift. When you go from 2nd to 3rd it will literally drop only about 500 rpm. When I bought this it was shifting 4000-5000 RPM on that shift. 3rd to 4th was only slightly lower. This was unacceptable to me. So after fighting with Buick for months (While under factory warranty.) I finally got a significant answer as to how to fix this. These are adaptive transmissions. They learn how you drive. If you take off fast it's going to learn to shift at a higher RPM, which over the long term is not healthy for the engine or the transmission. Eventually I got them to flash the Transmission Control and wipe the memory clean. It took about 2 months for the car to 'learn' my driving style but now it rarely shifts over 3000 rpm. If it does it is because I have it in Manual mode or I've got it floored. Anyone out there having "Transmission problems with their Buick Lacrosse" don't let the dealer tell you this is normal. It takes them about an hour to fix it... In regard to comfort... If you are tall or a big guy/woman getting in and out will be uncomfortable. The way the seat sits even back as far as it goes still puts a significant amount of your legs beyond the front of the door, thus making you pull your legs back and spin in the seat before being able to put your legs on the ground. I cannot count how many times I have smacked my knees on the steering wheel "even with it adjusted as high and far into the dash as possible." The advertisement they do of Shaquille O'Neal sitting comfortably in one of these is so much BS. That said, it has a comfortable sporty ride once you are actually "IN" the car. The interior is decent. I have noticed that some of the chrome 'coating' on some of the accents starts peeling off. I did like the LED highlights in the car, and the leather is supple, soft, and comfortable. As others have posted, the car has some visibility safety issues. Blind spots are a HUGE issue. If you are backing out of a angled parking space, best of luck you're not going to be able to see a vehicle or person approaching. Backing up is difficult in the car period, lane changing requires a full head/body turn to see if someone is near the normal blind spot. A simple though not a thorough fix is to buy 2 stick on blind spot mirrors, and put them up in the top outside corner of your normal mirrors. This helps tremendously in traffic. If you live in the North. THIS IS NOT THE CAR FOR YOU! The traction control on this has to be the worst traction control on any vehicle I have EVER driven. Works wonders on dry pavement. Get in an inch of snow you're not moving. The traction control has a rev-limiter on it. If you can't get traction you are literally dead in the water! Reliability is good overall. I've only had one other significant issue that so far is unresolved in this vehicle. If you read Buick forums they are famous especially during the winter for having the evaporator drain get plugged up. If it's not dealt with immediately it has the potential to get moldy. Evidently mine wasn't dealt with immediately. I've had more problems with a moldy acrid scent when running the heat, it is especially bad when run on recirculate. Once this happens there really is very little you can do. My next step will be replacing the pan itself to see if that will help. Value is about par for the course for a mid sized sedan. The cost is a little above what I think it should have been just based on safety alone. But overall it is pretty economical. The car is E85 capable. Running E85 I average about 22mpg on a 70 mile round trip mixed city/highway driving. On Unleaded with 10% Ethanol I average betwen 24.5 and 25 on the same trip. If you keep this car at 65mph with relatively few stops over long distance it will push out high 20's low 30's mpg.

Love at first sight, and so far it's been all joy.

I bought the car used with 24400 miles. It rides comfortably and drives as if it were on tracks. The 6 cyl engine delivers power on demand; and it is easy to find oneself speeding without meaning to do so. If you buy the car used, and don't like the shift points, and I didn't, reset the transmission to the factory settings. The cargo space is only adequate. Rear vision would be next to zero without the rear view camera. Another year on, no problems of any kind. It is a fine, well made car. The reason for the four stars on Safety, is that the roof posts, plus the headrest on the right, create large and dangerous blind spots to the rear of the driver.

Horns honks

Love the car in all areas except one problem. When i unlock and get in the car and close the door sometimes the horn will honk 4 times rapidly. Dealer can't find it. I suspect it is a malfunction in thee electrical feed back circuit. Very agrivating, never know when it will honk.

Great Value Compared to Mercedes Anything

It is really is "sleeper" surprised quite a few other cars and trucks that thought it was just another Granddad's Buick. It has the touring suspension and handles comparable to my Merc CLK - once you get used to a bigger car. I have owned this car for over a year- added over 17000 miles Mix between Highway (i95 to Fla) and city. Averages 23 MPG overall. NO problems or complains - I have learned to use the features which is still more than I need, the AC/heated seats are really nice especially in South Carolina Summer. AC cools the car quickly, Bluetooth very easy to set up and use. Plenty of power not a race car but it was not designed as such either. Very quiet on the road, people complain about the engine noise - drive a Honda or Toyota and compare for yourself. Brakes are great - emergency stop in traffic when a car pulled out in front of us and stopped. Wing mirrors are the only down fall on this car huge blind spots difficult to get adjusted to avoid the blind spots

Nicest Ride Around for the $$$

Very comfortable ride & seats. Plenty of rear seat room. Quiet. Great sound system. All Wheel Drive handles well in snow.

Lacrosse Review

This car is a great value. I have owned similarly equipped pricier luxury cars such as Lexus. The car rivals those models. I recently purchased a Cadillac SRX for my wife. The Lacrosse is quieter and has a much better ride. The Lacrosse has the same features and equipment.

Trunk Release

I'm generally happy with the LaCrosse but there is one major annoyance, there is no trunk release inside the car. Yes, you can open the trunk with the remote but this is not always convenient i.e., if I'm in the garage and my keys are in the house (not close by). Why would GM exclude the inside the vehicle trunk release - really bad decision.

A better value

Buick has a winner with the 2012 Lacrosse. BMW, Audi watch out. The Lacrosse with GM incentives is a much better value than most other comparable sedans. The 303 HP V-6 can compete well with other comparable sedans. Responsive, smooth and quiet engine with reasonable fuel economy. Ride is comfortable, quite and smooth. Cornering is flat at high speeds and vehicle tracking is excellent with good steering response. A fun car to drive. On the negative side, first gear is much too low, a ratio, better suited for a four cylinder. Side visibility hindered by door post. High head rests hinders backing visibility. The front bucket seats are too narrow except for a small butt person.

Luxurious stylin'

Love this car! Rides like a dream. Looks amazing! Compliments galore. Love everything about this car except too many blind spots-can't see cars coming on sides nor can I see in front or back. Good thing for lane encroach lights & back up camera

Stylish and reliable

Really overall great vehicle, dependable with low mileage.

Had to get rid of my precious

Great car, called it my precious. Tires that came with car hydro planed in the rain. Got new ones and it was perfect. Terrible gas mileage, but I mostly drove short trips. Loved the car overall. My husband had trouble getting in and out of front seat. He has a bad back. Traded this car only because of this trouble and bought a Buick Envision.

Love the car but have mixed feelings right now

I really love the car but quality and reliability are questionable for me considering the problems I had in less than a month with a brand new car. The first car I got had the engine light on before leaving the dealer. The next day “service stabiliTrak” message was in my dashboard. Car was replaced for a new one. Everything was fine until the battery died with 20 days only. Car was towed back to dealer, battery replaced and nothing wrong, but a defective battery, was found with the car. Hopefully, I won’t have any other problem with it. Time will tell. This car is very comfortable, quiet and spacious. Trunk is on the small side but enough for me and my family (2 small children).

2012 Buick Lacrosse - Touring

I have had my Lacrosse for just over one month. Pros: Excellent ride and comfort. Reliability great compared to my 2008 Cadillac. Cadillac in shop 3 times in first month of ownership. Buick running great (knock on wood). Workshipship is excellent - no rattles, doors, hood, trunk fit is fine. Fuel consumption is as advertised - over 27 on highway, averaging slightly over 17 in the city. Con: Reflection of the dashboard on windshield is distracting and blinding at times. Would recommend highly over the CTS - mine was an overpriced piee of junk.

Good car.... mostly

We bought our 2012 Lacrosse with around 48k miles and with all the bells and whistles which is why I also reluctantly bought an extended warranty. Ours is the touring model and very fun to drive. I'm 215 lbs and 6'3" and I fit fine in the driver's seat which is very comfortable. I thought I loved the dash with all the buttons but I still have trouble fining the right button when needed. It's my wife's car so she doesn't have this problem. The car feels nimble and responsive and is very powerful with just over 300hp and really is fun to drive. Visibility is good except for the large A pillars which will sometimes hide traffic. Love the turn sensitive headlights. We now have around 115k miles on the car and we've had the transmission replaced under the extended warranty. Also, a few oil leaks and we needed the power steering hoses replaced. I do not like the tranny on this car... .or at least the mapping. Even under normal or slight acceleration, the RPM's go into the 5k range when shifting from 1st thru 3rd. Other than those few things, we love the car. We have our fingers crosses that something else expensive doesn't break.

Buick/Lacrosse 2012

Safety Assurance with a full roll cage from the factory one of the last cars that gm made with such high standards for safety although rough on fuel when the pedals to the medal it makes up for in passenger and cargo space the lacrosse heated leather interior is the best part with accenting lights from front to rear premium sound bluetooth USB flash Onstar and all that jazz even haters love our Buick lol

Fast and comfortable

Love this car! Quiet, comfortable and the stylish interior make it fun to drive my AWD v-6 Lacrosse premium 2. Leg room is great, I'm 69 years old, 6'2" and 240 lbs, once I get slipped it the heated cooled seats relax a stiff back and the sound system get me rocking when I want, soothed other times. Its a bit short on interior storage, but very liveable

People ask what it is

Our LaCrosse is a 2012 with 82,000 trouble free miles. This is the 23rd GM vehicle we have owned, and it is one of the best. I feel I am qualified to make that assertion because I was in the trade as a person that trained technicians on vehicle diagnostics and computer systems. Our Buick has the 3.6 Direct Injected Variable Valve Timing engine that is one of the finest engines put in any car because of the quality, durability, and mileage. It is too bad GM doesn't build this car any longer (except in China for executives of companies). This car is the sister car to the 2015 to2019 Chevy Impala and the Cadillac XTS. Ours is pearl white with chrome wheels and is the Premium II model. This is a very distinctive car in a land of endless trendy SUV's. We get asked what make it is quite often. It is a people mover and not designed to tow a boat or anything for that matter. The ride is incredibly quiet and very smooth, but not numbing. The 4 wheel disc brakes are as good as anything coming out of Germany or England. It is too bad one can't go into a Buick dealer and buy a new one today, but maybe tastes will change and the LaCrosse will come back.

front doors holding water

i have had this car scene 10/12, i have had the issue of the front door holding water in the seals that go around the door, the doors will hold the water until you open the doors, after it rains and you open the doors, check the seals and have water inside the seals. as of today, the dealer and the factory has told me that this is normal ( i call ???? on this ) We are in the process of have GM buy the car back. So if you have a Lacrosse, check you front doors.

Poor visibility

I love cars....new cars, antique cars I love all cars. I enjoy driving any type of car. My parents have a new Buick Lacrosse and the visibility is nothing short of awful. I absolutely do not like driving it. There are blind spots everywhere. I cannot believe that a car company would design a car that is unsafe to drive. If I am at a stop sign several seconds pass before I have visibility of a full sized car or truck coming from my right. I have to lean forward and backward to avoid that blind spot. There is no way of viewing a car when merging or changing lanes except with the side mirror. If I look over my left should all I see is the b pillar and the c pillar and a tiny slit.

Superior ride and comfort

I've been SUPER HAPPY.

Luxury car for less dollars

Competes with most much higher priced cars. Great style

Best car ever!

So many features that I haven’t used them all. Safest car I’ve ever had. Can’t recommend it highly enough.

Nice car!

I love this car. I love to drive it and know it gets the looks. It is quite a fast car and stylish, quiet, and had nice tech as well. With On Star and Sirius XM, there's not a lot that can be added to it. I agree with the small trunk though. Test drive one and you won't care that it offs now 8 years old!

I love IT!!!!!!!

I recently bought my Lacrosse after having Expeditions for the last 12 years. I wasn't sure how I would feel driving a car after having a SUV for so long. All I can say is I LOVE MY CAR!!! It drives so smooth and has enough room for my husband and two sons that are all 5'10" or larger, AND, our daughter. My kids love it too because it is sporty and fun. The control panel is easy to access and the options are such a luxury. The only problem I have found and, it is really isn't a problem, just a matter of adjusting, is there is a blind spot between the windshield and doors on both sides. There isn't one perfect car, but this one is close. The more I drive it, the more I fall in love with it.

niece style

good rideing car,handling is good,

Unimpressed

I bought this car twelve days ago thinking I would be pleased and I am getting more and more unimpressed with this car. (1) Poor visibility out the front window due to large window pillars. (2) Door locks only on center console. (3)No trunk open/unlock from inside the car. (4) Lumbar control is not working to get to a comfortable position. (5) Headrest points a little bit too far forward. (6) Center console buttons are too busy and don't really make too much sense. (7) Leather, really? Where and what kind? A bit on the cheap side if it is real. (8) No locking gas door or cap. (9) Feel ever bump. (10) And finally, feel like I overpaid....is it really worth the sticker of $40,300. I think not!

Shrunken Cadillac

I can normally pick any purchase apart. Not this one. I drove Cadillac's for several years. The big difference is the Buick is a little smaller

2012 Touring

The car sucks on gas and truck space is small, but everything else handling, technology, etc is really good

Riding on air

Most comfortable car I have ever driven, hands down. Not much I don't like on this car , besides only being front wheel drive . The pickup and handling are tremendous, if icould keep 2 vehicles I would definitely hold on to it , but it's not the best work vehicle.

Beautiful car, but....

I love the color, love the look, the interior is pretty. Looks, that is about all this car has. I also own a 2006 Lacrosse. This 2012 doesn't come close. It doesn't shift very smoothly. The ride is ok, but it is loud. It sounds like I'm in a wind tunnel. It is comfortable, but the seats are narrow. A car seat or booster seat in the back doesn't fit well. It sits on top of the seatbelt button. I don't like the shift and the arm rest is akward with the gearshift so far back. The door locks, park break are in the center, no trunk button. Probably won't keep this one.

Sadly, the worst car I've ever had.

To start is the poor visibility. You don't get all of the pros and cons on a test drive...The front passenger view is blocked by the frame and outside mirror...it is horrifying on the incidences we've encountered...thankfully managed to avoid an accident, but you c a n n o t see a person or vehicle approach on your right... The ad showing Shaq sitting comfortably is a joke..Why can't GM be honest? Had a 2009 Buick Lucerne...it was the best vehicle...so sorry I traded it in...whomever purchased got a prize...why did GM stop building them?

Can't honestly recommend this car

Although it rides nice and is a beautiful car, I had several people ask if I would recommend it and my answer is NO I have the Blind Alert Package, but it still is not enough when you are pulling out onto a hwy and I also had a person standing on a curb where it was really hard to see him because he was right where the thick post was. To me that post is a serious problem Then there is 1st gear....you got to be kidding me the car hardly moves surely can't pull out on the hwy fast

Check reviews, Test Drive before buying

Check car fax, test drive on highway & bumpy roads. Poor gas milage. I may have done the first review.Im dont think so . I should have test driven this car before buying it. I do not want to keep this car. Bringing back to dealer.The car was a flooder, it must have been in an accident and repaired,as when it rained the trunk was full of water, and all the interior mats were soaked. It was totaled. I lost money on the car, and had to buy another car.

2012 Lacrosse Touring

Not made for Tall People

The curvature of the doors make it impossible to get in or out without hitting my head unless I fold like a rag doll. Not to mention creating quite a blind spot when looking over the shoulder for traffic. The lumbar support in the drivers seat is too large even when reset to zero, thus making my back hurt even after a short drive. This car is so low to the ground that even curbs become a hazard! Dealership's driver ran into a curb and caused extensive damage. Between seat console is awkward, pinches fingers when extending the arm-rest and storage is limited. The steering column is clumsy to adjust, why isn't it electric? Can't open trunk from inside????

Beautiful Ride

I have gotten more compliments on this car than any other car I have owned. I love the look, the ride and the luxury. Nicest car I have ever owned.

poor engineering

blind spot because of the large frame between roof line and dash. Dangerous with left turns. Also, poor design of drainage tubes or channels whatever they are called. Almost every time it rains hard, I have a puddle on the floor of the passenger side rear and have to blot it up with a towel. Twice I had it cleared with dealer to the tune of about $300 and it keeps happening so I live with it. Not what I want to do but can afford to keep going back to the dealer who admits they have no cure for this. I do. Don't but a Buick. I am sure the newer models have the same system so avoid this.

Smoothie Drive

Best riding sedan.

Lacrosse Is A Great Car

Bought it new and has been a great car. All the bells and whistles with good gas mileage and a great ride. No major maintenance issues at all.

All show no go

Had this Lacrosse for 4 months and I'm not impressed any more. Clumsy and noisy is how I would describe it. Here's the list, 1. Car rides fine until you go over a series of bumps. Hold on to your coffee if its open. 2. Knee and head protection may be needed if you want to enter or exit this car quickly. Very cumbersome. Turning in or out of your driveway may cause wiplash due to the stiff suspension. 3. A distinct and fairly audible metalic ticking noise from the engine. Dealership says it's normal, I say there's a problem. Engine shakes noticeably at idle (in drive). Accelleration and crusing is no problem. 4. Trunk space is way too small, tight fit for 2 sets of golf clubs.

Roof Leak & Rust

We purchased our 2012 Buick Lacross (V6, Premium Pkg) in September 2012, the sunroof was draining inside the backseat floor took it to the dealer and "fixed", got some rain and sunroof was leaking again same place, taken again and "fixed", this time it was fixed right and came faulty from the Manufacturer because apparently there was a seal missing from the rear window..fixed. From the start there was rust on the bumper and trunk of the car, they "fixed" it at time of sale, day after sale and day after after sale, the rust keeps coming back and this makes 5 times the dealer "fixes" the rust issue, a new car as expensive as this should not have rust.

This is Dads Buick

purchased a 2012 lacrosse touring edition a couple of weeks ago. i just passed 1500 miles and I'm getting 20.8 miles/gal.(not from the info menu but, for you guys who went to public schools, it was 1500 miles divided by 72.11 gallons of gasoline) i'll take that. car is quiet and handles pretty good cornering. braking is good also. harman cardon stereo good along with the navigation system. HID front and LED rear lighting superb. tour. ed. comes w/ navigation, rear camera, blind side alert, heads up display, 19" wheels and much much more. New this year is a 300 HP V-6 with twin chrome exhaust tips. i traded 2008 lax.Super(my review SU--PER 3/08)and this is a totally different car.

Smooth and Quiet

It is a very nice car to drive. Quick, Quiet, safe.

Nice Buick

Less than 30,000 miles, well maintained, comfortable ride, plenty of power and good gas mileage in a full size car.

Never Again

In 4 yrs I changed the hybrid battery twice, and the hood battery once a yr. I have other gripes but that's really my main. I live in Arizona so the battery conditions are harsh out here but, that's ridiculous.