Used 2012 Buick LaCrosse Premium II Group Sedan Review
Consumer reviews
Read what other owners think about the 2012 Buick LaCrosse Premium II Group Sedan.
Most helpful consumer reviews
2.0 Stars!
Sam, Sioux Falls, SD, 08/26/2015
2012 Buick LaCrosse Premium II Group 4dr Sedan (3.6L 6cyl 6A)
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.
Hector Lahera, Saint Petersburg, FL, 04/02/2016
2012 Buick LaCrosse Premium II Group 4dr Sedan (3.6L 6cyl 6A)
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
k5qm, Dallas, TX, 03/25/2012
2012 Buick LaCrosse Premium II Group 4dr Sedan (3.6L 6cyl 6A)
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.
Love the car but have mixed feelings right now
hkm77, Redwood City, CA, 11/29/2011
2012 Buick LaCrosse Premium II Group 4dr Sedan (3.6L 6cyl 6A)
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 wont 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).
Edmunds Summary Review of the 2012 Buick LaCrosse Premium II Group Sedan
Pros & Cons
- Pro:Elegant interior styling
- Pro:smooth and quiet ride
- Pro:admirable driving dynamics
- Pro:hybrid's respectable fuel economy
- Pro:good performance from V6 models
- Pro:available all-wheel drive
- Pro:top crash-test scores.
- Con:Limited luggage space, especially with eAssist trim
- Con:compromised rearward visibility
- Con:cluttered control layout.
Full Edmunds Review: 2012 Buick LaCrosse Sedan
Edmunds Insurance Estimator
The Edmunds TCO® estimated monthly insurance payment for a 2012 Buick LaCrosse in Ohio is:
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