We’re hopeful, however, that the new-for-2017 LaCrosse will change that. General Motors claims to have put the LaCrosse through the same type of weight-loss regimen as the Cadillac CTS and the Chevrolet Camaro, 10Best Cars awardees that are spectacular to drive. Another new GM product that recently lost a lot of weight is the new Chevy Malibu; the LaCrosse uses a longer-wheelbase version of the Malibu’s Epsilon II platform. The engineering team claims that this LaCrosse is nearly 300 pounds lighter than the outgoing car; fully half of that weight drop comes from a lighter steel structure.
Just as encouragingly, the LaCrosse uses GM’s new 3649-cc V-6, which also appears in the CTS and the Camaro, among other applications. For LaCrosse duty, the engine will produce about 305 horsepower and 268 lb-ft of torque (final numbers aren’t yet blessed by the SAE). That’s just barely more than what the old 3.6-liter V-6 in the previous LaCrosse mustered, but this V-6 will have less weight to contend with. It also pairs with a new eight-speed automatic (controlled by a funky new by-wire setup called Electronic Precision Shift) and comes standard with auto stop-start. All of that should aid the cause of fuel economy, although EPA figures are not yet available.
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