Buick LaCrosse: Real World MPG

richard70 · May 2006

I have a new 2006 La Crosse with 2500 miles. The gas mileage is awful. 24 and 1/2 miles per gallon on a freeway and 14 miles per gallon in city driving - no traffic jams. My previous car was a 1997 Olds 88. It got 29 miles per gallon on the freeway - often more. The Lacrosse seems to run well. However, the tachometer goes up to 3,000 RPMs in city driving with a light touch on the gas pedal and then drops back down to 1,000 RPM s. Is this normal?
With the very low gas mileage,it seems to me that something must be wrong. Any suggestions on what I should as a dealer's service department to check out.
Thank you.
Richard70

hjw1 · May 2006

Which engine do you have? If your Lacrosse has the 3800, then something must be wrong that your dealer's service department should be able to identify, and repair. If you have the 3.6, I am not surprised by your mileage results.

richard70 · May 2006

Thanks to hjw1 for his comment. My Lacrosse is a CS with the 3800 Series III V6 rated at 29 MPG highway. I will make an appointment with the dealer to have the car checked out. 24 1/2 on the highway and 14 MPG in the city does not seem right.
Richard70

sscott3 · May 2006

How does it feel to get screwed by GM? My 05 LaCrosse CXS gets 19.4 mpg with 75% highway driving. I just had it into the dealer today with 12000 miles for an oil change and for poor mileage. They don't have a clue what is wrong. From your description we may have a similar problem. I noticed that this car does not coast nearly as far as my old 99 Regal with the SC3800. This car coasts about 1/4 mile less distance from 70 mph to 45. Too much rolling resistance might cause the RPM to jump up to overcome. My car slows down coasting downhill in neutral. The dealer says the brakes show no sign of heat. The car tracks and stops straight. I don't know what could be causing the mileage problem. I have owned eight new GM cars in my sixty years, but if this is not resolved this one will be my last! I'll buy a Honda or Toyota like everyone else. Please let the rest of us know if you discover the problem.

poncho167 · May 2006

I wouldn't be happy with that mileage either, but I wouldn't consider yourself screwed. This situation has happened on many over-rated Japanese cars and you shouldn't jump on the Japanese band wagon every time something is not right.

bluecxs · May 2006

I have a 2005 3.6 that gets less than 14 mpg. Buick states that is running to specification. What do you know about the 3.6that makes you think the mileage will not be good?

Thanks,

gorphil · May 2006

The poor fuel economy may be due to an incorrectly adjusted parking brake pedal. In other words, the parking brakes are slightly engaged even when they are supposed to be off.

This condition can be easily identified if the parking brake pedal has a very short travel when applied.

My 2005 Allure had this problem.

imidazol97 · May 2006

When you reset the mileage meter while you're traveling on an open highway like and interstate at 60 mph, what does the meter say after a few miles of driving at one speed. Is it close to 30 mpg?

bluecxs · May 2006

My highway mileage is about 25. The problem is city driving. My wife used the car for local driving and get less tham 14 mpg. She got almost 17 with my 97 Regal GS.
The Regal was rated at 18 city and the Lacrosse is rated at 19. I thought I would get close to what the Regal got.

jmw4 · May 2006

I have the CXS and routinely get 21 mpg in a mix of 80% highway. Straight highway is about 25/26, but a lot of stop and go traffic can easily keep city mileage at 15 - 16 mpg. The car has been perfect mechanically, but the mileage is rather poor.

hjw1 · May 2006

The 3800 models come with a 2.86 axle ratio, the 3.6 models come with a 3.69 axle ratio. The difference makes sense because the 3.6 develops its increased horsepower at a fairly high RPM. The result is that the 3.6 will have better performance, but at the expense of fuel economy.

My experience is with the Series II 3800. I would like to hear more feedback from Series III owners, regarding their fuel ecomomy.

62vetteefp · May 2006

REally should not be any difference due to Series III. I think the only real difference is the structural oil pan.

hjw1 · May 2006

My wife and I are considering buying a LaCrosse or Lucerne next spring. I would like one last 3800 because of the engine's reliability and efficiency. I'm counting on the Series III being everything the Series II was, or better, but I'm very interested in what owners are experiencing.

imidazol97 · May 2006

Does the III have an aluminum intake?

hjw1 · May 2006

Yes, I believe it does.

evandro · May 2006

Aluminum intake manifold, electronic throttle, complies with current emission standards, etc.

HTH

62vetteefp · May 2006

Oh yea, the drive by wire throttle does improve vibration feel to the driver. Still I do ont believe that will have much effect on reliability vs the old series II.

evandro · May 2006

Actually, as it's a new feature, it's likely to be a minus in reliability terms.

Too bad, for this is the last incarnation of the venerable 3.8 V6.

62vetteefp · May 2006

Actually it is new on the LaCrosse but has been used before. I see the LaCrosse in the top 3 for quality when the June IQS2 comes out. Last year it was beat by the Century/Impala/Grand Prix. With the Century gone it should move up.

Yea, the LaCrosse will be the last to use the 3800. Time for it to fade into history.

bluecxs · May 2006

I suggest, before buying a LaCrosse, test drive a used LaCrosse or get a rental for a few days.
My interior is very noisy, the drive train is noisy, I have severe wind noise when there is a cross wind and almost all interior panels squeak. My console squeaks when I hit the brakes or gas. The door panels squeak when I turn during the first drive of the day.
Buick can't fix anything because they cannot hear anything.

62vetteefp · May 2006

Test drive is a good idea. My moms CX is the quietest car she has ever driven. Rides like a dream. That is her take on it.

adamc · May 2006

I've test driven two and they've been blissfully quiet.

bluecxs · May 2006

My LaCrosse was quite for about 6000 miles, then it started to get extremely noisy. That is why I said to test drive a used car or a rental.

62vetteefp · May 2006

You said Buick cannot hear anything. Are you talking about a dealership? If so have you tried going to a different one. Dealerships are independent and you can take it to any one you want under warranty.

jmw4 · May 2006

I think I know what you are referring to by the creaking console. It's all plastic and in cold weather over rough road I can hear it also in my CXS. Now that the weather is warm, it is fine. Everything else is as tight and rattle free after 14,000 miles as the day I bought it. Aside from that occasional console creak, I find it one of the quietest cars I have ever driven, little if any road and engine noise. Quieter than my past lexus or acura cars I have had.

kevo · June 2006

I posted to this forum (I think) way back around Feb 05 saying how pleased I was with my CXS. I would like to take it all back now. I would like to chime in on the poor fuel mileage and squeaks and rattles. The car has never gotten better than 17 mpg 50/50 highway/city. The car has 12,500 miles and I have squeaks all of the time, hot or cold. Too bad the rest of the car is quiet because it makes the squeaks all the more noticeable. I'm going to take it in the shorts when I trade this heap on a foreign car. As a comparison, my mother bought a Lexus ES330 one month before I bought mine. She now has 40,000 and the car is as nice today as the day she got it and even gets good mileage.

I had to edit the post because I forgot to write about the paint chipping. It seems to be really soft paint or something due to the chips where one doesn't expect to have chipped paint, rear bumper, rear decklid, high on the hood near the windshield.

SHAME ON GM.

As an aside, the service received from the dealer I bought it has been marginal at best. I just love dirty motor oil on my nice leather seats and waiting an hour for said oil to be changed. Twice.

Kevin

jmw4 · June 2006

Too bad on the squeaks and rattles. Since the weather turned warm, even the console creak is gone on mine and I never did have any rattles. I had a lexus es300 once and it squeaked from the day I bought it till I got tired of it mostly due to the short seat bottoms. Only negative I have on the Lacrosse is the gas mileage in stop and go traffic. On the highway, I can get up to 27 mpg. You are correct on trade value, at present, one would be lucky to get about $19,000 on a trade for average miles, assuming one optimized the cost of their new car purchased.

gorphil · June 2006

If owners are using the economy indicator in the Driver Information Centre to determine mileage, reset it and see what happens. The economy indicator in my 2005 Allure was stuck on 11.4 liters per hundred kilometers and did not change. After I reset the indicator, it operated properly. It now shows 11.1 liters per hundred kilometers for combined driving. Not as good as my 2002 Regal.
I also have the creak in the console; however, I have not investigated to determine the cause. The left side appears to be up too high at the back. Perhaps there is an adjustment.
No problems with water leaks and the car is very smooth and quiet.

kevo · June 2006

I use the economy indicator as a snapshot and reset it at each fill-up. I back that up with the good ol' math Miles/Gallon. They are always close, usually the car is more optimistic than reality. 17-18 MPG tops. The instantaneous MPG sometimes goes up around 30, but pull a slight hill and it drops to 13-14. With economy like this, I see no penalty in getting the SUV I wanted in the first place.

sscott3 · June 2006

I do consider myself screwed. I have had the car back to the dealer more than once and at first they trued to tell me it was the way I drive, giving me driving 101 type advise. Then they said that because the EPA rating is 19 to 27 and I am getting 19.4 that is normal. My 99 Regal GS with the SC3800 got 22 to 23 mpg. Same driver, same route, same everything except the car. I'm an engineer for a supplier to the auto industry and I have always been pretty avid about buying American. I got over it. GM has lost about half of their market share over the last 30 years, one customer at a time. I've worked with GM, Ford, Chrysler and Toyota developing parts and in my opinion Toyota has their act together. It's not surprising to me that they are continuing to grab more and more market share. To be fair, I like the LaCrosse, but the poor mileage is hard to take. It costs me about $300 per year in extra fuel cost at $3/gal. My current plan is to stencil "19 MPG" on the inside of each back window so others can know what they can expect from a LaCrosse.

adamc · June 2006

It's just one thing to consider, and I don't want to overstate the significance of it, but with the new ethanol standards for gasoline, everybody is getting slightly worse mileage these days.

Ethanol is less energy dense than gasoline, and many folks have reported a 5-6% drop in mileage with the new formulation.

sscott3 · June 2006

When I bought my CXS in May 05 I was disappointed with the mileage at about 19 mpg. The car continued at just under 20 mpg for the summer and dropped to 19.4 mpg over the winter. I had the same squeaks and rattles others have mentioned particularly in the winter with cold temps. I still have a creek in the dash. I recently took a 500 mile trip over a weekend. Mostly 70 mph (50%) and 60 mph (30%) with some 65 and slower speeds all highway with cruise engaged. It got 24.9 mpg. I suppose that a sustained 55 mph could yield close to the 27 mpg EPA estimate. Others have reported very poor city mileage of around 14 mpg and my 25% city driving on my day to day commute to work is probably what is doing me in. Since reseting the average calculator it's running at just over 20. I now am thinking that it is the axle ratio used for the CXS that is responsible for the poor mileage. The 3800 engine with the higher axle ratio does much better. I traded a car I liked (99 Regal GSE) that got 22- 23 mpg and required premium fuel with an EPA est of 18/26 for an 05 CXS with an EPA est of 19/27 and only needing regular fuel. I gave up the performance of the SC3800 engine expecting better fuel economy. I got poorer performance as expected and poorer gas mileage as well. GM, you wont get another chance at my business.

62vetteefp · June 2006

The axle ratio has been changed for 2007 for the 3.8 version.

jfgte8296 · July 2006

I fugured out where that creaking in the center console is comming from but not how to fix it yet. If you tilt the two center air vent down all the way, and push down on that plastic base you will here the noise. Now If only I could figure out how to stop it. I may use some dense foam tape to try to dampent it but have to leave room to allow the vents to be tilted.

tedescm1 · August 2006

fyi,,

I bought a acura tl and also creaks and rattles

get the Lexus

djm2 · November 2006

I am looking to purchase a new vehicle. One of the vehicles of interest is a 2007 Buick LaCrosse with a 3.8 V6 engine, CXL / Drivers confidence pkg., CF5 - Power Glass Sunroof, and KA1 - Heated Front Seats. The vehicle is rated for 20 mpg city and 30 hwy. After reading these postings dealing with vehicle mileage, I am having second thoughts???????????!!!!!!!!!!!!! --- Best regards. --- Dwyane :confuse:

:lemon:

imidazol97 · November 2006

Dwayne,

Having had 3 3800s in heavier leSabres and getting 35-38 at steady cruise speeds below 65 on them and getting 30-31 overall on distance interstate travel with AC on and 3 adults and luggage in the car, I don't understand the lower results for the 3800.

I'd suggest renting one for a trip and even renting one for a few days around town. Get one with a digital readout for mileage that you can reset and watch for a while.

Our leSabres tend toward 24 for me and 22 for my wife in around suburbs driving including short trips to grocery, post office, shopping, etc., ranging 1 to 8 miles.

russellm · November 2006

I bought my 2006 LaCrosse with the 3.8L engine in July of 2006 and was somewhat up set with the gas mileage, but as the car has broken in the mileage has improved. With 4500 miles on it now, in mixed driving, it's getting between 26 and 28 consistantly. This is a vast improvement from the 18 to 19 I first got it.

I had a 2002 Regal with the same motor and what I'm getting now with the LaCrosse is about what I got with the Regal. I took the Regal on a trip and got 33 mpg with it, but I haven't gone on any trips with the LaCrosse yet.

The only difference I see between the two cars, is the Regal seemed a bit more responsive when given the gas, and no it wasn't super-charged. The Lacrosse seems to downshift more often than the Regal did and the gas pedal seems to be harder to press.

I was told years ago by an old mechanic that you shouldn't see your best gas mileage or performance until an engine has 7000 miles on it. Maybe that's true, at least my cars gas mileage has been going up as the miles have.

It's pretty difficult here in MD to get a good grasp on your gas mileage, since depending where you live determines what additives they put in your gas. If you live where they do smog testing, the gas has an additive to cut down on smog and makes your gas mileage drop, then in the winter they mess with the formulation again. The biggest pain is in your wallet. I can go 20 miles away to the next county and pay 10 to 15 cents less and not have any of these power robbing additives, while getting much better gas mileage. I did that today and in mostly highway driving with some town and a few stop lights, when I got home,I had averaged 30.6 mpg on my average fuel mileage reading, which is usually 1 mpg more than what it is if you figure it out by hand.

hitman1970 · November 2006

My vehicle now has 3300 miles on it. The overall mileage has crept up to 20 MPG. It would be great to see it improve as I head to 7000 miles. Still love this great car.

hitman1970 · December 2006

Just drove over 1200 miles from Tennessee to Massachusetts for the holidays. My 3.6L engine averaged 25.5 MPG for the trip. Pretty decent mileage. We were stuck in several long traffic jams once we hit the New Jersey/ New York area. The car now has 5300 miles on it and averages about 21 MPG overall. Just had an oil change and the tires rotated before the road trip. Am now running synthetic oil in it and will consider actually using the Oil Life System versus mileage for oil changes.

johnsvette · February 2007

I just checked this post and at least I'm not alone in the poor mileage, I have a 05 CXS with the 3.6L I've had it for 11 months. the best MPG is ever got was on a trip 24, it averages 15 /16 MPG (70%city 30%highway)I live in the northeast and now its averaging 13.5 to 14.5 MPG this winter. I know the winter you usually drop mileage, but what sucks is I traded in a 04 trailblazer 4X4 that was getting between 13 and 14MPG in the same winters with the same driver going the same places. and to think the dealer told me there was no complaints about fuel economy.

hitman1970 · February 2007

2006 CXS with 5 months of ownership 8700 miles, 21.1 MPG 50/50 driving, and still have a quiet interior. Hope your situation improves.

markfnc · May 2007

Just filled up for the first time. 2007 CX with 3.8 398 miles and it took 15.8 gal to fill up 25.2 mpg. Probably 60% hwy.

After the fill up i got right on the hwy and drove about 30 miles at 58 mph with cruise on. The computer said 32.2 mpg. Of course at 58 I thought i was gonig to get run over.

hitman1970 · May 2007

So far I have 12000 miles on my 2006 CXS. I have an average of 21.9 on my DIC now. I have had the the car for eight months now. It has been a pleasure to own the entire time. I have driven from Tennessee to Massachusetts and down to Alabama with it. Excellent comfort on long road trips.

dnguy · May 2007

I have a 2007 CXL with 15,000 miles. Fuel monitor is reporting 32/33 mpg while car is going between 55-60 mph in cruise control. This is optimal.

Higher speeds (say, 70 mph) will cut this by 10-15%. Also speeding up and slowing down frequently, also hard on mpg.

For best fuel economy, stay at the speed limit, and use cruise control. Other cars will speed by at 70-80 mph but so what.

DNGUY

markfnc · May 2007

I have a 2007 LaCrosse CX. My 1st tank was 25.2 mpg, and the 2nd tank was 25.8 mpg. Those are actual miles divided by gallons put in. On the 2nd tank the computer reading for the entire tank was 25.7 mpg vs the actual of 25.8 so that was real acurate. I drove one stretch right after I filled up the 1st time. drove 30 miles on the higheay with the cruise on 58 mph, adn the computer said 32.2 mpg wgwen i got off the highway. I want to take a trip to see how close to 30 i could really get.

markfnc · July 2007

2 month update.

Total miles 6319
Total gallons used = 243.16
Overall MPG = 25.99
Best tank MPG = 27.279
Worst tank MPG = 23.495

changed oil @ 4132

No problems

We were on vacation last week, so the car was not driven that week as this is a company car, and we took the wives Freestar. So actually the miles driven per week is about 702.

markfnc · August 2007

3 month update
Total miles = 9516
Total gallons used = 368.50
overall mpg = 25.82
best tank mpg = 27.279
worst tank mpg = 23.495

changed oil 4132, then 8275

no problems. The transmission shifts smooth, the engine is quiet. Of course I have never been in a Lexus so can't compare. But for the cars / SUV / Mini vans I have driven this is the quietest, and smoothest. As stated before the driver seat needs lumbar control.

hitman1970 · August 2007

Now have 14,550 miles on my CXS. Have done a lot more city driving recently and my overall mileage is now 21.1 MPG. No issues at all with the car. Still a pleasure to drive. I had done two oil changes and replaced the air filter so far.

johnnyreb2 · October 2007

Purchase vehicle on 3/29/07 at local Buick Dealer down here in Florida.

Wife and I decide to drive up to New York area and visit family in New England area and also family on eastern Long Island.

Drove over 4,022.0 miles. This mileage included a lot of stop and go traffic plus driving in city and rural town roads. Current mileage on vehicle is 7,655 miles

My over all gas mileage was 27.3 MPG. Got as high as 31.9 and low at 24.4 MPG combined highway and city driving. Set cruise control on 65 MPH as much as possible.

Really enjoy this Buick. Nice car. Love the remove starting system. Best accessory that I every purchased on a new vehicle. This is our 4 Buick. Had a 1985,1994 and 1999.
Feel this mileage is fairly good for a car this size. Had a 2005 Honda which I traded in on this Buick. Honda was nice but not for a long ride. Found out the seat are not the greatest thing on the road. Mileage was good between 29 and 34 MPG on open highway but murder on the old back. Decide to trade in Honda on Buick.

cerimele · November 2007

:mad: :sick:

I just purchased my 2007 Buick Lacross I am only getting 12 mpg on the highway I drove 680 miles last week end and used $90.00 worth of gas @3.00 per gallon,I only had the car 3 or
4 weeks at the most I am just sick,I drive 60 miles per week
back and forth to work, on Wenesday I put in 10.00 for a test run I drove 31 miles since then and I have 1/8 of a tank today Friday,there is something that is not right with this gas milage.I like some suggestions please.I need help. :lemon:

Buick LaCrosse: Real World MPG

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