Toys4RJill

Wow I News to me that GM did not have a hybrid likeToyofa. I wonder if they could of used the CT6 system?

Sulu

GM does have a hybrid car like the Toyota Camry and Ford Fusion. It is the Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid that uses the same hybrid system as the Volt and the CT6 (but with a smaller battery than the Volt).

I have no idea why GM does not try to put any effort to market it.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Wow good info. I was not aware of this powertrain option on the Malibu. So GM does have 1 series-parallel hybrid after all. No plug-in option on the Malibu, just a full hybrid/strong hybrid whichever term you prefer.

Malibu Hybrid. 1.8L I4 + hybrid rated at 46/47/46 mpg.

spwolf

interesting... likely they are losing money on it, hence they are not pushing it... just like Ford is not spreading their system around and they had a decent one.

Toys4RJill

claypool0

How would you compare the ride quality to Lexus es 5th and 6th generation? Especially on road with imperfections.

claypool0

How do you think the ride quality of the lacrosse comapres to the lexus es350 5th generation and the 6th generation? I really liked how the 5th generation handled nto so perfect roads. The 6th generation I find is a rough ride on rough roads.

mmarshall

I'm with you that the latest 6th generation of ES lacks some of the silky ride, classy interior, and nice materials of the 4Gen version...IMO the best ES ever done, except for some electronic engine/transmission low-speed shift-response quirks that a (supposed) computed ECU was supposed to handle. The 5th generation also lacks some of the 4Gen's excellence, but less so than the current one....the 5Gen was done around the time that Lexus was just starting its cost-cutting in the mid-2000s. I still liked the 6Gen enough, however, for it to be in the Top Five consideration when I ordered my own Lacrosse.

As to how the Lacrosse's ride compares, my 2018 has the standard 18" wheels and tires (Buick offers optional 20" wheels and an adaptive suspension on the Lacrosse, but nobody is buying them....they can't give them away). With the 18's, I find the Lacrosse's overall ride comfort about the same as the 5Gen ES....and slightly better than the 6Gen. Many ES versions come from the factory with Michelin all-seasons, while Buick uses Continental Contipro Contacts on many of its models...the Michelin may be a slightly quieter tire from a road-noise factor, but the Lacrosse generally has more insulation in the wheel wells to make up for it.

As for the complaints you have about your 6Gen on rough roads, try letting a couple of PSI out of the tires and see if that helps (adjust the pressure when the tires are cold, after sitting out of the sun for at least three hours). More weight in the trunk will also help tame the rear suspension a little by lessening the tendency for it to bounce up and down over bumps. But be cautious, and remember a couple of things when doing this....First, softer tires will ride a little better on bumps, but tend to produce more heat, from friction, at highway speeds, especially with more weight in the car. So keep your speeds down. Second, all else equal, steering-response will also be a little slower with softer tires, though, of course, the ES was never designed to be a canyon-carver in the first place.

mmarshall

I addressed your question in the other Lacrosse thread, but re-post it here, since you repeated the question here.

I'm with you that the latest 6th generation of ES lacks some of the silky ride, classy interior, and nice materials of the 4Gen version...IMO the best ES ever done, except for some electronic engine/transmission low-speed shift-response quirks that a (supposed) computed ECU was supposed to handle. The 5th generation also lacks some of the 4Gen's excellence, but less so than the current one....the 5Gen was done around the time that Lexus was just starting its cost-cutting in the mid-2000s. I still liked the 6Gen enough, however, for it to be in the Top Five consideration when I ordered my own Lacrosse.

As to how the Lacrosse's ride compares, my 2018 has the standard 18" wheels and tires (Buick offers optional 20" wheels and an adaptive suspension on the Lacrosse, but nobody is buying them....they can't give them away). With the 18's, I find the Lacrosse's overall ride comfort about the same as the 5Gen ES....and slightly better than the 6Gen. Many ES versions come from the factory with Michelin all-seasons, while Buick uses Continental Contipro Contacts on many of its models...the Michelin may be a slightly quieter tire from a road-noise factor, but the Lacrosse generally has more insulation in the wheel wells to make up for it.

As for the complaints you have about your 6Gen on rough roads, try letting a couple of PSI out of the tires and see if that helps (adjust the pressure when the tires are cold, after sitting out of the sun for at least three hours). More weight in the trunk will also help tame the rear suspension a little by lessening the tendency for it to bounce up and down over bumps. But be cautious, and remember a couple of things when doing this....First, softer tires will ride a little better on bumps, but tend to produce more heat, from friction, at highway speeds, especially with more weight in the car. So keep your speeds down. Second, all else equal, steering-response will also be a little slower with softer tires, though, of course, the ES was never designed to be a canyon-carver in the first place.

mmarshall

Buick just introduced the Black Cherry color for the 2018 Lacrosse (a mid-year update).....same shade, of course, as the Black Cherry on the new Enclave. Nice-looking (one of my favorite dark colors), but those really dark shades can be a b**ch to keep clean, show every scratch and imperfection, and heat up in the sun.



Getting my first oil change next week, BTW.....with about 2500 miles on the clock. The oil-life monitor is down to about 35%....which IMO is about time for it. Besides, first two changes are on the house....that's the way my dealership works.

While I'm there, I'll try and fit in a Regal Tour-X-Wagon test-drive, if an un-sold one is available. I've done the static-review, but not the drive itself.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

Toys4RJill

Who knows? But I think you are right, its dead on arrival. I think the LaCrosse has been a flop in the sales department ever since it was released. Now the base price has been lowered to $29.5K and you also get a huge discount up to 25% if you wait long enough. What is crazy is that the Lexus ES hybrid starts at $42K

LexBob2

The dealers around here are still advertising 2017's. I haven't noticed any ads for 18's.

Toys4RJill

mmarshall

For semi-synthetic oil, at my D.C.-area dealership, typically $30-50, depending on size of the engine, number of quarts needed, service-specials, and/or coupon-specials. Full-synthetic oil costs costs somewhat more, depending on the vehicle (one reason why I generally don't care for turbos, which usually require it). Being a so-called VIP customer, I get an automatic 15% or so off, whether I have a coupon or not...more, sometimes, wth a coupon.

One thing that is interesting about the latest version of the 3.6L V6 is that it uses 5W-30 weight oil, which is somewhat heavier in viscosity than that found in many other new cars today (the four-cylinder hybrid Lacrosse, for example, uses 0W-20). It shows that the engineers were probably more concerned about hot-weather/overheating protection than they were about easy winter-flow starts at very low temperatures.