Evaluated according to new, more rigorous guidelines introduced for the 2011 model year, the Buick LaCrosse recently earned a five-star overall safety rating in the New Car Assessment Program administered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
“Car buyers today want the peace of mind that comes with buying a vehicle they know will help protect their family,” said Tony DiSalle, vice president of Buick marketing. “This five-star overall vehicle score for safety shows Buick can equip an affordable luxury midsize sedan with top safety features.”
Among them:
- A full suite of intelligent technologies that provide a “360-degree” field of vision for the driver, delivering added control, safety and peace of mind.
- A side blind-zone alert system that can alert the driver when it senses vehicles traveling in adjacent lanes in the vehicle’s blind spots.
- A rearview camera with a display integrated into the LaCrosse’s navigation screen.
- Air-bag protection that includes front- and side-impact units as well as roof-mounted head-curtain air bags that can provide extra coverage in rollover crashes.
- An advanced front-seat safety-belt setup that includes dual pretensioners and load limiters.
- GM’s StabiliTrak stability- and traction-control system.
- The automaker’s OnStar safety, security and communications system, which is included standard in the first year of LaCrosse ownership.
Also notable is the LaCrosse’s dynamic locking latchplate, which represents a new innovation in front safety-belt systems. The latchplate works to help securely restrain a front-seat occupant’s pelvis under dynamic crash loading, while leveraging safety-belt load limiters to help control strain on the person’s upper torso area. The feature was an important reason the LaCrosse was awarded a five-star frontal crash-test rating for occupants in both front-seat positions.
And in turn, the car’s five-star overall performance is an important reason why the LaCrosse remains a top choice for more and more of today’s discerning drivers.
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