The redesigned Buick LaCrosse earns a good rating in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s challenging small overlap front crash test and qualifies for a TOP SAFETY PICK award.
The large car held up well in the test, which replicates what happens when the front driver-side corner of a vehicle strikes another vehicle or an object such as a tree or utility pole. Maximum intrusion was 4 inches at the footrest. The airbags and safety belt worked reasonably well together. Measures taken from the dummy indicate a low risk of any significant injuries in a crash of this severity.
The 2017 LaCrosse also earns good ratings in the moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint tests.
The car earns a superior rating for front crash prevention when equipped with optional automatic braking. In the 12 mph IIHS track test, the car avoided a collision. In the 25 mph test, the impact speed was reduced by an average of 24 mph. The system also has a forward collision warning component that meets National Highway Traffic Safety Administration criteria.
When equipped with an optional warning system only, the LaCrosse earns a basic rating for front crash prevention.
The TOP SAFETY PICK award is given to vehicles that earn good ratings in the Institute’s five crashworthiness tests and have an available front crash prevention system that earns an advanced or superior rating.
Vehicles that also come with good or acceptable headlights can earn TOP SAFETY PICK+. The LaCrosse’s only available headlights earn a poor rating. The low beams provide inadequate visibility on the straightaway and the left curves.
