Typically, the most advanced safety features are very costly and only available on foreign luxury cars. With the 2017 Buick LaCrosse, Buick completely re-imagined the design and offers the most extensive complete “Guardian Angel” features at an affordable price which is why it was nominated for the Tech CARS Awards and is receiving many votes.
“Buick has several engineers working on making safety as part of the design of the Buick LaCrosse,” said Stuart Fowle at the Buick display during the LA Auto Show, “The response has been spectacular. People not only love the new design, they like knowing it is packed with the latest technology and safety features.”
Sometimes it gets confusing what safety features do what, here is a list of the Buick LaCrosse ADAS features:
- Front Pedestrian Braking – which detects and automatically applies the brakes when pedestrians are detected in some driving conditions.
- Lane Keep Assist (with Lane Departure Warning)- provides gentle steering wheel turns – and Lane Departure Warning alerts, if necessary – to help drivers avoid crashes due to unintentionally drifting out of their lane.
- Front and Rear Park Assist, Advanced Park Assist – automatic steering for parking in parallel and perpendicular parking spaces.
- Forward Collision Alert – crash-avoidance technologies that use a camera and sensors to help determine when the driver is getting too close to a vehicle ahead. This system alerts the driver with visual cues on the dashboard as well as audible signals. Drivers that have the added benefit of the Safety Alert Seat which provides a vibrating pulse on both sides of the seat when a frontal threat is detected.
- Advanced Adaptive Cruise Control (with collision mitigation braking) – automatically accelerates and brakes to maintain a driver-selected gap that can even work in stop-and-go traffic.
- 10 standard air bags, including two knee air bags for front passengers.
- Side Blind Zone Alert – this feature uses radar to sense vehicles that are in blind spot and alerts to their presence. The system uses alternating radar beams that sweep outward from the vehicle, covering a zone of about one lane wide on both sides of the vehicle. The zone also extends back approximately 10 feet from the rear of the vehicle for an added layer of protection.
- Lane Change Alert – Under most driving conditions, the system helps to inform the driver of fast-approaching vehicles in the next lane that are up to 230 feet (70 meters) behind the car. The LaCrosse is one of the first vehicles to offer this technology.
- Forward Automatic Braking – can apply brakes when the system detects that a crash may be imminent and the driver has not taken action. It can apply hard braking to help reduce the severity of the crash, or it may assist the driver to avoid the crash.
- Rear Cross Traffic Alert – Based on the radar sensors of side blind zone alert, it can warn the driver of vehicles in traffic when backing out of a parking spot – including angled parking. Visual, and audible or available seat vibration alerts are triggered if moving vehicles are detected.
- Rear Vision Camera – In reverse, the camera provides a view of the area behind the LaCrosse, shown on the display in the center stack infotainment system.
- Safety Alert Seat – uses the sense of touch not to overload the driver and has the effect of someone in the back seat tapping you on the shoulder. Safety Alert Seat vibration motors are positioned on the left and right bolster of the seat, which some may define as the upper thigh or hip areas depending upon the size of the driver. The vibration is not startling but gentle and described as feeling like a vibrating cell phone when it goes off in your pocket. If a driver begins departing into the left lane, the left side of the seat vibrates with three pulses. If the driver veers off to the right the right side of the seat bolster vibrates with three pulse. In the case of a front collision warning both sides of the seat vibrate. In conjunction with the rear camera, the seat will warn of rear cross traffic that is highlighted on the camera screen. If a car is approaching from the left the left side vibrates or vice versa. Typical scenarios for which this is helpful are backing out of driveway or backing out of a parking space at a busy mall. Drivers with Safety Alert Seats like the privacy of a vibration. When the alert is felt by the driver the passengers are not aware that the driver has been alerted.
Teen Driver is a new to the Buick brand. It supports safe driving habits by muting the audio when front-seat occupants aren’t wearing their safety belts. It gives parents access to their kids’ driving statistics, such as maximum speed, miles driven, alerts and when safety features such as Forward Collision warning and Braking are used. Teen Driver warns the teen driver with audio and visual alerts when s/he drives above certain speeds. The parents set up the feature with a PIN in the Buick Intellilink system and registers the teen’s key fob. Audible and visual warnings are activated when the car is driving faster than allowed by the parents.
In fact, a survey conducted by the College of Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University revealed that 84% parents want connected car controls to control a set speed limit, curfew time and number of passengers.
Buikc LaCrosse Technology upgrades
- The latest edition of Buick IntelliLink (frameless 8-inch-diagonal color touchscreen with features to enhance customer experience such as Advanced Park Assist visibility on-screen and improved voice recognition.)
- All-new Electronic Precision Shift – which provides smooth, precise and responsive shifting while enabling added storage in the center console
- Heads-up display – that offers four page views: speed, audio, navigation and performance and alerts for certain active safety features such as Lane Keep Assist and Forward Collision Alert
- Wireless device charging.
The Buick LaCrosse was nominated for the Tech CARS Awards for its Guardian Angel safety features in fact when you look at the drawing provided by Buick all the radar and camera signals look like a beautiful angel in the snow.