Buick updates tech in 2014 LaCrosse

When Buick updated its LaCrosse model with its mild hybrid system, eAssist, and the IntelliLink infotainment system for the 2012 model year, the car was the most technically advanced Buick available. Rather than rest on its laurels, Buick gives the model new internal tech features for a 2014 model year update, including a new LED panel in the instrument cluster.

The 2014 LaCrosse model will feature the same drivetrain options as before, a 2.4-liter four-cylinder aided by a 15-horsepower electric motor or a more traditional 3.6-liter V-6 with direct injection.

The look gets refreshed slightly with new LED parking-light strips in the headlight casings, a design cue that puts the LaCrosse in tune with many, many other models currently on the road.

The instrument cluster does not appear to have gone full digital. Instead, Buick places an 8-inch LCD between physical gauges for tachometer, fuel, and engine temperature. The LCD portrays a speedometer and other graphics useful to the driver, such as adaptive cruise control information.

The 2014 LaCrosse benefits from the new IntelliLink system (called MyLink in Chevrolet vehicles) GM showed CNET at CES this year. This system mimics the interface of a smartphone, presenting icons for different apps and letting the driver rearrange them by dragging around the screens.

The car also debuts new driver assistance features from GM, such as the aforementioned adaptive cruise control. A blind-spot monitoring system, lane departure warning, and rear cross-traffic alert will also be available. Like the Cadillac ATS and XTS, the LaCrosse incorporates GM's Safety Alert Seat feature, which conveys warnings to the driver by buzzing either side of the seat.

The previous-generation LaCrosse offered premium car amenities at a price undercutting much of the foreign competition. Buick will likely continue that strategy with the 2014 update.