- Type: Large premium sedan
- Price: $43,315
- Engine: 4.6-litre V-8, DOHC
- Horsepower/Torque: 275 hp/295 lb-ft
- Transmission: Four-speed automatic
- Drive: Front-drive
- Fuel Economy (litres/100 km): 13.8 city/8.8 highway; premium
- Alternatives: Chrysler 300, Ford Five Hundred (Ford Taurus), Toyota Avalon, Kia Amanti
Like
- Tasteful interior and attractive exterior
- Loads of space
- A good quality story
- Comfy in a straight line
Don't like
- Can be a handful in a parking lot
- Faux wood trim does not work
- The V-8 might be just too much power to the front wheels
Buick's heyday was during the time of the muscle cars in the 1960s. Since then, Buick has executed a steady slide to the fuddy-duddy end of the automotive spectrum. Even at that, the Buick Century was one of the top-selling sedans as recently as the 1980s.
The Century is gone, now. So is the LeSabre. The Park Avenue, too. Buick has replaced the latter two with the Lucerne ($31,445-43,315).
The Lucerne has a sleek shape and an attractive interior and while the standard motor is a 197-horsepower pushrod V-6, there is an optional V-8 (275 hp) for higher-priced versions. The V-8 gurgles and growls softly and is plenty powerful, while the V-6 sounds and feels a bit coarse, though adequately gutsy.
Now I'll confess that I don't like to think of myself as a Buick type and the numbers say I am not. I am close to two decades younger than the average Buick buyer.
Still, there is something to be said for a four-door car that is practical, comfortable and completely easy to use. The V-8 version, the top-of-the-line CXS, is also pretty peppy and stuffed with all the luxury odds and ends most people will ever want.
Not only that, the design works. The subtle wedge shape, the low, rounded front end and the vertically chopped tail are really quite modern. Less aggressive are most of the car's edges, which are rounded and soft looking. The large grille with fine vertical slots is there, too — and needs to be as a Buick styling signature dating to the 1940s.
The V-8 engine is solid, though it is bordering on being more powerful than necessary for a big, front-driver. Case in point: during full-throttle acceleration the engine horses can overwhelm the wheels and tires.Once moving, the Lucerne's ride is soft and comfortable in most conditions. This is good for straight-ahead ride comfort and welcome on rough pavement. However, when the roads get really bad, the Lucerne likes to bounce up and down.
Competition? The Ford Five Hundred (soon to be the 2008 Taurus), Chrysler 300 and Toyota Avalon are three key rivals. Against them, the Lucerne measures up well enough in everyday driving, though the old-fashioned four-speed automatic transmission is, well, dated. The others have five or six speeds.
The Lucerne's back-seat room rivals most limousines and the trunk is huge. In fact, the car is wide enough to accommodate three child seats strapped across the back seat.
Of course, the Lucerne is what it is thanks to Cadillac. You see, it rides on a version of the chassis used for the Cadillac DTS. And compared to the Caddy, the Lucerne is more pleasant to drive, more appealing inside, slicker-looking outside and less expensive. It is, in a nutshell, a very good upscale, front-drive sedan.
Here's another thing and it has to do with quality. Buick's is pretty good and, in fact, it regularly outscores Toyota, Honda and some other highly regarded brands in J.D. Power and Associates' surveys. In my tester, interior trim, fabric, controls, and the way the parts fit together were all at the premium end of the scale.
As for being a fogey car, well, Buick is far from a hip brand, but the sportiest Lucerne, the CXS, does have bigger wheels, tires and brakes than the others and a firmer suspension for more agile handling. All good.
Not so good is the big turning circle diameter that comes with the bigger wheels. It is as expansive as a full-size pickup and that makes it clumsy in some parking lots.
