Not that I was ever there, but Buick’s Lucerne offers a pretty good viewpoint

Buick's full-size sedan is in good form. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

to the brand’s heritage a few decades back, a four-wheeled ticket down memory lane to the good ‘ol days of North American motoring. Call it an opened door to the past if you like.

It’s pretty amazing what’s happened to the Buick lineup over the past few years. Its offerings are half of what they were prior to 2005, but this is by no means a shadow of what the brand used to be. Before the price of gas spiked, Buick shed its Terraza minivan and Trailblazer-based Rainier, and gone too was the Rendezvous crossover. Not that I harbour any ill will against them, but good riddance - they merely weighed down Buick’s lineup with product. Collectively, their appeal can’t touch that of their replacement, the excellent Enclave.

Buick’s other two cars are the Allure and Lucerne. The Allure is the oldest product in the Buick portfolio, dating back to 2004 (though, arguably, it is one of the freshest as it’s been updated for ’08 with a facelift). The other vehicle, and the subject of this test, is the Lucerne, the successor to the grand Park Avenue sedan. The Lucerne rides on a platform that was

Three holes indicate that this is indeed a V6-powered car. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

developed just prior to the widespread application of platforms named after Greek letters (the new large RWD platform named “Zeta”, specifically). Both it and Cadillac’s DTS sedan ride on the same G-Body platform, and are produced at the Hamtramck, Detroit assembly plant. They’re large, spacious and designed for comfort - two peas in a pod.

Unlike Chrysler’s 300 or the recently revived Lincoln split grille, Buick doesn’t really have any distinctive or noteworthy styling characteristics, perhaps other than its waterfall grille and the fender-mounted Ventiports. That said, this hasn’t stopped GM from producing a nicely styled, well-proportioned vehicle. It doesn’t look anywhere near as long as a DTS despite being fairly close in length, and it neither appears as bulky or slab-sided. It’s also less garish than that aforementioned 300, and has more flow that the dome-like shape of the Taurus. I mean, I appreciate the DTS’ Art & Science styling as it’s a very unique approach, but I think the Lucerne's more classic European-influenced lines have greater appeal to the general public.

It can be fitted with heated and ventilated seats and a heated wood-rimmed steering wheel. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

Much the same applies to the interior of the Lucerne. It’s conservatively styled and fairly nicely appointed, but it isn’t going to land any two-page spreads in an interior design magazine. The controls are simple and easy to figure out, not to mention they’re very familiar. Because it is Buick’s flagship sedan, you’ll find a few nice touches; the quality of the materials used is better than that of the Allure with a softer finish on the grained areas of the dash, while the door panels have a nice stitched trimming. If space is what you’re after, the Lucerne has plenty of it, in front and in back. Though it’s not quite at the top of its class, you’ll be hard pressed to want more. Low door sills mean that there’s good visibility too. Although the Lucerne isn’t a performance vehicle, I firmly believe that GM could instantly improve things by offering seats with more lateral support. They’re about was wide and as flat as Kansas, and surprisingly, there’s no lumbar support, manual or power. But, you can get them heated and/or ventilated, which is a nice, premium touch. So is the availability of a heated wood-rimmed steering wheel. In true full-size American tradition, you can get a Lucerne equipped with a front bench too.

Buick has stepped up its technology on the Lucerne. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

In fact, if you’re a bit surprised to hear about ventilated seats in a Buick sedan, you’ll be happy to know that you can get the Lucerne with quite a few unexpected high-end options. For instance, it can be had with radar-based blind-spot cameras, which keep tabs on what’s around you but not in your direct line of sight, and, it has a lane departure warning system. Sounds like the kind of stuff you’d likely see on a high-end Infiniti or Volvo, but these items are available straight across the board on all Lucernes, and not just as an option on the most expensive models.

The easiest way to tell what’s under the hood of a Lucerne is to look at its fenders, not its exhaust pipes. Three chrome-lined holes mean it’s a V6-powered car, and four mean that it’s got an extra two cylinders helping out. The engine is a General Motors classic, the Series III 3800 V6 (a la Grand Prix), which makes 197 horsepower. It isn’t necessarily new, but it does the job, using its reserves of torque to effortlessly waft along. With Quiet Tuning, you don’t really hear the growly nature of the 3800, except if you’re on the outside. And, considering that its 227 lb-ft of torque is developed at fairly low revs, the Lucerne moves along well enough that most won’t be bothered with a need for more.

Controls are very familiar. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

After the V6, it’s a big step up to V8 power. You go from the old Series III 3800 engine (a la Grand Prix), to the high-end, technologically advanced 4.6-litre DOHC Northstar V8 engine that rates just shy of 300 horsepower in the new for ’08 Super model, which heats things up with a more performance-biased ride and handling setup. In previous years this engine was offered in the CXS model with 275 horsepower, but now the Super makes 292. This is the same engine that you’ll find under the hood of the DTS, but it’s rated a little lower in the horsepower count. The Super package also includes a slightly elongated and pointy grille. For the glory of the cylinder count, it's Super or nothing.

I am a bit surprised to see that there isn’t a little something to bridge the gap between the two engines; GM’s 3.6-litre high-feature V6 engine, as found in the mid-range Allure and a whole host of other GM products would be a good fit here. In fact, if it were me that were planning things out, I’d make it the standard engine, as it would allow the entry level model to compete evenly against its rivals, such as the Avalon, Maxima and even the Taurus, which all put out figures in the 260+ horsepower range. The fact that there isn’t going to be a fourth-generation version of the 3800, due to emissions control, means that the 3.6 is probably going to take its place anyway.

I will say from the outset, the Lucerne is not a car designed for speed, but for comfort. If you like cars that feel like they’re hovering on a cloud of air, then the Lucerne should be right up your alley. Similar comments apply to the steering; having gotten out of a Jaguar XF prior to my drive, it feels unusually light. This tuning works well at low speeds; just twirl your finger and the wheel quickly responds, but at higher speeds the steering conveys

The Lucerne is true Buick - big and comfortable, but now, with the latest toys and V8 power. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

your intentions to the road in an odd manner. You end up sawing through what would otherwise be constant radius corners, correcting your action. This is a trait I’ve noticed in a couple of bigger GM cars, so it’s something that its target buyers must be used to. The ride quality is nothing short of plush, eating up the bigger bumps with ease, and what’s more is that the car is library-quiet. It’s exactly what you’d expect of a Buick, and nothing less. Though this tester didn’t have it, the Lucerne is offered with Magnetic Ride, which uses the same magnetorheological suspension (magnetically charged particles suspended in a damping fluid) as in the DTS and other Cadillacs, not to mention the Corvette. StabiliTrak is an option on all V6-equipped Lucernes, and is standard when you step up to models with V8 power.

With North American buyers shifting into smaller and smaller vehicles, you might not think that there’s much of a bright future for big Buicks, but you don’t need to look too far down the road to see that plans are well in place. What might surprise you even more is where they’re coming from - China. Just a month ago, across the pacific, GM’s international design studios came up with the Invicta, a stunning looking Buick that’s embraced the brand’s heritage, but has instilled it with international tastes and cutting edge components, the sort of things that Buick needs to keep it pertinent in the coming years.

Specifications (Buick Lucerne CXL):

• Price Range (MSRP): $34,120 - $46,485
• Price as Tested (MSRP): $35,775
• Body Type: 4-door sedan
• Layout: front engine, FWD
• Engine: 197 horsepower, 227 lb-ft of torque, 3.9L, 12-valve OHV V6
• Transmission: 4-spd auto
• Brakes (front/rear): disc/disc, ABS, EBD
• Dimensions (L/W/H/WB): 5,161 / 1,874 / 1,473 / 2,936 mm (203.2 / 73.8 / 58.0 / 115.6 in)
• Curb Weight: 1,800 kg (3,969 lbs)
• Tires: 235/55R17
• Cargo Volume (trunk): 481 L (17.0 cu ft)
• Fuel Economy (city/hwy): 12.0 / 7.2 L/100 km
• Observed Fuel Economy: 12.5 L/100 km
• Warranty (mo/km): 48/80,000 comprehensive - 60/160,000 powertrain
• Competitors: Chrysler 300, Cadillac DTS, Dodge Charger, Ford Taurus, Hyundai Azera, Kia Amanti, Lexus ES350, Lincoln MKS, Nissan Maxima, Toyota Avalon
• Website: www.buick.ca

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