Buick Comfort and Style, with Handling, Performance, and Technology to Rival Europeans Buick Lucerne by Casey Williams - www.car-data.com
If I don’t quit praising Buicks, you are going to think GM is buying me off. It’s not the case. I’ve even had phone calls from GM reps about being too tough on them. Truth is, I like many of the new Buicks. They’re undeniably comfortable, elegantly styled, high quality, competitively priced, and buffed for this time. Cars like the Lucerne Super nod to the past, but are ready to compete with fleet feet today.
I recently drove the 2008 Buick Lucerne Super in Lake Geneva, WI. Earlier in the day, journalists had been driving the all-new Pontiac G8 sport sedan, which is a rear-drive screamer imported from GM’s Australian Holden division. It is the BMW of domestic sedans. I also spent time in the sporty Pontiac Vibe GT. Stepping into the Lucerne Super, I prepared to be underwhelmed – especially after driving one of the most enthusiast-focused sedans on the market. Surprisingly, I, and several others, couldn’t quit talking about the Lucerne Super.
Styling is smooth and upscale, like an American Volkswagen Phaeton with ventiports in the front fenders. The car is large, long, and smooth from its large Velite concept-inspired chrome grille to its arching roofline and high rear deck. Supers come with 18” alloy wheels, foglamps, chrome exhausts, and special badging.
Cabin ambience is at Cadillac levels. As with the CTS, Lucerne Super has a leatherlike dash covering with intricate French stitching, heated real walnut-rimmed steering wheel, silver finishes around the center controls, heated and cooled seats, and automatic climate control. Suede seat and door inserts and walnut shift knob look and feel great. OnStar and in-dash navigation find your way. Sweet sound is pumped through a 280-watt Harmon Kardon six-CD/MP3 audio system.
I promise it won’t be the interior you most remember. Engineers snarfed Cadillac’s 4.6-litre Northstar V8 engine that generates 292 horsepower and 288 lb.-ft. of torque, routed it through a four-speed automatic transmission and announced its presence with a snarly exhaust note (sounded more potent than the sporty G8 – full throttle made me shiver). The chassis was sport sedan tight thanks to higher-rate front and rear springs, larger front stabilizer bar, recalibrated Magnetic Ride Control (automatically adjusts shocks depending on driving demands), and quicker ratio steering. Especially for a full-size, front-drive, traditionally styled American luxury car, the Lucerne Super handles like Astaire dances. Absolutely Super.
Keeping pace with rival Volvo, Buick has piled on the technology. Blind spot warning and lane departure systems protect ones flanks while a full array of airbags protect passengers. Four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes, electronic traction control, and StabiliTrak anti-slide system add to excellent all-weather handling already guaranteed by a front-drive lay-out.
You may not recall that Buick Supers from the 1950s were incredible performance machines and the era’s equivalent of a BMW 5-Series. It doesn’t matter. All you should care about is that the Lucerne Super provides all of the comfort and style for which Buick is known, but with handling, performance, and technology that is on par with some of Europe’s best. Even for a Gen-Xer, that’s a lot to appreciate. Prices start at $39,395.
