2006 Buick Lucerne – The Return of the V8

The venerable Buick Park Avenue is no more, having been replaced by the new Buick Lucerne, a cheaper version of the Cadillac DTS. Powered by a 275-hp Northstar V8 engine, the Lucerne becomes the first Buick car in nearly ten years to come equipped with a V8. Buick’s entire lineup is under review, so let’s take a look at this brand’s newest flagship and see how it plays a role in GM’s overall strategy.

If you’re a fan of the Buick brand, you’ve seen its fair share of changes in the last five years. Gone are Park Avenue, LeSabre, Century and Regal, and in their place are Rendezvous, Rainier, LaCrosse, Terrazza and Lucerne. All of the changes are the result of General Motors’ broad realignment strategy in the wake of the retirement of the Oldsmobile brand, bringing Saturn into the fold and establishing a strategy to compete against the relentless onslaught of foreign brands, including Toyota, Lexus, Nissan and Infinity.

One look at the Buick and you’ll notice a strong resemblance to the Cadillac DTS. The Buick’s oval grille sets it apart from the Cadillac’s taut nose, but a cursory examination of the body lines tells you these cars are, in fact, twins. In the past, Buicks were essentially “downsized” versions of Cadillacs, while Oldsmobiles and Pontiacs were more luxurious or sporty versions of Chevrolet models. Clearly, GM is repositioning Buick to have a more distinctive “quasi-luxury” look without stepping on Cadillac’s toes, while giving the Buick division a much-needed replacement for the aging Park Avenue.

For the car buyer, the Lucerne is budget-priced, hitting showrooms for just under 27K. With a standard 3.8 V6, the automaker can claim a decent fuel mileage of 19 mpg city and 28 mpg highway. In these days of inflated gas prices, favorable fuel economy is a great marketing tool, but many buyers are expected to opt for the ultra-powerful Northstar V8. Why? Because if they want to buy a Buick, they probably want the power along with the luxury. It remains to be seen how well the V6 works in a car that is 203 inches long and weighs almost two tons.

Standard equipment for the Lucerne includes the following: power windows, door locks and mirrors; side curtain airbags for the front seat; robbery unearthing system; OnStar; keyless entry; and more.

The list of optional equipment is extensive and can easily push the starting price of the top-of-the-line CSX to over 35K. For that price, you get heated power seats with lumbar support; a memory package that adjusts the seats, mirrors, radio and climate control to each driver’s specifications; sport leather steering wheel with integrated controls; and more.

A fully loaded Lucerne still costs several thousand dollars less than the DTS, making the Lucerne a value leader in the luxury car category. Still, Buick has a lot of work to do, as competition from foreign brands including Acura, BMW and Lexus continues to put pressure on GM’s “near-luxury” division. Fortunately, the quality levels of all Buicks remain very high, so combining that level of success with a solid price can help the Lucerne compete admirably.

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