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2006 Buick Lucerne: Return of the V8

The venerable Buick Park Avenue is no more, having been replaced by the all new Buick Lucerne, a down market version of the Cadillac DTS. With a 275-hp Northstar V8 engine, the Lucerne becomes the first Buick car in nearly ten years to arrive equipped with a V8. The entire Buick line up is in the process of being overhauled, so let’s take a look at this make’s newest flagship and see how it plays a part in GM’s overall strategy.

If you are a fan of the Buick brand you have witnessed your fair share of changes over the past five years. Gone are the Park Avenue, LeSabre, Century, and Regal, and in its place are the Rendezvous, the Rainier, LaCrosse, Terrazza, and the Lucerne. All the changes are the result of General Motors’ broad realignment strategy in the wake of retiring the Oldsmobile brand, lifting Saturn into the fold, and setting strategy to compete against the nonstop onslaught of foreign brands including Toyota, Lexus, Nissan, and Infiniti.

One look at the Buick and you will notice a strong resemblance to the Cadillac DTS. The Buick’s oval grille sets it apart from the Cadillac’s firm nose, but a cursory examination of the body lines tells you that these cars are in fact twins. In the past, Buicks were essentially “stripped down” versions of Cadillacs, while Oldsmobile and Pontiac were more luxurious or sportier versions of Chevrolet models. Clearly, GM is repositioning Buick to have a more distinct “near 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 shopper, the Lucerne is value priced, arriving at in showrooms at just under 27K. With a standard 3.8 V6, the automaker can claim decent fuel mileage of 19 mpg city and 28 mpg highway. In these days of hyped up gas prices, favorable fuel economy is a keen marketing tool, but expect many buyers to opt for the ultra powerful Northstar V8 instead. Why? Because, if they want to purchase a Buick, they likely will want the power to go along with the luxury. It remains to be seen how well the V6 operates in a car that is 203 inches long and weighing in at nearly two tons.

Standard equipment for the Lucerne includes the following: power windows, door locks, and mirrors; side curtain air bags for the front seat; theft deterrent system; OnStar; keyless entry; and more.

The optional equipment list is expansive and can easily drive the starting price of the top of the line CSX to over 35K. For that price you receive 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 built in controls; and more.

A fully loaded Lucerne is still several thousand dollars less than the DTS, making the Lucerne a value leader in the luxury car category. Still, Buick has its work cut out for it as competition from foreign brands including Acura, BMW, and Lexus continue to hammer away at GM’s “near luxury” division. Fortunately, quality levels for all Buicks remain very high so combining that level of success with a strong price may help the Lucerne compete admirably.

2005 Pontiac Grand Prix
The Pontiac Grand Prix is a model that has been around for a long time in the stable of the GM wing responsible for pure driving excitement. The larger of Pontiac's two sedans, the Grand Prix has a nice amount of power to match the smooth comfort of the ride and the strong safety features that provide owners with a calming peace of mind.

There are quite a few new additions to the Grand Prix this year. Standard OnStar assistance and an optional remote starting top the list, but there are more.

The remote starting system operates from the keyfob and is joined as a new option by a navigation system and dual-zone automatic climate control. A CD/MP3 stereo is also newly available, and all models gain rear-seat cupholders as well.

Available Models
The 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix is offered in three models: base, GT and GTP.

Interior Features
The four-door Pontiac Grand Prix sedan is roomy enough to accommodate up to five passengers without cramming them together. It also provides up to 57 cubic feet of cargo space.

OnStar is now standard on all Grand Prix models and features new, sixth generation hardware with digital and analog coverage. OnStar's Gen 6 hardware also includes upgraded hands-free voice recognition capabilities including more intuitive continuous digit dialing and improved voice recognition accuracy.

Satellite radio and a head-up instrument display are optional.

Exterior Features
Among the exterior changes for the 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix are new 16- and 17-inch wheels and wheel covers.

Performance
GT1 and GT2 models use a 3.8-liter V6 engine. It gives the front-wheel drive Grand Prix 200 horsepower at 5200 rpm and 230 lb-ft of torque at 4000 rpm. 4-speed automatic transmission is standard on all models.

GTP models use a supercharged version of the same V6 engine. The result is an impressive 260 horsepower at 5400 rpm and 280 lb-ft of torque at 3600 rpm.

The Competition Group Package (Comp G), optional on the GTP model, makes the 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix capable of attaining .83G of lateral acceleration in turns, making it the best-handling car in its class. StabiliTrak Sport, a segment-exclusive four-wheel vehicle stability enhancement system, also is included in the Comp G package. It features a sports-tuned suspension, 3.29 axle ratio, performance tires and Magnasteer II.

Safety and Security
All models have dual front airbags, daytime running lights and fog lights. GT and GTP models add antilock 4-wheel disc brakes, traction control and a tire-pressure monitor.