2000 Buick LeSabre

2000 Buick LeSabre - Reshaped by Customer Demands

DETROIT - The perennial best-selling full-size car in America just got better. Not daring to tamper with what has proved to be a winning formula, Buick sought out customer feedback before attempting to improve upon its LeSabre.

Safety is a key concern for potential LeSabre buyers, so side airbags were added as standard equipment. Advanced "self-aligning" head restraints were built into the front seats, reducing the risk of whiplash. Front seatbelts are now attached directly to the seat frames, and all five seating positions come equipped with shoulder and lap belts.

What has not changed much is the car's outward appearance, which receives smoother front and rear fascias, as well as larger taillamps and side mirrors. Ride and handling have been improved, thanks to a softer-tuned chassis as well as a slightly wider track and longer wheelbase. Perhaps most important, LeSabre's body structure is more rigid than before, giving the car what Buick calls a "more solid feel."

The 2000 model year LeSabre begins production in the first quarter of 1999, and so do sales. Because of its shortened 1999-model-year production run, however, we wonder how LeSabre will be able to maintain its full-size sales title, which is now seven years in the running. Maybe they'll tally sales on the fiscal year.