What Is It?
2006 Buick Lucerne
What's Special About It?
The Buick Park Avenue is going on a long journey. Like the Regal and Cutlass before it, the Park Avenue will not be returning. Replacing the Park Avenue is the all-new Buick Lucerne.
If you lamented the demise of the Oldsmobile Aurora, fret no more. The Lucerne has much in common with the dearly departed Aurora, including the option of a V8 engine. The 4.6-liter Northstar V8 is standard on the upmarket CXS and optional on the CXL. The base CX will have to make due with GM's 3.8-liter Series III V6. The V6 is good for about 200 horsepower while the V8 will make about 275 hp.
All Lucernes will get GM's Hydramatic four-speed automatic transmission. V8-powered versions also benefit from magnetic variable assist steering and the CXS adds 18-inch aluminum wheels wrapped in Bridgestone Turanza tires. All trim levels offer four-wheel disc brakes.
The Lucerne is Buick's first V8-powered sedan in about a decade and the new body style is a deserving recipient for the transplant. The styling cues are obviously Buick, but with a bit of a European flair — the rear fascia and taillights hint at the VW Phaeton.
Inside, the Lucerne tops the Park Avenue in terms of quality and luxury. The leather is softer, the dash more pleasing and the options list long. If this is the new face of Buick, we suspect jokes about the brand's appeal to blue-haired South Florida residents will quickly subside. Let's just hope there's no "landau roof" feature coming.
What's Edmunds' Take?
One of the sharpest-looking Buicks in recent history, the Lucerne looks the part of an upscale sedan. We never hated the supercharged Park Avenue Ultra but a smooth V8 is what a proper Buick sedan is all about. — Brian Moody
2006 Buick Lucerne
What's Special About It?
The Buick Park Avenue is going on a long journey. Like the Regal and Cutlass before it, the Park Avenue will not be returning. Replacing the Park Avenue is the all-new Buick Lucerne.
If you lamented the demise of the Oldsmobile Aurora, fret no more. The Lucerne has much in common with the dearly departed Aurora, including the option of a V8 engine. The 4.6-liter Northstar V8 is standard on the upmarket CXS and optional on the CXL. The base CX will have to make due with GM's 3.8-liter Series III V6. The V6 is good for about 200 horsepower while the V8 will make about 275 hp.
All Lucernes will get GM's Hydramatic four-speed automatic transmission. V8-powered versions also benefit from magnetic variable assist steering and the CXS adds 18-inch aluminum wheels wrapped in Bridgestone Turanza tires. All trim levels offer four-wheel disc brakes.
The Lucerne is Buick's first V8-powered sedan in about a decade and the new body style is a deserving recipient for the transplant. The styling cues are obviously Buick, but with a bit of a European flair — the rear fascia and taillights hint at the VW Phaeton.
Inside, the Lucerne tops the Park Avenue in terms of quality and luxury. The leather is softer, the dash more pleasing and the options list long. If this is the new face of Buick, we suspect jokes about the brand's appeal to blue-haired South Florida residents will quickly subside. Let's just hope there's no "landau roof" feature coming.
What's Edmunds' Take?
One of the sharpest-looking Buicks in recent history, the Lucerne looks the part of an upscale sedan. We never hated the supercharged Park Avenue Ultra but a smooth V8 is what a proper Buick sedan is all about. — Brian Moody
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