New Lucerne

[Bill Stoneberg]

I have spent 2 + weeks driving a new Lucerne both in Danvers and in California and now I want one.

Comfortable, drives nice and the last one was a pretty red color. XM radio and power everything.

I will wait for a year and then watch for used ones, I can see the Buick cars getting better and better.

[Guest BJM]

LuCernes are such a well sorted car. My mom has one, now 3 years old and we took it to Kentucky in November 2009 for a Shaker Village tour.

I can't find one issue that bugged me. Maybe the radio controls were a little intimidating. I do think it's odd that these were "one and done" and not noticeably freshened during their time.

[Barney Eaton]

We test drove a Lucerne last year and it was quite nice. We were not in the market but one of the wife's friends was, so we went with her to look.

While on the drive, a quick shower came up and the drops were the size of marbles. When they hit the roof, it sounded like there was no insulation. We reported this to the salesman (it was his demo) I am sure nothing was done. However, it was loud enough to be a problem.

[Thriller]

Personally, I don't think I'd go after one. We also rented one in Danvers. The rear seat isn't comfortable for a middle passenger, the A pillar bugged me (size, angle, not entirely sure), and it felt a bit claustrophobic as the roof was too low. Of course, between regularly driving a full size pickup, a Rainier, and the '41, perhaps I am just spoiled for taller vehicles.

As far as controls, handling, and mechanicals, I had no complaints.

[NTX5467]

There have been some changes in the Lucerne from then until now. One change was the switch to the 3.9L VVT V-6 when the Buick 3800 was discontinued. The one I rented to go to the Fredericksburg event last year . . . did tend to collect Hill Country Gnats on the front, windshield, mirrors, etc. Average mpg for the trip, which was hilly south of I-20, was about 25mpg. I'd hoped for a little better, but I guess that wasn't too bad, considering the terrain. There are also some trim level variations where a black grille is available rather than a chrome one.

Of course, there were some with the optional Northstar 4.6L V-8 . . . with a slightly lower horsepower rating than the Cadillacs. By swapping some parts around, injecting some aftermarket stuff here and there, and you could come up with a "Stealth Bomber Buick", factory black grille and all.

Be aware that Lucerne front seats come two ways, although the seats themselves are the same in either configuration. One configuration (which used to be the standard configuration) is "buckets with center console and console shift", with the "buckets with center cushion and column shift" being optional. Persoanlly, I like the center console version better.

I rented one of the first model year ones and I was not terribly impressed with it. Now, the chassis has good transient maneuver dynamics, as I watched a driver swerve to miss a dog on I-45 that Sunday morning. The first model year had Bridgestones on them, with the later ones having Michelin MXV4 family tires. The Michelins do make it feel better, though.

The ride and handling are very well sorted out on the 2010s, though. Firm but not stiff, with self-leveling, too. I could live with it. In the black metallic or dark gray metallic, some of the body lines have a greater presence, which they don't seem to have with other colors, even the darker crimson metallic reds. Almost like the other colors hide them!

In one respect, it'd be better to get them while they're still available. Certainly finding a used one in a few years, would be less expensive, but with somewhat generally lower sales, they're not going to be very plentiful. If you want one of these "hidden gems of GM", make your plans NOW!

Enjoy!

NTX5467

[Guest BJM]

I have a friend who is a mechanic at the Buick dealer and he bought a low mileage trade in because he said all the blue hairs are coming in and trading in their 2-4 year old LuCernes on "fresh" ones since they are discontinued.

[Centurion]

I would certainly prefer one with the 3800 engine.