The current Buick Lucerne shares its underpinnings with both the Cadillac DTS and the Chevrolet Impala, but all three vehicles are set to go their separate ways when they're refreshed in a couple years. Last month we told you that the Impala was staying FWD, and now Motor Trend is reporting that the Lucerne could still receive RWD, but it won't be as big as the DTS/STS replacement. GM is looking into the feasibility of producing a smaller Lucerne that will ride on a wheelbase several inches shorter than the 118.5-inch spread slated for the future Caddy.
The move to shrink the Lucerne will have a lot to do with stricter CAFE standards in the years ahead. MT wisely points out the fact that the Pontiac G8, which already sits on a smaller Zeta platform, shows that RWD isn't always a fuel drain. The current Lucerne is pulled with the front wheels, and gets 16/25 with the ancient 3.8-liter V6 and 15/22 with the 4.6-liter Northstar, while the smaller G8 achieves 17/25 with the 3.6-liter unit and 15/25 from the tried and true 6.0-liter pushrod. Besides the smaller Zeta's fuel economy advantages, downsizing the Buick helps keep the Caddy exclusive over the more pedestrian Lucerne.
Who knows what took so long, but the Buick Lucerne Super that was first shown over a year ago at the 2007 New York Auto Show is arriving in dealerships this month, and it's brought a friend in the form of a the new Lucerne CXL Special Edition. To refresh your memory, the Lucerne Super is the super duper counterpart to the LaCrosse Super, which we've already tested in the Autoblog Garage. The Super features the venerable 4.6L Northstar V8 tuned to produce 292 horsepower and 288 pound-feet of torque. It's also equipped with higher-grade steering components, high-rate front and rear coil springs, a larger front stabilizer bar, 18-inch aluminum wheels and Magnetic Ride Control. The Lucerne Super also features a base price of $39,395 sans destination charges, so go easy on those options if you want to keep the price as low as possible.
Arriving with the Lucerne Super will be the just announced CXL Special Edition. What makes it special is that it's the only Lucerne model that offers the option of either the large but woefully weak 197-hp 3.8L V6 (or ye' ole 3800 Series) or the 4.6L Northstar V8 tuned to make 275 hp and 295 pound-feet of torque. The CXL Special Edition also gets some exterior and interior enhancements, though nothing we haven't seen before.
Though Buick has the hot-selling Enclave CUV, its sedans are being ignored by buyers for a number of reasons, not the least of which is poor powertrain choices. The Northstar V8 was a good motor in its day, but its tech is now aged and the same power output with better fuel efficiency can be had with GM's newer 3.6L V6, both in direct-inject and non-DI versions. We're sure GM doesn't want to cannibalize Cadillac CTS sales by offering the same engines in less expensive Buicks, but something has to be done to salvage these sedans.
When the American Axle strike began, GM had a 106-day supply of pickup trucks on dealer lots, and even a month-long strike likely wouldn't have hurt the Detroit automaker. It has now been more than a month, the strike isn't any closer to ending, and now GM's car plants are joining its truck plants in the unemployment line. Friday marked the last shift at the General's Hamtramck, MI plant, which builds the Buick Lucerne and Cadillac DTS, due to a lack of parts coming from American Axle. According to Automotive News the pain may not stop there, either, as the Lordstown, Ohio plant may have to shut down production of the Chevy Cobalt and Pontiac G5 due to a lack of brake components. GM may not have been all that concerned about the American Axle strike when it began in February, but now after a month with barely any talks and a quickly growing list of shuttered plants, we're guessing things are getting a bit tight over at the Ren Cen.
We generally liked the Buick Lucerne CXS model we reviewed in 2006, and we genuinely liked the Buick LaCrosse Super that we tested last year. Unfortunately, we're not big fans of the Lucerne Super that takes Buick's slightly above average large sedan and marries it with a 4.6L Northstar V8 producing 292 horsepower. Our main gripe is that the less expensive, smaller and lighter LaCrosse Super is powered by a more powerful 5.3L small-block V8 making 300 horsepower (both are unfortunately front-wheel-drive, and will remain that way). What's more, the Super version of the Lucerne's baby brother stickered for $33,750. General Motors announced today that the 2008 Buick Lucerne Super, however, will start at $39,995 (including $765 for destination). For over $6,000 more, you're getting a less powerful but larger sedan than you would if you bought the LaCrosse Super.
That said, for $40k you get one loaded Lucerne. Standard features include the aforementioned Northstar V8, Magnetic Ride Control (also seen on cars such as the Corvette and Ferrari 5999), new steering mechanicals, heated and cooled front seats, remote start, rear parking sensors and much more. The exterior is augmented with a new waterfall grille, though we don't think it looks as nice as the standard one. There's also new rocker panels and dual chromed exhaust tips out back. The interior is upgraded with a leather-wrapped console, suede trim, a heated walnut wood steering wheel and shifter, 280-watt Harman Kardon stereo and more. The only options are chrome wheels, a touchscreen nav system, sunroof and an Ultra Confidence package with Side Blind Zone and Lane Departure Warning systems. Yes, you get nearly every standard option for your forty large, but we'd rather have a LaCrosse Super if it's all the same to you.
