Lucerne offers seating for six and a V-8

Did you think there wasn't a new car left on the market with a front seat that can accommodate three people?

The 2007 Buick Lucerne offers this roomy seat, and a lot more, including a smooth-running V-8 borrowed from luxury brand Cadillac and the quietest interior ever in a Buick.

Buick's flagship sedan that replaced the long-running Park Avenue in calendar 2005, the Lucerne is a pleasantly styled, easy-riding, large, four-door model that's available in five- or six-passenger configurations.

It's also a Consumer Reports' recommended car with a record of above average reliability.

Starting manufacturer's suggested retail price, including destination charge, is $26,495 for a Lucerne CX with 197-horsepower V-6. A Lucerne with 275-horsepower, Northstar V-8 starts at $31,525.

Competitors include the 2007 Toyota Avalon, which starts at $27,495 with 268-horsepower V-6, and the 2007 Mercury Montego, which starts at $24,585 with 203-horsepower V-6.

Neither the Avalon nor the Montego sedan offer V-8 power, though, and neither has seats for more than five people.

A year after its debut, the Lucerne became the best-selling Buick, thanks in part to a paring down of Buick car offerings to just two vehicles and a Lucerne starting price that's only $3,395 more than Buick's other car, the mid-size Lacrosse.

But the test Lucerne, a mid-level trim CXL with the upscale V-8 and a price tag of more than $37,000 with options, was more than a step up from Buick's smaller car. It impressed me immediately with its quiet interior and solid feel. I didn't notice sounds from nearby vehicles as I drove, and my passenger and I conversed in low tones comfortably.

On the road, the Lucerne felt substantial -- and sizable -- but not heavy or ponderous, save for the surprisingly unwieldy turning circle of more than 42 inches. This turning circle -- more like that on a pickup truck -- makes U-turns a bit strenuous.

Inside, the Lucerne feels spacious. A note to long-legged drivers: It provides 42 inches of front-seat legroom, which is more than you get in a big Cadillac Escalade sport utility vehicle. It's also more than what's in the Montego and Avalon.

And compared with many family cars today that are mid-sized, the full-size Lucerne sedan has a welcoming back seat. Three passengers enjoy 57 inches of hiproom. The 41 inches of legroom in the back seat is generous, too, and virtually ties the 40.9 inches in the Avalon. The Montego has 41.9 inches of rear-seat legroom.

Headroom all around in the Lucerne is on par with that in the main competitors, save for the extra 1 inch of headroom in the back of the Montego.

Trunk space of 17 cubic feet is more than in mid-size family cars, but it's less than the 21.2 cubic feet in the Montego's trunk.

As you might expect, people sit lower in the Lucerne than they would in an SUV, van or crossover SUV, so taller vehicles in front of and around the car can definitely block views. And I needed the optional rear park assist to help determine where the rear end of this 17-foot-long car was headed as I backed up.

The ride, overall, was mixed. The Lucerne is a pleasing highway cruiser and keeps lots of road bumps away from passengers, but I often heard their impact through the tires and suspension and the brakes were less than impressive, with a mushy feel to the pedal.

The uplevel magnetic variable assist rack-and-pinion steering didn't take much getting used to, though, and the sounds and performance of the 4.6-liter, dual overhead cam V-8 were satisfying.

I merged into highway traffic unfettered and zoomed around slower vehicles easily.

In the city, the V-8 power wasn't difficult to manage, except for some excessive coasting that forced me to press intermittently on the brake to slow the car down.

This engine is the same basic one that's in the Cadillac STS, but without the variable valve timing that the STS has. Variable valve timing also is often found in many of today's newest models, including the V-6 in the Avalon.

Even with the V-8, however, the Lucerne's 275 horsepower is just 7 more than the 268 horsepower in the Avalon.

But torque peaks at 295 foot-pounds at 4,400 rpm in the V-8 Lucerne, which is significantly more than what's generated in the V-6-powered Montego and Avalon.

The Lucerne transmission shows its age, because it's only a four speed while the Avalon has a five speed and there's a six speed and a continuously variable transmission in the Montego. CVTs and transmissions with higher numbers of gears typically have improved fuel economy.

Indeed, even with its base, 3.8-liter, overhead valve V-6, the Lucerne's best fuel economy rating is less than that of the front-wheel drive Montego and Avalon.

Competitors have some features -- such as all-wheel drive, power rear-window shade, newfangled key-free entry and startup and rear spoiler -- that the Lucerne doesn't offer. Six air bags, antilock brakes and traction control are standard in the Lucerne, but the StabiliTrak stability control system is an option on all but the top CXS model.

The 2007 Lucerne earned five out of five stars in frontal crash testing but only four out of five stars in side crash tests, according to the U.S. government.