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And if you buy an Impala, GM will still be pleased...it's all the same company!
As was said above the 3.8L is gone very soon for a number of reasons so it would make no sense to redesign it for HP. 200 is plenty for everyday driving for most customers. It is only left in the LaCrosse, Grand Prix and Lucerne. I believe it was used in the Buicks because GM gradually ramped up the manufacturing capacity of the new 3.9 engine family and Buick has had a tradition, and customer base, using the 3.8L. To me it should be the last ones to use it of any division. There are a lot of Buick buyers that love the engine.
As far as less HP than the older one it is the same exact engine except for some noise improvements. In actuality due to the new way of measuring/advertising HP there is probably a true difference of 6HP and that is lost due to the quieter mufflers. Not many will notice the 6HP. Also most will buy the V8 in the Lucerne.
As far as the Impala, the LaCrosse is available with the 3.6L DOHC with 240HP.
Is Impala on the same platform as Lucerne or LaCrosse?
Hi John!
To be clear, since this is the Lucerne thread, the Impala’s (and Grand Prix’s) 5.3L OHV V8 has DoD. The Northstar V8 version available in the Lucerne does not.
- Ray
Enjoying DoD . .
It's really a pity, for the 3.6 V6 in the La Crosse has all the virtues of the 3.8 V6 (low-end torque) without its vices: it's a smooth engine with a spirited response over its entire RPM range.
I own a Bonneville '02 with the 3.8 V6 and love it, but it's time for it to go.
And, no, the 3.9 V6 is too coarse compared to the 3.6 V6. At least on a Buick, IMO.
There are no rules that define a station wagon to be a car by height or any other dimension. Most rules say if it has a flat load floor it is a truck. Depends on who is making the rules. But the SRX uses the same architecture and suspension as the CTS. Just a bit taller. No one wants to build a vehicle anymore and call it a station wagon. Kiss of death. (unless you are mercedes)
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051209/AUTO01/512090408/1148- /AUTO01
Hopefully they will sell over 200K!
Judging from the Perfect Rating Lucerne owners have given the car, it seems that people so far are happy with it. Any owners out there that want to share their experiences thus far?
I was reading JD Power's press release on Customer Loyalty. Buick was only at 41.8% Retention. The industry average was close to 50%. I find that rather unusual considering Buick's strong Quality scores.
One theory of mine is that GM uses "blowout" sales to move their cars. This would lead consumers to buy solely on Price. Such consumers are normally not loyal to the "Value" product and have a high propensity to defect from the brand when the opportunity arises.
I think GM is addressing this problem with a better product. The Lucerne is not only a good value, but it is a car of substance. I'm hoping a 6 speed Auto will come out soon. A Northstar with a 6 speed ought to deliver some serious performance.
SV
In the market for a new car, 35k or under. I looked at ES330, but apparently the model has transmission problems not addressed by Lexus. Also looked at CTS, but they have diffrential problems not yet solved.
Being that the Lucerne is based on the DTS, and from GM parts bin as per one post....can we disregard 1st year model problems?? and have good reliability? I know no car is perfect, but I would like mine to last at least 10 years without major repairs.
Also has anyone driven the v6 and felt this from Edmunds review:
"Extra power aside, the main reason to get a V8 Lucerne is because the steering feels wobbly on-center in V6 models, sullying an otherwise enjoyable driving experience."
Never thought I would consider a Buick but the Lucerne is nice.
The 3.5 V6 is dead, dead, dead, unfortunately. I drive an Intrigue with it and it does have its virtues. But the 3.6 V6 delivers more power over a wider range.
I haven't driven the 3.9 V6 yet and, although its valve phasing is promising, it doesn't look the same on paper as the 3.6 V6, at least as far as torque curves go.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Also as far as cost and price!!
Very true. Then again, it's a North of $30000 car and the competition in the same price range have engines as sophisticated as the 3.6 V6.
Yet, I think that the 3.6 V6 wins over them because it can run on regular, unlike most of the competition.
I also noted excessive engine noise when starting from a standing stop, much more than my Allure; however, this seemed to improve as the engine warmed up.
Otherwise the car is very smooth, quiet and comfortable.
Gord.
http://www.csx.com/share/media/pg/docs/csx_train_and_tunnel-REF21793.jpg
For the 1996 STS and SLS, Cadillac claimed that the 0-60 performance was about 7.3 seconds for the STS and 7.8 seconds for the SLS. About a half second difference. I think that the car magazines were able to do better than Cadillac's published numbers. The current STS (RWD with a new VVT northstar) does 0-60 in less than 6 seconds, even with the 2.73:1 axle ratio.
And since it's snowing like hell here, how does the thing handle the snow?
Hopefully the Lucerne will sell well, but I hope that Buick's future does not depend on it, as I think the Lucerne's future is short.
The car remains on my list of possibilities, even saw one today -silver- driving down the street. Nice looking, you bet.
Toyota and honda do not suffer these problems, you guys should check out how toyota and honda have fought of the UAW from there American plants. Its a loose-loose situation for GM, unless they can either crush the union, or get it to work with them they are dead. If GM magically gains market share and is profitable, at the next contract talks GM will have to increase salary and pension expenses for the workers and honda and toyota will be at there thoats again!
There needs to be a seriouse change in detroit or its all over.
The lucern is such a great design, IMO. I have minor complains, like the rear lights make it look like a smaller car than it is (too wide probably) and the interrior could use some wood on the shifter and around the window switches, and still they could add HID lights, but otherwise it is so beautiful. It has many great features and i bet its really roomy.
GM does have some great cars in the works, they just need to get there costs down. Sadly, because the union is not willing to budge (the health care consessions are more than great, but for the reasons above it may be short lived), GM will have to move jobs overseas to get back into profitability.
People need to realise there are more important things out there than Ego, like jobs.
b. That wood around the shifter is yet another thing that GM gets criticized for doing or not doing...if it's there, the company is appealing to the oldster set, if not--they cut costs.
c. This is a place to talk about the car--Buick Lucerne, not GM's difficulties vs. Honda and Toyota and the political/socio-economic reasons therefor as seen by the various posters...unless I missed something and am badly wrong...
is the discussion for the "Hate GM" Crowd and the "cudda, woulda, shoulda" and the "if only they did this" to voice their opinion. Along with
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2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
GMBuypower often shows cars in transit and not yet at dealers – but specifying the top of the line CXS to narrow the search shows 8 within 25 miles or so. With various colors and optional equipment.
If your goal is to drive one and decide if you want to order one or not, it would seem likely that if you are near a good sized metro area, you could find one similarly equipped to test drive.
OTOH, If you want to buy one with a specific color & equipment combination off the lot at your closest dealer, that may not be possible – today.
- Ray
Wondering how many $36 – 40K Lucernes will be dealer lots when the pileline is full . . .
Lots of them. big seller will be the V8 version. I believe the preponderance will be CXL V8's at around $33,000 (~40%), 15% CXS and 45% for the V6's.
In a quick ‘Net search, I see 2 published tests of the 2005 Toyota Avalon. Also not exactly “aimed at the sports sedan market”, one could argue.
C+D and MT both show test numbers of the Avalon in the 6 sec range for 0 - 60, and Quarter Miles times below 15.0 – with a 3.5L V6 – and with EPA estimated 22 \ 31.
- Ray
Impressed with these numbers more than the Lucerne's . .
>But for the first time in a long time, Buick has built a large sedan that will appeal to buyers in their late 30s as readily as it will to those in their early 60s. We liked it and we're decades away from collecting a Social Security check.
Re the 3800:
>Acceleration won't overwhelm you, but with 227 pound-feet of torque available at 3,800 rpm, the iron-block 3800 V6, which has been around since knickers were in style, rarely comes up short.
>Upgraded interior materials and tighter gap tolerances should satisfy buyers on the quality front, he notes, while features like GM's double-overhead-cam Northstar V8, Magnetic Ride Control suspension, dual-depth front airbags, a nine-speaker Harman Kardon stereo, heated and cooled seats, heated windshield washer fluid and a smarter stability control system should be enough to convince them that Buick has moved beyond the age of the Commodore 64.
Sounds like praise to me. All those high tech gadgets...
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
sounds pretty positive to me