The Lucerne marks a significant turning point for Buick as the brand tries to capture the attention of Japanese luxury buyers.  After GM product guru Bob Lutz put an abrupt delay on the LaCrosse a few years ago to make improvements to its design, he immersed himself into the development of the Lucerne to make sure it was done properly.  Now, it’s crunch time!

Lucerne scores big for Buick in terms of exterior design; the waterfall grille and jeweled headlamps are tastefully done. Distinction builds resulting from the portholes on the front quarter panel, while the overall body side is clean and contemporary.  The rear fascia projects a solid, substantial appearance, while the tail lamps look like they have been lifted from a Volkswagen Phaeton. Inside, Buick designers tightened up the gaps and removed any loose bits, although the overall theme here is a bit bland and uninspiring; the three round gauge cluster with its chrome trim is a nice touch, however. One thing that should have been omitted is the black plastic that surrounds the radio and climate control switchgear.

During test drives along the blacktop roads on the outskirts of Washington, D.C., the base V6-powered Lucerne CX seemed to lack driving refinement and felt most like the GM sedans of yore, even though the Lucerne shares its backbone with the Cadillac DTS. But the up-level CXL and CXS models were pleasant surprises and benefit dramatically from the sharing between Cadillac and Buick, providing customers with all of the bits of a DTS for $5,000 less.  Lucerne lives up to GM’s value pricing promise, with the price of the base CX model, with standard 3.8-liter V6 power coming it at $26,990.  The Buick honchos point out that’s $2,200 below a comparable 2005 LeSabre and $5,960 below the 2006 Lexus ES.  Problem is the base Lucerne doesn’t drive as nice as the Lexus.  A mid-level Lucerne CXL with a base V6 carries an introductory price of $28,990, with leather seating and power passenger and driver’s seats included.  V8-powered Lucerne’s start at $30,900 for the CXL trim package, with the top-of-the-line Lucerne CXS, complete with 18-in. wheels, Magnetic Ride Control, StabiliTrak stability control system and a host of comfort features, coming in at $35,990.

Lucerne is a solid, well-built car that is worthy of being classified with the likes of Lexus and Acura, the only problem is it may not be bold enough to attract the attention of those Buick needs to populate its franchise: Middle-age entry-level executives with growing discretionary incomes.  Still, it’s a good first effort.