2006 Buick Lucerne Rear

Just as the LaCrosse replaced both the Regal and Century, the new Lucerne fills in for the LeSabre and Park Avenue as Buick's flagship and GM's biggest car. As the Pontiac Bonneville has been dropped, the Lucerne's only remaining relative is the new Cadillac DTS. Disappointingly, the standard engine is the 3800 V6 dating back to the 1960s (why not the 3.6 DOHC V6 from the LaCrosse CXL?), but Cadillac's impressive 275-horsepower Northstar V8 has also found its way into this Buick. Big, comfortable, quiet, and soft are the watchwords here. Prices range from about 27 to 36 thousand among the Lucerne's various trim lines – roughly on par with the Toyota Avalon.