Driving Impressions
reviewed by
If any single element of the Century can be said to define Buick's marketing
goals and intentions for this car, it's a stint behind the wheel. From
this position, you are unlikely to mistake this for anything but a Buick.
Ride quality is the Century's outstanding feature. Over any surface
one might reasonably drive on, it is soft. Bumps, dips or ridges on the
pavement are seldom heard or felt; instead, there are smooth up-and-down
movements that tell the driver the Century has been driven over something,
with little indication as to the nature or size of the obstruction. Road
and suspension noise are both absent.
For some drivers, the Dyna-Ride Century will be too soft, and it must
be said that we found some of its reactions--especially body roll in corners
and the rocking motions that occurred as the suspension settled down after
hitting dips and bumps--a little dated by contemporary ride and handling
standards. We suggest that slightly firmer shock absorber settings could
be employed without upsetting the Century's cloud-like ride in the least.
The magnetic variable-assist power steering as supplied with our Limited
tester was effortless, but somewhat short on feel and feedback. We've experienced
other examples of this new Magnasteer system that respond a little better
in this regard.
Once again, however, it must be emphasized that this car has been designed
with a keen sense of what its market wants. Few, if any, owners will ever
drive Centurys down a canyon road at anything above a modest speed, and
fewer still will care if the car's steering has sports-car precision and
road feel.
Beyond those small cavils, the Century is quite pleasant to drive. The
3.1-liter V6 engine and four-speed automatic transmission combination (the
only Century choice) delivers adequate power to meet market demands, and
is better than average when judged for smoothness and silence. Fuel economy
is good as well. So are the brakes, though we felt the ABS system coming
into play earlier than expected during hard stops on some surfaces.
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