Overview & Reviews

The Buick Lucerne was the last sedan of what we'd call traditional Buick design. Without a doubt, this front-wheel-drive, full-size car put passenger comfort as its top priority. Seating was spacious and luxurious front and rear, and Buick's "Quiet Tuning" measures, which covered everything from the thickness of the carpet padding to the design of the windshield wipers, made the Lucerne one of the quieter cars on the market. Soft suspension tuning provided a plush, absorbent ride.

Although this Buick's coddling nature was a strong attribute, consumers looking at used full-size sedans should be aware that the Lucerne has numerous faults, the main ones being a lack of desirable luxury features, sloppy handling, unimpressive V6 acceleration, subpar brakes and a dated four-speed automatic transmission. Traditional Buick buyers may be willing to overlook these faults, but otherwise we think used luxury sedan shoppers can do better with other, more highly regarded choices such as the Hyundai Genesis or Toyota Avalon.

Most Recent Buick Lucerne
The Buick Lucerne full-size sedan was produced from 2006 through 2011. Trim levels initially consisted of the CX, CXL and CXS. Powering the CX and CXL was an underwhelming 3.8-liter V6 good for just 197 horsepower. The more desirable CXS came with a 275-hp, 4.6-liter V8 that was optional for the CXL. The 4.6 could move the big sedan to 60 mph in a respectable 7.7 seconds.

The base CX was well equipped with alloy wheels, full power accessories (including driver seat), a CD player and steering-wheel-mounted audio controls among its standard features. The CXL added larger wheels, rain-sensing wipers, leather upholstery, dual-zone automatic climate control and an MP3-capable stereo with an auxiliary audio jack. The CXS featured driver-seat memory, a Harman Kardon audio system, satellite radio, 18-inch wheels and a Magnetic Ride Control suspension.

The Lucerne was essentially unchanged its sophomore year, while '08 saw the debut of the Super (which replaced the CXS and offered a more powerful 292-hp V8) as well as the adoption of modern technologies such as lane departure and blind-spot warning systems.

For 2009, the 3.8-liter V6 was finally retired as the Lucerne got a new 227-hp (219 hp in California-emissions states) 3.9-liter V6. That year also saw the addition of Bluetooth connectivity. The following two years brought minor styling and equipment updates, though the final year saw stability control become standard across the board.

Mostly unchanged throughout the years, the Lucerne's cabin has a clean design with solid materials and simple, well-organized controls. Unfortunately, there are some cheaper plastics thrown into the mix, and build quality can be inconsistent.

Though the CXS and Super boast adaptive "Magnetic Ride Control" shock absorbers (that automatically firm up the suspension when the car is pushed on a curvy road), the Lucerne still won't appeal to demanding drivers. However, its comfortable cruising demeanor was hard not to like on long road trips. Braking was not one of the Lucerne's strong points, as testing revealed stopping distances that were the longest in the full-size sedan class.

User Reviews:

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  Wind noise! - 2007 Buick Lucerne
  By Tim House - December 5 - 6:35 pm

  My 2007 CX Buick has a lot of wind noise starting at 45 MPH. I have driven several, and all have some degree of noise, but mine is the worst. The fix is turn the radio on.

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  Wolf in sheeps clothing - 2006 Buick Lucerne
  By pleased - December 3 - 8:51 pm

  Great car. Only negative is torque. The pick up can take a second or two, but it can move. All the toys (remote starter, etc) I really enjoy it.

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  Thumper the vibrating Lucerne - 2006 Buick Lucerne
  By moonjoker - December 3 - 8:05 pm

  This car was in the showroom. I bought without driving. Big mistake. Took it back for a vibration problem in 2 weeks. Aligned it. 2nd time changed engine mounts. I was told to put 800 miles on before returning. 3rd visit they told me the car was to spec and that is just the way it drove. The service manager was very passive about my problem. 4th visit at my request the wheels were road forced balanced. Some correction was made but the car still vibrates. The service manager said that I might want to replace the tires with Michelins. 5th all the oil drained car towed. 6th the battery quit charging. The car is not safe to drive over 45mph. This car is junk.

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  Satisfied new owner - 2006 Buick Lucerne
  By happy camper - December 2 - 6:46 am

  I found the Edmund reviews helpful in makeing my decision to buy the Buick. I really enjoy the Lucerne. In a town where most cars are high end cars fro Europe or Japan. I find the Lucerne a nice compromise. Price at year end $21000 loaded (half of what the European cars I looked at). 4yr /50000 mile warrtanty. Roomy and financially sound for a family, professional looking for work and stylish enough to not feel like Im driving a tank. For a large sedan with a V6 I find it handles well on the road and just enough power for the car. My car and others I test drove "all pull to the right" (as I read in other Edmund interviews) They are fixing it... said it had something to do with a tow bar?

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  Lucerne - 2007 Buick Lucerne
  By Brian - November 28 - 8:03 am

  I just purchased the Lucerne and it is a great car. I test drove all the different models and the CXS is not even comparible to the others. Its drive far surpasses the lower models and drives like a dream. The V-8 is not going to beat up the muscle cars, but its not supposted to either. It is very smooth and runs great.

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  Value for money - 2006 Buick Lucerne
  By Marine - November 27 - 5:21 pm

  I was seeking a luxury sports sedan in the $30,000 range and reviewed and test drove a bunch of them, foreign and domestic, For its price, the Lucerne CXL beats them all, including the highly touted Japanese brands. I had intended to buy the CXL with the V8 for its high end torque. I had a 96 Olds LSS with GMs tried and true 3.8 liter V6 engine, and my only complaint with it was that it lacked high end torque for passing power, When I drove the CXL with this same engine I was amazed at its pep and passing power, all anyone would ever need, GM has worked wonders with this engine. The car is roomy, has great handling, is comfortable and well appointed inside. Great value for money

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  My last Buick - 2006 Buick Lucerne
  By Richard Bowman - November 25 - 1:24 pm

  Unable to read the instrument panel in daylight. Can see it fine at night or in the dark. Can read the odometer, the outside temperature, and the compass just fine in daylight, but not the speedometer.

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  Blind spots need to be fixed - 2006 Buick Lucerne
  By Hankdog 1956 - November 25 - 10:39 am

  My CXS is a great road car and as I drive about 1000 miles/week, this is important to me. However, it has one major design flaw that should be corrected. The A-pillar is huge, which when combined with a large side-view mirror, creates a very large blind spot when turning. It is a problem when navigating in city traffic for other cars, but particularly for pedestrians and bicycles. Other than that, its a great car and I recommend it.

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  Happy Camper - 2007 Buick Lucerne
  By william strang - November 25 - 9:58 am

  My only disappointment is that the city mileage (and I drive conservatively) is only 17 vs the 21 I got from my 2000 LeSabre. Highway driving is about 27. A nice car to own and drive.

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  Dont Waste Your Money - 2006 Buick Lucerne
  By nathanj - November 22 - 3:33 pm

  She had 4 requirements... 1) Upgraded Stereo, 2) Keyless Entry, 3) Heated Seats, and 4) a Navigation System. The Buick dealership told us that they could not locate any upgraded stereo models, but that the standard stereo was great, unfortunately, it is far from satisfactory. The keyless entry works, however the only way your memory seat will work is to push unlock, even if your car is already unlocked and in your garage. Teh heated seats work well. Imdisgusted with the Nav system. The only reason we didnt buy the Lexus ES350 was because we were told that OnStar had a new navigation program. They dont tell you it doesnt work if you are not in a Verizon wireless coverage area! Now we are trying to take it back!