We ended up driving the Buick Rendezvous Ultra back-to-back with the Lincoln LS, and were surprised to find a comparison between the two.  These disparate vehicles share similar levels of luxury and refinement, and we found ourselves choosing the multi-tasking over the sporty LS more than once.  Sure, the Rendezvous is about as sexy as a hamster, and similarly proportioned to boot, but it’s so darn useful that the handsome LS wound up parked more often than not.

The Rendezvous was a significant departure for Buick when it debuted in 2002, …

Buick seems to have been focusing all of its recent energy on moving into new segments; first the Rendezvous crossover, then the Rainer SUV, and next the Terraza minivan.  But what about the sedans that helped to make the brand what it is?  Never fear, Buick hasn’t forgotten its core customers.  The new LaCrosse is proof of that.

Taking its name from the 2000 show car of the same name, the LaCrosse replaces the Century and the Regal in Buick’s lineup.  This simplification makes perfect sense; both the Regal and Century …

In spite of some lean years, Buick is not about to go the route of its ill-fated fellow mid-luxury brand Oldsmobile.  Proof of life in Flint comes from a host of revisions to Buick’s lineup of familiar sedans, and from the introduction of its first sport-ute.  It’s pretty crowded at the mid-size SUV table, but the 2004 Rainier is elbowing its way up with a plate in hand nonetheless.

Based on the Chevrolet TrailBlazer, the Rainier is more than just a clever bit of badge-engineering.  No, I take that back, that’s …

Buick has been a four-door sedan-only company since the Roadmaster wagon and Riviera went away in the mid-Nineties.  In this world of minivans, hatchbacks and sport-utes, that’s definitely not a good thing.  Problem is, how do you attract the attention of Buick’s typical luxury buyer?  Ironically, if they wanted something other than a sedan, they wouldn’t be shopping at Buick anyway.

The all-new Rendezvous intends to change that notion.  It’s the first truck (of sorts) to wear the Buick nameplate in almost eighty years, and it should make an excellent expansion …

The timing couldn’t have been better; the Buick Park Avenue Ultra arrived just as we were heading out of town to visit relatives for the holidays.  It was a healthy dose of traditional American driving for a traditional American holiday season.

With the demise of the Roadmaster, the Park Avenue is top dog in the Buick lineup these days.  All of the current luxury car amenities are there; GM’s StabiliTrak traction control and OnStar driver assistance were made standard on the Park Avenue Ultra in 2000.
From prow to stern, the big …

It’s safe to say that no matter what’s in vogue in the automotive world, there will always be a place for a traditional American sedan.  The fashion-conscious masses can flock to European sport sedans, SUVs or convertible coupes, but there will always be a hard-core group of buyers who want nothing but a big, soft-suspended sedan with a modern design and some liberally applied chrome.  And that’s a good thing.  It’s an especially good thing for Buick, because they absolutely excel at building cars that fit this description.

The new-for-2000 LeSabre …

“Is this a minivan?” someone asked as they climbed into the 2008 Buick Enclave.  The second-row captain’s chairs do give that impression, but the Enclave is not a minivan.  If anything, it’s the vehicle that killed the minvan, or so Buick would like you to believe.

They’re going to shove the “crossover” designation down your throat, but what the Enclave ought to be called is a station wagon.  That’s what it is at heart, never mind the current marketing unpopularity of the term.  If the third-row seat faced backward and there …