Christian Wardlaw’s opinion of the 2006 Buick Lucerne’s Design:
Buick debuted the Lucerne at the 2005 Chicago Auto Show, and I was quite impressed. Except for the dull front end and a poorly timed return to portholes, the Lucerne is clean, contemporary, a car that will age gracefully. It looks like many other cars – I see lots of Volkswagen at the rear, hints of BMW in the greenhouse, a bit of Lexus on the inside – but this is not a bad thing. What, you want a rehash of a 1982 Century?

The interior looks good, and if you can find a proper driving position, works well. Some of GM’s control markings aren’t clear right off the bat, and I wasn’t a big fan of the big central power/volume knob for the radio and the small offset tuning knob. This ruined potential symmetry with the automatic climate controls. If not for the hard plastic lower dash plastic, the Lucerne’s cabin would pass for a luxury car, fake wood and all. But, alas, this is not the case.

Ron Perry’s opinion of the 2006 Buick Lucerne’s Design:
The Buick Lucerne is not a bad looking car in my opinion. It isn’t a design that deserves any awards but is pleasing to the eye and has enough character to stand out on a crowded freeway. Buick did a good job using just enough chrome accents on the Lucerne without overdoing it. A couple of things I really liked were the low trunk liftover height and the huge cargo space. Storage capacity is outstanding, as is the lightweight trunk lid that opens by itself and closes with a light pull. On the downside is the lack of an exterior release for the trunk. Buick did incorporate a small pass through from the trunk into the interior, which is a nice touch.

Inside the Lucerne, I found the interior layout and design to work well and the quality of the leather to be acceptable for a car in this class. Interior fit and finish was good and designers did a good job combining two types of leather on the seats and using the two different materials on the gearshift knob and steering wheel. I also really liked the radio setup with the large knob at the center of the radio. All of the buttons and switches for the radio and climate systems were easy to find and use with no confusion about operation, which is appreciated with all of today’s overboard technology.

Thom Blackett’s opinion of the 2006 Buick Lucerne’s Design:
Kudos to Buick designers for stretching a bit for a new look, from the VW Passat-like taillights, the reintroduction of side port holes, dual chrome exhaust tips, and a simple yet elegantly styled dash. Even the side profile, while not exactly earth-shattering, is marked by smooth, fluid shapes and a subtle, ascending beltline. And then there’s the front end that, aside from nice chrome accents on the grille and lower fascia inserts, lacks any real character. Those oversized headlights are expressionless, the hood is more or less flat, and the overall look just says “blah.” However, a forgettable face is better than one so hideous that it’s forever burned into your retinas (think Pontiac Aztek).