2003 Buick Park Avenue

Many folks still prefer a big American luxury sedan such as the Buick's top-line Park Avenue despite the increasing number of appealing foreign rivals, which dominate this luxury car market segment.

Buick knows its top-line models have long, colorful reputations known by those generally older domestic-car-oriented folks. So it's catering to them by giving the 2003 Park Avenue Ultra model nifty retro items such as front fender chrome-plated "portholes'' and an aggressive looking vertical bar grille.

"By studying Buick's rich history, we unlocked design cues that give Buicks instant recognition and have applied them to the new Park Avenue Ultra,'' said Park Avenue marketing director Annette Smith.

The portholes help provide underhood cooling by increasing air flow. They first were put on 1949 Buicks, with the idea coming from World War II fighter airplanes. Top GM designer Ned Nickles came up with the portholes--then called "Ventiports.'' He whimsically put amber colored lights in them and wired them to flash in his 1948 Buick convertible when the engine was running. The lights suggested a powerful engine with flaming exhaust. Buick boss Harlow Curtice loved the portholes, but felt the lights were too radical for production Buicks.

You could quickly tell which 1950s Buicks were higher-line models by the number of Ventiports in fenders. The top-line Roadmaster model had the most (four per fender), although the new Park Avenue Ultra has three of these design icons per fender. (Buick says the number of portholes is related to the number of engine cylinders.)

The vertical-bar grille is a modern interpretation of a design from the famous 1938 Buick Y-Job from flamboyant General Motors stylist Harley Earl. The Y-Job was GM's first "dream car'' and influenced Buick styling until the late 1950s.

Buicks from 1942 to 1954 had a famous "toothy'' vertical bar grille. It led war-torn Europeans to say the post-World War II Buick had a "million-dollar grin,'' which they felt was symbolic of affluent America.

You need to be rather affluent to buy the new base $33,845 Park Avenue or $39,145 Ultra version--although some foreign rivals cost more.

Besides the portholes, the Ultra is worth its higher price mainly because it has a supercharged V-6 with 240 horsepower and specially tuned European-style Gran Touring suspension with a rear stabilizer bar. The 3.8-liter engine lets the Ultra easily outperform the base model, which has a decent, unsupercharged 205-horsepower version of that V-6.

The supercharged engine, which comes with dual chrome-plated exhaust tips, isn't as smooth as a V-8, but provides stirring acceleration and loafs at 1,900 rpm at 70 mph. Both versions of the V-6 work with a responsive four-speed automatic transmission.

The standard engine delivers an estimated 20 mpg in the city and 29 on the highway. The supercharged version provides 18 and 28 and calls for premium fuel.

The Ultra has the best handling with the Gran Touring suspension, which is accompanied by larger chrome plated aluminum 17-inch wheels and wide (55-series) tires.

Steering is more precise with that firmer suspension; it's a $285 option on the base model. Standard for that model are 16-inch wheels and narrower 60-series tires. The Gran Touring suspension eliminates drawbacks of the exceptionally soft standard suspension, which is happiest when the Park Avenue is driven in a straight line.

Despite the firmer Gran Touring suspension, the Ultra's ride is very comfortable--even a little floaty at times. Buick knows that Park Avenue buyers demand a smooth ride, no matter what the suspension setup.

Traction control and anti-skid systems allow safer handling. They're standard on the Ultra, optional for the base Park Avenue.

The base Park Avenue is loaded with comfort and convenience equipment, including leather upholstery and dual-zone automatic climate control. The Ultra has even more equipment, such as heated front seats, upgraded sound system, rain-sensing windshield wipers and heated outside mirrors with large red turn-signal lights.

A tire-pressure monitor is standard on the Ultra and optional for the base Park Avenue. The Ultra has such exclusive sporty items as a woodgrain/leather-wrapped steering wheel.

Both models are offered with a $295 rear-obstacle detection system, which is a good idea because it can be impossible to see what's immediately behind this big, wide car when backing up.

A major option for the Ultra is an $1,875 Ultra Luxury option package that contains such items as individual front seats (instead of a standard front bench seat) and a power sliding sunroof.

Safety items include front side air bags and GM's OnStar assistance system, which is optional for the base model.

The brakes provide short stops, although there's some front-end dive during quick stops. Braking is assisted by a standard anti-lock all-disc system. Brake pedal feel is reassuring.

The interior is quiet, except for some wind noise at highway speeds. The individual front seats aren't as supportive as they should be when zipping through curves. But the driver's seat moves back far enough to satisfy an NBA star, and there's limousine-style rear seat room.

Gauges can be read quickly and include a tachometer for both models. Audio system and climate controls are large because the buyers of this car don't want to fool with tiny controls. Interior materials are upscale, but don't quite match those in some rival foreign sedans. Rear windows don't roll all the way down, but front cupholders are large--as is the console storage bin.

The trunk is very long and deep with a low opening, although its lid has old-style hinges instead of the smooth hydraulic struts used to raise the hood.

The new Park Avenue--especially the Ultra--shows GM still can build world-class cars for an American audience.


2003 BUICK PARK AVENUE
Prices:
$33,845-$39,145

Likes:
Slick styling with retro fender "portholes'' on the Ultra version. Roomy. Smooth ride. Fast with turbocharged V-6.
Dislikes:
Average handling with base model's suspension. Rear windows don't lower all the way. Old-style trunk hinges.