2007 Buick Lucerne Exterior Review [ 2008 ]
Buick Lucerne Exterior Review
Exterior - 7.5 (Good)
Consensus among reviewers is that its exterior reflects a sleek, attractive take on classic Buick styling. Car and Driver asserts, "In the country-club parking lot, it looks right at home with BMWs and Lexuses." U.S. News reviewer Rick Newman thinks it's "more attractive than the usual bland offerings from Buick," and likes its "muscular, swept styling and careful chrome accents that look classy, not gaudy." Most reviewers nonetheless agree with New Car Test Drive: "There is no mistaking the Lucerne for anything other than a Buick."
"Lucerne sets the styling theme for the next generation of Buick passenger cars," explains Kelley Blue Book. "Its look is athletic, graceful and upscale American with a touch of Lexus." MSN also claims the Lucerne has "a smooth Lexus-like look," but concludes, "It's too conservatively styled to draw many second glances." Edmunds agrees, saying, "It's nothing too exciting." The body has "a more contemporary look than the three-box profile of its predecessors," according to Newsday, "but the 'waterfall' Buick grille and the nonfunctional portholes in the front fenders lend a traditional flavor that helps keep the styling from going over the top."
The portholes are a nod to Buick history. "Buick designer Ned Nickles, inspired by World War II fighter planes, developed the portholes, originally called 'VentiPorts,' by cutting holes in the sides of the hood of his 1948 Buick Roadmaster convertible," explains MSN. "They became a Buick styling cue, although their shape evolved from round to oval to rectangular slits." "The portholes were the punch marks in your status ticket then," writes Car and Driver. "Low-priced Special and Century models got three holes, the full-boat Super and Roadmaster got four. If a neighbor filled his driveway with a new four-holer, then he was the Jones everyone had to keep up with." On the Lucerne, the V6 versions get three holes, while V8 versions get four.
