The Buick Park Avenue has all the attributes that traditionalists have loved over the years: understated luxury, living room comfort, top quality, handling and all-weather reliability.
For other people transitioning from a midsize car to a midsize car, especially those who don’t feel the need to bolster their prestige with something like BMW, Lexus, or Mercedes, a Park Avenue is a great option. It’s a wonderful step towards quiet, spacious luxury, bolstered by superior quality and a much more assertive set of dynamic capabilities.
There are two models available: Park Avenue at $31,800 and Park Avenue Ultra at $36,695. (Prices include a $670 destination fee. )
We prefer the increased functionality of the Park Avenue Ultra. With its supercharged engine and Touring suspension, you can seamlessly take on the most productive Lincoln has to offer.
If the Ultra’s extra functionality is vital to you, the popular Park Avenue may possibly be the way to go. Park Avenue is well-equipped and is an exceptional acquisition among giant cars.
This new generation of Park Avenue looked like an evolutionary update when it appeared in 1997, but it has been completely redesigned. Park Avenue features its main platform with the Oldsmobile Aurora. Compared to Park Avenue’s last generation, the new edition is based on a longer wheelbase and a wider track. At 58. 1 inches, this Park Avenue is 3 inches taller than the previous one and weighs about 250 pounds more. By contrast, the Lincoln Continental and Chrysler LHS, considered through Buick to be Park Avenue’s main competition, measure 55. 9 inches.
In a low-form world like Chrysler’s LHS, formal contours may seem a little out of place, but Park Avenue prioritizes comfort over style. Giant doors make it easy to get in and out and there’s plenty of headroom and legroom at the front and back. Sure, you understand the same design priorities in a basic brick like the old Checker Marathon, qualities that made it a favorite of taxi fleets for so long. But Park Avenue embodies those virtues in an elegant and unobtrusively sublime way.
Park Avenue has an undeniable muscular grace that Buick’s designers need their cars to project, especially in the more competitive look of the Ultra.
GM’s 3800 Series II V6 engine generates enough smooth, quiet force to generate acceleration. Available in 205-horsepower (Park Avenue) and 240-horsepower (Ultra) naturally aspirated versions, the 3800 offers plenty of low-revving drag, instant throttle reaction, and plenty of overtaking power.
Power is transferred to the front wheels via one of GM’s electronically controlled 4-speed automatic transmissions; They are among the most productive in the business.
Buick previewed the look of Park Avenue’s base taillights for 1999, to make them look more like the Ultra from the rear. The audio formula has been updated from last year and new interior colors and trim update its appearance.
As noted, area and ease of use were the most sensible design priorities and Park Avenue is a goal in either respect. The inner area is just on the other side of the vast, a word that also applies to the trunk. And getting in and out lacks the simultaneous bend-and-bend motion that’s required on some faster models, even if the door threshold is a little higher.
Like the exterior, the flavor inside is fresher than that of past Park Avenue. Despite resistance from longtime Buick owners, head of interior design Paul Tatseos managed to break away from the old horizontal dashboard theme that plagued ’96 Park Avenue by installing a curved hood on the main instruments. In addition to providing a more modern look, this has resulted in a larger speedometer and tachometer, making them less difficult to scan.
Another welcome change is the overall look of the dashboard, which shows a strong Riviera influence with its pronounced color contrasts between the secondary controls (sound and air conditioning formulas, for example) and the interior colors. You’ll find more wood grain than on the Riviera, but the overall look is white and tasteful, and the wood is the real thing. Beyond that, the audio buttons and climate controls are larger, better placed, and very useful when the car is on the move.
As you’d expect, the Ultra includes a full array of luxury amenities (premium audio system, automatic climate control, leather, power source) that make traveling more enjoyable. A demonstration allows the driver to calculate fuel consumption, the remaining miles to be driven and to monitor tire pressure, oil level and coolant point; Two odometers can come in handy on long trips. An electronic demonstration can demonstrate the prestige of the mobile phone.
Anti-lock brakes are standard. New-generation dual front airbags (reduced force) are also standard. Park Avenue offers a forged roll cage structure and the doors are designed to unlock in just 15 seconds after the airbag deploys. However, while side airbags are becoming more common in this price range, they have yet to find their way into the Buick lineup.
Park Avenue offers low insurance prices to other automobiles. It also delivers smart fuel efficiency: 19 miles per gallon in the city, 28 mpg on the highway on Park Avenue and 18/27 for the Ultra when loaded.
A new Concert Sound III stereo system, popular on the Ultra and available as an option on Park Avenue, includes nine speakers, an amplifier and a built-in antenna system.
Park Avenue uses one of the stiffest chassis in the entire GM warehouse. And that’s a big plus. An uncompromising chassis is helping suspension engineers create driving and handling characteristics that are tailored to a passenger car’s target market. It’s also easier to reduce noise outside the vehicle and offers long-term sustainability benefits.
Given this feature, it’s appealing to see the driving distinctions between the entry-level Park Avenue and the flagship Ultra model. The ride and handling characteristics of the popular Park Avenue are virtually indistinguishable from those of its predecessors, features that have made the giant Buick sedans a heavy symbol over the years: floating ride quality, pronounced frame roll and wave-force steering.
Thanks to its optional Gran Touring suspension, the responses of our Park Avenue Ultra mark a style much more linked to those of the Riviera. The $200 package includes a stiffer suspension, dealer-programmable variable-effort magnetic guide, special 16-inch aluminum wheels and Goodyear Eagle LS Touring 225/60R16 tires, and a leather-wrapped idler. The guidance system, which is different from the basic Park Avenue, varies the amount of electric assistance as the vehicle’s speed and/or guide wheel angle increases, offering a much greater concept of where the front wheels are pointing.
More importantly, the stiffer suspension package, which also slightly lowers the ride height, provided much more precise responses in quick maneuvers. It’s not as much company as the Riviera, but it’s far from sluggish and the compromise on ride quality compared to the popular Park Avenue is minimal.
Overall, the Ultra’s forward and firmer ride provide a fresh feel that’s a delightful step forward for Buick.
Quiet operation has been a very sensible priority for Buick sedans, and here too, Park Avenues represents a step forward. Wind noise has been reduced to a mere whisper and the new frame does an amazing job of keeping road noise out of the cabin. The supercharged engine is audible when revving flat, but we think it’s worth having a little more noise to make your thrust more responsive.
Add to that spacious seats that offer real comfort, and driving becomes definitely serene, especially on the motorway. The Park Avenue is rarely as quiet as the Lexus LS 400, but the accolades are educational in peak use situations, unlike the price difference.
Buick has been characterized as a supplier of “high-end American automobiles” and Park Avenue is an ambassador for this issue. It’s also an excellent price for a car of this length and price class.
The Park Avenue is a sports sedan that, while properly equipped, feels strangely athletic, especially unlike its predecessors.
Add perfect on-road handling to beautiful, low-profile looks, top-notch roominess, and plenty of luxury features and you have a Buick that’s very much up there with the 20th century.
Orion, Michigan.
Power moonroof ($1,095), Gran Touring suspension ($200).