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Buick Park Avenue Ultra sedan stretched to limits of luxury
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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In an era when less typically means more for some sedans, Buick's flagship follows a different line.
The redesigned 1997 Park Avenue and supercharged Ultra upgrade, constructed around a new platform derived from Buick's elegant full-size Riviera coupe, measure longer in wheelbase, broader in width and taller in stance.
This bigger-taller-wider approach to automotive design coincides with the demise of Roadmaster, Buick's rear-wheel-drive 4-door behemoth. By stretching dimensions for the Park Avenue and Ultra front-wheel-drive sedans, Buick buyers who favor cavernous interior spaces padded with luxury fittings will discover a new motoring haven.
How big is big?
With a ruler measure off three inches -- that's the amount of space added to Park Avenue's wheelbase and height.
For riders, these dimensional expansions translate most significantly to more interior room in the front seat, with head space increasing by almost an inch and shoulder room enlarging by 1.3 inches.
Rear passengers will also find more room for hips (by another 1.5 inches) and legs (almost an inch to stretch).
With so much space added throughout the new car, you might expect to see a big hulk outside, yet the lines of Buick's ultimate sedan remain essentially similar to predecessor models, with a streamlined tapering prow followed by a massive windshield dramatically canted to maximize aerodynamic efficiency.
Behind the slipstream packaging of Park Avenue, a new framework increases structural integrity for added safety, improved performance and reduced interior noise.
Windshield A-pillar supports, for instance, consist of tubular steel skewed in oval profile to maximize strength and increase visibility for a driver.
Up front, structural elements which support the engine block were also stiffened and simplified to facilitate easier -- meaning less costly -- repair after an accident.
Concealed behind the dashboard, a new support beam composed of cast magnesium adds strength yet reduces annoying dash vibrations and resultant squeaks.
Also to stem outside noise from entering the cabin, all door hinges on Park Avenue have been strengthened to prevent eventual door sag and subsequent sound seepage.
To check road harshness and motion vibrations from intruding on passengers, the car's front and rear suspension systems now incorporate rubber sub-frame pads which create an isolated cradle for suspension components.
But does such a big car behave on the road?
It's smooth, effortless, even aggressive when asked.
My tests, including a week's worth of everyday commutes in the deluxe Park Avenue Ultra edition, produced surprises in the deft manner that this large car handled a set of curves or powered into a freeway's fast lane.
Then I drove a Park Avenue Ultra across northern reaches of Michigan's lower peninsula, following back roads, city routes and a few freeway segments. On this rural trek I took my time to explore the luxury fittings of Ultra and wallow in all of those comforts.
It looks good, fits a full-framed body as only a full-size American car can, then piles on as many plush comfort trappings as anything on the road today.
Still, it can perform car tricks when demanded and -- with a marketing slant toward the frugal end of the luxury segment -- supports window sticker figures which dip for thousands of dollars below most other luxury models.
Buick's pitch with Park Avenue, I think, is that you can get a remarkably well-behaved full-size sedan outfitted with the luxury amenities of a mega-bucks foreign machine but pay a lot less in initial price and operating expenses.
The two models vary primarily from the standpoint of power and on-board amenities.
Park Avenue's 3800 3.8-liter V6 produces 205 hp at 5200 rpm and 230 lbs/ft of engine torque at 4000 rpm. Even so, fuel economy numbers reach as high as 29 mpg.
The supercharged edition, which appears in Park Avenue Ultra, boosts performance to 240 hp -- enough to notice the difference between the two plants.
Either engine links exclusively to a new 4-speed automatic transmission with electronically-controlled shift sequences for unobtrusive transitions. This new General Motors transmission, dubbed 4T65E, permits the application of more engine torque than its predecessor, which ultimately increases the floored-throttle shift point to 5700 rpm.
The base Park Avenue applies a responsive power-assisted rack and pinion steering system, while Ultra borrows from Cadillac the new Magnasteer variable-effort device which uses electronic controls for magnetic torsion to raise or lower the amount of effort required to steer.
At lower speed, such as when parking, you'll feel less pressure so the steering wheel turns easily, but at higher speed, like on a highway, pressure increases so only a slight movement of the wheel will turn the car quickly and responsively.
Daytime running lamps appear on both models.
Headlamps automatically deploy when the engine engages, but at reduced intensity compared to nighttime operation, thus requiring less energy to operate. The purpose behind these daylight lamps is to make the vehicle more visible to on-coming traffic, so it amounts to a safety issue.
Both Buicks carry power 4-disc anti-lock brakes, dual airbags and other safety features, all of the power and comfort figures you would expect on the finest luxury automobiles, plus GM's PASS-Key II theft-deterrent system.
A single key unlocks the ignition, side doors and rear decklid of Park Avenue. This may sound like a minor point but it has always amazed me why it took two different keys to operate a GM car. The single Buick key indicates that consumer-responsive changes are underway at General Motors.
Then Ultra sweetens its deal with more luxury gear like rich leather seat upholstery, automatic climate system with dual controls, analog instruments with tachometer, remote keyless entry, concert-quality stereo speakers, 6-way power controls for both front bucket seats, and more.
These 1997 Buicks reach showrooms with a range of price points generally extending just beyond $30,000.
1997 BUICK PARK AVENUE
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| Vehicle Specifications: |
| 1997 BUICK PARK AVENUE ULTRA Specs |
| Description: |
Full-size luxury sedan |
| Model Options: |
Full-size luxury sedan |
| Wheelbase: |
113.8 inches |
| Overall Length: |
206.8 inches
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| Engine Size: |
OHV 3.8-L V6
OHV 3.8-L V6 SC
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| Transmission: |
Auto/4 |
| Drive: |
Front |
| Braking: |
Power 4-disc/ABS |
| Airbags: |
2 |
| Gas Mileage: |
Base: 19/29 mpg
Ultra: 18/27 mpg |
| Price: |
$ 30,000 to $ 35,000 |
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