Comfort and confidence.
Lots of cars make the promise, but come up short in one category or the other. The 1997 Buick LeSabre delivers both in ample proportions.
We tested the ’97 LeSabre Limited sedan, which was quite a treat after getting out of the 1996 Buick Roadmaster sedan, whose long suit is nostalgia–or is that neuralgia? Roadmaster is a car for folks who still use the word “whippersnapper.” Roadmaster leaves the scene after the 1996 model run, while LeSabre remains a fixture in the Buick lineup.
LeSabre and Roadmaster are full-size models. LeSabre front-wheel-drive, Roadmaster rear-drive. Rear-drive means you can tow a boat, front-drive means you shouldn’t.
Both allow you to carry a cabin full of adults while letting them wiggle their arms, legs and heads. In LeSabre, the movement comes from having the space that allows such freedom; in Roadmaster the fidgeting comes from stiff, uncomfortable leather seats with rigid backs and too-short bottoms that fail to offer full thigh support.
LeSabre is the more enjoyable car. Its cloth seats are one of its strong points, cozy enough for long-distance travel without fatigue, yet supportive when you take the turn a tad too fast and need the bolsters to hold you in place.
LeSabre and Roadmaster have gran touring suspensions designed to grip the road firmly without transmitting too much harshness back through the seats or floorboards. LeSabre is the most user-friendly in smoothing out the rough patches. LeSabre glides where Roadmaster sometimes comes unglued.
LeSabre provides the most manageable ride and handling, a sure-footed machine with minimal body roll, lean or sway despite its size. The car is nimble compared with the Roadmaster. If someone held gun to head and demanded we parallel park, we’d jump in the LeSabre to accomplish the feat before risking it in the Roadmaster.
LeSabre, as noted, is a 1997 model. Buick boasts that LeSabre has been redesigned and is the first ’97 on the market. But that doesn’t mean it’s blessed with dramatic new styling.
Changes include such things as new grille, front and rear facia, air dam, cornering lamps and license plate brackets. Inside, the coin holder in the center console armrest, which also houses dual cupholders, has been enlarged. About the only sheet metal change is the discontinuation of black as an exterior color. Other than funeral directors, few should protest.
Other LeSabre strengths are dual air bags and anti-lock brakes, both standard, and traction control as a $175 option, which should be the first check mark on your sheet of extra-cost items. Two bags, ABS and traction control means you can go anywhere, anytime, with anyone and have confidence that you’ll get there and back with optimum comfort and safety. LeSabre puts your mind at ease.
Some will gripe that LeSabre offers only a 3.8-liter, 205-horsepower, V-6. We had no problems finding the power to pass or merge or leave the line a bit ahead of the stragglers.
And you certainly can’t find fault with a 19-mile-per-gallon city/30 m.p.g. highway fuel-economy rating in a car big enough to hold two adult couples or one grown family and their luggage and golf clubs. Roadmaster boasts a 5.7-liter V-8 that develops 260-h.p. and is rated at 17 m.p.g. city/26 m.p.g. highway, a most respectable rating for the size and weight. But LeSabre’s 3.8-liter seemed livelier.
Still, Buick could improve LeSabre. Headlight switches remain in the driver’s door, a most awkward spot. Door handles are thin and recessed too far into the doors and generate evil looks from women with long nails. And while the cloth seats were comfortable, the power seats offered too many positions and tilt angles. Hit the power-seat button and change the position and angle by mistake and it could take 15 minutes to getb ack to where you started.
The LeSabre Limited starts at $25,505 (versus $27,490 for the Roadmaster Limited. Standard equipment includes remote keyless entry, theft deterrent pass key for the ignition, tilt steering, dual automatic climate control with driver/passenger controls, cruise control, rear-window defogger, tinted solar glass, automatic inside dimming rearview mirror, power mirrors/seats/windows, remote trunk release in glove box, delayed power locking to give you five seconds to remove coat or briefcase from the rear seat once exiting.
>> 1997 Buick LeSabre Limited Wheelbase: 110.8 inches Length: 200 inches Engine: 3.8-liter, 205-h.p., V-8 Transmission: 4-speed automatic EPA mileage: 19 m.p.g. city/30m.p.g. highway Base price: $25,505 Price as tested: $26,726. Includes $609 for Prestige package with automatic level control, cornering lamps, power mirrors, AM-FM stereo with cassette/clock/steering wheel controls; $337 for gran touring suspension package with 16-inch touring tires, aluminum wheels, leather-wrapped steering wheel and speed-variable power steering; $175 for traction control and $100 for compact disc upgrade to radio. Add $590 for freight. Pluses: Big without being bulbous. Suspension system that gives car manageability despite large dimensions. Dual air bags and ABS standard; traction control available at only $175. Outstanding mileage for its size. Reputation for reliability, dependability, durability. Minuses: Light switches in door. Handles hidden too far into door. Too many positions with power seat controls. Those dumb “fake” side vent windows. Petite outside mirrors. >>