Overview:
The Park Avenue Ultra is elegant and it’s American as apple pie and Chevrolet. My friend Jason is from Detroit and says his dad would kill him if he bought a foreign car.
He respects his dad and his loyalty to MO-town, the town that survives because of such passion. And why not! I spend a lot of time in Golden, CO. – the home of Coors – and I’m appalled at the bar scene there because they seem to drink Bud in defiance of what should be their home town hero, Coors.
Well, Jason’s dad is right on, and as I keep preaching, the best buys in most American towns today are American cars. They’ve paid for their sins and earned the right to another chance. This country has a rich history dominated by great automotive innovation and we’ve had a love affair with the automobile for over a hundred years. Few affairs can boast of such durability in Bill Clinton’s world. Isn’t it nice to know folks in Detroit still hang in with old faithful- well at least their indiscretions don’t make the news.
Buick has lost its baby fat and its styling is lean and mean. Remember the 50’s when Buick helped coin the term “Road Hog” with the release of the Roadmaster model? They were tanks and even if no bigger and heavier than others of the day they somehow looked bigger.
The Park Avenue is Buick’s flagship sedan that replaced the Electra, is slightly larger and on the same platform as the Riviera and Oldsmobile Aurora. The supercharged Ultra should appeal to young professionals with an eye to traditional American cars with great performance. The instant acceleration you get from a supercharger is awesome. And this flagship is heaped with features that are very expensive options with many competitors.
Good news: It’s American. The ride is smooth. Well appointed – you get more features than the competition for the money.
Bad news: Cars like Mercedes-Benz has great engineering too and I believe the stiffest competitor listed below. The Volvo would be my second choice in the competitive line-up.
The Competition:
BMW 5-Series $53,300, Infiniti I30 $31,500, Lexus ES 300 $30,790, Mazda Millenia $36,595, Mercedes-Benz C-Class $35,400, Mitsubishi Diamante $33,050, Volvo S70 $34,010.
Standard Equipment:
3.8-liter 205 horsepower V6 boosted to 240 with the supercharger, 4-speed auto trans, air conditioning, power steering, door locks, windows and mirrors, tilt steering wheel, cruise control, AM/FM stereo cassette and CD, moisture-sensing wipers, traction control, 6-way dual power heated front seats, leather, illuminated keyless entry, dual airbags, anti-lock brake system (ABS), child safety locks, computer information center, theft deterrent system, delayed lights and locking system and tinted glass.
Gas Stats:
EPA numbers are 18 City and 27 Highway MPG.
Pricing:
MSRP base retail price is $30,675 for the 4-door sedan and the Ultra base is $35,550. The model I drove added special wheels, trunk mounted CD changer and a few other goodies that brought the price to $38,410.
