Press Release
Buick Announces Its 1997 Model Year Line-Up
09/11/96
Buick 'Putting it All Together' with '97 Lineup ROCHESTER, Mich., Sept. 9 -- With two all-new models and important improvements throughout the lineup, Buick General Manager Edward H. Mertz today described the 1997 model year as "the year Buick is putting it all together." Two of Buick's most important models -- the luxury flagship Park Avenue and popular midsize Century -- are completely redesigned. LeSabre, best-selling U.S. full-size car for four straight years, has freshened styling and an improved electronically controlled automatic transmission. The distinctively styled Riviera has new standard equipment and improvements in safety features, suspension and transmissions. The compact Skylark has additional refinements and added standard equipment, and, Mertz said, "a total safety package the competition can't match." And Buick's 1996 Regal will be succeeded by an all-new model later in the model year. "Park Avenue and Ultra are Buick's best examples yet of great American touring sedans," Mertz said at Buick's national new-model press conference at Meadow Brook Hall. "Century is an outstanding all-new model that is sure to be a leader in the market. Throughout the lineup, these are the quietest, most comfortable, most convenient Buicks we've ever produced." Buick's most powerful engines, the 3.8-liter 3800 Series II V-6 (205 horsepower) and supercharged 3800 Series II (240 hp), have both been chosen among the "Ten Best Engines for 1996" by Ward's Auto World magazine. The naturally aspirated version is standard in Park Avenue, Riviera, LeSabre and the '96 Regal Limited and Gran Sport. The supercharged Series II is standard in Park Avenue Ultra and optional in Riviera. A sophisticated new 4T65E electronically controlled four-speed automatic transmission is standard in Park Avenue and Riviera. New electronic controls modulate the energy for smoother shifts. The higher-capacity 4T65E HD is fitted to the supercharged Riviera and Park Avenue Ultra. All '97 Buicks are designed for extended service with little or no maintenance requirements. Long-life engine coolant and platinum-tipped spark plugs are both good for 100,000 miles between service intervals. Under normal operating conditions, the transmission fluid requires no maintenance. Onboard diagnostics (OBD-II) monitor the powertrain and other systems that may affect emissions controls. The system alerts the driver to check for a problem before it can have an impact on emissions. All Buicks are again equipped with dual front air bags and anti-lock brakes. PARK AVENUE/PARK AVENUE ULTRA Ride, handling and comfort are hallmarks of Buick's flagship Park Avenue and Park Avenue Ultra sedans, all new for 1997. At the heart of any world-class luxury car is a rigid body structure. A smooth, quiet ride is essential to that, but stable and predictable handling, occupant crash protection and long-lasting comfort are all derived from an automobile's body and chassis construction. The '97 Park Avenue models have extraordinary solidity: torsional rigidity is improved by 40 percent and resistance to bending has been improved 54 percent. Engineers have worked to trim weight, friction and drag wherever possible toward maintaining the Park Avenue's best-in-class fuel efficiency. The advanced technology embodied in the Park Avenue powertrains has resulted in six-cylinder fuel efficiency with eight-cylinder smoothness and performance. Projected fuel-economy ratings are 19 miles per gallon city and 28 highway with the naturally aspirated 3800 Series II V-6 and 18/27 with Ultra's supercharged 3800 Series II. Personal Choice features have been expanded to include sound system and climate control settings. As in the previous model, the remote keyless entry fob can also be programmed to remember mirror and seat positions, automatic door lock operation, perimeter lighting, delayed locking and security feedback. CENTURY The mid-size Century is new from bumper to bumper for '97. The exterior is sleek and modern and the interior is roomy for full-sized adults. This is Buick's family car for the '90s and beyond. A principal characteristic of Century owners is that they want "a design with legs." They seek classic American design cues, but avoid designs that may look dated in a few years. Wayne Kady, chief exterior designer of the new Century, said the major design challenge was to find such an appearance with authentic longevity. "We purposely avoided anything that could be considered trendy -- hot one season and gone the next," Kady said. Instead, his studio sought a look that would be "attractive at first sight and still beautiful years later." Century's fine vertical-bar grille gives this new model instant Buick identification. A flowing side-view sculptural form also reinforces this car's strong brand character in an up-to-date way. Inside is ample space for six adults to ride in comfort thanks to thoughtful packaging and longer front seat tracks. The standard three-across split front bench seat is designed to comfortably accommodate full-sized adults. To exceed customer expectations for durability and efficiency, the new Century is powered by the widely acclaimed 3.1-liter 3lOO V-6. Projected fuel economy is 2O miles per gallon city and 29 mpg highway. This 160-horsepower powerplant is mated to an electronically controlled four-speed automatic transmission for a combination of responsive power and almost imperceptible upshifts and downshifts. RIVIERA The distinctively styled Riviera, Buick's personal luxury coupe, is known for its structural strength in addition to its styling. Riviera is again powered by the 205-horsepower 3800 Series II V-6. Optional is the 240-hp supercharged 3800 Series II V-6. The new standard transmission for Riviera, packaged with the naturally aspirated 3800 Series II, is the 4T65E, with new electronically controlled converter clutch, resulting in even smoother shifting than the previous transmission. The supercharged Series II is linked to the 4T65E HD (for heavy duty), also with new electronic controls. It provides a heavy duty gear set and larger shafts and pinions to accommodate the higher torque of the supercharged engine. Projected fuel economy is 19 miles per gallon city and 28 mpg highway for the naturally aspirated 3800 Series II and 18/27 for the supercharged engine. Personal Choice, a popular package of programmable features, is enhanced for '97 with standard memory door locks. Personal Choice allows the owner to program each of two remote keyless entry fobs with different personal settings, including which doors unlock remotely and when, the nature of security feedback with engaging remote locking (horn chirp, lights flashing, both or neither), and perimeter lighting. The only optional Personal Choice feature for '97 is memory power seats. When it's specified, it includes automatic parallel parking assistance via the passenger-side outside rear-view mirror, which pivots down for a view of the car's proximity to the curb when the car is in Reverse. Each programmable keyless entry fob can remember seat and mirror settings when that feature is installed. Another package of electronic features is called Convenience Plus. Among new features in this package for '97 are a flash-to-pass function in the indicator stalk, PASS-Key II passive theft-deterrent system, daytime running lamps, retained accessory power and an auxiliary power outlet. Riviera's fully independent suspension for '97 is new and tuned for reduced impact harshness and better control of ride motions. LESABRE The 1997 models of LeSabre came on the market in January of 1996 and immediately continued the sedan's tradition of popularity. The '97 LeSabre features a number of exterior styling changes. To enhance LeSabre's quality appearance, the grille surround has been integrated with the hood and the halogen headlamp assemblies use fixed lenses for a tighter fit with surrounding surfaces. The taillamps and rear fascia have a diagonal cut line to provide easier access to the trunk. A handy trunk pull-down surface has been incorporated into the license-plate surround. LeSabre again is equipped with the 3800 Series II V-6 engine, now combined with the improved 4T60E electronically controlled four-speed automatic transmission. Projected fuel economy ratings are an excellent 19 miles per gallon city and 30 mpg highway, the same as the previous model. LeSabre continues to provide standard features such as dual air bags, anti-lock brakes, air conditioning, power windows, rear-window defogger and PASS-Key II anti-theft system. Convenience Plus features for the highly-contented LeSabre include daytime running lights (new), gradual "theater dimming" interior lighting, delayed entry and exit lighting, battery rundown protection, reminder tones for lights-on, key-in-ignition, and parking-brake-on events, plus lock-out protection and delayed locking. Delayed locking allows the owner to open any door up to five seconds after the power door lock switches have been activated and all doors shut. The doors lock after the five-second delay. SKYLARK Buick's premium compact, Skylark, was extensively redesigned inside and out for 1996 -- while raising the standard of expectations in this entry-level class. The Skylark value story improves for '97 with additional refinements and standard equipment. Skylark Limited, Skylark Gran Sport and the standard Skylark Custom are available as either a coupe or sedan. Standard equipment includes driver and front passenger air bags and a four-wheel anti-lock brake system. Skylark is rich with the kind of luxury and convenience gear one expects to pay extra for in other entry-level automobiles. Standard equipment includes four-way manual seat adjusters and a storage armrest, air conditioning with backlit controls, four-speed electronically controlled automatic transmission with overdrive, traction control, power windows with driver's side express-down function (optional on Custom), side and rear-window defogger, two-speed intermittent windshield wipers, visor vanity mirrors and adjustable steering column. Skylark's front MacPherson-strut and rear trailing axle suspension is tuned to provide a blend of expected Buick ride quality and excellent handling characteristics. Skylark Gran Sport features suspension tuning optimized for its sportier characteristics. Skylark's powertrain line-up includes the economy of a standard four-cylinder engine and an uplevel V-6 for a combination of power and authority. The four-cylinder carries a rating of 22 mpg city and 32 mpg highway; the 3100 V-6 has ratings of 20/29. 1996 REGAL Buick's 1996 Regal carries over with an extended production run of this popular automobile. An all-new Regal will be introduced later in the 1997 model year. The 3100 V-6 is standard on Regal Custom and the 3800 Series II V-6 is optional on Regal Custom and standard on Limited and Gran Sport. Regal provides an array of standard safety and security features such as dual air bags, anti-lock brakes and a PASS-Key II theft-deterrent system.