Road & Travel Magazine

Auto Advice & Tips
Auto Buyer's Guides
Car Care Maintenance
Climate Change News
Auto Awards Archive
Insurance & Accidents
Legends & Leaders
New Car Reviews
Planet Driven
Road Humor
Road Trips
RV & Camping
Safety & Security
Teens & Tots Tips
Tire Buying Tips
Used Car Buying
Vehicle Model Guide


Travel Channel
Adventure Travel
Advice & Tips
Airline Rules
Bed & Breakfasts
Cruises & Tours
Destination Reviews
Earth Tones
Family Travel Tips
Health Trip
Hotels & Resorts
Luxury Travel
Pet Travel
RV & Camping
Safety & Security
Spa Reviews
Train Vacations
World Travel Directory

Bookmark and Share


2006 New Car Model Guide, Model Guide, New Car Reviews, Buick Cars, Trucks, & SUVs

2006 BUICK NEW CAR MODEL GUIDE

2006 Buick New Car Model GuideAlthough Buick ranks as one of the oldest marques at General Motors, its slate of products for 2006 contains some of the newest GM models. Buick's 2006 models include two new sedans and three different wagons. Latest nameplate Lucerne, is a sleek entry-luxury sedan with optional V8 power.

Buick LaCrosse
2006 Buick LaCrosse

This mid-size sedan emerged in 2005 as the replacement for Century and Regal in Buick's line. For 2006, LaCrosse gains more standard safety features such as curtain-style side air bags plus an anti-lock brake system (ABS). Buick laces LaCrosse's cabin with bright touches of chrome and brush aluminum, accents in burl wood and a generous supply of soft-touch material covering dash and doors. There are seats for five or six.

The six-seat version sets a bench for three in front of the three-place back bench, while a five-seat arrangement applies twin front buckets divided by a console with padded armrest. Two trims -- LaCrosse CX and elegant CXL -- pull power from a 3.8-liter V6 rated at 200 hp, while LaCrosse CXS stocks an aluminum 3.6-liter V6 spiked to 240 hp. GM's StabiliTrak, URPA and a remote starter device are options.

Buick Lucerne
2006 Buick Lucerne

This big new four-door sedan with front-wheel-drive (FWD) traction replaces LeSabre in Buick's line and brings luxurious appointments and high-tech mechanical components like GM's Magnetic Ride Control (MRC) suspension and StabiliTrak skid controls. It stocks a V6 or V8 engine, seats for five or six and innovations for safety and security. Styling is smooth with ripe lines and a bold face with chrome-rimmed grille.

The cabin, engineered with Buick's QuietTuning measures for noise damping, contains fancy gear like heated/cooled front seats, rain-sensing windshield wipers, a remote starter and Ultrasonic Rear Parking Assist (URPA), plus a Harman Kardon stereo audio with nine speakers and six-disc CD/MP3 player. Powertrains include a 3.8-liter V6 rated at 197 hp or a 4.6-liter V8 with 275 hp. Trims begin with Lucerne CX stocking the V6 and continue with uplevel CXL offering the V8 but culminate at deluxe CXS with the V8 standard.

Buick Rainer
2006 Buick Rainer

Buick's five-door SUV tips toward luxury with deluxe appointments like leather upholstery. It supplies a six-cylinder or V8 powertrain and rear-wheel-drive (RWD) or AWD traction. Rainier's standard engine is a 4.6-liter in-line-six that nets 291 hp. A 5.3-liter V8 gains GM's Displacement on Demand (DOD) technology to pare the number of cylinders engaged in the combustion process when boosted power is not needed.

The V8 produces 300 hp. Rainier's face for 2006 shows a revised grille design and revised paint colors like Dark Garnet Metallic. In the cabin, front bucket seats flank a central console. Seatback on the rear bench splits and folds to add room in the cargo bay. Rainier has a high level of standard equipment like StabiliTrak, OnStar and a DVD-based navigation system. Options range from heated seats to adjustable floor pedals and a Bose audio system with CD changer.


Buick Rendezvous
2006 Buick Rendezvous

Buick's smaller SUV combines attributes of a wagon and minivan. The cabin is that of a luxury vehicle stocking as many as three tiers of seats for six or seven passengers plus room in the rear for cargo. Trim designations change for 2006 as the CXL Plus replaces Ultra as top model stocking luxurious appointments beyond CX and CXL trims. Rendezvous CXL Plus uses a 3.6-liter V6 engine with VVT to make 242 hp.

The CX and CXL models score a new 3.5-liter V6 that nets 201 hp. A conventional Rendezvous drivetrain operates constantly in FWD format, while an available AWD system for top trims helps the wagon maintain traction on wet or slippery pavement. New standard features for all trims include OnStar and URPA, with options for captain's chairs in place of the second-row bench and a DVD video entertainment system.

Buick Terraza
2006 Buick Terraza

Buick calls Terraza a crossover sport van (CSV). The two-box package resembles a SUV but the big cabin with three tiers of seats for seven and side sliding doors function like a large-scale minivan. Seats on second and third rows may be removed to make room for more gear, or the back bench, split in half, folds on the seatback.

Buick builds Terraza in two trims (CL and deluxe CXL), with choices for FWD or all-wheel-drive (AWD) traction. Power flows from a 3.5-liter V6 pushed to 200 hp with a four-speed automatic transaxle. For FWD models, an optional engine will be available later in 2006 from a 3.9-liter V6 with variable valve timing (VVT) for 235 hp. Standard gear for both trims includes a DVD entertainment kit and OnStar telecommunications. New paint colors come with 2006 Terraza models like Dark Garnet Metallic and Sandstone Metallic.