2003 BUICK LESABRE

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Four plush sedans and a sport-utility wagon that drives like a car represent 2003 products by Buick, one of the oldest lines at General Motors. Model-year 2003 marks the centennial anniversary for Buick and a celebration is slated for the summer of 2003. In addition, Buick will produce 10,000 copies of the full-size LeSabre sedan in Celebration edition during 2003. Buick's sedans extend from LeSabre to the full-size Park Avenue flagship series, sporty mid-size Regal and mid-size Century in bargain-priced editions. Supercharged Park Avenue Ultra shows off a new front grille, chrome wheels and -- resurrecting a feature from classic Buicks -- three portholes simulated in chrome on forward flanks. Entry-level Century for 2003 has new exterior styling elements including a grille in graphite and chrome, plus body-colored fascia fore and aft. Buick's SUV -- Rendezvous -- fits in the mid-size category with five-door configuration and up to three rows of seats for as many as seven riders. Absent from Rendezvous are truckish manners of a typical sport-utility designed for rugged chores and off-road action. Instead, Rendezvous skews to the cushy side of comfort for operation on paved highways and urban streets. The 2003 editions offer all-wheel-drive (AWD) traction, third-row seating and captain's chairs.

CENTURY: The Century badge traces in Buick history to 1936, when the automaker first identified its products by easy-to-remember names rather than numbers. New Century editions of 2003 have a restyled front grille composed of graphite and chrome, new chrome moldings around side doors and body-colored fascia. Inside Century's cabin, new cloth upholstery is installed, as is more trim padding to strengthen the head-impact protection. An auxiliary side air bag, augmenting two standard frontal air bags, is a safety item available optionally on the two Century models, Custom and a luxury-tipped Limited. Century's enriched engine -- the 3100 series General Motors 3.1-liter plant with aluminum cylinder heads and sequential fuel injection -- registers 175 hp. Century's engine links to the GM 4T60E transmission with four forward gears and electronic controls. The cabin seats up to six due to a standard front bench split 55-45 percent in sections. Front seats slide fore and aft on extended tracks to create more legroom for tall passengers.

LeSABRE: The full-size LeSabre sedan in new Celebration trim supports body-color lower fascia and rocker moldings, and a monochrome badge up front with the oval grille displaying blacked-out bars inside a chrome ring. Side mirrors contain a clever safety feature, as bright chevrons appear on the surface of the mirrors and blink on and off each time the turn signal lever is activated. Celebration comes in two new premium paint choices -- Crimson Pearl (a deep and robust red) and White Diamond -- plus a standard shade called Light Bronzemist. LeSabre segments into two trims, Custom and Limited, the latter used as foundation for Celebration. Standard seating brings a 55/45 split bench in front, but a 45/45 design with console is optional. Special refinements with Celebration extend to two-tone leather seats, wood-grain trim in Black Cherry lining instrument panel and door panels. Options range from a sunroof and Gran Touring suspension to the subscription-based XM satellite radio service with superior sound quality and coast-to-coast reception through a hundred digital channels.

PARK AVENUE: Buick's flagship series consists of two sedans that vary primarily in power points and on-board amenities. Park Avenue Ultra ripples with energy due to a mechanical supercharger used to extract more-than-normal power from a six-pack engine. Without the supercharger, Buick's 3.8-liter V6 for base Park Avenue musters 205 hp. Apply the supercharger and output climbs to 240 hp. New fender portholes on flanks mark the 2003 Park Avenue Ultra, which also carries chrome-plated exhaust tips. Wood-grain trim like burled walnut in the cabin streaks across door panels, steering wheel and instrument panel, with new aluminum sill plates fixed to front door ports. Turn signal chevrons show up in external rearview mirrors.

REGAL: Buick's mid-size sedan features a subdued yet sophisticated exterior fashioned from wedge-shaped forms, an interior that's generous in space and engineering assets that set up precise road manners. Two trim levels begin at base Regal LS with GM's 3800 Series II 3.8-liter V6 for 200 hp, but a sporty GS with supercharger kicks output to 240 hp. The interior pitches twin buckets up front (and, unlike other Buick sedans, there's no option for a front bench), with space for up to three on the back bench. New features range from interior trim padding for enhanced head-impact protection to two new exterior color choices: Cardinal Red Metallic and Augusta Green Metallic.

RENDEZVOUS: The sport-utility wagon from Buick in 2003 shows more versatility due to available AWD traction, plus third-row seating and captain's chairs. Features for convenience and security include a head-up display of vehicle speed projected on the windshield and a Rear Park Assist (RPA) guidance system, optional OnStar telecommunications and a DVD-based video entertainment system as well as XM satellite radio service. Rendezvous CX operates constantly in front-wheel-drive (FWD), but the CXL carries an on-demand AWD system called Versatrak. Both traction editions pull power from the same engine, a 3.4-liter V6 from GM that produces 185 hp.