A computerized navigational system in 1983? That’s right – Buick (specifically GM) was one of the first American automotive companies to play with in-dash maps and GPS. What other 21st Century ideas did this little Questor have in mind? Several: including a back-up camera, anti-theft, road traction monitoring, television rear-view mirror and touch-command entertainment systems. One piece of equipment which did not remain in Buick’s technological arsenal – the cassette deck.

Buick’s Questor remained very popular with automotive press outlets, and was a gem at Flint, MI’s AutoWorld amusement center. It’s fascinating to see where many of the standard control and navigational systems we see in automobiles today had their first exposure to the public.

Let’s start with the first-class interior. There is seating for five, but six could definitely fit in there if need be. The 2008 Lucerne’s longer wheelbase allows a more suitable amount of legroom for all the passengers. The roominess is complemented with comfortable leather seating in the upper trim levels, and dual-zone automatic air conditioning; single-zone air conditioning is available on the base trim level. Other features that can be added on to the Lucerne arsenal include a touch-screen navigation system, a heated leather steering wheel, heated and cooled seats and a 280-watt audio system! Of course, there are an abundant number of other features on top of that from which you can choose.

The Lucerne is loaded up with power as well as features. The first two available trim levels have two engines available; the 3.8-liter V6 and the 4.6-liter V8. The all-new Super Trim gets the supercharged 4.6-liter V8 engine; this engine can deliver 292 horsepower and 288 lb. ft. of torque! All engines run on a four-speed automatic transmission with overdrive. Buick loaded up the Lucerne with some nice safety features as well. The sedan’s six airbags include a driver and front-right passenger dual-stage airbag system, front and rear passenger head-curtain airbags and side-impact airbags. A tire-pressure monitoring system, 4-wheel antilock disc brakes, Ultrasonic Rear Parking Assist and an electronic stability system are other safeties offered for selection. A new technology offered for 2008 is the blind spot and lane-departure warning system that is available on all trim levels.

This full-size wonder can really drive well, and with the stress on QuietTuning, you’ll never hear any of the outside noises over your impressive nine-speaker audio system. The 2008 Lucerne is an example of a life lived in luxury.