Friends of Buick: Buick Ergonomics

Derived from the Greek ergon, meaning work, and nomia, meaning knowledge or science, the word ergonomics refers to the study of human work (and the methods used to perform it). It can also be described as the interaction between the human being, and their working tools. A young, cross-disciplinary science, ergonomics emerged in the 1950s as a combination of biology; technology, and psychology used to analyze the interaction between human beings and machines.

In its simplest definition, ergonomics might refer to the degree of comfort an automobile's interior offers. A Buick may have commanding presence, but it must above all cater to its pilot. Given the tendency of cars with strongly identifiable traits to be overwhelming, it seems a dichotomy.

Yet Buick is thoroughly familiar with such contradictory goals. This is a manufacturer that bears the name of an singularly-focused inventor (David D. Buick); yet one later run by a dreamer supersalesman (William C. Durant), and yet later still managed by the deeply practical and fiscally conservative Charles W. Nash.

It is also an automaker that, for 1959, gave us the flourish of a non-rectangular grille, paradoxically composed of fiercely rectangular squares; and one that, in 1965 advertised its Riviera

as an iron fist in a velvet glove.

Through the ages, the grace inherent in Buick design and conduct has meant that a stately presence need not imply a stoic detachment.

So, an ethic of craftsmanship can be ergonomically sound. The Buick designer; the Buick engineer - both must love cars, and yet must simultaneously understand customers.

"More room for the man and less for the machine," says Buick design director Peter Lawlis - among the cadre of people who designed the 2006 Buick Lucerne - of the overarching ergonomic principle inherent in Buick interior design philosophy.

Yet Lawlis emphasizes constant delight, too, as a standard feature of the Buick: "your eyes keep moving through the vehicle, and everything you see extends the feeling of quality." Certainly, Buick ergonomics are as much about execution as about science.

Buick ergonomics seek that every aspect of the Buick must be tuned to blend with every other.

It is this balance - a concoction of visionary, yet accessible, luxury - that is proudly presented to the driver.

Four aspects of Buick ergonomics stand out: interior craftsmanship; space, and correct utilization of that space - and most importantly, throughout the vehicle.

Discover Buick's tradition of interior craftsmanship

Cars magazine wrote of the 1974 Riviera, "we were most impressed with the detailing and quality control on our test car" (Cars, February 1974). Then, as now, and dating back to the earliest years of the twentieth century, craftsmanship has been a core concern of Buick's.

When the selective three-speed transmission replaced planetary units across Buick's line-up for 1912, its shifting lever was neatly enclosed in a steel casing, with only its handle visible.

Six years later, the 1918 Buick replaced rubber floor covering with linoleum, while mohair tops replaced the cloth used previously. For 1927, the Buick Master Six finished its interior in walnut; satin, and broadcloth. By 1932

both leather and whipcord upholstery was available to the Buick buyer. Mahogany was offered for 1939.

Volvo is another whose attention to ergonomics is well recorded. Yet, through the ages, the dashboard of the Volvo has often been perceived as drab. To fulfill Buick's mission of luxury without ostentation, elegant shapes must meet exceptional craftsmanship and organization.

The 1955 Buick, for instance, was superlatively comfortable, with layered comforting double-depth foam within its seat cushions. Nearly twenty years on, Cars wrote of the 1974 Riviera, "the infinitely adjustable semi-buckets offered a driving position for everyone, regardless of stature" (Cars, February 1974).

The 1986 Riviera T-Type's Power Comfort seats could be adjusted not only up and down and back and forth, but also for thigh and lumbar support; angle of cushion side support, and height of head restraint.

Yet as time and Buick marched on, seats were to be a treat for the eye as well as for the frame.

For 1981, even the lowly Skylark

offered woven velour upholstery. The 1983 line-up of Buick T-Type cars had bespoke seats that were "beautifully finished" (as Road & Track, June 1983 put it), along with their multiple adjustments and good side support. The leather seats of the 1989 Buick Electra Park Avenue Ultra were penned by famed Italian designer Giorgio Giugiaro, in addition to being adjustable in a comprehensive twenty ways.

As with the seats, so too the steering-wheel: for 1977, Buick's Riviera impressed Road Test magazine in that its "slick, leather-wrapped steering-wheel (was) complete with a nice, soft feel to it that is both comfortable and also allows you to get a good grip on things" (Road Test, July 1977).

Premium pieces exude a premium ambience. Of the 1971 Buick Centurion, Road Test magazine found that "once inside, the surroundings border closely on the luxurious... extensive use is made of quilted nylon for seats, with vinyl door panels accented by brushed stainless steel" (Road Test, January 1971).

Of the 1979 Riviera, Motor Trend's Car of the Year, the magazine wrote, "throughout, the Riviera exhibited a high degree of workmanship and attention to detail."

Buick celebrated the 20^th anniversary of the Buick Riviera for 1983 with a medium-beech anniversary interior featuring English walnut wood veneer trim plates and 26-ounce wool-like carpeting. Suede inserts highlighted the glove-leather seat upholstery, while wood steering wheel (with wood horn cap) and upper door trim were also leather-wrapped. 502 of these cars were produced.

Two years later, a limited-edition Riviera for 1985 featured genuine wood in the form of a burled walnut veneer on dash and door panels; a wood/ leather steering wheel, and beige leather/ suede interior trim.

Praise of the Buick's atmospheric impressions has been gushing at times.

"As admirable as the Riviera's roadability may be, the car's most outstanding aspect is its interior environment," concluded Motor Trend in 1978.

"Just sitting in the Park Avenue's roomy interior is pleasing," said Car and Driver of Buick's flagship in 1991.

Motor Trend added, "Buick engineers have come up with one of the quietest; lightest, and smoothest-operating luxury sedans we've ever driven."

GM Vice Chairman Robert A. Lutz recently told Britain's Channel 4 News, "I'll take you to see a Buick up close - and I challenge you to show me a Lexus/Toyota or an Acura/Honda or an Infiniti/Nissan with tighter body gaps and flanges; better interior fittings; sheetmetal quality, and so forth" (Channel 4 News, May 15^th, 2006).

What does the media think of the ambience inside Buick's new flagship, the 2006 Lucerne? Find out.

Sometimes, one simply wants space.

Discover Buick's tradition of interior space

The first five-passenger Buick, the Model C, was produced in 1905.

In the mid-30s, as Harley Earl worked to lengthen and lower the Buick, the division lowered the floor by more than the height was reduced, to maintain interior head room (and, happily enough, to lower the center of gravity).

In 1940, Buick produced its first wagon. For more than fifty years hence, the Buick Estate

would be a staple of the American road, through the '50s and '60s strong in the intermediate segment, and later adding both full-size and compact models. By 1980, a midsize Century could hold 71.8 cubic feet of cargo (or six passengers) - over 80% of the capacity of the period full-size Buick LeSabre and Electra Estates! A midsize Regal Estate, by 1982, managed no less. Even the subcompact Buick Skyhawk wagon of 1983 could handle 64.5 cubic feet - a fitting product for a manufacturer whose Electra full-size sedan was, at the time, the longest regular production car made in America.

For the 1962 Buick, engines were moved four inches forward, decreasing the size of floor humps.

For 1978, compact Buicks began offering standard compact spare tires, the better to offer more space in the trunk. Meanwhile, full-size Buicks - despite being downsized a year earlier - actually gained approximately 30% more trunk space. In this regard, the 1979 Riviera S-Type offered 19.1 cubic feet of capacity, versus 17 for the Mercedes-Benz 450 SEL.

A 1983 Buick Century T-Type offered 18.3 cubic feet of trunk space within a length of just 189.1 inches. In some years described as Buick's little limousine, the Century line would offer class-leading, voluminous capacity as a key feature and, indeed, this aspect has continued at Buick as a whole. By the late-90s, no Camry or Taurus could match Century for interior space.

After several years in the late-70s and early-80s as only a coupé

the Regal added a sedan body for 1982. Through 1984, it proved a popular addition to the line, and it was much in Buick's error that the automaker did not consistently offer a sedan body style in the Regal line-up until the end of the decade. From then through the Millennium and beyond, however, no Camcord beat the period Regal

for trunk space.

The 1985 Somerset Regal slid its passenger seat aft when the seatback was tipped forward, for easy entry to the rear.

Today, Buick pushes the instrument panel down and forward (by three full inches, in the LaCrosse), into the front of the car, ensuring that the Buick does not assault the driver's knees and elbows upon entry and egress.

Yet pure space is nothing without the intelligent utilization of it, and access to it. Buick packaging, for instance, has regularly been second to none. This is, after all, an automaker whose 1960 Special wagon offered a one-piece tailgate (a design popular in today's SUVs and crossovers); whose 1976 Estate Wagon's tailgate featured a clever glide-away lower section that would disappear under the floor while the window receded up into the roof area; one whose tailgate, the following year, could either fold down or swing open like a door, and one whose 1997 LeSabre sedan

- mid-cycle - received a rear fascia redesign with diagonal cut-lines to facilitate access to its capacious trunk.

Buick's 1998 Signia Concept offered a removable, high-clearing hatch, with loading platform that graciously extended fifteen inches out from the cargo area at the touch of a button.

Three years later, a simple voice command transformed the LaCrosse Concept from a luxury sedan to a light carrier with an open bed: the tailgate electronically slid down and under the vehicle, while the rear window and rear portion of the roof slid forward to make room for extra-large loads.

In production, as in concept, it is in the science - the intelligence - of the Buick presentation that the marque truly shines. Instrument panels must be of a generous size, and easy to read; interiors must offer numerous storage spaces, well-located.

Discover Buick's tradition of correct ergonomic science

Buick had brought electric lighting and starting as standard equipment across its range by 1914. For 1918, an oil sight and ammeter were placed on the dashboard; a longer control lever made operation of the Buick more convenient, and seats were revised with higher backs. A longer gearshift lever debuted for 1923.

For 1927, the speedometer was placed directly ahead of the driver, with the benefit of dashboard lighting. A dash-mounted fuel gauge came to the premium Buick Master Six.

It was Buick that, in 1928, introduced the H-Shift pattern to which stick-shift drivers have become so accustomed (n.b: the column shifter for which the marque would be known in later years did not appear until 1939). An adjustable steering column also came that year, along with dash-mounted fuel-level and engine temperature gauges for all Buicks.

For its Silver Anniversary in 1929

Buick introduced sloping non-glare windshields, following the one-piece windshield of 1925.

An adjustable driver's seat, and a rear foot rail for passengers, debuted for 1931.

Sun visors moved from an external single-piece unit to being internal and adjustable for 1932.

Fisher No-Draft ventilation debuted for 1933.

Synchromesh came to Buick for 1932, together with Wizard Control, a combined freewheeling and automatic clutch, eliminating clutch shifting between second and third gears. For 1933 it allowed the driver to switch back and forth from direct-drive to freewheeling, as desired. A year later, helical gears were adopted, the actual gear shifting pressure made more convenient by the shift lever's shorter movement.

For 1950, Buick introduced the push-pull door-handle; literally, push a button with a thumb, and it opened (and there were no open ends to catch clothes).

Buick brought the industry the first power windows, and the first power convertible top.

By 1956, easy access to the cockpit was an obsessive theme at Buick. In the 1956 Buick Centurion Concept

this was made possible by automatic, moving seats - while a glass roof reinforced the feeling of roominess. Almost fifty years later, the 2000 Buick LaCrosse Concept's doors were power-operated, hinging at front and rear pillars and opening at the center pillar for easy access.

Though this never made production, accessibility - from entry to egress - is the hallmark of the Buick. As the all-steel construction and folding rear seats of the mid-50s made the station wagon stylish and practical enough to become a genuinely popular family car, Buick models adopted a roll-down rear window for 1959, and a one-piece tailgate the following year. More recently, keyless entry has locked and unlocked Buick doors, and opened Buick trunks, since 1991. Open any Buick door in the last decade, and the interior lights have glowed for twenty-five seconds to give driver and passengers time to sit down; close the doors, and start the car.

Upon entrance, appreciate that - as with every car that is designed around its driver - Buick starts with the H-point, the position of the driver's hip (and thus, of the driver) within the car.

"Until recently, market researchers did not even ask customers how high they wanted to sit in a vehicle," writes author and New York Times Hong Kong bureau chief Keith Bradsher.

"Now, surveys by companies like AutoPacific show that visibility from the driver's seat ranks even with a vehicle's driving performance and interior comfort as the most important attributes that buyers seek" (High and Mighty, Keith Bradsher, PublicAffairs, 2002).

Thus is the industry coming around to the Buick way of thinking. It is, by nature, an expensive way of going about design - and a difficult compromise: low enough to permit easy entry and egress, and yet high enough to provide a commanding view of the road; sufficiently low to offer potent handling and a nod to aerodynamics, but with enough height to enable better visibility. After all, the Buick driving position must be commanding.

The height of the H-point is an important piece of entry and egress, too - and it has become all the more important at Buick as the division has moved into the crossover (Rendezvous); sport-utility-vehicle (Rainier), and minivan segment (Terraza) in recent years.

The 1998 Buick Signia Concept featured all the comfort and convenience of a luxury sedan; the all-wheel-drive and versatility of a van or sport-utility vehicle. It was unusually easy to get in and out of Signia. The roof and seats were higher than in a traditional car, with rocker panels inset to facilitate entry without bumping one's legs on a muddy door sill. Signia Concept evolved into today's Rendezvous.

Upon exit, interior lamps illuminate to give time to locate inside door locks and handles with engine turned off and key removed. In 2006, as first introduced for 1986, Retained Accessory Power keeps radio; electric windows; wipers; fuel door; decklid, and electric glove compartment release (where applicable) functional until a door is opened.

Ahead, and around, visibility is paramount - as it could only be, for a manufacturer that introduced flashing directional signals to the industry, back in 1939.

Standard equipment on Buicks of 1906 were acetylene headlights, and oil side and tail-lamps. By 1913, electric head; tail, and side lights were available (and were standard, a year later). The 1926 Buick featured dual-beam headlights, with a dimming switch mounted in the steering-wheel center. For 1933

a new type of headlight whose passing beam brightly illuminated the pavement edge while shedding a far dimmer light on the traffic side was common to all Buicks. Fog lights became available that year. For 1934, headlights produced twenty percent more illumination, providing four different light patterns: city and country driving beams; a passing beam, and a parking light.

By 1980, tungsten-halogen high-beam headlights produced an intense white beam.

The 1985 Buick Somerset Regal could be equipped with a high-mounted brake light, a year before government regulations made this mandatory.

The 1992 Buick Sceptre Concept's high-intensity projection units lit the way ahead, while high-intensity strobes marked it across its perimeter.

In case the headlamps of other vehicles were too intense, an automatic day/ night electrochromic rear-view mirror became optional on several Buicks for 1992; today, electrochromic rear-view mirrors are available across the Buick line.

Buick, for decades, has offered courtesy lamps to assist in cornering at night: to see, and to be seen. Today, Twilight Sentinel - in 2006 as it did as far back as 1960 - turns on every Buick's headlights automatically at dusk.

Buick dropped horizontally-divided windshields for a clearer view for 1925. A windshield defroster became available for 1937. The 1939 Buick's windshield was 26% larger; front door windows were 16% larger, and there was a 21% increase in area for the rear windows. That car placed its radiator grille lower, not only for the greatest cooling aid, but also to enable the narrowing of the bonnet for increased visibility.

A wrap-around windshield for 1954 gave 19% greater visibility again, while every rear window was 3 to 4½ inches wider, with each metal pillar designed and placed for a minimum obstruction of the view.

Despite the 1971 Buick Riviera's famous boat-tail rear deck, care was taken to ensure that visibility was retained. "Lateral distortion through the rear window does not affect the driver's judgment of distance," Motor Trend confirmed (Motor Trend, December 1970).

By 1974, Riviera was offering a remote-controlled right-hand mirror, a rare luxury at the time. "Rearward visibility is good... but the addition of the controllable right-side mirror gives the driver full coverage," noted Motor Trend, March 1974.

When Buick introduced its compact Apollo/ Skylark for 1973, it noted a tall greenhouse, with generous glass. For 1978, as the Regal established itself as a separate model from the Century line, it replaced angled opera windows with larger, upright rear glass within a taller, longer roofline.

For 1981, a new fluidic windshield washer system sprayed two fans of fluid, but with the reassurance of no moving parts. It was an improvement over the double-jet nozzles Buick had introduced just eight years earlier, nozzles which distributed the fluid on the glass better and got more of it there faster for quicker, more thorough cleaning.

Buick believes in visibility for passengers, too. By 1976, the Buick buyer could choose from four roofs: an Astroroof, with sliding shade and heavily-tinted glass; electric sunroof; Hurst hatch roof with twin removable smoked-glass panels, and - on Skyhawk

- a fixed-glass version with aluminum roof band.

Driving the 1977 Riviera, Road Test magazine remarked, "the opera windows are bigger than most - you can actually see something through these" (Road Test, July 1977).

The 1991 Buick Roadmaster Estate featured a standard Vista roof: dark-tinted glass positioned midway in the roof to provide an open-air look, reprising the Skyroof panels of the 1964-1968 Skylark Sportwagon, and the 1969 Sport Wagon. One might add that, in addition to bringing more light into the interior, the feature permitted the third seat to be placed at a higher level and offer a little more foot room.

While other automakers appear to have only recently discovered theater seating, Buick has long positioned the rear seats slightly higher, to give everyone a view of the road ahead and offering, across the interior, a more airy feeling. Indeed, this was among the key features of the 1997 Century, introduced a decade ago.

Inside, everything serves to keep driver; passenger, and cargo comfortable. A heater became available for 1923. For 1960, Buick offered separate heat ducts and controls for the rear seat. Up front, for 1965, the Buick tilt steering-wheel revamped ideas on driving comfort.

By 1978, every Buick glovebox thoughtfully featured a coin holder; gradually, this would move to the center console to facilitate paying tolls.

For 1980, Electronic Touch Climate Control on Electra and LeSabre used a row of touch surfaces on a smooth panel, in place of the usual protruding knobs and switches. In 1991, Buick began offering ComforTemp on Park Avenue and Regal, lending each front passenger individual climate control. By 1996, the control was available for rear LeSabre passengers, too. Climate Control, and dual temperature controls, are available today on every 2006 Buick.

By 1992, uplevel Buicks offered standard solar control glass, working with climate control to keep cabins cool in harsh climates.

Buicks have had standard cabin air filtration since the Nineties, significantly reducing dust and pollen entering the passenger compartment. The system's filter is replaceable, assuring constant optimum performance.

By 1995, leather seats were available on every Buick model. Orthopedic practice has generally been critical to the design of the Buick's seat, the most recent generation debuting in that year's 1995 Riviera;

permeating throughout the range, and steadily improving since. Electro-mechanical lumbar support; seat memory, and dual heated seats also debuted on Buick's options list for 1995; today, Buick Lucerne offers heated and cooled front seats.

The 1990 Bolero Concept offered a built-in cooler in the rear package shelf; dual cup holders front and rear, and radio headsets in the rear of the front seats - these last being portable, so that rear passengers could take their own, individual music selections with them. Today, every 2006 Buick offers an easy plug-in for iPod and other MP3 devices.

The Buick LaCrosse Concept's rear seats reclined, and featured unique retracting footrests. Rumor has it that the 2008 Buick Enclave crossover may reprise these ideas for production.

Buick packaging has regularly been second to none. In 1975, the new subcompact Buick Skyhawk debuted as a dramatically-styled 2+2 with room for four and cargo. It was an impressive achievement in a class heretowith unknown to Buick, but more was to follow.

For 1977, the LeSabre; Electra, and Riviera were all downsized significantly, measuring closer to mid-size dimensions externally and gaining a full four feet in their turning radii for better low-speed maneuverability. Yet they did not lose their traditional spacious comfort. LeSabre and Riviera coupés, in fact, offered over 2½ inches more rear legroom over their predecessors, and increased headroom.

When in the Spring of 1984 an entirely new, smaller front-wheel-drive Electra debuted for 1985, dramatic cuts in exterior size and weight again barely affected interior dimensions. Despite weighing between six and nine hundred fewer pounds; measuring two feet shorter in length; being four inches narrower, and riding an eight-inch shorter wheelbase, this was still a six-passenger sedan with a capacious trunk. The following year, the LeSabre and Riviera would follow, with similar results.

Drivers of the post-Millennial LeSabre found a full ten storage areas, more than any other full-size car (and more than in most SUVs, even today).

Again, this illustrates that ergonomics is not simply about space; and so we find the typically Buick concept of psychological elbow room. "The balance of actual spaciousness along with perceived spaciousness is a tricky thing, but when it's done right, the car feels expansive," explains Buick Lucerne design director Peter Lawlis - and, indeed, it is for its very expansiveness that the Buick is best known.

The Buick has traditionally been a study in fingertip convenience, stimulating driving through holistic comfort in which every aspect of operation is accorded a harmonious home. Vacuum-operated windshield wipers replaced hand-powered versions for the 1925 Buick, and electric windshield wipers arrived for 1929.

Of the 1968 Riviera, Car Life magazine wrote, "Riviera's new spade-handle, console-mounted transmission selector is delightful to use.

"Gear changing is precise, and a simple depression of the handle permits selection of Reverse; Park; First, or Second. This is a welcome change from knob-mounted pushbuttons; ragged side detents, and the like" (Car Life, November 1967).

"Clusters controls in easy reach," Motor Trend found of the 1971 Buick Riviera's instrument panel (Motor Trend, December 1970). That car's shift lever could also be mounted on a between-the-seats console, slanted toward the driver for ease of operation.

The 1985 Buick Somerset Regal experimented with a dash-mounted radio control pod, remote from the radio itself, featuring soft-touch, low-travel controls. This was the forerunner of today's steering-wheel-mounted controls, available on every 2006 Buick (and first used by Buick in the 1989 Regal Coupé, just as compact disc players became available). By 1995, Buick steering-wheel-mounted controls had added temperature to their repertoire.

All minor switches of the 1986 Riviera (there were no major switches, thanks to a Graphic Control Center with membrane 'buttons') were of the electroluminescent, backlit variety. When customer concerns surfaced about the visibility of the GCC display, an ambient light sensor became standard on 1987 Rivieras, allowing the GCC to stay on full brightness when the headlights were switched on during the day. The following year, the screen deflected by seventy degrees for better visibility still - and offered a compass; integration of a cellular telephone directory, and driver reminders of calendar events.

The 1995 LeSabre, even mid-cycle, received larger controls with stronger back-lighting.

Generally, the Buick is designed to travel as unobtrusively as possible. Yet when the display of information is necessary, Buick has made it available in a myriad of ways. The 1918 Buick featured oil and ammeter gauges installed on its dash. For 1939, a clock mounted on the passenger side was standard. The 1972 Riviera featured a fender-mounted front light monitor, an installation of light-transmitting (and bending) clear plastic cords which picked up illumination from headlights; turn signals, and cornering lamps. "A foolproof method far superior to the indicator system of separate bulbs which may (in some designs) glow even when a lamp has burned out," mused Road Test magazine (Road Test, August 1972).

On January 15^th, 1979, Buick introduced its digital Trip Monitor, with on-board computer providing the number of hours and minutes to destination; mileage to the destination; estimated time of arrival, and estimated number of miles left on the available fuel. Today, every 2006 Buick offers a Driver Information Center, fielded by Buick under this name since the 1999 Park Avenue, and an evolution of the innovative electronics that Buick first began researching twenty-seven years ago.

The 1980 Skylark

featured a sport model which, together with its stiffer springs and dampers, and larger rear stabilizer bar, offered full instrumentation including a voltmeter. Its turbocharged LeSabre Sport Coupé stablemate held a vacuum boost light within its dashboard. By the mid-80s, all turbocharged Buicks offered boost gauges - and the '86 Riviera even toyed with windshield-washer fluid gauges. This latter approach was shortly replaced by an indicator which, for 1991, joined oil-life and oil-level warning lamps on the Park Avenue's dashboard. Washer-fluid level and oil-life indicators are standard on every 2006 Buick.

The 1992 Buick Sceptre Concept, with purpose-built tires by Michelin, demonstrated Buick research in continuous tire-pressure monitoring for optimum tire life and economy. Today, every 2006 Buick alerts of low tire pressure, debuted on production Buicks with the 1997 Park Avenue.

Buick's consistency in no way implies that Buick is unwilling to search for a better way. At the 1995 North American International Air Show, Buick displayed the XP2000 Concept.

It was of interest to no less than the aviation industry for its new generation of interactive electronics: a head-up display; driving responses amenable to driver taste, and a Smart Card setup for the automatic charge of tolls; fuel; food, and other services.

Today, XP2000 Concept's head-up display - dubbed Eye-Cue when introduced on production Buicks with the 1997 Park Avenue - is offered in the 2006 Buick Rendezvous, projecting current speed; turn signal and high-beam status; check-gauges indicator, and audio system information through the windshield.

XP2000 Concept was a modern rethink of the 1983 Buick Questor Concept.

A similar test-bed for innovative ideas in automotive electronics, Questor had packed fourteen microcomputers, controlling a laser key entry system; automatic load-leveling; spoiler control; head-up display; theft-deterrent system; road-surface traction monitoring; TV rear-view mirror; touch-command, and map/ navigation system. The video rear-view mirror was impressive for 1983 - yet consider that the 1956 Centurion Concept

had also previewed such an idea, its camera mounted in a jet plane-like tailcone.

Before Centurion Concept, the 1954 Buick had featured what authors Dunham and Gustin call "the first real innovation in speedometer instrumentation since speed dials first were installed:" the Redliner, credited to Ralph O. Helgeby, which displayed the numbers as a red bar which moved from left to right, like a horizontal thermometer (Buick: A Complete History, Terry B. Dunham & Lawrence R. Gustin, Automobile Quarterly, 2002).

For 1960, Buick debuted Mirromagic, an adjustable instrument panel that could be tilted to the easiest reading position.

Digital readouts for engine temperature; time; average speed, and elapsed time were offered on the 1979 Riviera. Through the Eighties and into the Nineties, Buick continued to evolve digital instrumentation, with instantaneous read-outs of speed; engine revolutions-per-minute; remaining gasoline; coolant temperature, and oil pressure.

The Buick of the Eighties was among the first to experiment with touch-screens (Graphic Control Centers, first offered on a select few 1985 Rivieras), the better to provide direct feedback upon command. A forerunner of some of today's systems, generally fielded by German luxury manufacturers, they replaced ninety-one buttons and switches related to climate control; radio, and trip and diagnostic data. Today, every Buick screen-based navigation system is of the touch-screen variety.

Buick, incidentally, began researching navigation systems at the end of the Eighties, with a Navicar computer navigation system on its 1988 Lucerne and 1989 Essence Concepts that used advanced dead reckoning through sensors on the wheels and steering to track the car's location continually from a starting point entered by the driver.

All the Buick LaCrosse Concept's controls were voice-activated, save for a singletrack, ball-like device installed in the console. Well before BMW's iDrive or Audi's MMI, Buick contemplated enabling the driver to use the controller in conjunction with voice commands to operate all interior systems except throttle; brake, and steering. Features selected by the driver were then projected on the windshield in a head-up display for both driver and front passenger.

The 2002 Buick Bengal Concept (also - like the LaCrosse Concept - designed under Executive Director of GM Design Steve Lyon) had a voice-activated command system, enabling drivers to use up to 118 commands to control everything from its convertible top to its on-board navigational system.

As recently as 2001, as Buick engineers were developing the LaCrosse, they worked on a driver's interface based on voice-recognition technology with supporting buttons arrayed around the steering-wheel ('Hush: the Buick LaCrosse,' Automotive Design & Production, Dec 2004).

The 2002 Bengal Concept's dashboard also featured a reconfigurable, color head-up display that showed driving information on demand.

At the end of the day, Buick innovation must pass the most stringent of pragmatic tests. Buick innovation should never be for the sake of it. Change is not always an improvement, as evidenced by driver resistance over the past several decades to the tendency of manufacturers to find a better location for the horn. In a Buick, it's on the steering-wheel hub, where you expect to find it. "In today's market in which it is increasingly difficult to achieve and sustain a significant advantage... manufacturers should be more cautious about introducing control systems with obstructions to easy operation," wrote Car and Driver's Editor-in-Chief Csaba Csere recently, leveling obvious criticism at Mercedes-Benz's COMAND; BMW's iDrive, and Audi's MMI all-in-one systems.

"Controls should only be introduced if they are clearly superior, because when it comes to automotive controls, change without improvement is a step backward.

"In this market, no brand can afford that" ('The Steering Column,' Car and Driver, September 2004).

Indeed, even a high-ranking BMW official admitted to CAR magazine of his company's ergonomic experimentation, "I needed 3,000 miles to fully understand iDrive." CAR noted that he exuded "a mixture of pride and relief."

Not for Buick to afforest its cars with lights and buttons, nor to replace them with electronic light trees which seem to have no relevance to what a car is really supposed to do.

That said, among Buick's ergonomic experiments, some have proven enough of a benefit to evolve into solutions befitting the modern Buick - such as the head-up display available in the 2006 Buick Rendezvous.

Yet, for all these innovations, consistency is the mark of a manufacturer that is confident in its methodology.

We have long been fans, for instance, of Buick's reticence to deviate from ambient green in its instrument cluster, a conviction that even led to ambient floodlighting of 1977 Electra; LeSabre, and Riviera instrumentation. Today, the combination of green instruments with white and carmine needles is more readable than the neon blues and reds used by others, this latter being evidence of fleeting fashion over function.

The clarity of information from gauge to eye, and the comfortable proximity and linear feel of controls, must be backed by the linear response of a precisely calibrated chassis.

A cabin that adheres to the strictest of ergonomic principles might be reduced to a mere aberration if these same principles did not apply to the entire car - throughout its design, and in its demeanor.

Discover Buick's tradition of holistic ergonomics

One cannot enjoy craftsmanship while being assaulted by noise; vibration, and harshness. In the modern Buick - in every Buick for 2006 - a thorough QuietTuning process chases down wind; tire, and powertrain noise. In every class in which Buick's cars play, the process is unique to Buick.

The thoroughness of QuietTuning is no surprise. Buicks have always sought quiet refinement; refinement, yet without the loss of distinction.

For 1920, larger piston pins and a more positive method of anchoring them were detail refinements that aimed at quietness, as were a stiffer support for the pump shaft bearing, and the reaming of all bearings after bolting to the crankcase.

For 1923, anti-rattler catches were installed on the Buick's windows, while a new top reduced noise in six-cylinder closed cars.

For 1927, new motor mounts; a counterbalanced crankshaft; vacuum ventilation for the crankcase, and a torsional balancer enabled Buick to describe its engines as Vibrationless Beyond Belief.

Noise; vibration, and harshness are not all engine-related, of course. "I remember that Buick had the best axle in the business with very low gear noise," proudly recalls Lloyd Wolf, who worked on Buick's Factory 31 axle lines in Flint from 1949 to 1982 (A Place Called Buick, Don Bent, 2005).

"Liberal use of body snubbers keeps the ride free of unwanted road noise," wrote Motor Trend of the 1971 Buick Riviera, explaining that the dominant impression was "isolation from the road surface... you could go from a concrete road, across a metal bridge grate, to a gravel road and there will be no vibrations coming to tell you that you're on a different road surface.

"This car-as-a-cocoon philosophy is great if you want to look upon your car as a place to unwind and relax, even while trying to drive seven hundred miles between sun-up and sun-down" (Motor Trend, December 1970).

Buick cars for 1973 equipped with the 350 cubic-inch engine received a quiet-flex variable output fan with larger stainless-steel blades, with non-uniform blade spacing for minimum fan noise level. All Buicks that year benefited from a new system of soundproofing which included a full fiberglass hood blanket, and increased insulation for the rocker panels; trunk floor; door inners; instrument panels, and plenum chamber.

In addition, the '73 Century Regal received extra insulation in the front floor and toe pan area; behind the rear seat, and in the sail and quarter panels. Regal's roof, which received the sound-absorbing perforated vinyl headliner, also had added sound-deadening material. Road Test magazine reported that Buick's calibrated measurements showed the new Regal to be "25% quieter than last year's Skylark Custom coupe," and the publication concurred, "Regal is an impressively quiet vehicle on any road at any speed, and the low sound level makes a solid contribution to the car's comfort level" (Road Test, May 1973).

For 1977, to improve smoothness, the cylinder firing of Buick's 90-degree V6 was changed from alternating 90- and 180-degree intervals of crankshaft rotation to even 120-degree intervals. Buick made much of the revised V6's ability to "idle like a V8."

The downsized, 1979 Riviera S-Type was chosen Car of the Year by Motor Trend. Of the car, Road & Track wrote, "so quiet at speed.... that one staff member wrote in the test book when we first received the car that the speedometer must be grossly optimistic, which later proved untrue.

"When comparing the Buick's dBA numbers to past test cars, it undercuts them all at 70 mph, and at 90 mph it loses only to the Rolls-Royce - and then only by 1 dBA" (Road & Track, March 1979).

Yet it still did not quite live up to the refinement expected by the Buick owner. Award or not, Buick did not sit on its laurels, revising Riviera's body mounts (and damping) for the following year.

Hydraulic motor mounts came to most Buick four- and six-cylinder engines for 1985, cutting vibration. For 1991, a new dual-resonator induction system reduced noise and vibration in four-cylinder Skylarks, while the Riviera - even mid-cycle - received additional acoustical insulation for a quieter ride.

When for 1995 the four-cylinder Skylark switched from overhead-cam to dual-overhead-cam, two counter-rotating balance shafts assisted smoother operation and less vibration, while larger mufflers reduced exhaust noise. LeSabre that year - also mid-cycle - gained a quieter blower motor.

For 1996, Skylark's balance shaft system was mounted in the oil pan, while a new composite intake manifold was lighter than the previous aluminum unit, and also improved noise control. For the midsize Regal, a low-torque-axis engine mount system reduced noise and vibration at idle - and even the starter motor was quieter.

As Skylark gave way to Century at the entry level of Buick's range, the new '97 Century offered little things that exceeded its class, such as small rubber bulbs at the top of window glass channels to block wind whistles - and big things, including a rubber-isolated rear crossmember; triple-seal doors, and strategically-placed sound-deadening materials.

A step above the Century was the 1997½ Regal

- and, in driving the Buick midsize sedan, USAToday wrote, "Buick should get an ovation for the work it put into making Regal quiet... sound deadening and excruciating detail work cut road and wind noise to remarkably low levels."

Despite 1998 being its second-to-last model year, Riviera

nonetheless was further refined in its suspension and engine mounts to reduce noise; vibration, and ride harshness.

For 1999, both of Regal's engines were recalibrated to operate at a lower idle speed for better cold weather operation.

Now, in 2006, Buick's QuietTuning is a cut above the rest. It features not only in the Buick LaCrosse that has replaced the aforementioned Regal and Century but in every 2006 Buick.

QuietTuning starts with the car's body itself. Some manufacturers simply spray damping or employ thick foams, crudely adding weight in an attempt to cover up noise/ vibration/ harshness (NVH) deficiencies. Not Buick.

Rather, Buick's Quiet Steel is a sophisticated suite of engineered multi-layer composites with various elastic polymer cores between two layers of cold-rolled steel. It features as a large sheet of deep-drawn steel laminate for the front-of-glass area.

"Quiet Steel is like a sandwich," says Buick LaCrosse performance manager for noise and vibration Dan Nolley. "It's two layers of steel separated by a visco-elastic layer, which you can really just think of as a goo that can be tuned for specific applications.

"With laminated steel, you've got 100% coverage. There are no exposed corners or seams" (Ward's Auto World, April 1^st, 2005).

Then, let us not forget the glass. LaCrosse's windshield and front-side windows use laminated glass, essentially a plastic material comprised of a glass and visco-elastic sandwich. "Nobody else in the midsize car segment uses it," says Nolley proudly. "We did it specifically for wind noise, but the motor noise turned out unbelievably nice, too" (Ward's Auto World, April 1^st, 2005).

Exhaust noise must be controlled. One of Buick's most unusual measures is the use of a Helmholzt resonator, a specially designed chamber that does just this. LaCrosse Chief Engineer Ed Hufnagle admits that the resonator was not inexpensive, and posed packaging challenges in a tight engine bay (Automotive Industries, March 2004).

Despite all this - and acoustical engine covers; forged steel crankshafts; structural aluminum oil pan; hood insulator pad, and baffles and foam in the roof pillars - Some noise, Nolley and his team noticed, still came through the floor. So LaCrosse uses AcT Fiber absorptive carpet in both its cabin and its trunk. The advanced blend of inter-locked synthetic fibers is tuned for each Buick, to ensure sound transmission loss and absorption applications. The acoustics are manipulated by controlling the length and blend of fibers.

Buick's exhaustive development work on QuietTuning has paid off. The praise has been deafening.

"Buick's vault-like interior sound management is absolutely stunning," writes Ward's Auto World's Brian Corbett. "Road noise is totally muffled. Wind noise is nothing more than a gentle breeze. The engine proffers a distant and soothing hum" (Ward's Auto World, April 1^st, 2005).

Yet what you choose to hear should be as important as what you do not. Free of the usual gauges, the Buick Bengal Concept's dashboard was transformed into a large flat-panel speaker, integrated with the rest of the vehicle's high-fidelity audio system. Today's 2006 Buick Lucerne offers a bespoke Harman/ Kardon system.

The legendary Buick V6 is perhaps the most reliable engine on the market today, as you might confirm in our section on Buick Reassurance. Yet in the case that you do enjoy performing your own maintenance work, Buick ensures that its motors are a joy to behold and service.

Buick embarked upon an engine beautification process in the Eighties. Come the Nineties, and the media was equally crediting Buick for both its craftsmanship and its ergonomic access. The 1988 Regal and 1991 LeSabre, for instance, received a maxi-fuse system that packaged all under-hood fuses in one panel for easy replacement; an ergonomic achievement that would become a common thread at Buick.

"Not only is the V6 engine dressed-up nicely, but there has also been an effort to get all of the wires and other necessary junk tucked away neatly," wrote Ed Noble for the Oakland Press, of the 1998 Buick LeSabre.

"This housekeeping also makes it easier to do repair work when that time comes," he added.

That's no surprise. As far back as March 1920, in its test of a new Buick, Britain's The Motor magazine noted that Buick obviously had in mind "the type of motorist who has to look after his own car. All grease cups and adjustments are accessibly situated.

"Lubrication of chassis parts is a comparatively simple matter and, in addition, the grease retainers are made of such a size that the supply is sufficient for several hundreds of miles on the road. In place of milled edges to afford a grip on the movable part of the cups, a neat flat projection is provided, so that no matter how greasy the operator's hands may become, he can always get a grip to screw the cup tight."

Decades later, Road Test magazine wrote of the 1971 Buick Centurion, "a look under the hood discloses one of the most maintenance-oriented engine compartment arrangements we have inspected in years, especially on a full-size car which has one of the largest-displacement engines in the industry and is equipped with every power option in the book.

"We always note the accessibility of plugs; distributor; carburetor linkage; oil filter; dipsticks, and other components subject to periodic adjustments" (Road Test, January 1971).

For 1975, Buick added a visual wear indicator to the lower ball-joints of its Riviera. If wear should occur, the grease fitting at the top of the joint was to recede into the end cap, eliminating the need for an expensive teardown to check the condition of the ball-joint.

It was, later still, also easier to service bulbs and lenses on the Electra; LeSabre, and Riviera, thanks to hinged tail-lamps. For 1986, as for 1979 when electroluminescent coach lamps eliminated the need to change these bulbs on Buicks so equipped, the little things mattered.

More than fifty years ago, all-around coil springs could be found under the chassis of the magnificent 1954 Buick Roadmaster, a car whose pliancy - thanks to new direct-acting shock absorbers attached directly to the frame and independent of the springs - quickly became colloquially termed, the Million Dollar Ride.

Buick sought to relieve driver strain in every aspect. Steering linkage and geometry were also improved for 1954, with one road test report enthusing, "finger-tip steering is literally possible!" (Buick: A Complete History, Terry B. Dunham & Lawrence R. Gustin, Automobile Quarterly, 2002)

1970 Buicks offered AccuDrive, directional-stability suspension design and tuning that gave improved, smoother handling, especially on windswept, bumpy roads.

As Buick technology evolved, ride and handling merged. By 1973, Buick was using chassis springs that were computer-selected, based on the weight of the car and equipment ordered. Meanwhile, improvements in the springs' action continued. "The undercarriage geometry enables it to ignore large bumps at speed," said Motor Trend of the '74 Buick Riviera (Motor Trend, June 1973).

"For American driving conditions - that's what we're talking about, right? - the Riviera has an excellent combination of those vague terms known as ride and handling," noted Road Test magazine of Buick's '77 coupe (Road Test, July 1977).

Meanwhile, Buick has continued to improve its legendary ride.

Even the Skylark, the entry-level Buick for 1995, received a tubular rear axle which carefully placed rear springs and shocks along the wheel center-line, with noted gains in both ride and handling.

Today, Buick proposes smooth yet controlled spring rates, for a ride that is stable over ruts and through switchbacks. Authority is the answer to the age-old compromise between ride and handling, and between simple numbers and real-world performance.

This is a natural extension of a manufacturer which, in 1966, explained that while it certainly used orthodox proving grounds (such as its facilities in Milford, Michigan and in Phoenix, Arizona), it "couldn't tune a car on a proving ground alone.

"You won't be driving on one, either."

Continuing this theme in 1987, Buick expounded, "as you have undoubtedly noticed, the real world is not one long and winding two-lane blacktop road. It is, instead, a seemingly endless array of traffic lights; railroad tracks; potholes, and - alas - other cars.

"Buick hereby offers a very comforting alternative: performance and handling that are spine-tingling, yet never bone-jarring... composure; confidence - and a sense of control."

Perhaps the most ergonomic aspect of a Buick is in its safety; in the way the Buick protects you, actively and passively. Discover Buick Reassurance.

The Buick balance of craftsmanship; space, and ergonomic excellence is unique in character; intelligent and holistic in its execution, and pleasant in its ambience. In considering all these aspects, Buick engineers bend over backwards to ensure the Buick driver's and passengers' comfort.

Long may it continue to be so.