2002 Buick LeSabre - Consumer Guide Automotive

Category	Custom Rating (See All Ratings)	Large Car Average Rating

Acceleration	6	5.6

Fuel Economy	4	4.6

Ride Quality	6	6.7

Steering/Handling/Braking	4	5.3

Quietness	7	6.1

Controls	5	5.3

Room/Comfort/Driver Seating (front)	7	6.9

Room/Comfort (rear)	4	5.9

Cargo Room	6	5.8

Value within Class	8	6.9

Total Score:	57	59.1

Ratings: Maximum 10 points per category

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2002 Buick LeSabre Review

The top-line version of America's best-selling full-size car gets standard instead of optional leather seats for 2002. LeSabre is offered in Custom and Limited models. Both use a 3.8-liter V6 and automatic transmission. Antilock 4-wheel-disc brakes and front side airbags are standard. Traction control and General Motors' OnStar assistance system are standard on Limited, optional on Custom. GM's Stabilitrak antiskid system is available on Limited. The optional Gran Touring Package includes firmer suspension and 16-inch wheels vs. 15s. The standard front bench seat allows 6-passenger seating; bucket seats are optional. Leather upholstery is standard on Limited, optional on Custom. Power memory front seats are also newly standard on Limited. LeSabre shares its structure with Cadillac Seville, Pontiac Bonneville, and Oldsmobile Aurora.

Competition

This segment has been hard hit by the popularity of sport-utility vehicles. Just a few years back there were more than 12 cars in the segment and now there are just seven. Heading up the field as Best Buys are the Chrysler Concorde and Dodge Intrepid twins. They have real room for six, exceptional road manners, and plenty of power.

Toyota's Avalon and Buick's LeSabre are two Recommended choices. Both have room for five and offer a comfortable ride (with modest handling capabilities). If you are looking for towing ability, the Ford Crown Victoria with its rear-drive layout and body-on-frame chassis is an option. Ford has updated it nicely over the years and it comes at a reasonable price.

News

LeSabre remains America's most popular full-size car, but sales have sliding since its 2000 redesign. Orders fell some 9 percent in calendar 2000 and by 4 percent in the first nine months of 2001, both on a year-to-year basis.

Industry sources and GM insiders say LeSabre will get a cosmetic freshening for 2003. A full redesign follows for 2005 or '06. LeSabre will remain a "platform mate" of the Cadillac DeVille, which is being redesigned for the same time frame, but GM has yet to decide whether these models will remain front-wheel drive or switch to a rear-drive format.

2002 Buick LeSabre Road Test >

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