Disproving another theory of mine
that the Germans and Japanese have the inside track on high speed
driving automobiles, in the straight aways the Century gave no
indication whatsoever you were driving 75. The car drives the
way I imagine a V8 sedan from the late 60's and early 70's must
have. If your spouse or regular driving companion oppose high
speed driving, the Century is just the car for stealth speed.
There was almost no windnoise to speak of. Although I like a little
road feel, there's none with the Century, none at all. Riding
on a cloud doesn't come close to it. It's more like sitting at
home in your lazy boy while playing an elaborate video game. The
overboosted steering further minimizes the impression of driving.
I wonder if there was much difference between my mother's experience
riding as a passenger and mine driving.
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Stealth is also the best
way to describe this car from a law enforcement perspective.
Although it's a pretty relaxed atmosphere on Texas highways
since they raised the speed limit (there's talk that the
Legislature will raise it to 80) ,the Century definitely
was the type of car that wouldn't require superattentiveness
since Officer Friendly was more likely to look past you
at the Red Firebird in the lane next to you.
This car has more than enough
passing power, easily accelerating to hyper legal speeds.
I expected maybe a little shaking or strain, but instead
it simply moved along. The optional Bose AM/FM CD stereo
had more settings than my mother would ever employ. Club,
Rock,
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Pop and Country were among the
pre-set equalizer settings on the system. She'd already put her
favorite Christian radio station into all 6 settings on FM1. She
didn't realize there was FM2 which now has my music settings.
The sound was actually quite good. I wondered if the money I spent
on upgrades in my car was as well spent. Although it probably
isn't that hard to set up a system in a cocoon quiet environment
where engine noise and road feedback don't have to be competed
with.
After dropping mom off at home
I was able to find a little more out about the car. My seat of
the pants test of acceleration was confirmed with my digital timer.
Acceleration to 60 took less than 9 seconds. Nothing to write
home about, but definitely no slouch. On the other hand, make
sure the road stays straight. A couple of maneuvers involving
quick turns convinced me that even a trained professional could
quickly find himself over his head in this car. The car manages
to wallow and plow at the same time. A quick jab of the steering
wheel was followed by nothing, then suddenly the front end would
plow into the new direction, the car would shift from side to
side, causing you to readjust the wheel. Slamming on the brakes
only exacerbated things. The ABS equipped front discs and rear
drums adequately slowed the car, but they don't give you a lot
of reassurance in a panic stop.
However, in day to day driving
they seemed quite sure secure and the overboost definitely helped
this 3000 lbs plus vehicle to stop with little drama. Driving
over a railroad track was unmemorable. The engineers decided this
interior wouldn't be attached to the exterior and almost every
road event, good or bad, is removed when driving the Century.
During a spirited drive back to
Houston I followed a radar clad, Mustang GT driven by what looked
like a college student with a car packed for the holidays. Setting
the cruise control to 85 and turning up a little Greenday on the
radio I almost imagined that I was playing a video game at home.
Even when the rainstorm started, I wasn't alarmed. There's a certain
detachment from the driving experience this car provides. When
the GT accelerated so did I. When he slowed down so did I. I was
able to notice how efficiently the automatic headlights worked
and observed that the easily programmed interval wipers worked
quite well. In fact for a $20,000 car it came with quite a few
features expected on higher priced cars. Cruise control, power
seats, upgraded stereo, steering wheel mounted stereo controls,
programmable power locks which automatically engage or selectively
engage depending on the driver's settings. An anti-restart feature
that prevents you from accidently trying to start the car while
it's already going. (Did I mention the quite interior?) Also,
the programmable temperature control had separate settings for
the passenger and driver. Detroit has joined the fight to end
that "It's too hot, I'm cold" domestic battle." Fortunately Texas
temperatures don't require electric seat heaters because it's
not an option on the Century.
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A couple times I thought
the kid in the car ahead must have been annoyed at me keeping
pace with him because I followed even for those short bursts
over 90. Except when he absolutely floored it, the Century
followed along with no drama. But the road construction
detours threw the car for a loop. When I saw a sign which
said lane change ahead I had to instinctively remember to
use both lanes at the shift to minimize drama. The Century
didn't like any type of high speed directional changes.
Also, leave the transmission
alone. It may be a four speed, but it's all automatic. I'm
used to periodically shifting my automatic for optimal performance.
Shift the Century's column at your own peril. You're more
likely to screw it up than to get things better. Shifting
manually is abrupt and even disruptive especially while
accelerating or decelerating. After a couple of attempts
I left it alone.
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When I picked up my mother and
my two nieces I expected a little bit more effort for the car
to motivate. None at all was noticeable. In fact, this car is
ideal for a family of four. Even with four adults in the car,
it was roomy and comfortable. This has four cup holders. Two in
the front armrest and two in the rear. The two in the front worked
quite well. The two in the rear seemed to be a spill waiting to
happen.
After we reached the picnic area
we were told that parking spaces were used up and we had to park
off road. Again, grass and pebbles proved no distraction, none
whatsoever. I remarked to my mother that you couldn't tell where
the road ended and the grass began. She said, "great isn't it."
Parked next to a Ford Expedition and an Avalon XL, cars costing
several thousands more, I realized what a good targeting job Buick
had done. Unlike the Ford Aspire and the Kia Sephia that other
relatives own, the Century didn't look out of place here.
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When the fuel light came
on, on the way back, I expected to put in 20 gallons or
more. Imagine my surprise when the pump shut off at 11 gallons.
I'd managed 26 mpg with all of my spirited driving.
The Buick Century, it's not
a driver's car. It doesn't even play one on TV. But if we're
ever going to move to the completely automated computer
driven automobile, they'll probably be a lot like this.
Although the brightwork and the out of this world driving
experience never really worked for me, the car has several
positives in it's favor. It's fuel efficent, has gobs of
power, and plenty of space. It may not stand out in a crowd,
but it's comfortable in the parking lot at Wal-Mart and
Macy's.
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