Buick has a history that dates back to the dawn of the modern automobile and the birth of General Motors. Historically, Buick's were stylish cars considered a notch above other products in General Motors. As Buick has struggled to find a newer and more relevant product mix, a number of interesting vehicles have worn the Buick badge. As recently as 2007, Buick had the Rainier, a large body-on-frame SUV; the Rendezvous, a minivan derived crossover; and the Terraza, a minivan with a more SUV-like nose grafted on the front. The current lineup has settled on midsize and full-size sedans, and one of the best new Buicks in a while, the Enclave crossover SUV.

Although there are no major product changes for Buick this year, powertrain changes to the Enclave and Lucerne sedan result in increased power and fuel economy.

Next up for Buick is an all-new LaCrosse midsize sedan.

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Performance

For many, the way a car performs is a key criterion for which car to purchase. Our Velocity Index helps determine which vehicles are the best all-around performers taking in to consideration a balance of factors such as acceleration and handling.

For more information, view our new car performance guide.

What would we drive?

Based on our Velocity Index analysis, the 2009 Buick LaCrosse seems to provide a good trade-off between price and vehicle performance.

Fuel Economy

Fuel economy has long been a key decision factor when buying a new vehicle. While the EPA estimates may accurately predict your mileage with a given vehicle, they are useful for broad comparisons of vehicles. Note that many trucks and large SUVS are too heavy to be required to specify their fuel economy.

For more information, view our new car fuel economy guide.

What's popular

Here are the five cars that draw the most attention from our readers.

• 2009 Buick Lucerne
• 2009 Buick Enclave
• 2009 Buick LaCrosse