I had the opportunity to drive the Lucerne for a week during my visit to Arizona. I drove the car for about 800 miles during the time. I have owned a Pontiac, Toyota, Nissan, VW and I currently own an Audi A4. I found the Lucerne to be a nice car, but not extraordinary.

The Lucerne had many of the same features as my Audi, but it did have the exceptional stereo system, and did it not have the ride of European or Japanese family sedan. The short drives around the city were comfortable, but the long rides, for example between Tucson and Phoenix and Sedona were not very enjoyable. Despite the V8 engine, I had to work to get the car to cruise through the highway, especially at speeds higher than 65 miles. I suspect that the weight of the car had something to do with its overall performance.

On the other hand, the Lucerne had lots of room, both in the front and in the back. The seats were also comfortable, and the lumbar support feature was very helpful, especially during the long drives. The fuel efficiency, for a car this size, was also quite good. If fact, I was quite surprised that I only had to fill it twice during my entire trip.

The visibility isn’t very good from any perspective. The car seems bigger than it seems and it makes it quite difficult to maneuver it in small streets that I encountered in Sedona. The merging and changing lanes is not an easy task for someone under six feet, because of the sightlines in the car.

The finish of the car was fine. I had no major complaints. The one minor issue was the placement of the cup holders. It is in an awkward position for the diver, especially when the car is moving. The information system, which provides information about fuel efficiency and miles to empty, and compass were very useful and well designed.

Overall, this car an acceptable mid-size car, but it does not have the drive of European or Japanese sedans.