2001 Buick Park Avenue

Vehicle Overview
The Park Avenue occupies the top rung of Buick’s four-step car ladder, superseding the others in size and price. The major addition for this front-drive luxury sedan is an ultrasonic parking assist feature as a new option. When the transmission is in reverse, sensors in the rear bumper detect when the car is close to other objects and activates visual and audible warnings.

OnStar, General Motors’ satellite-based communication and navigation system, is a new standard feature on the Park Avenue Ultra and a new factory-installed option on the base Park Avenue. OnStar previously was available as a dealer-installed option.

The Park Avenue is built from the same basic design as the Buick LeSabre, Cadillac DeVille, Oldsmobile Aurora and other full-size GM cars, though each has its own unique styling and features.

Exterior
The Park Avenue has the same basic look as Buick’s other sedans, but it is bigger. At 207 inches from stem to stern, it is 7 inches longer than the LeSabre, Buick’s lower-priced, family-oriented counterpart.

Both the base model and the Ultra have a classic Buick-style grille with vertical chrome bars. The Ultra has less chrome trim and different aluminum wheels to separate it from the base Park Avenue.

Interior
The roomy interior has standard seats for six, though on both models, the front bench is split 55/45, shaped for two and comes with a folding center armrest that contains cupholders and storage space. Bucket seats are optional on the Ultra.

Leather is standard on the Ultra and optional on the base model, and the wood trim in the Ultra is real. The spacious trunk holds 19 cubic feet of cargo.

Under the Hood
Base models come with a 205-horsepower 3.8-liter V-6 engine, and Ultras pack a supercharged version of this engine with 240 hp. The base engine takes regular gasoline, and the supercharged one requires premium gas. Both team with a four-speed automatic transmission.

Safety
StabiliTrak, a lateral-skid control feature, is standard on the Ultra and optional on the base model. Side-impact airbags for the front seats and antilock brakes are standard on both, and traction control is standard on the Ultra and optional on the base model.