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The automobile business being what it is today, Buick Motor Division figures the early bird may get the customer.

Buick is giving the consumer a peek into its not-too-distant future, revealing the division’s 1992 Buick LeSabre.

Introduced at the just-concluded Chicago Auto Show, the LeSabre has been completely redesigned for the 1992 model year. And working on the assumption that not everybody wants a small automobile, the new LeSabre remains a full-sized car with full-sized power and equipment.

The LeSabre has been a bread-and-butter car for Indianapolis Buick dealers, leading Greg Hutchinson, vice president and general manager of Ogle-Tucker Buick, to say, “We’ve got a winner. Let’s not change it too much.”

The ’92 has been changed, but not radically.

Aerodynamics is the name of the design game these days, and what will be seen when the car gets here sometime this summer is a model that should win some kudos for looks.

“It reminds me a lot of our new Park Avenue, ” said Jerry Alexander, general manager of Dave Mason Buick. “We’re doing real well with that, and I feel we’ll find the same thing happening with this new LeSabre.”

The car should fit past and present LeSabre owners like a comfortable, favorite coat. All the accouterments and engineering features that have made the car the General Motors Corp. division’s best-selling model have been upgraded. Curving sheet-metal styling has reduced the coefficient of drag to complement the stylish lines.

“The car we have has been around since ’86, ” Hutchinson said, “so I think we will have folks in those older models who will want to get into a smarter-looking automobile. The LeSabre accounts for 20 to 25 percent of our sales, and it may be even more with this ’92.”

More than just a pretty face, the new Buick will offer some decided engineering advances that encompass both engine/drive-train technology and interior comfort/convenience feature. As a result of engine and drive-train upgrading, its trailer-towing capacity has been increased.

The towing package features auxiliary transmission and engine coolers, a 3.06-to-l final-drive ratio, and automatic level control. The upgrading increases towing capacity to 3, 000 pounds, compared to 2, 000 pounds for the current model.

Under the hood is an advanced 3800 V-6 that produces 170 horsepower, five more horsepower than is available with the 1991 LeSabre engine. An added important feature is an improvement in midrange torque.

There is no V-8 available in the Buick, but Hutchinson says a V-8 isn’t necessary.

“I see no reason for a V-8 in the LeSabre, ” he said. “The 3800 we have now will blow the doors off some of those V-8s. And with the new electronic four-speed, it’s smooth.”

The transmission in the ’92 is an automatic that delivers computerized shift control. Buick says the four-speed will deliver precise, almost undetectable upshifts and downshifts during normal driving.

The combination of V-6 and automatic four-speed has been packaged in a way that maximizes gasoline mileage. The estimated fuel ratings for the car are 18 miles per gallon in the city and 28 mpg on the highway.

Buicks are, of course, upscale automobiles that carry a lot of personalized touches. One of the more interesting ones in the ’92 LeSabre is an optional, dual-automatic climate-control system that allows the driver and the front-seat passenger to control their temperatures individually.

A personalized anti-theft security system called Pass-Key disables the engine starting system and fuel-feed system if a non-matching ignition key is used. And a new optional feature, an ElectriClear heated windshield, eliminates the need to scrape ice off the glass.

Interior features include a standard 55 percent driver/45 percent passenger fabric-upholstered split-bench front seat with manual seat-back recliners.

There is the expected range of power accessories including a one-touch automatic-down window on the driver’s side.

The LeSabre represents a cross-section of Buick dealership sales. “It’s a family-type car, but sales are not all to families, Alexander said. “Buyers are from the young 30s on up. A lot are purchased by businesses. A lot are purchased by older couples. So buyer demographics are pretty widely ranged.”

Purchasers will have a choice of two models, a Custom sedan and a more upscale Limited sedan.