Orlando Sentinel's view

Now that I own a classic General Motors car, a 1969 Pontiac GTO, I can’t look at modern GM vehicles quite the same way anymore.

General Motors isn’t the same company it was 30 years ago.

Buick is dead. So is Pontiac. And so is Oldsmobile.

Only Chevrolet and Cadillac retain any real measure of the autonomy each division enjoyed in GM’s heyday.

No matter how slickly GM’s marketing gurus try to package and present their products, the real truth is simply this: Buick, Oldsmobile and Pontiac are just brand names stamped on cars made by a giant company named General Motors. The individuality that made each marque unique is gone. I recognized that the instant I heard the roar of the GTO’s fabulous Pontiac-designed 400-cubic-inch, V-8 engine.

Nowadays Buick, Olds and Pontiac vehicles all use the same drivetrains and major components, and there’s no real difference aside from the shape of the sheet metal. In the old days, each brand was like a separate car company, with its own factories and engineering and design staffs. But all that is gone now.

This new arrangement is the price GM had to pay to survive the blunders of the ’70s and ’80s, when its share of the new car market shrank from more than half to less than a third.

So what remains of GM are not divisions that build cars but sales organizations that market them.

The big GM car wearing the Buick LeSabre name for 2000 is new from the wheels up. The Olds sibling, the Aurora, is due out this summer, along with the Pontiac version, the Bonneville.

This car may be the best all-round big family sedan ever built by GM. But it’s hard for me to think of it as a "real" Buick.

Performance, handling

The 2000 LeSabre uses an engine that was designed ages ago by Buick engineers but nowadays is used by other GM divisions. It’s the tried and true 3800 V-6. It may be an old engine, but it’s a great one. I’ve always liked the 3800 because, at 205- horsepower, it delivers the power of a V-8 and the fuel economy of a V-6.

Except for the GM clones, you won’t find any other similar- sized car that delivers 30 mpg on the highway. This is outstanding fuel economy for such a large car.

The 3800 V-6 is proof that you don’t need expensive and complex overhead cams and more than two valves per cylinder to get world class performance. The 2000 LeSabre is quick, almost fast. The four-speed automatic transmission shifts almost seamlessly.

The 2000 LeSabre has one of the stiffest bodies of any car on the road, and you can feel it. The MacPherson strut front suspension and semi-trailing arm setup in the rear eliminates nearly all road noise. Buicks are noted for their soft ride, which usually means marshmellow handling in the curves.

Not the new LeSabre. It can take a corne r faster and with more agility than you’d expect from a car designed for older drivers.

From the standard corporate GM parts bin comes an improved four-wheel, anti-lock disc brake system. The pedal is firm and doesn’t travel much before the brakes take hold. I like powerful brake systems because they give you a greater feeling of safety. The LeSabre’s brakes are excellent.

For a big car, the LeSabre is easy to maneuver. Our light gold test vehicle came with the optional ($185) Gran Touring package, which adds bigger tires and wheels.

The power steering system works easily and, by turning the steering wheel 2.9 times, you can turn the car in a complete circle in just 39 feet.

Fit and finish

The LeSabre’s interior is comfortable and classy but conservative. The softly rounded dash is thickly padded. It is divided in the center with a strip of faux wood paneling. The interior has a warm, comfortable feel. The buttons, switches, controls and seats will be familiar to anyone who has been in a Buick of recent vintage.

It’s as if GM’s marketing formula for what goes into a car with a Buick name (or a Chevy or an Olds) must fit within narrow boundaries, and no deviations are allowed. The dual zone air-conditioning system, which allows driver and passenger to select individual air temperature, works well, but has evolved little in recent years.

I liked the look of the interior at night. The dash and all the switches are brightly lighted and have the faint aura of an airplane cockpit.

The AM/FM radio, with its trunk-mounted CD changer, is a standard GM unit that can blast Lawrence Welk loud and clear. Inside, the only touches of Buick-ness or individuality can be seen in the analog instruments — which are sporty and expressive — and in the seats, which are wonderfully comfortable.

In the center of the seat is a massive console with a pop-out cup holder almost big enough to hold a six-pack. Another large compartment is in the rear of the console, plus there are storage areas in the doors.

Interior room is excellent. The LeSabre is not unlike a limousine in some ways. The leg and foot room is abundant, and the trunk is among the biggest I’ve seen.

The LeSabre comes from GM almost fully loaded with power accessories. Our test car sported power seats with memory, cruise control, power windows, remote-controlled door locks and mirrors. The outside mirrors, by the way, pivot forward or backward. If you are backing out of the garage, for instance, and you come a little too close to the wall, the mirror won’t be sheered off. Instead it’ll just fold forward and out of the way.

With styling, the LeSabre is a handsome but subdued automobile. There is no angle, no shape, no part that makes you notice it. It has the familiar long oval Buick grille , a formal roofline and chrome-trimmed taillights, like many other Buicks.

I enjoyed driving the car GM calls the Buick LeSabre. I could find no fault with it and nothing, really, to dislike about it. GM has been building cars for nearly 100 years. By now there is no excuse not to get it right.

The bland perfection of the new LeSabre is fresh in my mind because I recently attended a giant vintage car show in Daytona where I saw a number of classic Buicks. The GSX, the GNX, an old Invicta, a Wildcat, an Electra, a ’50s Roadmaster — each one had a Buick style, not a GM style. Each one had expressive features that showed there was passion and pride in the company that built it. Driving the new LeSabre makes you realize that along the way to wherever it’s headed, Buick has lost its soul.

So much for progress. . . .

2000 Buick LeSabre Limited Base price: $26,695. Safety: Driver and passenger front and side air bags, anti-lock brakes, traction control, front and rear crumple zones and side-impact protection. Price as tested: $28,875. EPA rating: 19 mpg city/30 mpg highway. Incentives: None