The 2008 Buick Lucerne has quite a standard to uphold. As Buick's flagship car, the Lucerne represents the American brand most synonymous with big sedans. It also carries the responsibility of retaining the loyal customer base that likes Buicks just the way they've always been: soft, roomy and comfy. For those buyers, this full-size sedan lands pretty close to the target. The Lucerne is one of the largest cars on the road, featuring enough room for five adults (six with the optional front bench seat) and an interior with easy-to-use controls. It rides quietly and reacts to bumps with the gentle motions its older customers prefer. Finally, Buick stands above much of its import-brand competition by offering a V8 engine in addition to a V6. For 2008, the Lucerne gains features that widen its appeal. Drawing inspiration from the original Buick Super line of the 1940s, the new Lucerne Super will settle in at the top of the model line when it arrives in the spring of 2008. The Super has a more powerful 292-horsepower V8, firmer suspension tuning, suede-trimmed seats, a wood steering wheel and various other cosmetic touches. New safety technology also spreads throughout the Lucerne line. Stability control is now available on V6 models, and all but base CX Lucernes can be ordered with lane-departure and blind-spot warning systems. Even with these upgrades, however, the Lucerne continues to disappoint in key areas, many of them related to its behavior on the road. Its handling and braking are both subpar. Its large turning circle makes it cumbersome, and its abrupt steering response feels mismatched to its otherwise lazy reactions. The four-speed automatic transmission shifts smoothly enough, but its tall, widely spaced gear ratios hurt both performance and mileage -- not a good thing in a class where competitors' transmissions offer five or even six forward gears. Lucernes equipped with the base 197-horsepower V6 feel especially rudimentary alongside the powerful V6 family sedans available at this price point. The Buick Lucerne is far more pleasant to drive with its Cadillac-sourced V8. Unfortunately, for 2008 that engine (in two levels of power) has become restricted to the high-end CXS and Super models. The former costs nearly $37,000, vaulting the Lucerne into luxury-class territory when it lacks common upscale features like xenon headlights, power-adjustable pedals and Bluetooth connectivity. All things considered, the 2008 Buick Lucerne may please brand loyalists, but buyers in search of more refined performance and digestible pricing would be wise to cross shop it against other large sedans like the Chrysler 300, Hyundai Azera, Toyota Avalon and the Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable twins -- all of which offer better driving dynamics, more feature content and a more refined overall feel. Low pricing on the Azera, Taurus and Sable makes these cars a much better value as well.