I'd go so far to say that any Camry buyer, if they were to spend an hour or two in the Buick Allure, would question their
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| I'd go so far to say that if any Camry buyer spent an hour or two in the Buick Allure, they'd question their purchase. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
purchase. Not only is the Allure faster, better handling and arguably more stylish, its fit and finish is superb, interior quality above par and reliability rating, at least according to J. D. Powers and Associates 2004 Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS) and 2004 Initial Quality Study (IQS), ahead of the Japanese entry by a fair margin.
Oh, now I've done it! I've blasphemed. Who am I to question the sacred name of Camry, especially about reliability? Don't worry Camry owners, your cars aren't about to fall apart on your way to the office this morning, it's just that Buick, as a brand, rates near the top, in 2nd and 5th place out of 37 nameplates in this year's VDS and IQS respectively, while Toyota ranks 8th and 9th respectively. While just one survey, it's the most influential one and critical for an automaker to score highly on.
Like Toyota's Camry, Buick offers the new Allure with more than one engine. Unlike the Camry the Allure's base lump is a fairly powerful V6 shifted via a standard automatic transmission. The Camry offers a 4-cylinder, 5-speed manual setup for entry-level
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| Buick rates 2nd and 5th place out of 37 nameplates in this year's J.D. Powers and Associates VDS and IQS respectively. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
buyers. While smaller engines and manual actuation may be appealing in the European market, most North Americans would rather have the larger engine if within their price limitations and almost always opt for the automatic transmission no matter the engine choice. This fits in well with Buick's product planning, and should meet the needs of North American buyers who will be able to buy into the new Allure with a V6 for $250 more than a 4-cylinder powered Camry - $25,200 for the base Allure CX compared to $24,950 for a Camry LE. If you factor in the $110 savings attained by comparing freight and pre-delivery inspection (PDI) charges of $1,110 and $1,000 respectfully, the Allure and Camry are only separated by $190. Then factor in GM's "alluring" incentives and even better loyalty programs once you become part of the automaker's family, and well, the price can tip steeply in Buick's favor.
