2005 Buick Allure Road Test

While most Buick drivers I know don't pilot their cars, well, like Pontiac drivers, and the same can be said of Toyota Camry

Buick has done an admirable job, by at least matching and in some ways besting its Toyota counterpart. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

owners, it's important to know how a car will react during emergency lane change maneuvers, and hence the need to factor in a car's road-holding prowess when considering purchasing.

What matters more in this class is build quality and features. To this end I repeat that Buick has done an admirable job, by at least matching and in some ways besting its Toyota counterpart. For instance, dash, console and door plastics are nicer to the touch in the Allure, plus it would be nearly impossible to fit its interior panels together more precisely. From an interior styling perspective... well I'll leave that one up to you. Both are well executed, but go about satisfying their owners in different ways.

What impressed me more than with most cars in this class are the Allure's impressively low interior noise levels. Wind noise isn't intrusive, road noise is kept to a minimum, and engine noise, vibration and harshness levels are extremely low. Buick calls its refinement process "QuietTuning", which includes the use of

Wind noise isn't intrusive, road noise is kept to a minimum, and engine noise, vibration and harshness levels are extremely low. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

new Quiet Steel laminate on the front-of-dash body area, acoustical laminate on windshield and front side-glass, expanded baffles in the roof pillars to block noise paths, extensive use of melt-on sound deadener throughout the entire lower body structure, a sound-absorbing interior carpet backing and additional headliner pad coverage, specifically designed acoustical engine covers and revised exhaust tuning to reduce high-frequency noise, a hood insulator pad, a sound-absorbing layer under the instrument panel top pad and rear parcel shelf, minimized body panel gaps, additional foam inserts and redesigned seals and gaskets to further reduce wind noise, with the results being new levels of quietness inside the cabin.