Luminas are also spacious where it counts. Two wide bench seats provide more shoulder
room front and rear than you'll find in any of the Lumina's competitors save for the
larger Intrepid, which wins by a smidgeon up front. There's also more front headroom
than the Intrepid, and more in back than all but Honda's Accord, which is far smaller
nearly everywhere else. Result: Even though the Lumina isn't long on rear seat
legroom, it's one of the few that can seat six adults for anywhere near the price.
Sit in the driver's seat, and you face a clear, compact instrument cluster with large
round gauges. You also face a sea of gray plastic, though nearly everything on it--from
the high-mounted rotary climate dials to the large radio knobs and buttons--is right
where it should be.
An exception is the Lumina's horn, which requires both a stretch to reach and a firm
push to activate. Another exception is the optional new dual temperature tabs for the
driver and front passenger. Both are tougher to adjust at speed than dials. We also
wonder why Luminas still lack a flash-to-pass feature for the high beams.
In back, even the center -hump+ seat is reasonably comfy, thanks to the Lumina's
generous headroom. Open the trunk, and you get equally generous cargo space that's
within 1 cu. ft. of the full-size Dodge Intrepid's. While both the base and Lumina LS
offer a new integral rear child seat, you can swap it on LS editions for a center
armrest that opens a small pass-through to the trunk. Oddly enough, a fold-down split
rear seat comes only on the less-utilitarian Monte Carlo.
Instead of the solid rear beam axles on some front-drive sedans, all Luminas get a
fully independent suspension that prevents bumps beneath the left wheel from jouncing
the one on the right. Supple springs and shock absorbers also contribute to the base
Lumina's smooth ride. The penalty for those soft settings is considerable lean through
tight turns and a fair amount of wallow over dips.
That's where the optional FE3 suspension comes in. Available only on the LS, this
add-on includes firmer springs and shocks that greatly reduce the floatiness base cars
exhibit without ruining the ride. Along with the firmer suspension, our LS test car
had wider, grippier P225/60-16 Goodyear Eagle RS-A tires that sharpen the Lumina's
response to emergency maneuvers and work surprisingly well in the wet. Those are
probably the best reasons to opt for the uplevel LS.
Then there's the twin-camshaft V6--a $1095 LS-only option. While the base engine pulls
smartly off the line, the bigger engine size and two more valves per cylinder help the
larger V6 breathe deeper and rev higher for added power. The result is an instant,
reassuring thrust at the highway speeds where the basic V6 runs out of breath. And
unlike some multi-valve engines, the Lumina's is relatively smooth and quiet, pulls
powerfully around town and purrs contentedly on plain old 87-octane gas.
What's more, both powertrains now have 100,000-mile platinum spark plugs, 5-year
coolant and lifetime transmission fluid for the maintenance-averse.
Extended seat time in both the base and LS Lumina also revealed what may be this car's
one drawback--its front seats. Even the uplevel buckets on the LS are too soft in the
center, and offer little side support through deer-in-the-road manuevers. We tried
raising, lowering, tilting and reclining the $300 power driver's seat to
compensate--all to little avail. But considering the Lumina's low price, you should
have enough left over for a lifetime supply of foam seat wedges.