Buick Riviera Specs

Every Buick Riviera generation, measured

One row per generation. Watch the weight column — that is where most of the change happens for the Buick Riviera, -659 lb of it since 1971, and it is the number that decides fuel use, tyre wear and how far the car takes to stop.

Riviera year by year

Measured every model year, not just at generation changes — 23 years on record for the Buick Riviera. Small moves inside a generation are facelifts; the jumps are the 9 new platforms below.

Will a Riviera fit

The practical question behind every dimensions search, and for a 17.3-foot Buick Riviera it has a straight answer. A single-car garage in the US is typically 20 feet deep and a street parking space about 18, so the Riviera clears the garage by 1.7 ft. We allow a foot of clearance in both — nobody parks to the millimetre.

Against cars of the same length

Compared with 439 vehicles within ten inches of the same length — a fair proxy for «cars of this size», regardless of what the marketing calls them.

A longer wheelbase for the same overall length means shorter overhangs — usually more cabin space and a steadier ride. At 3,770 lb the Buick Riviera is 655 lb lighter than typical for its size, which generally shows up as fuel economy and stopping distance.

How we measure

Dimensions come from NHTSA vPIC and Transport Canada vehicle records — manufacturer-declared figures, held in metric and converted to inches and pounds for display, 23 measured model years for the Buick Riviera between 1971 and 1998.

One row per generation, not per model year: manufacturers rarely change the body between facelifts, and the Buick Riviera fits into 9 rows instead of 23. Where a generation offered several body styles, the figures are the base measurements for that generation of the Buick Riviera.