On paper they weren’t so different, but the A-body Buick Century introduced in 1982 was a vast improvement over the X-body Buick Skylark launched just two years earlier.

Introduced to great fanfare in April of 1979 for the 1980 model year, the General Motors X-body compacts—Chevy Citation, Pontiac Phoenix, Olds Omega, Buick Skylark—were the automaker’s first transverse front-wheel drive cars. And they were not a success, it’s fair to say, crippled as they were with braking system and structural problems, endless recalls, and sketchy build quality. For buyers in the premium Buick class, the shortcomings were especially distressing.

But just two years later in 1982, a second product known as the A-body, using much the same packaging as the X-car and many of the same components, was introduced: Chevy Celebrity, Olds Cutlass Ciera, Pontiac 6000, Buick Skylark. And here, buyers enjoyed a far more positive experience, it’s also fair to say. In fact, the A-body Century became a cornerstone of the Buick product lineup, and with continual refinements, it remained in production through 1996.

So what changed? Not that much, or so it would seem. The A-body Century shared its 104.9-in wheelbase with the Skylark, and it used the same construction, with a separate cradle to isolate the front-drive powertrain assembly from the unit-built body shell. But the overall length was increased nine inches, a promotion from compact to small intermediate. The overall impression was of a more substantial product.

Meanwhile, many of the design and manufacturing defects in the X-body (GM’s first transverse front-drive, we repeat) were ironed out in the A-body—and applied to the X-body, too. Lessons learned. The engines were also improved: The 2.5-liter, four-cylinder base engine now featured central-point fuel injection for better driveability, while the optional engine was now a tried-and-true 90-degree Buick V6 of 3.0 iters in place of the 60-degree 2.8L V6 designed for the X-car. The 4.3 liter diesel V6 was also available, about which there will be no further comment at this time.

For the ’82 rollout, there were just two body styles, coupe and sedan, in two trim levels, Custom and Limited. Interiors in both were nothing fancy, but they were pleasant and comfortable, with muted velour fabrics and more than a dash of fake wood. In ’83 a sporty T-Type trim level was introduced, and in ’84 the popular station wagon arrived. Priced in the $9,000 range, for Buick dealers the Century filled a valuable slot in the middle of the product line, and for many shoppers, it found the sweet spot. When Buick sold more than one million cars worldwide in 1985, around 260,000 of them were Centurys.

In ’86 the Century received a minor facelift with a new front end, followed by another in 1989 that included composite headlamps, and another styling makeover in 1991. Engines and transmissions, suspension and brakes were continually updated, even as other products in the Buick lineup came and went. When the A-body Century was finally discontinued in 1996, replaced by a new W-body car with the same name, the production total came to more than 2.2 million cars.