regfootball

The Envision is a good vehicle, the MSRP's are far too ambitious, but just if you judge it as a Buick its pretty good. Buick has been kept alive here because of China, and GM benefits from selling mondo vehicles in China. It's not unrealistic to expect them here to import something from China.... IF they export from the US to China too..... Buick doesn't need to sell more than 40,000 Envisions because they shouldn't be playing so much in the compact class anyways with the Terrain in the showroom and the Enclave being what most Buick buyers are really looking for anyways. Buick should have an Edge competitor, like the Enspire concept to compete with Lexus RX etc. Buick needs to add models to gain US volume more than it needs to have more than 40,000 Envisions. I'm not one for big auto tariffs but overall China benefits a lot more from our trade than we do from theirs. That's not any kind of endorsement for anyone's trade strategy. It should be noted that GM is more and more shifting their production of a lot of US sold vehicles to be made across the world. Gradually and sneakily since the 2009 era they keep moving production to other countries. Biggest challenge for the Buick products is to determine global design. The Envision looks like a 2012 retread (the 2019 updates do clean it up some) and with the Opel deal gone, Buick may have to decide if they are committed to producing any of these white space vehicles in the US the next model cycles...... IMO for example the Regal should be revised to be made on the same line as the Malibu since they are bed buddies. What else is kind of interesting, the Envision doesn't seem like it's been here long, and there are not many of them out there. But already now they have established 4 separate model years of the vehicle here in the states. Pretty crazy. That is how the import brands establish a model, sneak it into the market and build the nameplate brand. So now it is becoming an established nameplate for Buick and building the Envision brand name. Shoppers now will be more confident buying the nameplate because its been around 'for awhile'.

The town and country was a lease. My buyout was pretty high but i was surprised to see the market values on the Chrysler vans seemed to be up there. Not in trade perhaps, but buying used. Good to see you got to use yours for minimal $$$. I wasn't gonna buy my three year old. Payments would have been pretty high and it made sense to just lease again. If vans and Chryslers held their value more on trade maybe buying would work for me but i don't want to hang onto a minivan for a long time. Like you mentioned, despite the utility and all the good packaging, the next time around we may go back to the SUV. The value per dollar with the van now is huge. Yes, tremendous trip vehicle. the front seats are great. Your mpg is close to what we get. in fact it gets better with age. LAst trip return leg we got 31+ with four on board. CRAZY. BUt i agree the DIC is optimistic by about the same amount you say.

Last time i was in a Sonata it was buzzy and loud and vibrated through the seats

I am into state's rights, but California has shaped FE and emissions standards too much. It will be interesting to see what sticks here. Federal standards that are predictable and achievable are good. The 54mpg was totally virtue signalling and forcing something that was not going to happen. At the same time, this industry is global and standards for these things need to 'consider' the global arena.

That 3.0 turbo would be cool. I bet a year or two old MKZ's with it will sell way cheaper than new. Might be a good stealth machine and cost effective. However, it would have the dull MKZ interior and would be a heavy pig like the Fusion. Tradeoffs, ok. You'da had to be pretty crazy to pay insane dough for the black label unless there was MONSTER rebates on it. Buick may be making money off that Avenir stuff for now, but For Lincoln the extra jacked up trim maybe isn't paying off.

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/audi-dealers-do-it-best-teslas-are-worst-according-to-car-shopping-study better fix this if that's what you're planning, Elim hip folk say they don't need to buy a car from a dealer, but then something like this exposes how unsatisfied customers can be if their car sale is not assisted in a professional and consistent manner. HArd to make profits when you don't have real retail sales outlets

i would think the regurge 'Tri-Power' it would be turbo + supercharger + electric motor assist

"A driver assistance suite of features that includes blind spot monitoring,lane change alert, rear-cross traffic alert, and rear parking sensors come standard. Adaptive cruise control is standard." Big fricking deal. Hyundais, Toyotas, Ford Fusion has stuff like this standard now. ALL Buicks should have blind spot and cross path as standard equipment by now. https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2018/03/15/ford-co-pilot360.html

in general more brands are down. market saturation? too much product>>>?

Hence, no need for an Avenir on a Regal. Not every Buick needs to be fluffy, Regal is to lure young buyers and entry buyers to brand. Those buyers don't want floaty I don't think. Comfy sure, floaty, no.

I like the wheels, like the grille, love the diamond stitching, hate the Avenir logo on the side. FWD only makes me wonder if Buick may be looking to limit or get rid of AWD on the sportback in the future. BTW, Avenir is French for 'future'. Before I saw these pics i thought i would not like the Avenir package but its interesting. The real question is how much stupid money is GM asking for it. That's where the desire disjoins from reality usually. Stupid ass MSRP no doubt for an interesting grille, wheels, and seat stitching. Will they get rid of the dumbass seats in the GS for 2019? The german Insignia has sweet optional seats that have that certification and nice shape and finishing and they don't have the dumb racetrack seat backs. Sadly, this may be the best updates we get on the Regal until they decide to continue it or not past 2021 or so. They should bring over manufacturing of the Regal here. Fix the console (cupholders beside the shifter) and some other things.

I don't necessarily think better more responsive handling means it has to have the electronic shocks. Just a better suspension and handling for livelier driving than the base / cruiser setup. That's suspension 'tuning' and some possibly upgraded components. And the electronic version of suspension control is still reserved for top of the line. I don't think Buick needs to target every single vehicle in its lineup to be fluffy

If there is a Buick that deserves a real sporting flavored drive (and not an expensive trim package) it would be the Regal. A 4 cylinder Regal without so much fluff but tuned for Euro ride and handling, while still be being fairly quiet. The Regal would be the one car in the Buick lineup that should be it. Notice here I am making the distinction of not having to go up to a 45,000 dollar MSRP GS to get something that rises above sedate.

i think they get so much more mileage AND CONTROL over doing their promotion and marketing over the internet. Why do a concept car anymore? I remember going to the autoshow and every manufacturer had outrageous concept cars on big displays with models and stuff. Now they show a new model or concept and it gets a lot more mileage for all the articles and exposure that way. But for the US, yes Detroit should be one of the premier auto shows so glad they are doing this here.

Buicks packaging of the two Regals is so fucked up. And this is not a car that benefits from an Avenir badge. Wow, the dips at Buick corporate. Enclave Avenir? SURE AS HELL.

I think if this floats your boat, i would wait 2-3 years when there will be plenty unsold new demos and lightly used ones on the market for absurdly low prices due to the mitsubishi depreciation factor. I think some of the iMievs are selling for dirt cheap like the used Leafs and stuff. And if that is the case it would be a good deal, i wonder what factory warranty is on these, me being too lazy to look up.

a have a strange liking for this, even though it's a slow dog and terribly space inefficient. I think it looks ok and the interior is simple dash, looks ok, has some style. It's one of the few Toyotas that is semi coherent in styling. I mean for a cheap crossover wanna be its not terrible. Nicer than the Juke. I think it needs a motor.

Godspeed. Coincidentally his passing July 25 is 3 years anniversary of my father's passing; same date. Despite what is perhaps occuring with the bones of Chrysler, you can say he made things happen and was a great person in the auto field.

plugging the dike

I am Mitsubishi sympathetic as others. But the exterior design and interior design and quality I only really find acceptable when I am looking at a 20-25k purchase price on an average trim outlander. So Mitsubishi despite its achievement with the electric system can’t expect that it won’t get ripped for the rest of the vehicle. The market will decide how cheap it sells at.

I actually did drive a Bolt at the auto show a few months ago. I liked it a lot, its drives great. I would like it if Chevy's electrics were larger. And i would like a mid size electric sedan / all electric. Or, please add a plug in to the Malibu. The Bolt sits so high I might consider a Leaf over it because its a car and not a jacked up crossover. I sat in the Tesla 3 at the event. I actually didn't think it was too bad inside, design and quality wise. Space is tight but not excessively tight, and they make their seats deeper, i think that hurts it. I would say its about grand am sized inside. I actually had a relatively positive impression of the Tesla packaging, assuming the price is 45-50k and not 60k.

A Toyota sells because the lemmings believe Toyotas are unbreakable devices. But yes the new RAV has upped its game. I think although the GM trio does ok with how they redesigned it, i think had they left another 3-4 inches of wheelbase in there and widened out the cabin 2" or so more they would be less vulnerable to be being considered 'too small'. Partly because the last gen, while a bit space inefficient, felt sort of like a half a size up vs. the Japanese compacts. Ultimately, with GM, it has so much to do with pricing, and if their MSRP's are too high, then how much they sell entirely becomes out of how much money is on the hood. I don't see GMC trying to snag Toyota and Honda buyers, but I see them carving into the rest of the competitors. I think the Jeeps and Escapes is the area GMC plays in more. An Equinox buyer may be one to look at Hondas and Toyotas a bit more.

sales guy said the dealer had not sold one Regal (hatch or wagon) yet. After these last 4 months or whatever. He said because there is no incentives on them. No programs, for leasing or finance. The incentives drive the traffic and buyers. GM maybe doesn't even want these to sell after the Opel sale since they are built overseas. No advertising support either. The Buick GMC dealers first priority is selling pickups, and then after that its the larger SUV's. He said the Buick Encore is the hottest seller at the dealership. People love em and the big incentives and cheap leases move em out the door. He also agreed with me that they should make a vesion of the TourX without the cladding.

DRIVEN 2018 GMC Terrain SLE FWD 1.5t 9 speed auto, MSRP like around 30k. Front wheel drive version only. Cloth interior. HIGHS Ok, with the higher hp and torque, and the 9 speed auto, the engine performance did --- ok ---. And its smooth most of the time, particularly when just 40-70 mph cruising. Tranny seemed well matched, the higher tune 1.5t and 9 speed is exclusive here I think. Why isn't this the powertrain in the Malibu? Terrain interior is unique from the Equinox and Envision and feels sufficiently trucky. Nice layout and shapes on the dash. I like the GMC steering wheel. And the screen display and climate controls are done the best of the GM triplets here. The requisite high seating position of a wannabe truck is done well here. So you believe you are driving a small truck. Pretty easy to see in and out all around, except for some where the rear quarter windows rise up and block some of your view. No real beefs on ride or handling, it didn't feel expensive, but it matched the part. Turn radius in particular is impressive, this would be a very maneuverable ride for those with tight parking conditions, small garages, or live in the urban jungle. It sort of felt nimble at times even; by nimble I mean light and easy to steer except you are doing it in a very high chair. Love that GM still has a few vehicles with the fold flat front passenger seat. It goes with a cargo area that I think works pretty well, and in particular the rear seats fold nicely flat. Rear seat space is nice on this vehicle. Chair high seats, lots of room for legs and feet (for the size of vehicle). Heated seats and cloth on a GM vehicle! and remote start on a lower trim! I sort of dug the pushbutton shifter! I like the 'window switch' operation, and it seemed to work fine, but...... LOWS Still a lot to ask 1500cc's of displacement to move an SUV. It really overall felt just acceptable as far as overall engine spec in the FWD GMC. I purposely drove the FWD only here since the Equinox 1.5t i drove was an AWD + speed and it was a dog. If you are looking at buying one of these things take your time and do your best to determine if you are ok with the little engine that mostly can. (Thankfully the 2.0 is available more widely in the Terrain than the Equinox) Seat bottom felt a little weak; lacked solidity. It seems GM builds lighter seats the last few years..... Sorry, but the cabin width in front of these GM triplets (Equinox, Envision, Terrain) is seemingly narrow. I don't know why GM fked this up. A couple more inches of hip and shoulder room in the front row would be greatly noticed. GM managed to provide a commodious vehicle on such a short wheelbase compared to the last Terrain, however, I think the ride is not quite a smooth as those previous longer wheelbase versions. A bit hoppy here and there it can feel. Somewhat plasticky here and there, inside. GM wouldn't be GM without some cheap plastics here and there, right? The pushbutton shifter, in all its cleverness, is a bit of a reach. You would think it should be arranged to fall nicely to hand without moving your arm. Or, was that by design.... and won't the Big Gulps get in the way when the cupholders are right in front of the shifter buttons? As usual, with GM, it all depends on pricing, and incentives, and packaging.... this Terrain can seem overpriced greatly in some ways if you are only looking at the MSRP sticker. SUMMARY My main interest here was to try the 1.5t and 9 speed auto combo, and I think overall I was pretty good with what i experienced in front drive only form. And this being a lower priced version of the Terrain, overall I thought the whole sample vehicle was a good value. There are some big incentives now too, and so that made it an even better value proposition. It seems to me the current Equinox has a bit of a weird vibe (no pun) to it (too feminine), and the Envision also has strangeness with its PLOODY dashboard and vintage 2011 exterior. The GMC, inside and out, seems to give off a vibe closest to what you expect out of the brand than the other two do. And even though it's a small vehicle, it felt fairly solid and sorta trucky. It seems to deliver expected amount of cargo utility. I give it a solid pass as a GMC torch bearer vehicle. There's so much competition in this segment and you have things like Jeep Compass' and Cherokees, Escapes, so many other options. Still, this is ok. If you want a "GMC", go ahead; this fits just fine into the GMC theme, and it's a more realized alternative within GM to the Chevy. I'd certainly get the Terrain over a RAV4 or CRV. I won't give it a letter grade, but I think it's a good effort that a lot of folks should consider and have on their shopping list. Be sure to spend time choosing between the 1.5 and 2.0.

For kicks I test drove a CTS AWD 3.6 with the V6 this time. Love the car, but it felt less sharp and more cushy / less telepathic than I remember last time. V6 likes to rev up and it is smooth but it really would be boss if it had more torque from a turbo to go with it. The console and dash really make the car feel tight, but it also feels intimate and well arranged. Hard to dislike even if it feels a bit claustrophobic. Comfy seats, even with the simple shape to them. The v6 and 2.0t seem to be about equally as fast as each other. Might have been a mistake for Cadillac to have two separate engines that produce about the same acceleration. Some may prefer the smoother feel of the v6 and some may like the torquey chug of the 4 cylinder. I think having 2 engines that do the same numbers contributes to Cadillac's identity crisis for the cars. I hope the CT5 has the new 2.0t with free revving and torque and i hope the optional v6 is the 3.0tt to actually make it a real upgrade and difference in acceleration.