Drew Dowdell

Drew Dowdell - Managing Editor, CheersandGears.com December 7th, 2012 Today is the final day of Buick Week. So far we’ve looked at the four new or refreshed vehicles in Buick’s lineup. It is kind of hard to believe that the Buick LaCrosse and Buick Regal are now the two oldest designs, in that order, Buick offers. Buick Week: Day 1 - 2013 Buick Verano Review Day 2 - 2013 Buick Enclave First Drive Day 3 - 2013 Buick Verano Turbo First Drive Day 4 - 2013 Buick Encore First Drive Day 5 - Buick to the Future! What is coming: LaCrosse: The current LaCrosse debuted in 2009 as a 2010 model. At just three model years into its current run, the LaCrosse still holds its own, but the competition is increasing and newer, and sales are sagging. The Lexus ES has been refreshed, Hyundai has a very competent entry with their Azera, the Toyota Avalon is all new, and Lincoln has a new MKZ with a broad range of fuel-efficient power trains. We are expecting to see hints of a heavily-updated Buick LaCrosse during the coming auto show season. Regal: Buick’s German-bred sports sedan typically does very well in reviews, but in a rough economy more consumers are opting for the more economical but almost as premium feeling Verano. Buick and Opel are already preparing a refresh of the current model.What is not coming: GNX/Grand National: Buick laughed off the suggestion of a GNX when asked directly. What we’d like to see: It is no secret that around CheersandGears.com there is a desire for more body styles to be offered by the various GM divisions. Buick has a rich history of coupes, wagons, and convertibles, yet they offer none of those body styles at the moment. We humbly submit these suggestions: Image copyright General Motors - Modifications by Andrew Currie Buick Verano Convertible: Based on the Opel Cascada, this convertible can lower its top in 17 seconds at speeds up to 31 miles per hour. The Opel version is powered by a re-worked 1.4T and the new Opel 1.6T with 200 horsepower and 200 lb.-ft. of torque. Stateside, we hope to see the 1.6T and the 250 hp version of the 2.0T from the Verano Turbo. We would prefer to see Buick add this to the Verano lineup to strengthen that brand within Buick rather than bring the Cascada name stateside. Image copyright General Motors - Modifications by Andrew Currie Buick David: Based on the Opel Adam and in homage to the founder of Buick, David Dunbar Buick. This cheeky little compact would be a premium entry in the segment to go up against the likes of the Mini-Cooper, the coming Mercedes A-Class, and Fiat 500 Abarth. In the Opel versions, though there are three engines available, none generate more than 100 horsepower. A direct-injected and turbo-charged engine is said to be coming. So as not to clash with the Chevrolet Sonic, maintain a premium status, and continue with Buick’s history of turbo-charging, we suggest the Buick David come with the 148 horsepower 1.4T from the Buick Encore as the standard engine with the 200 horsepower 1.6T optional. With a target curb weight of just 2,200lbs, this would be a Goliath entry into the premium hot hatch market. Buick is a brand on the move. It is one of the few brands, especially of premium brands, to lower their average buyer age recently. Buick’s average buyer age has dropped 7 years over the past 5 model years. They have increased their sales conquest rate to over 43%, increased sales while reducing the number of models, and two of their four models currently on sale are in segment leadership positions. Drew Dowdell is Managing Editor of CheersandGears.com and can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter as @cheersngears *Both the Buick Verano Convertible and Buick David are wishful thinking on our part. They are in no way "news"; of future Buick vehicles. Images of the Buick Verano Convertible and Buick David are based on copyright of General Motors images under Creative Commons license and are not for commercial use or distribution. View full article

in no way did the 2013 accord or the ones before that ever felt -nimble-. the constant impression that car and driver and such gives of the accord being a sporting car, i just don't get. the accord sucks. Exactly. The Fusion and Optima are more nimble than the Accord and the Verano Turbo is more nimble than all of them. The ILX may have a slight edge on the Verano Turbo at 8/10th, but below that skill level, no one would be able to tell the difference. The interior and especially the noise level of the Verano is far more premium than the ILX is. The ILX is for the fart can Civic driver who just got promoted to front end team lead at the local bank branch. The Verano Turbo is for everyone else who wants a premium car with zest but is more mature about it.

I'd say "per project" rather than "per company", but sure.

Happy Birthday Buddy!

just keeping the rights to the names I imagine... What are they going to use Turbo-Jet on?

Thus it should be a private risk and not a public one. By making it a private risk, the company doing the installations now has a motivation to market them, maintain them, keep them up to date with the latest technology, etc. Now that it is almost entirely a public expense (with any/all future profits flowing to private companies), there is none of that motivation and the maintenance and upkeep is at the mercy of the government's budgetary process. As I said, I support some seeding to get the things started, but beyond that it should be the purview of private industry.

I don't mind some government subsidy to get things rolling, including use of government land that is substantially reduced rent for a while, but when there is no mechanism in the plan for the government to make some or all of that money back, then I have a problem. In this case, the government could have donated the use of the spaces and perhaps some seed money in return for a portion of the fees collected say, 5 years in the future. It is unlikely the government would have ended up in the black in the long term, but it at least is not bearing the entire burden of the costs while private companies get the profits.

Regal gets a refresh, the first of which we'll likely see in the next 2 - 4 months. LaCrosse is due for a redesign, it is the oldest of the Epsilon II vehicles out there, I'm guessing we'll see some news on that by March as well. There is a lot going on for GM in Detroit this year that we already know about... so I don't expect to see either of the Buicks released there, but it is possible. We'll know as soon as we see the show schedule. Expect a quick succession of refreshes... Regal first, moving it up market. Lacrosse second... ditto.

it is a typical cycle for all new technology

Sat in a 2013 Honda CR-V tonight. Ain't. No. Way. There is huge difference in interior quality.

Early adopters of version 1.0 are tapering off for the moment. There will be ups and downs in sales.

What you can be confident about: CheersandGears.com will have on site coverage of the event in question.

There is a difference in nimbleness between this and the Accord.

December, 6th 2012 Drew Dowdell Managing Editor – CheersandGears.com Day 4 of Buick Week and we're talking about Buick's new 2013 Encore Buick Week: Day 1 – 2013 Buick Verano Review Day 2 – 2013 Buick Enclave First Drive Day 3 – 2013 Buick Verano Turbo First Drive Day 4 - 2013 Buick Encore First Drive Buick is betting that the next big thing in the crossover category is being little. Little SUVs and CUVs in the past have not sold well or grew up in size until their sales numbers increased. A big part of the reason they haven’t sold in the past could be because they were typically penalty boxes in terms of amenities and driving capability. Buick submits their new 2013 Encore as evidence that neither need be true. Does this diminutive CUV have the goods to change people’s minds? Buick invited me to Atlanta, Georgia to prove it to me. Think Small At just 168.5 inches long, the 2013 Buick Encore is the polar opposite of 222.4 inches the Chevrolet Suburban checks in at. In fact, the Encore sits right between Chevrolet's two sub-compact entries, at 4.6 inches shorter than the Chevrolet Sonic sedan sub-compact and 9.5 inches longer than the 5-door version of that car. The Encore wears its size well though, and while it will never be mistaken for a Suburban, it looks bigger than those numbers suggest.In spite of its trim exterior dimensions, Buick has packaged the Encore well to enable a good amount of room. The interior dimensions are fairly close or even equal to larger-on-the-outside competition from the Ford Escape and Volkswagen Tiguan. Me and my two driving buddies from other media outlets had no trouble finding comfortable seating positions. With a wheelbase just a hair over 100 inches, the Encore excels in maneuverability. When I first arrived at the location in Atlanta, I took the Encore for a spin around a shopping complex. The ease of darting around looking for a parking spot will satisfy many an outlet shopper. For those trips to Ikea, the front passenger seat folds flat allowing for long boxes to be brought home. Turning radius is a scant 36.7 feet, about a foot shorter than the Mini-Cooper Countryman. What is a crossover without cup holders? Though the Encore only seats 5, it has 8 beverage holders. Designers included storage pockets everywhere with four bins in the dash, door pockets, rear seat pockets, a bin under the passenger seat, and bins under the rear cargo floor. Up next: The Drive The Drive A tall, narrow, short wheelbase car is not typically a prescription for great handling but Buick manages to overcome this disadvantage. Steering feel from the all-electric power steering is light to the touch at parking lot speeds and firms up for a more sporting feel when under way. Steering response and feel is excellent and would be at home in a sportier car than the Encore. MacPherson struts up front and coil springs with twin-tube shock absorbers tuned specifically to the standard 18” wheels do a great job of keeping the Encore planted in turns and soaking up rough highway pavement, again giving handling feel that would be just as appropriate in an entry level, low-slung sport compact. More in tune with the Encore’s mission, the highway ride again is contrary to the smaller stature. The suspension and Buick’s Quiet-Tuning soak up road noise to create a much quieter cabin than one might be used to in a car of this size. Part of that quiet comes from the Bose active noise canceling (ANC), a first for Buick, installed in the car. The system uses three headliner mounted speakers to detect engine related noise entering the passenger compartment and cancels it out using the audio system’s speakers and sub-woofer. The Buick engineer riding with us told us that the ANC system does its best work when the engine is running above 3,000 rpm. The Quiet-Tuning does have a downside though; on the highway you have to watch your speed because you can easily end up going faster than local law enforcement would like. The 2013 Encore is powered by a 1.4 liter turbo charged Ecotec engine mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission driving the front or all wheels. It generates 138 horsepower and 148 lb.-ft. of torque between 1,850 and 4,900 rpm. That may not sound like much, but compared to rivals such as the RAV4, CR-V, and Escape in the next size class up, it is a torque deficiency of no more than 24 ft.-lbs. against vehicles that weigh 300lbs. – 500lbs. more. I would bet that anyone trading from a Honda CR-V or Toyota RAV4 would feel that the Buick Encore is a perkier driver resulting from its lower curb weight and early peak torque curve. Running around town and even under full throttle, the engine is very smooth. I felt the Encore could use more power at full throttle, but again I feel that CR-V and RAV4 owners wouldn’t notice a difference.Buick claims the Encore will be among best fuel economy in the segment with estimated fuel economy of 25 city / 33 highway / 28 combined for front-wheel drive models and 23 city / 30 highway / 26 combined for all-wheel drive models when compared to automatic transmission equipped competitors. Buick is expecting a 5-star crash test rating when the Encore is tested; a justifiable expectation as the Opel Mokka which shares much of the Encore’s structure received top ratings in the Euro NCAP safety tests, including a 100 percent safety rating in the safety assist category for the electronic stability control. The Encore boasts a whole host of safety features to get those ratings: 10 standard airbags Collapsible brake pedal Side Blind Zone Alert Rear Cross Traffic Alert Rear Vision Camera Forward Collision Alert (optional) Lane Departure Warning (with Forward Collision Alert) But what’s it cost? One of the bigger stories with the Encore is in the pricing. Unless you are trying to squeeze out every last penny of value per square inch of interior space, the Encore’s pricing is very competitive to the larger crossovers in the next size class up. I already mentioned that next to the Ford Escape and Volkswagen Tiguan, you would give up very little in space in an Encore. Though they start with a Optioning up those vehicles with similar equipment and the Encore starts a large price in various configurations. For example, we built these three example vehicles on their respective manufacturers’ websites: 2013 Ford Escape SEL 4WD - $35,525 1.6L Ecoboost Parking Technology Package Sync with MyFord Touch and Navigation Leather Interior (non-heated seats) Panoramic Sunroof 2013 Volkswagen Tiguan SE 4motion - $33,055 2.0T Engine Sunroof Navigation Leatherette interior with heated seats 2013 Buick Encore AWD - $32,035 1.4T Engine Buick IntelliLink w/ Navigation Leather Interior (includes heated seats and steering wheel) Premium Group (Includes safety assist technology, rain sense wipers) Sunroof The prices speak for themselves. Buick is targeting two specific sets of consumers with the 2013 Encore. The first group is young professionals who want to move up to a more premium vehicle from their “first car”. They don’t yet have families and the need for a large crossover, but they do like to sit up higher, have the option for AWD, and fuel economy is a concern. The second group is “empty nesters”; people who no longer need to haul the kids around and do not want to haul around the baggage of a large SUV anymore. They are looking for easy to drive, easy to park, yet still versatile enough to fit their daily lives. Both groups are looking for more premium features in their vehicles but are particularly attracted to refinement.In the 150 miles I logged in the 2013 Encore, I found it to be a perky little SUV with a surprising amount of interior room for its small foot print. The quiet and comfortable ride makes it a suitable long distance companion. This is not a car for gearheads, but for those who want a premium crossover without all the weight associated with the segment. Buick might just be on to something here. Editor's note: The original version of this story incorrectly listed the Buick Encore as 4.6 inches shorter than the Chevy Sonic hatchback. It is 4.6 inches shorter than the Chevy Sonic Sedan. The Encore is actually 9.5 inches longer than the hatchback. Drew Dowdell is Managing Editor of CheersandGears.com and can be reached at [email protected] or on twitter as @Cheersngears Disclaimer: Buick provided transportation to, and accommodations in Atlanta, Georgia for this test drive. View full article