2003 Buick Century , 115,151 Miles , Needs Motor Work , Runs , Pioneer Cd on 2040-cars

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2018 Buick Regal Sportback First Drive Review | Eyes wide shut

AUSTIN, Texas—Barreling along the tight backroads of Austin's Hill Country, my driving partner was coming in a little hot. Usually, beads of sweat would have appeared by now, hand crushing the grab handle. On roads such as this one, which are barely a car and a half wide, unusual confidence in the car is essential. But even with eyes closed (from the passenger's seat), it felt as if I was riding in an Audi, not in a product that shares its roots with the Chevrolet Malibu. This is a very good thing for Buick. It's unusually planted and stable, almost Germanic in nature. There's no traditional sedan available on these shores, which begs the question: Did the new Regal have to be a hatchback? Nope. Buick sells a traditional four-door Regal in China. The Regal Sportback, which is built in Russelsheim, Germany, is a European take on the sedan, in the vein of the recent proliferation of four-door "coupes" from all sorts of car manufacturers. It's far more versatile than most stylized sedans, however, with a wide opening that can swallow a full-size bicycle with both wheels on. Really—we tried it. There is an alternative to the hatchback, although it won't please sedan purists: the Regal TourX, a wagon in all but name. The 310-hp Regal GS isn't far away, either, and a luxe Regal Avenir is likely to appear. A hybridized Regal eAssist is also a possibility. Alas, the Regal nameplate is unlikely to reappear on a two-door coupe, according to a Buick spokesperson. The closest analogy for the Regal Sportback is the recently departed Volkswagen CC, in both form and function. From the quarter angles, the Regal Sportback has hints of the last-generation BMW 5 Series. Dead on from the front, or in your rearview mirror, there is more than a hint of the Audi shield grille. The LED headlight signature is distinctly European in style, but vaguely defined. Dynamically, the front-wheel-drive Regal Sportback is a match for the Audi A4/A5 Sportback duo. The smooth, turbocharged 2.0-liter inline four is a formidable powerplant, particularly when paired with the nine-speed automatic transmission. Its 250-horsepower output is a close match for Audi's engine of the same displacement. All-wheel drive is offered on the top two trim levels, Preferred II and Essence, as an option, paired with an eight-speed automatic. A trick differential that can direct torque to individual wheels, in addition to splitting it front and rear, is standard on the AWD models.

Buick's new logo ditches the ring, levels the shields

Buick's logo is about to receive a relatively major update. The new-look emblem appeared in a trademark filing in March 2022, and a leaked image posted on social media has given us a better look at the design that should appear on production cars in the not-too-distant future. Published on Instagram by an account called Buick_Saudi_Arabia, the photo shows what seems to be Buick's new logo on the middle of a steering wheel. The changes made aren't groundbreaking, but they're certainly noticeable. The ring is gone, and the red, white, and blue shields are separated from each other and positioned on the same level. As of writing, the shields are staggered and surrounded by a ring.           View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by Buick Saudi Arabia (@buick_saudi_arabia) One question that comes to mind is: why now? Buick has used its current logo for decades without significantly updating it, so what prompted the company to give the design a makeover? Several factors undoubtedly influenced this decision, but one that's worth shining light on is that the brand is no longer twinned with Germany-based Opel. For many years, some Opel-designed models made their way to the United States with Buick emblems on both ends. No one in Europe has heard of a Buick Regal; folks there know the sedan as the Opel Insignia. And, since the visual differences between these cars were often minor, using a Buick logo whose basic silhouette was similar to Opel's logo simplified the design process. Neatly integrating, say, Chevrolet's bowtie-shaped emblem into the Insignia's grille would have been harder, though more improbable acts of badge-engineering have been committed (the Ford Maverick was once a Nissan). General Motors sold Opel to PSA Peugeot-Citroen in 2017, and both carmakers are now part of Stellantis, so Buick's trans-Atlantic design ties have been cut. Losing the Opel connection gives Buick's design team more leeway to experiment with new ideas, like a revamped logo. Keep in mind that nothing is official yet. Full details and an explanation of what the new logo means should emerge soon. Why the shields? Buick isn't rooted in sword-fighting, so why have shields appeared on its cars for over 60 years? The answer, according to Buick, is relatively vague. What's certain is that the tri-shield logo didn't appear on Buick's early cars.

Ford Bronco, Bronco Sport, sub-Ranger pickup and GM EVs | Autoblog Podcast #618

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder and Road Test Editor Zac Palmer. Top of the list this week are the leaked photos of the 2021 Ford Bronco and Bronco Sport. Then they talk about the possibility of a small Ford pickup based on the Focus, as well as all the electric vehicles Snyder saw in person at GM's "EV Day." The editors have been driving the Ram Power Wagon and Hyundai Sonata, and Palmer took Autoblog's long-term Subaru Forester to New Orleans. Finally, they help a listener choose a small luxury crossover in this week's "Spend My Money" segment. then, just as they're about to wrap up the show, they learn that the 2020 New York Auto Show has been postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak. Good times. Autoblog Podcast #618 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown 2021 Ford Bronco and Bronco Sport leaked photos (and, just as we predicted, more photos) Ford shows its dealers the sub-Ranger pickup More details about everything we saw at GM's "EV Day" Driving the 2020 Ram 2500 Power Wagon Driving the 2020 Hyundai Sonata Driving our long-term 2019 Subaru Outback to New Orleans Spend My Money: Audi Q3, Volvo XC40 or Range Rover Evoque? 2020 New York International Auto Show postponed Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video: