2022 Buick Encore Gx Select on 2040-cars

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Buick Envision aces IIHS crash tests

If you had any qualms about the safety of a Chinese-built car, set them aside. At least when it comes to the Buick Envision. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has tested the new GM crossover and it passed with flying colors. The Envision is the first Chinese-built Buick sold in the States, and it's also the first Chinese-built car the organization has ever tested. In what is an impressive feat for any new automobile, it earned the IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK+ rating. This means the crossover comes equipped with a forward collision warning system and earned "Good" marks in all types of collisions, including the difficult small overlap crash test. In addition to the forward collision warning system, an automatic emergency braking system is available on the Envision. Eleven other vehicles earned the TOP SAFETY PICK+ rating, including models from Volvo, Lincoln, Acura, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Lexus and Infiniti. That's good company, and combined with a pleasant, if not world-beating, driving experience, should make the Envision a car worth consideration. Related Video:

Best and Worst GM Cars

Oh yes, because we just love receiving angry letters from devoted Pontiac Grand Am enthusiasts, we have decided to go there. Based on a heated group Slack conversation, the topic came up about the best and worst GM cars. First of all time, and then those currently on sale, and then just mostly a rambling discussion of Oldsmobiles our parents and grandparents owned (or engineered). Eventually, three of us made the video above. Like it? Maybe we can make more. Many awesome GM cars are definitely going unmentioned here, so please let us know your bests and worsts in the comments below. Mostly, it's important to note that this post largely exists as a vehicle for delivering the above video that dives far deeper into GM's greatest hits and biggest flops, specifically those from the 1980s and 1990s. What you'll find below is a collection of our editors identifying a best current and best-of-all-time choice, plus a worst current and worst-of-all-time choice. Comprehensive it is not, but again, comments. -Senior Editor James Riswick Best Current GM Vehicle Chevrolet Corvette We were flying by the seats of our pants a bit in this first outing and my notes were similarly extemporaneous. When it came time to tie it all together on camera, I failed spectacularly. Thank the maker for text, because this gives me the opportunity to perhaps slightly better explain my convoluted reasoning. I chose the C8 Corvette because it's simply overwhelmingly good, and it's merely the baseline from which this generation of Corvette will be expanded.  While the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing (more on that in a minute) is an amazing snapshot of GM's current performance standing and its little sibling so enraptured me that I went out and bought one, their existence is fleeting. Corvette will live on; forced-induction Cadillac sport sedans, not so much. So while all three are amazing machines when viewed in a vacuum, the Corvette stands above them as both a reflection of GM's current performance credentials and a signpost of what is to come. So, given the choice between the C8 and the 5V-Blackwing right now, I'd choose the C8. In 10 years, when the Blackwing is no longer in production and Corvette is in its 9th generation? Well, that might be a different story. Now, just pretend I said something even remotely that coherent when we get to the part of the video where I try to make an argument for the 5-V Blackwing as best GM car I've ever driven. Or just laugh at me while I ramble incoherently.

2024 Buick Encore GX Cupholder Mega Test: Will the Nalgene bottle fit?

I recently reviewed the 2024 Buick Encore GX in its new Avenir trim, appreciating the updates from its mid-cycle refresh and assessing its comfortable driving style. What I didn't dive into, however, were the cupholders. Specifically, I wanted to know if it could accommodate in a convenient location what is my favorite hydration facilitator, a 32-ounce Nalgene water bottle. This, like other oversized water bottles, often can't find a cupholder that will fit it. Its a particularly American problem (we're more obsessed with cupholders than other markets), so can this American budget-luxury crossover satisfy my own obsession with this big, dumb bottle? Let's find out. Ideally, we could put it in the front cupholders. Few vehicles' cupholders are big enough, though, with the Chrysler Pacifica, Lexus GX and Toyota 4Runner being notable exceptions. We can't add the Encore to that list, unfortunately. The cupholders are far too small. Usually, the second best option, if possible, is to put it in the front door pocket. Voila! It fits. No Nalgene rolling around on the front passenger seat in this Buick. But what about in back? The center armrest in the Encore GX is a fine place to rest one's elbow, but what about a big-ass bottle of water? Alas, the rear cupholders are equally dinky as the ones up front, which is often the case. The last-gen Toyota Tundra was an exception, where the rear cupholders were bigger than those up front which is super weird to me. I'mm looking forward to see what's what with the new Tundra. The rear door pockets are much smaller than those up front. This does not look promising. It's just big enough that I can wedge the bottom of the bottle inside, but not big enough to keep it there when the car is in motion. Sorry backseaters, you'd better settle for your lesser bottles, suckers. I had almost overlooked this little cubby in between the front cupholders and center console armrest. It's an odd shape, but with some luck, the Nalgene will fit. That's the ticket! This is even better than putting it in the door. It's not the most secure fit, but it's not so huge a space that the bottle knocks around and falls over with every input to the steering wheel or pedals. This ended up being where I put the Nalgene every time I drove the Encore GX, and, subsequently, I remained content and adequately hydrated. And the cupholders remained open for alternative beverages. Interested in more than just the cupholders?