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2018 Buick LaCrosse Avenir gets dash of flash

The 2018 Buick LaCrosse Avenir continues the rollout of the top-trim Avenir line, joining the Enclave. They use the same strategy: package some extra features as standard and give the vehicles more design flair. On the outside, the LaCrosse Avenir gets shiny chrome mesh grilles and Avenir badging, just like the Enclave. Two types of wheels are available on the LaCrosse, either 19-inch pieces finished in "Pearl Nickel" or 20-inch versions finished in "Midnight Silver." Inside, there is exclusive chestnut brown leather interior. The Avenir logo is stitched into the headrests of the seats and is displayed on the door sill plates. Aside from the visual tweaks, the Avenir trim adds a bunch of standard features. Among the convenience items are navigation, a sunroof and a Bose sound system. It also features the nine-speed automatic transmission hooked up to the 310-horsepower V6. But items such as the trick all-wheel-drive system and continuously adjustable suspension are still options. Pricing hasn't been announced yet, but expect it to be more than the $42,090 of the next highest-trim LaCrosse Premium with the V6. And Buick expects it will sell plenty of these cars, since it also revealed that 90 percent of LaCrosse buyers choose the top two trims out of the four available. The car goes on sale early next year. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2018 Buick LaCrosse Avenir View 10 Photos Image Credit: Buick Buick Luxury Sedan buick avenir

Ford, Toyota clean up in Best Car For The Money Awards

The U.S. News Best Cars for the Money Awards picks winners by looking at the average transaction price, five-year total cost of ownership, the regard a car has from the automotive press, reliability figures from J.D. Power and Associates and safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The result, according to the magazine, is "the best combination of critical acclaim and long-term value."
Ford nabbed six of the 21 categories that received awards this year, the Focus, Fusion, Fusion Hybrid, Taurus, Escape and Edge getting trophies. Toyota and its Lexus and Scion sub-brands took another five, the Tacoma and Tundra owning the two categories given to pickup trucks. The other ten awards were split between Honda with three, Buick with two, and one each for Subaru, BMW, Hyundai, Chevrolet and Mazda.
Follow the link to see all the winners and read about why they were chosen.

Buick will cease using ‘Buick’ badge on vehicles from 2019

GM Authority recognized that the recently unveiled 2019 Buick Envision is missing something: a " Buick" badge on the left side of the tailgate. Every other vehicle the carmaker sells features that script, but not the new mid-sized crossover. When the site asked about the omission, "representatives recently told GM Authority that Buick will stop using the brand badge on the rear of its vehicles, starting with the 2019 model year." The only identifiers that will remain are the three-color Tri Shield logo and the model nameplate, i.e., "Envision" or " Regal." It's a bold game for a mass-market major automaker, though Audi, Hyundai and Volkswagen follow the same trend. Even Bugatti, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, and Aston Martin affix their brand names to their vehicles within company icons or on brake calipers, albeit in small fonts. The coming Continental will wear the word "Bentley" across its trunk, silverware the present Continental does without. Porsche allows customers to delete model designations, but it must be requested. At the other end of the spectrum, the Ford Mustang Bullitt wears zero badges, but the Bullitt is a special edition of a well known model that otherwise advertises its provenance everywhere. Buick plays in hard-fought segments where mass appeal overrules instantly-identifiable design daring. Those kinds of carmakers usually want to take every opportunity to advertise every sale. Remember the last Buick to go without a make badge? The terrifically handsome Buick Avista concept that wore only two Tri Shield logos and its model name on the decklid. Perhaps that gave Buick some ideas. If the carmaker plans to start putting out cars like the Avista, then this move makes perfect sense. Update: A commenter pointed out that Hyundai vehicles don't have "Hyundai" badges, only the "Flying H." We've thought of some other brands/models, too. So Buick has mass-market company. Related Video: