1969 Buick Skylark on 2040-cars

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MotorWeek remembers the nearly forgotten Buick Reatta

The Reatta was Buick's failed experiment to take on European competitors with its own two-seat luxury coupe and convertible. The model only lasted a few years, and US customers didn't see another droptop from the brand until the Cascada. The latest MotorWeek Retro Review takes a look back at the short-lived roadster and remembers it quite fondly. Host John Davis calls the 1990 Reatta droptop "one of the best looking convertibles ever." His sentiment seems a little hyperbolic, but the roadster is definitely an attractive machine by the standards of the time. The smooth front end and pop-up headlights are reminiscent of Japanese sports cars of era, and the profile with the top down is elegant. There are weaknesses, though. The manual roof mechanism appears cumbersome to operate, and the crude digital instruments, which simulate physical dials, make the cabin look too dated. Other than a complaint about over-boosted power steering, MotorWeek enjoys how the Reatta drives, too. Buick's roadster is largely forgotten today, but such glowing praise suggests it deserves to be better remembered. Check out this Retro Review to look back on this interesting experiment from the early '90s. Related Video:

2013 Buick Verano Turbo

Not Luxury. Not Sport. Not Buick. Not Bad.
Those of you who still think of the Buick Verano as some sort of callously badge-engineered, gussied up version of the Chevrolet Cruze ("Why would anyone spend that much money on Buick's Cruze?" you may have been heard to mutter) have got the wrong idea. Entirely. Even in its most modest form, the Verano turns out to be a sedan that is feature-rich, insulated from wind and road noise in proper luxury car fashion, pretty good to drive and not bad to look at in the new school of high-nosed pedestrian-impact-regulated fashion. In a less modest form then, one that attaches the word "Turbo" to the moniker and plops a force-fed 2.0-liter four-cylinder under the hood, the Verano is downright interesting.
Of course, "interesting" is rarely a descriptor that fills one with lust - and so it goes with this example. There are two competing forces within this near-premium subcompact sedan, and the balance struck between them must resonate with any potential customer before the Verano Turbo can become a serious purchase consideration.

Bronco Scout, Ford and Rivian, and next-gen Land Cruiser | Autoblog Podcast #578

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Road Test Editor Reese Counts and Assistant Editor Zac Palmer. First, they dicuss recent news, including the upcoming next-gen Toyota Land Cruiser, Ford's trademarking of "Scout" and "Bronco Scout," and Ford's $500 million investment in EV startup Rivian. After that, they talk about the cars they've been driving, including the Jeep Wrangler, Cadillac XT4 and Buick Regal GS. Last but not least, they help a listener choose a new car in our "Spend My Money" segment. Autoblog Podcast #578 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 Toyota promises a next-generation Land Cruiser Ford trademarks "Scout" and "Bronco Scout" Ford invests $500 million in Rivian Cars we're driving: 2019 Jeep Wrangler 2019 Cadillac XT4 2019 Buick Regal GS Spend My Money Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video: