2000 Buick Lesabre, No Reserve on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2024 Buick Encore GX refresh adds Wildcat looks, Avenir trim

Buick made it clear with the Wildcat EV concept that styling cues from it would start appearing on future products. It turns out the first of them is the refreshed 2024 Encore GX subcompact crossover. And that may seem a little odd to start a revamp of the lineup with the entry-level model, but there is some logic to it. According to Buick representatives, the Encore GX made sense for a few reasons. It was due for a refresh regardless, but also it's the brand's best seller, one that's growing and attracting younger buyers. And as far as refreshes go, the Encore GX's is pretty substantial. The front end is completely redone with the low, frowning grille of the Wildcat and the glaring LED daytime running lights high up. The rear has been updated with new LED taillights and rear bumper design, too, plus the new Buick logo and word mark placed prominently in the middle of the hatch. There are unique features for two new trim levels. The ST, which has been promoted to a full trim instead of just an add-on appearance package, gets gloss black body cladding and other trim such as on the mirrors. It gets unique wheels, ST badges in the grille, and a flat-bottom steering wheel inside. The Avenir, a first for the model and an addition that makes the Avenir trim available on every Buick, features bright grille inserts, body color trim, clear taillight lenses and unique interior upholstery. All Encore GXs benefit from interior updates. Almost the entire dash has been redesigned, mainly in service of the new instruments and infotainment. Every trim gets an 8-inch digital instrument cluster and 11-inch infotainment touch screen. Other details such as the climate control buttons and dials have been revamped as well. The screen can be used to access wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The Avenir trim sweetens the interior with unique leather upholstery, power adjustable front seats (10-way for the driver, 8-way for the passenger), a heated steering wheel, air ionizer and auto-dimming rear mirror. Things are mostly the same under the skin, though. The base engine is a turbocharged 1.2-liter three-cylinder making 137 horsepower and 162 pound-feet of torque. The optional turbo 1.3-liter three-cylinder makes 155 horsepower and 174 pound-feet. They're basically carry-over, as are the drivetrain combinations. Front-wheel-drive Encore GXs get a CVT, and the all-wheel-drive ones get a nine-speed automatic. Pricing is quite reasonable. The base model starts at $26,895.

Automakers' sound systems: Crank it, don't yank it

Years ago, one of the first things most music lovers did after buying a new vehicle was drive to an aftermarket stereo shop to get the crappy stock components swapped for better gear. And you'd typically get not only better sound but also more bang (and boom) for your buck. But in the past decade or so, the overall quality of OEM audio has dramatically increased, while car electronics became more complex, removing the incentive for most new vehicle owners — and all but the most hardcore DIYer — to start from scratch. In 2010, I did a comparison of the average costs for OEM electronics vs. similar offerings from the aftermarket, and back then automakers' stock premium systems were by far the best bargain — and are probably an even better value now. The premium 14-speaker, 1,200-watt JBL system in the all-new 2019 Toyota Avalon is a prime example of this trend. It's standard on the top two Limited and Touring trims and is available as a $680 audio upgrade on the XLE and XSE. I doubt you can even buy 14 speakers and 1,200 watts of amplification from the aftermarket for 700 bucks, much less have it all installed. And because the system is bundled with Toyota's Entune infotainment system, Apple CarPlay and a surround-view camera, removing the head unit means you would likely lose these features. Another advantage of OEMs and their audio partners is they can design the car around the audio system. In the past, automakers would typically place speakers where convenient for packaging, not for optimal sound reproduction, and audio engineers were forced to compromise. But as with the Avalon's premium JBL audio system, this is starting to change. At a recent behind-the-scenes peek for media into the process of developing the system, Toyota and Harman engineers delved into the minutia of sealing the inner panel of the front doors to create an enclosure for 6x8-inch woofers, making space in the pillars for JBL horn tweeters and extensively measuring the acoustic properties of the interior to tune the sound to the space. I'm met some creative and skilled car stereo installers, but none with a degree in psychoacoustics. The system is also the first to feature Quantum Logic Surround that creates a multi-channel listening experience from two-channel sources. And it includes Harman's Clari-Fi processing that "rebuilds key details lost" in compressed audio formats used by streaming music services and MP3s.

Buick Cascada convertible likely dead after 2019

Opel announced it was discontinuing a few cars today, but the one that got our attention was the Cascada. The plan is to let the Opel Cascada live out its life until the end of 2019, with no replacement in the works. This brings into question the future of the Buick Cascada sold in the United States, since it's basically the same car and produced by Opel in the same factory in Poland. The Cascada has been on sale in other markets since 2012 badged as either an Opel or Vauxhall, but the Buick-badged car was only introduced in North America for the 2016 model year. Of course, Buick could decide to build the model beyond 2019, but it would need to find a new manufacturing location, convertibles aren't exactly popular, and the car would be egregiously old at that point. In other words, it looks like the Cascada is dead after 2019. We asked Buick what the game plan might be, and were told that there is nothing official to say at the moment. That's par for the course for something a manufacturer doesn't want to talk about yet, but it's also possible the announcement came as a surprise. Opel is no longer owned by GM, so the announcement actually came from the brand's new PSA ownership (the same French company that owns Peugeot and Citroen). As for the rationale behind the decision, that was a head scratcher, too. Opel/PSA said it was discontinuing the Cascada, as well as the subcompact Adam and Karl, in order to meet increasingly stringent emissions requirements and produce crossovers instead. This seems contradictory. Replacing a low-selling convertible and a pair of low-profit subcompacts with high-selling, high-profit crossovers sure seems like a solid business decision more than an emissions requirement one. Indeed, the Buick Cascada has never been a raging success in the United States either, with only 5,595 leaving the lots in 2017. It helped bring in some different kinds of customers to the Buick brand, but the impact is minute compared to a vehicle like the hot-selling Buick Encore. Related video: Featured Gallery 2019 Buick Cascada View 17 Photos Rumormill Buick Opel Convertible buick cascada