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NFL QB Cam Newton and supermodel Miranda Kerr star in Buick's Super Bowl ad

Buick's Super Bowl LI ad is another demonstration that its cars aren't frumpy anymore. The ad opens with parents watching their children play football, with one of the dads, we'll call him "Dad No. 1," shouting encouraging words to his son. In the background, a bright red Buick Cascada pulls up, and another dad, "Dad No. 2," points it out. Dad 1 doesn't believe him, and says, "If that's a Buick, then my kid's Cam Newton." All of sudden, his son transmogrifies into Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton. As expected, he quickly dominates the game, with some amusing results. At the end, when a Buick Encore shows up, the referee inadvertently turns himself into supermodel Miranda Kerr, based on apparent disbelief over what constitutes a Buick. You can see all of the shenanigans in the video above. Plus, if you'd like to see what goes into making a Super Bowl commercial, Buick produced a short video with Newton and Kerr showing what happens behind the scenes. You can check it out below. Related Video:

2018 Buick Regal GS First Drive Review | More power, style and doors

During our test-drive of the 2018 Regal GS, Buick took us to Atlanta Motorsports Park and hired stunt drivers to teach us mild-mannered journalists how to do a J-turn. It's an emergency maneuver, also known as a Rockford, in which the car reverses at full speed, spins 180 degrees and takes off in the exact opposite direction from where it was headed. It symbolized perfectly Buick's hopes for the Regal GS, its most ambitious attempt yet at a bona fide American sports sedan. Buick is trying to shake off decades of stigma as a maker of grandpa-spec wafters. Since 2008, it has been rebadging the Opel Insignia, developed by GM's German subsidiary and built in Russelsheim, as the Regal. In 2012, Buick revived the Regal GS badge, providing power from a 2.0-liter turbo four, initially at 270 horsepower but then detuned to 259 hp in 2014 as AWD was introduced. Buick had high hopes of challenging the luxury greats, and while the previous Regal GS received good reviews as a genuine sports sedan, it never really caught on in the marketplace. Buick took a risk by redefining the brand, but ultimately, it wasn't quite successful enough to be uttered in the same breath as BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus. The 2018 Regal GS doubles down on that lofty goal with a better-fleshed-out version of the outgoing car. It returns with improved styling and even more power, courtesy of a naturally aspirated 3.6-liter V6 generating 310 horsepower and 282 lb-ft of torque. In other words, the new GS is up 40 horses, but down 13 lb-ft with an engine that comes straight from the GM parts bin. Within GM, it is known as the "High Feature" engine, used in everything from Cadillacs to V6 Camaros to the GMC Acadia. Autoblog has knocked this engine on refinement but generally praised its power, so it's a mixed bag. On the Regal GS, though, the drivetrain exhibited a marked improvement on the refinement front. Buick spokesperson Stuart Fowle attributed this to the new nine-speed automatic it's mated to, a quick and smooth-shifting transmission well-programmed to keep the engine at optimal revs. The result deviates quite a bit from the Opel Insignia, which maxes out with a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four good for 197 horses and 300 lb-ft. With turbo 2.0-liter fours now the de facto entry-level engine for most luxury carmakers, having the 3.6-liter V6 makes the 2018 Regal GS more distinctive, a bit more American and less of a European copy-paste job than its predecessor.

2020 Buick Encore GX First Drive | Bringing serenity to the subcompact market

With Buick seeing sales success in our crossover-crazed world, it’s no wonder the company is adding to its crossover lineup with the 2020 Buick Encore GX. It sits just above the existing Encore, and it offers more space and new turbocharged engines for just a bit more money. In fact, as it starts at just $900 more than the existing Encore and offers more power, space and fuel economy, itÂ’s unquestionably the Encore version to get when heading to your Buick dealer. But compared with other crossovers, the BuickÂ’s only real advantage is in its quietness, refined powertrain and upmarket badge. Otherwise it's a fine but unexceptional crossover. Powering the Encore GX is your choice of small turbocharged three-cylinder engines. The standard engine, available with every trim, is a 1.2-liter unit making 137 horsepower and 162 pound-feet of torque. ItÂ’s only able to be paired with a CVT and front-wheel drive. ItÂ’s also not the most efficient powertrain offering, returning 28 mpg in town, 31 on the highway, and 29 combined. The optional engine, available only on the upper two trims Select and Essence, is a 1.3-liter example making 155 horsepower and 174 pound-feet of torque. This engine can be paired with a CVT and front-wheel drive, or a nine-speed automatic transmission with all-wheel-drive. Also, because of efficiency boosters such as an offset crankshaft, electric oil pump, electric brake booster and electric turbo wastegate, itÂ’s the most efficient choice. With the CVT and front-wheel drive, the Encore GX manages 30 mpg in the city, 32 on the highway, and 31 combined. The all-wheel-drive version only gets 26 mpg in town, 29 on the highway and 28 combined. Our test car was an Encore GX with the 1.3-liter engine and the CVT, and on paper, itÂ’s the engine to go with. ItÂ’s more power with less fuel use. And while itÂ’s not the most powerful car in its segment, its torque is accessible throughout the rev band, so it never feels slow. Buick has done an excellent job keeping the engine quiet, either through powertrain refinement or through extensive sound deadening. YouÂ’ll never hear more than a faint growl from under the hood. The CVT is absolutely the transmission to choose, too. ItÂ’s amazingly smooth and unobtrusive. The revs are always kept low and thereÂ’s just enough variance in them that it doesnÂ’t feel like a rubber band. It responds fast to your right foot, too, so you arenÂ’t waiting for more rpm when needing to accelerate faster.