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2024 Buick Envista revealed as a good-looking, quite-affordable crossover 'coupe'

Buick has a new entry-point for the brand, the 2024 Envista. The new model shares much with its mechanical twin, the Chevy Trax, including a very low base price of less than $24,000. But as you can see, it skips the traditional crossover shape for a more coupe-like roofline. Unsurprisingly, the Envista gets the Wildcat EV design language with a big, frowning grille and scowling LED lights. In profile, it looks longer and lower than the Encore GX, but not just because of the roofline. It's less bulky around the wheel arches, and the ends aren't so blunt and bulbous. Three trims are available for the Envista, and they have some design distinctions. The base trim is the Preferred, and then there are the ST and Avenir trims. The ST is pictured at top with its dark grille and black-painted fender flares, mirror caps and 18-inch wheels. The Avenir (pictured below) gets body-color trim and a bright metal grille and matching 19-inch wheels. 2024 Buick Envista Avenir View 9 Photos Inside, the Envista looks very much like the Encore GX. The dash design is nearly the same, save for slightly different upholstered panels and screen surrounds. It has the same 8-inch instrument display and 11-inch infotainment touchscreen. Trims get different topstitching, with the ST getting swoopy blue stitches, and the Avenir getting more toned-down, more geometric gray stitching. Cargo space comes in at 20.7 cubic feet behind the rear seats, and 42 cubes with them folded. The Envista uses the Trax platform, and that means it comes with only one powertrain: a turbocharged 1.2-liter three-cylinder. It makes 136 horsepower and 162 pound-feet of torque. The only transmission is a six-speed automatic, and it only sends power to the front wheels. Two suspension setups are available, one of which is a simple torsion beam, and the second adds a Watts linkage. The latter comes on all Avenirs with 19-inch wheels. As with Trax, pricing is very affordable, with the base Preferred starting at $23,495, including destination fee. The ST rises to $25,195, and the Avenir tops the range at $29,695. That puts about $3,000 of space between the Envista and the Encore GX at every trim level. Orders open for the Envista this summer. Related video:

The new Buick Regal looks like a Mazda, and we're totally cool with that

Yes, this undisguised Opel Insignia, which will be brought here as the next Buick Regal, looks a lot like a Mazda. You can see it in the grille and headlights, especially – in fact, if you look at one of the photos with tape blocking out the badge in the middle of the winged grille, you might think this is a new Mazda6. The thing is, Mazdas look pretty darn good, so no one's complaining. And when you look at the rest of the car, there's a fair amount of originality going on. Aside from the GM-generic taillights (they look like they could fit on a Chevy, right?) the lines and details are all pretty fresh, and there are some design elements pulled from Buick's gorgeous Avista concept. A sweeping roofline leads to some healthy shoulders at the back, creating a coupe-ish profile with a very abbreviated rear deck. This appears to be a hatchback model and not the four-door sedan, but the general look should carry over. This is definitely a big improvement over the somewhat bulbous current-generation Regal, which also started life out as an Insignia. The car shown here is the Insignia OPC model, with Brembo brakes, big wheels, side skirts, and a front end with big (likely fake) intakes. It will most likely translate to a Regal GS for our market, as is the case with the current OPC and GS. The new Regal/Insignia is expected to use the same platform as the new Buick LaCrosse, which is also shared by the Chevy Malibu and Impala. They should once again be available with front- or all-wheel drive and a choice of turbocharged four-cylinder engines. Rumor has the Opel versions debuting at the Geneva show March, and the Buick would likely follow, possibly in New York in April. View 13 Photos And then there's the wagon. All signs point to Buick finally bringing the most practical Insignia to our market as a Regal. We got wind of a focus group testing the idea, Buick has trademarked the name Regal Tour X. That version would likely go up against the Audi Allroad in the classy, slightly lifted all-wheel-drive wagon category, basically acting as an almost-crossover for people who want a wagon but won't admit it to themselves. The Insignia wagon caught here is also an OPC, and we think it looks even more handsome than the hatch-sedan shown above. The trim piece stretching from the base of the A-pillar all the way up and back down to the tail is a nice touch in profile view, although we're not so sure about how it terminates abruptly at the taillight.

Paul Newman's overachieving 'Volvette' up for bid

For the longest time, it was the ultimate suburban family hauler. But this particular Volvo wagon had a life far beyond the Wegmans parking lots and high school playing fields. This particular 1998 V90 belonged to no ordinary soccer mom or dad, as Paul Newman owned it. Maybe he raced it around the rural roadways of Westport, Connecticut, with kids is tow or to pick up pizzas. The actor, who owned a race team in and out of three decades and racked up four SCCA National Championships, was given the “Volvette” as a surprise gift from one of his teams in 2007, so-called because it was crammed with a 400 horsepower 6.0-liter Chevy LS2 engine and four-speed automatic found in sixth-generation Corvettes from 2005 to 2007. The car, as well as dozens of artifacts of NewmanÂ’s racing career including rings, medals, art, and memorabilia, are on auction currently at RM Sotheby's online: High Speed: Paul NewmanÂ’s Racing Legacy. Bidding closes June 13. The V90 is one of two Newman machines on the block. Estimated winning bid is expected to be $20,000 to $25,000. NewmanÂ’s affection for Volvos dated back some time: his first pumped-up Swedish example was a1988 Volvo 740 powered by a 3.8-liter turbocharged V6 from a Buick Grand National. The car recently sold on Bring a Trailer for $87,777. The middle-child swapped Volvo was a 1995 960 with a supercharged 5.0-liter Mustang V8. Newman famously convinced friend David Letterman to get one (Letterman once co-owned Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing). Quipping that Volvo station wagons were “just as ugly as homemade shoes,” Letterman nevertheless ordered one and went on to rave about it. With upwards of 400 horsepower or more, one such modified Volvo 960 tested by Car and Driver was as fast as a mid-Â’90s Mustang Cobra. The hot-rod Volvo currently on offer accommodates Porsche 911 components in the front end and mods to the driveshaft. Says the auctionÂ’s description, “The exterior was kept unchanged, as Newman was known to prefer a stock look with his Swedish station wagons.” Sadly, Newman had not enough years left to sufficiently enjoy the Volvette. He died of cancer at age 82 a year after it was given to him. Related video: Celebrities Buick Volvo Auctions Automotive History Wagon