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2017 Buick LaCrosse an evolution of sharp Avenir concept

After years as a bloated, uninspiring, but comfortable near-premium sedan, Buick has taken the wraps off a leaner, lither, far more stylish LaCrosse. The third-generation model has just made its debut at the 2015 Los Angeles Motor Show. While there's a lot to talk about, let's first address the new, Avenir-inspired sheetmetal. The fascia is basically the concept car smoothed over into production form, featuring the same winged trishield. In place of the chrome-trimmed waterfall, the LaCrosse gets a blacked-out, recessed grille with a chrome surround. It looks good in photos but it's better in person, adding a real sense of complexity and depth to the front end. The headlights and lower fascia, meanwhile, adhere closely to the concept. The same cannot be said of the LaCrosse's tail. While the taillight lighting pattern is similar, the overall shape of the lighting element is radically different, refining the design featured on the back of the Regal. Also gone, sadly, is the Avenir's boattail rear deck. Instead, the LaCrosse gets a small rear deck that curves up into a pleasant duckbill spoiler. The rest of the tail is pleasantly restrained. Perhaps the weakest point is the profile, where Buick has instituted a "split-spear" design, featuring a strong shoulder line above the rear wheel well, which sits below an even stronger character line that curves down and towards the front of the car. It strikes us as just a little too much, like the Impala. Underneath that sheetmetal, Buick has managed to trim nearly 300 pounds of body fat, nearly half of which came from the vehicle's actual structure. That 300 lbs, according to Buick's engineers, is equivalent to a Kenmore side-by-side refrigerator, in case you needed a helpful comparison. Despite the weight savings, Buick has upped the torsional rigidity for this new model by 15 percent. The LaCrosse's cabin features a strong, cockpit-like design, with a high, floating-bridge center console. This is possible due to Buick's adaption of the Electronic Precision Shift system, introduced earlier this month on the new Cadillac XT5. Despite the new-fangled console design, Buick's retained the wraparound cabin style introduced on the second-gen model. Based on a quick crawl around the interior, space is great in front, although ingress in back is somewhat difficult due to the roofline. You're probably wondering why we haven't said anything about the mechanicals just yet.

Junkyard Gem: 1978 Buick Electra 225

The Buick Electra was a big, plush, dignified land yacht for the 1959 through 1976 model years, but certain events in the middle 1970s, coupled with increasing sales of imported cars, convinced The General that a weight-loss program would help Electra sales. For the 1977 model year, the big Buick became 11 inches shorter and shed close to 900 pounds. Sales took off. Most of these cars are gone now, but I was able to find this faded '78 in a San Francisco Bay Area self-service yard a few weeks back. Just to be clear, the Buick Electra in the iconic Sir Mix-a-Lot video, My Hooptie, is a 1969 model. That car was much bigger and more powerful than today's Junkyard Gem. This car has the optional Oldsmobile 403-cubic-inch V8 engine under the hood, which was good for 185 horsepower and 320 pound-feet of torque. This is the same type of engine that was badged as a 6.6-liter plant in the Pontiac Firebird Trans Am of Smokey and the Bandit fame, and GM's mix-and-match games with engines from different divisions went on to cause great disgruntlement among buyers who wanted a Buick engine in a Buick. The silver-faced gauges were pretty cool-looking by late-1970s standards. The interior is standard-issue Detroit luxury car for the era: much vinyl, many molded-in fake stitches, plenty of not-trying-very-hard-to-look-real "wood." These cars rode very comfortably and looked sharp, so who cared if the interiors were plasticky? According to Glenn Ford, the '78 Electra carried on an ancient tradition of Buick luxury. Related Video:

Buick Cascada will start at $33,990

The Buick Cascada goes on sale early next year, bringing open-air motoring to the brand in the US for the first time in 25 years, and you'll need $33,990 to buy the standard model. Notice there's no asterisk after that price in the headline, because $33,990 includes the destination charge. Buick compares this convertible with the $37,525 Audi A3 droptop, noting that the 200-horsepower Cascada has 30 more hp, navigation and heated front seats as standard, eight-way power seats instead of four-way, 20-inch wheels instead of 17-inchers, and a heated steering wheel. The Cascada in Premium trim will run $36,990 and add forward collision alert and lane departure warning, auto headlights, park assist front and back, rain-sensing wipers, and two air deflectors. Quite a few of you have commented that it would be great if Buick could price the Cascada where the defunct Chrysler 200 Convertible used to live, and it's in the neighborhood. The 2014 200 S convertible was the top of the line in the model's last year, came with a 283-hp, 3.6-liter V6, and started at $33,445 before destination. It lacked the features, refinement, and looks of the Cascada, and that thirsty V6 got you gas mileage of 14 highway, 21 city. The soon-to-depart Volkswagen Eos, which also comes up frequently in Comments, starts at $32,860 after destination. If Buick kept the suspension tuning engaging, this could be really good. There's a press release below with more info. Your browser does not support iframes. Buick Cascada Priced at $33,990 Well-equipped convertible offers high levels of standard content, technology DETROIT, 2015-09-23 – The top-down driving experience of the 2016 Cascada – Buick's first convertible offered in the United States in 25 years – is priced at $33,990. When it goes on sale early next year, the Cascada will offer more standard content, a more powerful standard engine and a lower starting price than the Audi A3 Cabriolet. "Cascada expands Buick's lineup with a uniquely fun and personal driving experience," said Duncan Aldred, vice president of Buick. "With a lower price than key competitors, it also promises to shake up the segment – and look good doing it." The 2016 Cascada – designed from the ground up as a convertible – comes well-equipped in a 2+2 configuration, with room for four adults.