1996 Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon Collector's Edition Wagon 4-door 5.7l on 2040-cars

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Buick reveals production GL8 Century minivan, and you can't have one

The futuristic GL8 MPV concept Buick showed late last year in China is headed to production. This jazzed-up people-mover appears to have held true to its concept design, with only a few elements of the exterior getting attention before heading to the assembly line.  At first blush, the most significant change from the concept is the exterior paint scheme, which was essentially inverted over several of its surfaces. The glossy silver grille of the concept gave way to a more conventional honeycomb pattern for the production version, but accents in a similar silver finish are now visible along the hood and roofline and the rising wave that peaks just in front of the GL8 Century's C-pillar.  Admittedly, the production car loses some of the wilder elements of the concept's cabin, but perhaps not as much as you might expect based on the interior photo included here. We can only see the rear seats, which give off sort of a baby private jet vibe that is vastly more impressive than what Buick offers in its American SUVs.  The Century will sit atop Buick's GL8 lineup of MPVs (which includes the more-pedestrian GL8 ES and GL8 Legacy) in China when it goes on sale later this year. Related video: 2022 Kia Carnival EX Sliding Minivan Doors | Autoblog Short Cuts

2021 Buick Envision fuel economy revealed

Despite being revealed a few months ago, the 2021 Buick Envision has been lacking in in-depth details. But thanks to the EPA, we have a bit more information on the luxury crossover, specifically fuel economy. And it seems the new model is significantly more efficient than its predecessor. The only powertrain combination we have numbers for at the moment is the turbocharged engine with all-wheel drive. The Envision is expected to have a front-wheel-drive version, too, though an example with the old model's naturally aspirated four-cylinder is probably long gone. As for the turbo, all-wheel-drive Envision, it will get 22 mpg in the city, 29 on the highway, and 25 combined. That's the exact same as the old naturally aspirated, front-drive Envision, and it's an improvement of 2 mpg in town, 4 on the highway and 3 in combined driving over the previous turbo, all-wheel-drive version. As an extra bonus, the EPA notes that the new turbo Envision runs on regular gasoline, rather than premium like the old Envision. So not only will it use less gas, what it uses costs less. We're expecting the new Envision to go on sale early next year. While we know that the Envision will have a turbocharged engine, and the naturally aspirated one is probably discontinued, we don't know which engine it is. It could be an updated version of the old engine, which made 252 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque, or it could be the engine from the Cadillac XT4, which makes 230 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. The latter seems more likely, since the XT4 gets similar fuel economy. A nine-speed automatic and front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive are also planned for the crossover. Related Video:

2019 Buick Envision starts just under $33,000

Buick has announced that prices for its new 2019 Envision will start at $33,985 (including destination), positioning the refreshed compact SUV right between its best-selling Encore entry-level crossover and more upmarket Enclave and taking aim at competitors including the Lincoln MKC and Acura RDX. The Envision will be offered in five trim levels — Envision, Preferred, Essence, Premium and Premium II, which starts at $45,590 — when the crossover goes on sale this spring. Prices exclude tax, title, license, dealer fees and optional equipment. We told you recently about the optional new nine-speed Hydra-Matic 9T50 automatic transmission and 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder on the top two trim levels. The upgraded engine offers 252 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. The standard setup remains the 197-hp 2.5-liter inline four-cylinder engine making 147 lb-ft of torque and mated to a six-speed automatic, offered in front- or all-wheel drive. The crossover gets a new winged Buick emblem on the grille, new headlamps and newly sculpted front and rear facias, plus optional 19-inch wheels. It also gets a Buick-first tire-fill alert that signals when a tire has reached the recommended pressure level. Standard technology features include an in-vehicle air ionizer to eliminate odors, a switch to turn off its fuel-saving engine stop feature, rear-park assist, an 8-inch diagonal infotainment system and 4G LTE WiFi hotspot. By dropping the starting MSRP by nearly $1,000, GM says the Envision is now better positioned against its top-selling Encore (starting MSRP $22,990), for which nearly 60 percent of buyers come from outside the automaker's stable of brands. Related Video: