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Buick’s Terrific Trifecta: Avista, Cascada, and Envision


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buick_avista_concept

In 2008 I thought Buick should be sent to the chopping block. Its vehicles were aged, staid, not exciting, and overly bland for the tastes of most young Americans.

Yet instead of discontinuing the Buick brand, GM thought it would be more beneficial to send Pontiac packing. Pontiac was just beginning to get its chops back thanks to the beautifully crafted G8 GXP, but it died at the hands of a bankrupt GM that desperately needed to reorganize.

And reorganize it did. Here we are in 2016 and Buick is not only still here, it’s becoming a real player in the affordable luxury market.

This year we have three Buicks in particular to thank for that, though only two will likely be available for purchase.

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Chrysler Pacifica Replaces Town & Country, Goes Hybrid


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2017 Chrysler Pacifica

In 2002 Chrysler introduced a vehicle that it thought would be the next big thing in the new crossover SUV market.

The vehicle, a luxury people-mover with three rows of seats, was supposed to offer the capacity of a minivan, the stance of an SUV, and the handling of a sedan. Chrysler expected to unload 100,000 of those vehicles every year.

Problems arose quickly, though. This vehicle, the Chrysler Pacifica, didn’t excel as a minivan, was too expensive to compete with other luxury SUVs, and had an engine that barely gave it enough oomph to pass on the highway.

Chrysler discontinued the Pacifica in 2008. Yesterday the company brought it back, only this time the nameplate will grace the rear hatch of what used to be the Chrysler Town & Country.

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CarGurus’ 2015 Model-Year Heroes

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XV Crosstrek Zoom

As more and more 2016 cars pour onto (and off of) dealership lots and our planet Earth approaches yet another successful revolution around the Sun, it’s time to wave farewell to the automotive Class of 2015. In 2014, BMW brought us the spaceship-like i8 and first showed us its new 2 and 4 Series coupes. Jaguar rolled onto the scene with its convertible F-TYPE, putting the rest of the sports-car world on notice, and Chevrolet responded with authority as it unveiled the C7 Corvette. But, if anything, 2015 brought even more excitement to the market. Dodge began selling 707-hp Hellcats, Jaguar put a roof on the F-Type, Volvo brought a stunning new wagon to the United States, and Jeep gave us a Renegade that is surprisingly good off-road.

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Porsche Aims for Tesla With the Mission E Concept


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Porsche-Mission-E-Concept

The year 2012 could go down in history as the year electric cars became mainstream.

Naturally we have Tesla to thank for that, as its much-hyped Model S finally began arriving for customers that year. In the few short years since, the car has exploded in popularity, become more reliable, gotten faster, and incorporated some of the most advanced technology the auto industry has ever seen.

Other carmakers have taken notice and are watching Tesla closely.

One of the best ways to determine if a company will fade away or become a disruptive force that will challenge the world’s biggest automakers is to see if the established automakers respond.

Porsche has taken the bait and responded by becoming the first automaker to announce a car that truly emulates the Model S. Will its all-electric Mission E succeed in disrupting the disrupter?

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Could the Toyota S-FR Compete Against the Subaru WRX?


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toyota-s-fr-racing-concept

I wonder why more car companies haven’t built competitors to the Subaru WRX.

There’s a great write-up of the entire history of the WRX over at Road & Track, which I encourage you to read if you’re new to the car’s culture. Established WRX fans are already well versed in the vehicle’s evolution and beyond stoked about the concept for a next version.

Speaking of evolution, the only real competitor to the high-performance Subie was the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, which has recently been discontinued.

While America was introduced to the WRX in 2002, other countries (including Japan, the U.K., and Australia) have known the rally racer since 1997. That’s plenty of time for competition to spring up, but it never really did, save for the Evo.

The WRX is so different because it came from rally racing roots, is all-wheel drive, and can be had in either sedan or wagon form. That makes the car perfect for families that need to haul serious… stuff. Other carmakers just don’t have the pedigree to build a car like the WRX.

Toyota, though, could offer something similar, but with its own twist.

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