GM Reveals 2016 Buick Cascada

[Mr. iNCREDIBLE]

Originally Posted by Number 3

Yet Audi brings in the new A3 convertible.

This a play for image more than huge sales. The car was mostly tooled and only needed some tuning and features to be US ready. Doesn't need to sell big.

yeah the Chevy SS was a re-tool as well and look what happened to it..


according to Edmunds, the Audi is a re-tooled EOS..

Originally Posted by stoopid

You had me up to that point...

GM isn't an industry leader, breaking new ground with their vehicles, but they are most definitely solid middle of the pack contenders in price/performance/amenities. I've been on the market three times in 4-5 years, and Chevy was always on my radar due to the "what you get for your dollar" ratio compared to other comparable models from other companies. I ended up buying a Chevy three times, in large part, due to this.

The market is very tight with most like-equipped vehicles selling within the same ballpark in price and having narrow differences in reliability, etc. In other words - there's a lot of good cars o nthe market by all major manufacturers. It really boils down to preference.

you think GM is comparative to imports in the same price range? Really? you haven't done a lot of research on makes and models then.


My wife's fully loaded 2007 Camry Hybrid came with:

keyless touch entry
push button start
full leather
heated and cooled seats,
GPS with JL Audio with MP3 hookup and 4-disc changer 8-speakers
Bluetooth hands free
HID headlights
LED tail lights
Sunroof
Backup Camera and Backup Sensors.
Heated Outside Mirrors
Auto Dim Driver and inside mirror
Memory seat
6 way power drivers and 4 way power passenger seat
power windows with 4-door Auto up/down
Homelink
Alarm/Security
Cruise Control
dual zone auto control HVAC
Tilt/Telescope Steering wheel with radio and Bluetooth phone controls
240 combined HP (gas/electric) with 35 city/ 31 highway MPG.

we paid $31,000 out the door tax/license/and 100K warranty. MSRP was $26,200


An equally equipped 2007 Chevy Impala LTZ for 26,435 MSRP, lacks the following:

Keyless touch entry (not offered)
push button start (not offered)
only has 6 not 8 speakers (8 speakers is $495 add on)
no MP3 ($195 add on)
no Bluetooth hands free (not offered)
no HID headlights (not offered)
no leather ($1,195 add on)
no cooled seats (not offered)
no heated mirrors ($230 add on)
no Memory Seats (not available)
233 hp v6 with 18mpg city / 27 mpg highway




These 2 vehicles are direct competitors. and while I am quoting 2007, not much has changed in the past 8 years.

As a matter of fact a quick comparison on autoblog.com shows that a similarly equipped 2014 Impala LTZ v6 costs $5,600 more than a Camry XLE V6 and it still lacks

cooled seats
keyless touch entry (not available)
push button start (not available)
blind spot monitor
backup camera
Tilt/Telecope Steering
Memory Seats
Homelink
Heated outside mirrors.

all of which can be added for an addition $2,135

making the cost difference between a similar equipped Camry and Impala over $7,500.


Now grant it is still a Camry, and I wouldn't be caught dead owning or driving one (wife likes them not me). The fact still remains that GM cars are far more expensive with similar options to their import counterparts and several key options that people are looking for today GM doesn't even offer.

GM's technology is several years behind the rest of the world and they nickel and dime you to death with option packages. Can't get this without getting that, even if you don't want it..

___________________


I personally have never owned and will probably never own an import, I have always only ever purchased American made, GM, Ford, and Chrysler. But I am not so naïve to think that Americans cars even come close to being the better back for the buck options wise. I have always known they come up short.

However for me there are 2 things I consider highly over that, but I am a minority in this thinking:

1. American styling has always been a grade above most imports, most (especially Japanese) imports are bland and they all look the same, However GM is starting to head that way, a lot of the Chevy and Buick Lineup look like the Toyota and Nissan lineup, thankfully Cadillac is still one of a kind if you like the strong angular look.

2. I won't give my money to a non-American car maker, even if a Toyota or Honda is built in America, at the end of the sale, that money goes to their home countries banks and investments, that money does not get recycled back into American banks. Go look up the money trial online if you question me, I have..


_____


All that being said, I love my Camaro, I wouldn't trade it for anything at this point in time, but I still know that it isn't the most optioned, nor the fastest thing on the road, but it does have 1 important quality.. and that is I like it, and that's all that matters....

[roorback]

Originally Posted by 96CamaroSS

Take away the badges and I would have never guess it was a Buick.

That's Buick's new marketing campaign. Haven't you seen the commercials?

[Number 3]

Originally Posted by Mr. iNCREDIBLE

yeah the Chevy SS was a re-tool as well and look what happened to it..


according to Edmunds, the Audi is a re-tooled EOS..




you think GM is comparative to imports in the same price range? Really? you haven't done a lot of research on makes and models then.


My wife's fully loaded 2007 Camry Hybrid came with:

keyless touch entry
push button start
full leather
heated and cooled seats,
GPS with JL Audio with MP3 hookup and 4-disc changer 8-speakers
Bluetooth hands free
HID headlights
LED tail lights
Sunroof
Backup Camera and Backup Sensors.
Heated Outside Mirrors
Auto Dim Driver and inside mirror
Memory seat
6 way power drivers and 4 way power passenger seat
power windows with 4-door Auto up/down
Homelink
Alarm/Security
Cruise Control
dual zone auto control HVAC
Tilt/Telescope Steering wheel with radio and Bluetooth phone controls
240 combined HP (gas/electric) with 35 city/ 31 highway MPG.

we paid $31,000 out the door tax/license/and 100K warranty. MSRP was $26,200


An equally equipped 2007 Chevy Impala LTZ for 26,435 MSRP, lacks the following:

Keyless touch entry (not offered)
push button start (not offered)
only has 6 not 8 speakers (8 speakers is $495 add on)
no MP3 ($195 add on)
no Bluetooth hands free (not offered)
no HID headlights (not offered)
no leather ($1,195 add on)
no cooled seats (not offered)
no heated mirrors ($230 add on)
no Memory Seats (not available)
233 hp v6 with 18mpg city / 27 mpg highway




These 2 vehicles are direct competitors. and while I am quoting 2007, not much has changed in the past 8 years.

As a matter of fact a quick comparison on autoblog.com shows that a similarly equipped 2014 Impala LTZ v6 costs $5,600 more than a Camry XLE V6 and it still lacks

cooled seats
keyless touch entry (not available)
push button start (not available)
blind spot monitor
backup camera
Tilt/Telecope Steering
Memory Seats
Homelink
Heated outside mirrors.

all of which can be added for an addition $2,135

making the cost difference between a similar equipped Camry and Impala over $7,500.


Now grant it is still a Camry, and I wouldn't be caught dead owning or driving one (wife likes them not me). The fact still remains that GM cars are far more expensive with similar options to their import counterparts and several key options that people are looking for today GM doesn't even offer.

GM's technology is several years behind the rest of the world and they nickel and dime you to death with option packages. Can't get this without getting that, even if you don't want it..

___________________


I personally have never owned and will probably never own an import, I have always only ever purchased American made, GM, Ford, and Chrysler. But I am not so naïve to think that Americans cars even come close to being the better back for the buck options wise. I have always known they come up short.

However for me there are 2 things I consider highly over that, but I am a minority in this thinking:

1. American styling has always been a grade above most imports, most (especially Japanese) imports are bland and they all look the same, However GM is starting to head that way, a lot of the Chevy and Buick Lineup look like the Toyota and Nissan lineup, thankfully Cadillac is still one of a kind if you like the strong angular look.

2. I won't give my money to a non-American car maker, even if a Toyota or Honda is built in America, at the end of the sale, that money goes to their home countries banks and investments, that money does not get recycled back into American banks. Go look up the money trial online if you question me, I have..


_____


All that being said, I love my Camaro, I wouldn't trade it for anything at this point in time, but I still know that it isn't the most optioned, nor the fastest thing on the road, but it does have 1 important quality.. and that is I like it, and that's all that matters....

Your content points are valid butbthecCmry competes with the Malibu while the impala competes with the Avalon, both full size cars compared to the mid size Camry and Malibu.

So I would expect the Impala to its more than a Camry by quite a bit.

[its a syn]

I like it!

[Mr. iNCREDIBLE]

Originally Posted by Number 3

Your content points are valid butbthecCmry competes with the Malibu while the impala competes with the Avalon, both full size cars compared to the mid size Camry and Malibu.

So I would expect the Impala to its more than a Camry by quite a bit.

actually if you grab several comparison sites online the Camry and Impala are considered to be comparable, and both are mid-sized for model years 2000 - 2013

prior to 2000 the impala was a full size model and post 2013 it is again, but between 2000-2013 it was a direct comparable to the mid-sized imports..

(according to chevy and I quote "The Impala name was resurrected for the 2000 model year as the "Hi-Mid" program to replace the Lumina. Based on the Lumina's W-body platform"). Direct comparables for the Gen 8 and Gen 9 Impala are:

Accord
Camry
Sonata
Passat
Altima
Optima

The Malibu competed with the lower end version of these vehicles and the Impala with the higher end, Camry's for example start as low as $14,000 and go as high as $30,000 for those model years. MSRP for the Impala was in the mid to high range and the Malibu was in the low to mid range.

It comes down to imports offering a lot better option packages and a larger price range, where America manufacturers offer two different models within the same price range and have limited option packages, an all or nothing design, Ford was similar during this time frame with the Fusion and Taurus vehicles, Taurus was a mid-size until it's latest generation which is now a full size.


-----------
The Chevy SS was to be the new flagship full sized Chevy, but it was a huge disappointment so it was canned, and the 2014 Impala was promoted and reintroduced as a full size sedan once again.

so I will agree that the new Impala is more of a competitor to the Avalon which makes it even worse IMO for Chevy, because the Avalon is a highly equipped vehicle that can range from $29,000 to $42,000 and has a ton of options the Impala doesn't have in its comparable range of $27,000 to $45,000.


The only major difference in the Camry and Avalon options is the vehicle size and motor (and the Avalon now has a hybrid option as well), beyond that everything the Avalon has the Camry does.. The only thing I have seen different is the Avalon has more rear passenger toys (heated/cooled seats, isolated HVAC and entertainment system, etc).

yeah my wife wants to upgrade to the Avalon when it's her turn for a new car, as much as I have been trying to convince her to look at Cadillac, she likes what she likes and a happy wife is a happy life.. Unless she chooses a Caddy on her own I won't push it, because she won't be happy and I'll hear it every day.

[IOMCamaroSS]

Originally Posted by roorback

That's Buick's new marketing campaign. Haven't you seen the commercials?

Of course, but in this case I wouldn't mind it looking more like a Buick. lol The styling is pretty bland with this car imo.

[King T]

Originally Posted by Mr. iNCREDIBLE

ok, so

Toyota discontinues the Solara because of soft sales

Chrysler discontinues the 200/Sebring Convertible because of soft sales

Volkswagen discontinues the EOS because of soft sales

Mitsubishi discontinues the eclipse convertible (spyder) because of soft sales

I could go on because there are several others, but you get my point.

Yes Toyota discontinued the Solara because of soft sales...because the 2nd gen redesign was terrible! A lot of 1st gen Solara owners hated it, and at the time there were more convertible options available.

Chrysler discontinued the 200/Sebring convertible because they didn't want to pay for tooling the new 200 into a convertible

Chrysler will not offer a convertible version of its all-new 2015 200 sedan. According to a report in Edmunds.com, the costs of re-engineering Chrysler’s Dart-based 200 to create a sufficiently rigid convertible would be too high. “We decided we’d be putting our best foot forward by concentrating all of our available resources into the sedan versus dividing them between the sedan and a convertible,” a Chrysler spokesperson said.

VW priced themselves out of the market with the Eos

Why should it disappear? In 2007, the Eos started at $28,810, got to 60 miles per hour in roughly seven seconds and returned around 22 city, 30 highway miles per gallon from its 200-hp 2.0T engine. Today's Eos gets 200 hp from a 2.0T and nearly the same 0-60 time and gas mileage, but starts at $36,460.

As a previous owner of a 1993 Mitsubishi Esclipse and 1999 Eclipse GSX, I can tell yout that the Eclipse really should have been killed at the end of the 2nd gen, and those horrible 3rd and 4th gen Eclipses never should have seen the light of day! They looked bad as coupes and even worse as convertibles. They took away AWD, turbo 4, and gave it a suspension setup that was adjusted to provide a softer and more compliant ride quality to give distance between the EVO and Eclipse but ended up killing the Eclipse because that's what attracted people to it (like me).

[King T]

I like the optional 20 inch wheels on the Opel Cascada, hopefully they will be available here too

[Q'smuscle]

Originally Posted by kevinw

Qs muscle. i disagree. first of all, i do like your analogy to "soft" sales, in describing verts. lol
anyway, i do beg to differ on the chrysler sebring verts. here in KC, over the years, have seen a ton of them and still do. my gf still has her 96 sebring vert. the top has always worked. i think that yes, verts are in less demand, but still do have a market, hence, AUdi, BMW, mercedes, still offer verts, Jags too.
i did like the looks of the camry vert, the Solara, but, it was bulky looking.
and the vette still offered in a vert.

its just a limited market, and some go by the wayside cause of costs to come up with new designs, and manufacture, for such a limited market.

but, the Sebring and even Mustang verts, you sure see alot of them here, so i wouldnt say they are a "soft" market even though they have "soft" tops.!

I was Quoting ( Mr. INCREDIBLE ) because I agreed! But I love soft top convertibles especially the Camaro's , BMW 6 series and the Audi S5's!

[King T]

(Car And Driver)




2016 Buick Cascada Convertible: From Opel, with Love
GM's German arm gives Buick its first droptop since the Reatta.

Buick is letting its top down for the first time since the first Bush administration. The 2016 Cascada convertible, which is already sold in Europe as an Opel of the same name, will reach Buick showrooms early next year. Unlike the now largely forgotten Buick Reatta convertible, the Cascada is a four-seater and is based on the compact Opel Astra platform.

Although the package is lifted almost completely intact from the German entry, the Cascada’s engine output has been increased slightly for U.S. duty. In the Buick, the 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder is rated at 200 horsepower (up from 197) with 206 lb-ft of torque, or 221 lb-ft on overboost. For now, the 1.6-liter engine is exclusive to the Cascada in the Buick lineup. The Cascada’s platform-mate, the Verano sedan, uses a naturally aspirated 2.4-liter (180 hp) and a 2.0-liter 250-hp unit in the Verano Turbo. Whereas the Verano Turbo offers a stick, the front-wheel-drive Cascada comes only with a six-speed automatic. GM’s HiPer Strut front suspension helps combat torque steer, however, and the Cascada rolls on 20-inch wheels.

Although the Cascada and the Verano are siblings under the skin, the two don’t share any body panels. The convertible rides on a fractionally longer wheelbase (106.1 inches) and is one inch longer and an inch wider overall. The Cascada’s length puts it midway between the (now-defunct) Chrysler 200 convertible and the (all-but-defunct) Volkswagen Eos. Its wheelbase, however, is closer to the Chrysler’s, which means the rear seats should be adequate for adults. They’re made accessible by front seats that automatically scoot forward. Alternately, the rear seatbacks can be folded down to expand trunk space, which otherwise stands at 13.4 cubic feet with the top up and 9.8 cubes with the top lowered.

That top is a traditional fabric roof—our preference over a retractable hardtop, which almost always results in awkward proportions and hogs trunk space. Plus, fabric tops look nicer. And unlike most retractable hardtops, the Cascada’s power top can be lowered (in 17 seconds) while the car is on the move, at speeds up to 31 mph. Heated seats—and a heated steering wheel—allow the hardy to stretch the top-down motoring season.

We drove an Opel Cascada in late 2013, with a lesser (168-hp) version of the 1.6-liter turbo, and while it was pleasant, its performance was languid. With 200 horses under the hood, the Buick should improve on that experience. We’ll see whether that’s enough to earn the Cascada a longer stay than the last Buick convertible, which stuck around for only four years.

[stoopid]

Originally Posted by Number 3

but the Camry competes with the Malibu while the impala competes with the Avalon, both full size cars compared to the mid size Camry and Malibu.

And he also compared 2007 models, so along with the wrong segment comparing outdated, pre-bailout lineups.

I didn't say "beats the competition", I said middle of the pack competitive. My post was vague intentionally, to save you/me having to post a thousand words. Too late for you, not for me.

[stoopid]

Originally Posted by crysalis_01

I have to ask...who is the target market for this vehicle?

Not me, although I could see it being a decent hard top model with a slightly larger engine.

[DGthe3]

Originally Posted by crysalis_01

I have to ask...who is the target market for this vehicle?

People who want a convertible, but would never consider buying a Camaro or Mustang.

[Hylton]

Full marks on the tonneau set-up! I bet 6th gen Camaro owners would salivate to get something like that.