Buick Cascada Questions: design fail?

5528 Views 44 Replies 29 Participants Last post by fbg6coupe, Feb 25, 2015

ctdriver

Discussion Starter · Jan 22, 2015

I'm not a fan of the Cascada. How is it that Buick introduces a car that means waterfall in Spanish and decides for that model to ditch the waterfall grill? It will look an ugly stepchild when they put a photo of the entire lineup.
No portholes, red lighting?

Why introduce it now, when it doesn't go on sale until next January? When it is winter? If there are no changes from the Opel, why the long wait?

What does this design mean? Will the Envision also have a different grill? The next Verano and Regal?

I remember when they shopped that Buick Vue and the reaction was so bad they killed it. I wonder if there is a chance Buick will change the look before the launch?

As a halo car, shouldn't it represent the brand? This was a chance for a real head turning vehicle from Buick but it looks like the next generation Chrysler Sebring! If you cover up the logo would anyone recognize it as a Buick?

Can anyone answer these questions?

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Envoy4Life

· #2 · Jan 22, 2015

3

Being honest, I didn't really care for it when I saw it in person a few days ago. It was so BORING.

It's exactly the type of vehicle Buick needs, but they just made it so boring. I didn't really even try to photograph it, either:

The interior is pretty nice, though.

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Reactions: 1

Myron 65

· #3 · Jan 22, 2015

I thought the release pointed out that it was still wearing the Opel grill and that would change when it came out as a Buick.

CaddyLac10

· #4 · Jan 22, 2015

ctdriver said:
I'm not a fan of the Cascada. How is it that Buick introduces a car that means waterfall in Spanish and decides for that model to ditch the waterfall grill? It will look an ugly stepchild when they put a photo of the entire lineup.
No portholes, red lighting?

Why introduce it now, when it doesn't go on sale until next January? When it is winter? If there are no changes from the Opel, why the long wait?

What does this design mean? Will the Envision also have a different grill? The next Verano and Regal?

I remember when they shopped that Buick Vue and the reaction was so bad they killed it. I wonder if there is a chance Buick will change the look before the launch?

As a halo car, shouldn't it represent the brand? This was a chance for a real head turning vehicle from Buick but it looks like the next generation Chrysler Sebring! If you cover up the logo would anyone recognize it as a Buick?

Can anyone answer these questions?

That's the thing, it's not a halo. Not even close. I'm not sure why everyone keeps saying that. The Avenir isn't a halo car either. It's just a flagship sedan. The return of the Riviera would be a halo vehicle.

Having said that, I'm glad to see the Cascada but it's nothing special, frumpy, and nothing to look at. Buick needs a vehicle like this, but not in this execution. This was an easy way for Buick to expand it's portfolio without much risk. It's a rebadge.

The next go-around on the Cascada needs to be done right, on Alpha. Make it a real, premium sports coupe. Wrapping the Camaro is beautiful sheetmetal shouldn't be that hard.

Reactions: 1

megeebee

· #5 · Jan 22, 2015

Here we go.......

bballr4567

· #6 · Jan 22, 2015

Not every one wants a flashy car. Its that simple. FWD convertibles just isnt a huge market. Be happy they are coming here. I would be really surprised to see more than 1k sales/month.

Reactions: 1

FenwickHockey65

· #7 · Jan 22, 2015

I find it hilarious that before Buick revealed Cascada, everyone here was saying it should come over as-is without a waterfall grille, just a tri-shield in place of the Opel badge.

GM did exactly that and now it's a terrible idea.

This site never ceases to amuse me.

Reactions: 5

ksr

· #8 · Jan 22, 2015

I'd rather see the waterfall grille. I think it's one of the classier ones on the market.

Overall it is a pretty sedate design. It won't sell in big numbers, but I don't think that any Buick convertible will sell in big numbers. There isn't a big market for this or for the late EOS and G6 convertibles.

I do like those wheels.

Z284ever

· #9 · Jan 22, 2015

Design fail?

Think of the Cascada as an open top appliance for non-discriminating folks, with few philosophical demands from the cars they buy.

It should do great!

patrickbec

· #10 · Jan 22, 2015

megeebee said:
Here we go.......

Yep, before GM said it would arrive in the US, everyone here was crying and gnashing their teeth about how GM was moronic not to bring this wonderful Opel to the US (much as we heard about every damned Opel). Now they its here , its all meh, boring, frumpy, ugly, no portholes, red lighting blah blah. For God's sake, a bipolar luantic makes more sense than most of the people on this site!

Ruperts Trooper

· #11 · Jan 22, 2015

FenwickHockey65 said:
I find it hilarious that before Buick revealed Cascada, everyone here was saying it should come over as-is without a waterfall grille, just a tri-shield in place of the Opel badge.

GM did exactly that and now it's a terrible idea.

This site never ceases to amuse me.

Buick needed a convertible - Opel has one half way through it's production cycle, yes it could have been redesigned to be more Buick-like but how long would that have taken ?

Mentat Bashar

· #12 · Jan 22, 2015

FenwickHockey65 said:
I find it hilarious that before Buick revealed Cascada, everyone here was saying it should come over as-is without a waterfall grille, just a tri-shield in place of the Opel badge.

GM did exactly that and now it's a terrible idea.

This site never ceases to amuse me.

It should have come over as a column shifter with a rheostat and a floor mount high beam switch...

Blue Brown Photograph White Line

I still like it though.

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Reactions: 1

Hitman1970

· #13 · Jan 22, 2015

I think it was more like "An overly optimistic forecast of 10,000 sales per year does not justify any investment in differentiation from the Opel product other than the badges." It is still a very good thing to have in the Buick showroom.

70eldo

· #14 · Jan 23, 2015

I find it hard to believe that in a year from now there will be no changes at all to make it appear as a Buick

usayjim2

· #15 · Jan 23, 2015 (Edited)

I would love to know who made the decision to import the Cascada to the Buick division ? This , to me , is a very important question . Buick has been getting a well deserved high customer satisfaction rating for its limited vehicle lineup . The only GM division to make the top ten in Customer Satisfaction ! Keeping the assortment low and refining them yearly has enabled this division to become a benchmark for the company . So again , who made the decision to expand their line up to include a vehicle that has not made an impact in Europe ? If GM has butted its bloated corporate body , in my opinion , into the affairs of this superbly run division then its about time a Buick employee , without jeopardizing his or her job , shed some light on the decision making process that saddled Buick with this import ! An import that got only fair reviews in Europe , having a substandard dash , confusing array of controls , poor handling issues , to name a few . On a sideline , how does Holden in Australia get involved with rendering a concept Buick , called the Avenir ?? Not to take away anything from this great LOOKING design but was this also a GM not a Buick decision ?? I fear that as the success of Buick grows , so does the GM corporate body's wanting to exercise and expand its control ...... God forbid we wind up with more supposed hot , miss and hit , Cadillac adventures ! Again , please , how about some nameless Buick employee's opinion on this division's recent happenings ??? My comments are not all that positive , and would more than happy to apologise for any misinterpretation . The Buick division , to me , is the one shining light for this company !

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ksr

· #16 · Jan 23, 2015 (Edited)

usayjim2 said:
I would love to know who made the decision to import the Cascada to the Buick division ? This , to me , is a very important question . Buick has been getting a well deserved high customer satisfaction rating for its limited vehicle lineup . The only GM division to make the top ten in Customer Satisfaction ! Keeping the assortment low and refining them yearly has enabled this division to become a benchmark for the company . So again , who made the decision to expand their line up to include a vehicle that has not made an impact in Europe ? If GM has butted its bloated corporate body , in my opinion , into the affairs of this superbly run division then its about time a Buick employee , without jeopardizing his or her job , shed some light on the decision making process that saddled Buick with this import ! An import that got only fair reviews in Europe , having a substandard dash , confusing array of controls , poor handling issues , to name a few . On a sideline , how does Holden in Australia get involved with rendering a concept Buick , called the Avenir ?? Not to take away anything from this great LOOKING design but was this also a GM not a Buick decision ?? I fear that as the success of Buick grows , so does the GM corporate body's wanting to exercise and expand its control ...... God forbid we wind up with more supposed hot , miss and hit , Cadillac adventures ! Again , please , how about some nameless Buick employee's opinion on this division's recent happenings ??? My comments are not all that positive , and would more than happy to apologise for any misinterpretation . The Buick division , to me , is the one shining light for this company !

Hopefully the Cascada will be a product that upholds Buick's reputation.

It may be driven by of outdated thinking - that people are willing to accept some shortcomings to drive a vehicle with unique qualities, like a convertible or a performance car. Those days are past however. People except niche vehicles to have all the features and high level of quality that they expect in any other car.

There's often sentiment expressed to bring Opels to the US. Opel isn't exactly a premier brand in Europe. It's a mainstream brand that really doesn't offer anything superior to what we already have. It's best features, like the chassis engineering, are already present in other GM products.

Reactions: 1

bballr4567

· #17 · Jan 23, 2015

ksr said:
Hopefully the Cascada will be a product that upholds Buick's reputation.

It may be driven by of outdated thinking - that people are willing to accept some shortcomings to drive a vehicle with unique qualities, like a convertible or a performance car. Those days are past however. People except niche vehicles to have all the features and high level of quality that they expect in any other car.

Tell me what this car doesnt have as far as features go??

Go read some reviews of this car in Europe. No one complains about it at all. Its a pretty loveable car.

ksr

· #18 · Jan 23, 2015

bballr4567 said:
Tell me what this car doesnt have as far as features go??

Go read some reviews of this car in Europe. No one complains about it at all. Its a pretty loveable car.

I didn't say that it doesn't have needed features. I don't know much about it. Just responding to usayjim2's comment about the "substandard dash, confusing array of controls, substandard handling issues...."

bballr4567

· #19 · Jan 23, 2015

ksr said:
I didn't say that it doesn't have needed features. I don't know much about it. Just responding to usayjim2's comment about the "substandard dash, confusing array of controls, substandard handling issues...."

Ahhhhh, gotcha.

The car itself, is well just a FWD vert. How exciting can they be??? The car drives good, has decent power and is pretty snazzy. If people get hung up on the buttons maybe they shouldnt be driving a car. hahah

ksr

· #20 · Jan 23, 2015

bballr4567 said:
Ahhhhh, gotcha.

The car itself, is well just a FWD vert. How exciting can they be??? The car drives good, has decent power and is pretty snazzy. If people get hung up on the buttons maybe they shouldnt be driving a car. hahah

I agree with you. That's really what I want in a car too. But my point in my original post was that most buyers aren't content with that now. They want all the bells and whistles on every car. People aren't as willing to accept compromises as they used to be. If Chevy put out a nice looking, FWD Malibu coupe with good performance, I'd strongly consider it for my everyday ride even if it lacked a lot of the luxury and electronic goodies that are so common now. IF the Cascada lacks such things, being an attractive, fun-to-drive car won't be enough to sell it.

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