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Even though I generally find GM’s 3.6 to be meh, I wouldn’t say they’re underpowered. My van has a roughly equivalent 3.6l Pentastar with 283hp and weighs right around 5000lb with a driver and it gets around quite well.
I pulled/was pulling away from a v6 charger at 100mph+ in GM equipped 3.6L vehicle recently in one of my moments of clarity. Aerodynamics weren't in my favor. I've been pleasantly surprised by it. Honestly the 300hp range is the max you can really use in a fwd setup anyway. Things get squiggly or you're hopping all over the place at full throttle take off at lower speeds.
Buick and GMC seem like the last holdovers of GM's strategy of selling the same car under different names. I think that strategy is dead in the water essentially.
I think so to, and they needed to do that. Better to create an ecosystem within the brand within the brand than go outside of it, even if it's the same company. The average non car person is not necessarily aware that a Camry and ES350 are pretty much the same car even if it has Toyota stamped on the parts.
Buick and GMC seem like the last holdovers of GM's strategy of selling the same car under different names. I think that strategy is dead in the water essentially.
I don't think the strategy is done...its just pure mark up and all profit for GM
Buick needs to get back to building exciting cars. I own a '65 Riviera Gran Sport, probably one of the coolest GM cars from the 60s. Today's new Buicks should be banned because when you see them on the road you risk falling asleep behind the wheel because they look boring. If Buick died tomorrow, I wouldn't care. GM should dumped Buick and kept Pontiac which at the end wasn't much better.
I'm buying a Cadillac CT6 this year. Chevy, Caddy, GMC are the only brands worth keeping--and GMC can go to, but I really like the way GMC Trucks look. Kill the rest.
Buick needs to get back to building exciting cars. I own a '65 Riviera Gran Sport, probably one of the coolest GM cars from the 60s. Today's new Buicks should be banned because when you see them on the road you risk falling asleep behind the wheel because they look boring. If Buick died tomorrow, I wouldn't care. GM should dumped Buick and kept Pontiac which at the end wasn't much better.
I'm buying a Cadillac CT6 this year. Chevy, Caddy, GMC are the only brands worth keeping--and GMC can go to, but I really like the way GMC Trucks look. Kill the rest.
Honestly they could do away with the Cadillac brand to. The XT6 is the only Cadillac that has some modern appeal in my opinion. The older Escallades look better to me also. But they won't get rid of Cadillac for PR reasons so it's not going anywhere even though they've been in toilet like Buick for years.
Before completely getting rid of Buick, I think they could do well remaking themselves into the brand that re-badges vehicles from GM's over-seas divisions. It would actually be nice to be able to go to a Chevy dealer and know that their vehicles were designed and built in North America.
Then if you wanted you could hop over to the Buick dealer to see vehicles that were designed and built in other parts of the world.
The emblem is okay, but the vehicles are boring. Like Hondas (but lacking the Honda reputation for reliability).
Which is ironic considering Buick has arguably been one of the most reliable domestic brands for many years, or it least it was the last time I browsed a Consumer Reports issue. That was admittedly many moons ago.
I pulled/was pulling away from a v6 charger at 100mph+ in GM equipped 3.6L vehicle recently in one of my moments of clarity. Aerodynamics weren't in my favor. I've been pleasantly surprised by it. Honestly the 300hp range is the max you can really use in a fwd setup anyway. Things get squiggly or you're hopping all over the place at full throttle take off at lower speeds.
There’s some truth to that, although generally speaking, FWD torque steer issues have been rather impressively reduced. Maybe it’s because my van is clearly a people mover and not a racer, and is luxury-themed to boot - which might put me into a less demanding mindset - but I don’t particularly need more power despite the weight.
I think Buick has undersold itself here for a long time. They might have been stuck in the past for a bit too long, valuing plushness instead of a more modern and balanced approach, but I feel like since the 90s Buick’s have had a quiet competence to them that most people probably don’t expect. They’ve always been quiet and comfortable. Interiors are drama free and reasonably upscale, but not so precious that the thought of transporting your kids in them sends a shudder down your spine. Reasonable running costs. And they do a rather interesting thing with their chassis: they build cars where you expect handling to be a 3/10 and deliver a car with 5/10 handling. Not sports cars by any means, but they beat expectations. They play in an interesting sandbox. Not many brands really try to stay in the mid-priced market exclusively. I feel like they could be a staple of well-to-do middle class suburbs across America (and for that matter, Canada) if they really wanted to.
FWIW when I was in high school, circa 2002ish, I came up with a plan on how to aim GM’s various brands. Buick would have been pushed as something of an American VW - well-equipped, with trim styling and if you’re willing to pay elevated prices to step into the brand, a bit of flare and upscale sensibilities you might not get with volume brands like Chevy.
When I look at the engine spec - I see under-powered:
310 hp @ 6800 rpm
266 lb-ft of torque @ 2800 rpm
.
Quote:
Originally Posted by V8 Vega
As long as their underpowered like that they will remain a old persons car.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jcp123
Even though I generally find GM’s 3.6 to be meh, I wouldn’t say they’re underpowered. My van has a roughly equivalent 3.6l Pentastar with 283hp and weighs right around 5000lb with a driver and it gets around quite well.
I have a 2016 Acura MDX with SH-AWD ("Super Handling All Wheel Drive") that tips the scales at about 4300 lbs. The engine is a naturally aspirated 3.5L and produces 290 @ 6200 rpm and 267 lb-ft of torque @ 4700 rpm.
I consider it underpowered - especially driving into the mountains (I live at about 7300 feet elevation). I notice the maximum torque on the Buick is at a modest 2800 rpm - that may possibly make it more driveable than my MDX where to get the same torque I need the engine buzzing at 4700 rpm.
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