It’s been snowing and icing all over. Like, a lot. Some cities are handling it better than others, which will likely cause some mayors to have longer tenures than others. A European-engineered sport sedan with all-wheel-drive would be perfect for the nasty precip, making dust of city streets while still a blast when pavement clears. But forget Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Volvo, or even Volkswagen. Check out the Buick Regal, which was engineered (and initially built) by GM’s Opel division in Germany and significantly updated for 2014. [...]

You may be asking yourself right now, “Why on Earth would a gay man or lesbian ever want to buy a Buick? Especially — perish the thought — a big, family-sized Buick SUV like the seven-passenger 2013 Enclave. Have we suddenly become entirely heterosexual?” [...]

When I first saw the new Buick Encore, it seemed to me to be the answer to a question that nobody had asked: “Is there really a place in the market for a compact Buick crossover?” Based on the GM Gamma II platform — also shared with the Chevy Sonic — the little bubble of a Buick is an adaptation of the Opel Mokka, and is about to go on sale as the Chevrolet Trax in markets outside North America. First impressions made me wonder if GM’s little Korean crossover was little more than an exercise in badge-engineering. [...]

The last time I drove the Buick Regal GS Sport Sedan, I found it to be the most engaging Buick since the Grand National, although thoroughly different in character. Recently I spent a week behind the wheel of a 2013 model with the six-speed manual transmission and came to a slightly different revelation. It’s not the return of the Grand National, it’s the Son of Saab. [...]

Despite what you might see at the local fashion mall or pissy bistro, there’s no law requiring anybody to spend a queen’s ransom for a luxury crossover. Between downsizing Boomers and their disaffected kids who just don’t give a damn, there’s a big trend towards unpretentious luxury. For them, there’s never been a crossover like the Buick Encore. [...]

I joined Buick during the glory days of the turbo 3.8-litre (the Grand National was announced the year I started). Every male under 30 and quite a few of the women at Home Office bought one — myself included — and proceeded to spend a Michigan winter going diagonally, coping with the awesome power and serious lack of traction that black beauty provided. We loved it dearly, but it was hardly a balanced automobile. The motoring press loved it as much as we did. Tony Assenza from Car and Driver Magazine road-tested the legendary GNX in April of 1987 and wrote of it, “In a world of sleek shapes and refined manners, the GNX is an ax-wielding barbarian laying waste to everything in its path.” [...]

The good news, especially if you’re a Buick PR rep, is that I’ve really enjoyed a week spent with the 2012 LaCrosse eAssist. The handsome 5-passenger sedan is comfortable, quiet, roomy, and it offers an EPA rated 25/36-mpg in city and highway driving. The bad news, also if you’re a Buick PR rep, is that I’m kind of embarrassed to be gushing over the fine attributes of a Buick sedan. [...]