Why Is The Buick Regal Avenir Not Available In All-Wheel Drive?
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If you’re in the market for a new mid-size sedan (okay, a sedan-like sportback) of the premium level, the Buick Regal is a great choice. And if you’ve recently shopped for such a new Regal, then you may already know that the range-topping Regal Avenir model does not offer all-wheel drive, instead only being available in the front-wheel-drive configuration. That means you’ll have to settle for front-wheel drive if you want the best Regal (besides the performance-oriented Regal GS) that money can buy.
And therein lies the rub: Buick offers AWD on the lesser Regal Essence model, but not on the range-topping Regal Avenir. All-wheel drive was also offered on the Buick Regal Preferred II trim that slotted below the Avenir, before that model was discontinued.
2019 Buick Regal Avenir
The 2019 Buick Regal Avenir features a 3D-mesh front grille, 19-inch Pearl Nickel wheels, and diamond-quilted leather seats. In addition to the refined styling cues, all Buick Regal Avenir models also feature the Driver Confidence Package I as standard. A $1,580 option on Regal Essence trims, the package includes wireless phone charging, a suite of active safety features, auto-leveling LED headlights and heated exterior mirrors.
| Trim Level: | Regal (Base) | Preferred | Preferred II* | Preferred II* | Essence | Essence | Avenir | GS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trim Code: | 1SV | 1SB | 1SC | 1SC | 1SL | 1SL | 1SU | 1SX |
| Drive Wheels: | FWD | FWD | FWD | AWD | FWD | AWD | FWD | AWD |
| Model Code: | 4ZU68 | 4ZW68 | 4ZX68 | 4ZG68 | 4ZY68 | 4ZH68 | 4ZY68 | 4ZZ68 |
| Starting MSRP: | $25,070 | $27,670 | $29,770 | $32,695 | $31,770 | $34,795 | $35,765 | $39,995 |
- * – discontinued as of January 2019
As for pricing, the 2019 Regal Avenir starts at $35,765, putting it above the Essence trim but beneath the 2019 Regal GS, which starts at $39,995. All prices include a $925 destination fee. The Regal Avenir also reflects a $10,200 price jump over a base Regal Sportback.
2019 Buick Regal Avenir
We’re not sure why AWD isn’t an option of the Regal Avenir despite being available on lesser trim levels. The Regal line has already been discontinued in Mexico, putting an end to Buick sedans in that market. In any event, here’s to hoping that the situation is corrected for the 2020 Regal.
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My guess is that GM’s plan to fix the problem of only offering a FWD Regal Avenir is to not sell any Regal Avenirs. Buick has no place as a SUV/crossover only brand.
My backgroung:
*Been in the auto business for 15 years now (but not consecutively) and worked with Buick, Cadillac, GMC, Honda, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and now Mazda and Volvo.
*Was in law enforcement for 10 years, from security officer to police chief.
*Grew up in the snow belt. Now live in southern California (unfortunately).
*Was an avid off-roader (no longer do this) and have put many slow miles on Jeep’s in the wild.
Ok, so I say those things not to impress anyone but to set the stage about AWD. Why on earth would anyone feel the Regal Avenir needs AWD? The problem is that most people really don’t understand the differences between front, rear, AWD and 4 wheel drive. And, most people associate AWD with performance and safety. Although that may be true to about 2% of the total driving public, almost nobody on the road is trained well enough to take any vehicle to the limits where the AWD will actually make a real performance difference. As for the safety side of it? Most people driving AWD vehicles get a false sense of security (stupidity) and think they can drive faster in all weather conditions because they have the AWD/4WD. Case in point? Where I was a police officer/Chief, we had a lot of snow in the winter months. Guess who was the first motorists to go off the road and/or have an accident on the first snow? Yes, the trucks/SUV/AWD crowd. Why? Because of that false sense of security the 4WD/AWD gave them.
Now working in southern California for a Mazda/Volvo store, I just laugh when people come in and insist on getting an AWD car (and most have no clue and call them 4WD!!). When I ask about the need for the AWD, most clearly state “we drive up to the mountains once or twice a year” or “I want the AWD because I’ve been told it’s safer”. Just like where I grew up in the snowbelt, out here on the first rain after a long dry spell, it’s mostly the trucks/SUV/AWD/4WD vehicles that get into accidents first because they over-drive the vehicle’s abilities.
So all that to say: What the hell does anyone need the Avenir in AWD for?
I can agree with you about the false sense of security. In winter months in northeast Indiana, I always seen larger SUV’s and Vans on the side of the road, or in ditches than anyone else. At the time I was driving a FWD 2014 Chevy Sonic, and it handled great in the snow. I actually turned traction control off, and started in 2nd gear. My mother would ask ‘aren’t you going to help them’ and I always replied ‘if anyone should be in a ditch it should be. The fact they have AWD or 4WD, and they’re in a ditch speaks volumes about them, instead of me’
Shall I take it that I hit a nerve with some of the ill-informed on AWD?
“So all that to say: What the hell does anyone need the Avenir in AWD for?”
Because the feel they need it. That’s it.
Look, I agree with you that AWD can give people a false sense of security, but if they’re asking for a Buick Avenir with AWD and they can’t get it, then GM just lost a customer to an automaker that does offer AWD.
Lets put it another way; if AWD is a selling feature people want (but will seldom ever use as you correctly point out), why should GM ignore this and not sell an Avenir with AWD?
If the consumer has the budget to spring for AWD, GM should offer it. GM shouldn’t turn away the consumer’s money because the reality of using AWD in the winter or in hilly locations isn’t noticeably different from a RWD or FWD car.
Grawdaddy: Thanks for the comment. I actually agree with you nearly 100%. I don’t agree that people really know what they need and you are correct in that it’s what they “feel” they need. If people can afford it or there really is a need for it, then go with god. But most people are like sheep and follow the leader. Someone tells them that they need AWD because it makes the car a higher performance car…..or it is safer……or whatever. The people telling the sheep those things are where I have the issue. To prove my point, just drive down any street in any area of Los Angeles! One of the biggest reasons I dislike living here is the drivers. So much money spent on vehicles as a status symbol and so many AWD/4WD/SUV’s etc. all just to drive on the mighty asphalt streets of LA! Whatever you do, don’t get in the way of the 90210 women driving their Range Rovers or BMW x-drive or the guy who just wants to look cool driving his $50 grand Jeep Wrangler Unlimited.
The point I’m getting to is that the main reason anyone would need the Regal Avenir AWD would be because someone told them they need it. If you would be willing to walk away from the Regal Essence AWD just to go with another brand (Acura??), then that person is most likely falling into the category of the sheep.
And this is where we disagree. I wouldn’t care if the consumer was told to, or was scared into choosing AWD by a friend or YT video. The consumer can make up their own list of demands, and it’s incumbent of GM to satisfy those demands. Whether those demands are practical, indulgent, or fear-driven shouldn’t matter to us.
If they want AWD, then it should be provided to make the consumer happy.
But here’s the part that I take issue with:
“So much money spent on vehicles as a status symbol and so many AWD/4WD/SUV’s etc. all just to drive on the mighty asphalt streets of LA!”
I’m not from California, nor am I an American, but even I can smell the vanity in the air of LA from where I live. I know much of it is just a thin veneer of pretend-wealth, and that for some people there, it’s more important to be seen as important than to prove it on paper.
However, there is a demand to ‘look the part’, and if people want to look the part with all the flashy and trendy luxury goods to exercise their conspicuous consumption (even in LA), then luxury retailers are only too happy to oblige.
Really, it’s about the money, and the people who want to have something special that either can impress others or silence the voice in their head that says they aren’t important in society. It’s an avenue that luxury retailers have capitalized on for centuries and will continue to do so all over the world, not just in LA.
That’s pretty much why we have any luxury goods at all, and why Cadillac (and to a lesser extent, Buick) even exist in the first place. They want people with the means to feel special and important, and if they have to feel special with AWD, adaptive cruise, autonomous functions, or some other new feature, then GM is doing it’s job in the luxury car market.
That’s why I don’t really care if the consumer is convinced by someone that they absolutely need AWD because they believe that if they don’t a twisty road in the mountains will kill them and their family. That’s something that the consumer will have to reconcile with in their heads. I also wouldn’t disparage them by telling them that they are thinking like sheep; a dollar is a dollar, and for GM, it shouldn’t be thrown away if someone is willing to spend a little extra. 🙂
Ok, let’s try this one more time. My other reply wouldn’t post. Hmmm.
Anyhow, I appreciate what you said above and you make several very good points. I enjoy posting on auto sites if I know about the topics (in other words, I don’t go on sports sites, etc because I have no clue about it and would have no idea what I’m talking about there). I always appreciate the people who take the time to comment and/or bring a good discussion to the table instead of just clicking on thumbs up/down.
The fact is awd is better in the snow than fwd. If we use your logic we don’t need awd crossovers or 4wd trucks and SUV’s. The fact is I live in a very hilly and mountainous area of the NE PA. My GMC Savana couldn’t make it up these hills in the snow without my Awd. I’m so glad you know what people don’t need. You buy what you want and I’ll buy what I want.
I sell Buicks and GMCs currently, in Northern Utah. I get a lot of business from people moving to these vehicles because their FWD vehicles can’t get them into their new driveway at their new home on the side of the mountain. We only order AWD/4WD versions of the vehicles at this store, but occasionally end up with a 2WD version that someone trades in. They’re hard to sell around here. Some people who live in the valley understand that they really don’t need AWD/4WD, but most believe they do.
And in some areas the canyons (the only route to their home) are often closed in the winter to any vehicle that doesn’t have AWD/4WD and proper snow tires or tire chains because you can’t make it with anything less. Utah isn’t exactly the only area with such conditions. There are *plenty* of *legitimate* reasons for Buick to offer AWD on their top trim. If they want to offer limited configurations they should have it flipped, with only the Avenir available with AWD.
As it stands it’s a very stupid policy, but they don’t actually pay enough attention at ground level to recognize that they lose sales with this “strategy”. Actually that’s true of a lot of their strategies.
I live in CT and I have gotten by with FWD but that is it – gotten by. Why? Because as I found out when I moved here we are not allowed to use chains on our snow tires, and when it snows hard, and you live at nearly 700 feet above sea level and the bottom of the mountain is at 50 feet sea level, climbing that mountain with a 18% climb it is next to impossible with the FWD car to get up it.
I had a 2006 Saab 9-3 with traction control and FWD and a 2003 Honda Accord V6 with traction control. The Honda was hopeless with snow tires and the Traction Control shifted power from wheel to wheel and even with the snow tires could not really get enough grip to get up the incline with 3 inches on the ground. The Saab was better, working up to 4 inches but that was it. Both cars had about 6 inches of clearance, but the wheels slipped like crazy. What did I do?
I waited in the car until they came and plowed the road down to nearly the asphalt. Then slipping and sliding I got up the mountain to my home. As you might imagine, when it started snowing I went home immediately because otherwise I was waiting to go home (or walking home if no plow came along – about a 2 miles uphill and on top of the mountain.
Now I have a Subaru Legacy (2013) and a Buick Envision (2018) both with AWD and we no longer worry about it snowing when we have snow tires. We get up the mountain with a lot less fuss and can get home up to 5 inches on the ground in the Subaru, and 7 inches in the Buick. Still don’t like the snow and climbing the mountain, but at least we are not nervous about it anymore.
Does this fit everyone’s need? No. Does it fit some people’s need? Yes. So I will not be looking at the Buick Avenir with FWD. Don’t need that grief again when my two kids start driving a third car (the old Subaru as by then it will be 10 years old). Will look at the lower trim most likely which will be fine for me.
My guess would be Buick is just biding its time with the Regal, knowing that its agreement with Opel will end soon. Hopefully, there are some top-level GM employees who view this website from time to time, because it could give them an informed sense of reality – which the corporation often seems to be lacking.
I’d like to see the next generation Regal share more commonality with the North American Malibu.
That’s another car that’s 9/10ths competitive. They aim directly at Camry/Accord but don’t bother offering unique features to set them apart from those giants.
Mazda, Hyundai and Subaru had to offer unique features to set themselves apart (AWD, wagon version, excellent styling, generous warranty, etc.). That’s what’s keeping them in those segments.
If it’s a stupid idea.. one has to think of a decision made at the very top meaning General Motors CEO Mary Barra as this is why there is nothing to differentiate Cadillac’s line of CUV and SUV from those made by Chevrolet.
There are a few odd packaging things with the Regal, no AWD on the Avenir being one.
Also why is the upgraded gauge cluster not used in the Avenir?
The Preferred II also had a heated steering wheel but no heated seats??
While I completely agree with Dan that AWD is not necessary, people want it, and offering it on the lesser trims but not the “premium” Buick model makes zero sense.
I always assumed that it’s because General Motors wanted those customers to buy an Acura TLX or Lincoln MKZ instead.
Why do they do things like this?
– Not offer AWD on the Malibu or Impala ever
– Not offer key safety features on anything but the highest trim
– Not offer a way to disable automatic start/stop
– Not offer an interior with a competitive design/quality
– Not offer heated seats with heated steering in the Regal
– Not offer the hybrid powertrain on the highest trim Malibu
– Not offer full LED lighting on expensive cars like the Blazer, LaCrosse, etc.
They can easily remedy all of the above issues and make their cars much more popular and provide them with some unique selling points. They choose not to.
It’s hard to understand why entities voluntarily shoot themselves in the foot, but they do. General Motors does this all the time, but they seem to have done this much more lately under Barra.
Member 12: I can’t comment on some of the specific items you listed. However, nearly every brand does this in some form. I’m now at a Mazda and Volvo store. You want certain features? You have to go with a higher or highest trim. Why? You want a certain color? Only comes in the sport package. This is true for Mazda. for Volvo. For Honda. In fact back in the day when I first started in the car business, it was GM that still offered stand alone options. You could actually order your Buick/Cadillac or GMC nearly exactly how you wanted it. It was the Honda brand where everything was so limited. It was the import brands that brought this type of packaging to the USA and it’s still very much alive with the import brands today.
Maybe as consumers, we just expect too much any more? Kind of makes me think of the old saying: Be careful what you ask for as you might just get it. Well, American’s “liked” the import way of packaging and now it’s a way of life with them all. GM very much included!
Thank you. In my day you had hundreds of choices. Do you want 2 barrel carbs or 4 or 1 horn or 2. I miss those days but it is too expensive to do anymore. Every manufacturer does the same as GM. When Honda sold cars in the 80’s without chrome the auto mags said GM was old fashioned for having chrome. Gm got rid of it then Honda started putting chrome on their cars. The mags praised Honda. Mercedes, BMW and Volkswagen always had bad repair records but the mags always said they were solid good cars. My point is there are many people on this site and elsewhere that never have given GM credit for anything no matter the facts.
Mazda and Volvo? What an odd pairing. But I assume that gives you a broad range of options for your customers. Interesting.
Hey Jon Miller. Nice to hear from another dealership level person! I did read your other post above (and agree with you on it). I didn’t want to get into it with anyone on here, so I ended up not posting about it again till now. I grew up in IL where we had lots of hills and snow (northern IL). I agree with you and Joseph Surenko above about places (mountains, etc) where people do need AWD/4WD. I think my comments may not have been clear or maybe it was missed when reading. But my comments (original and others here) were mainly about what I see in southern California and people thinking they need AWD. Being from a snow-belt state, it just makes me laugh. I think I lost people on that point. I also don’t quite understand when others say they won’t buy a Buick Regal because they can’t get the Avenir in AWD. What about the Essence? So these people would just walk away from Buick for that and go buy/lease an Acura (or whatever) because they can’t get an AWD Avenir Regal? Just seems silly at best to me.
Anyhow…..yes, the Volvo and Mazda store mix is strange. Most of my years were with the Buick, Cadilllac, GMC and Honda dealership. So maybe I’m just used to it. But it doesn’t matter because I don’t drive either one: Volvo is just way to problematic and I won’t spend my money on one till they get their s – – t together. Mazda? No thanks. My Buick Encore is a much better car than anything Mazda puts out.
This is a car with great bones but is very poorly packaged. It would be nice for 2020 to see a leather wheel, power seat, overhead sun glasses holder, rear seat map pockets and XM radio added to the std equipment list. This is supposed to be premium car not an entry level Chevy. The now discontinued //Preferred II should become the prior Preferred as the next step up with fog lamps, the up level seats, LED headlights and advanced safety items made std. The Essence trim should have the option of cooled seats and the wagon should be offered with a V6 and have a lower priced FWD model. And go ahead and advertise it. Sales will only increase. But the sad reality is that GM doesn’t care about this lower profit margin vehicle and will let it rot on the vine, kill it off and then proclaim that nobody wanted it. Just sad
Or why doesn’t it also have Ventilated Front Seats like the Mid-Pack European Opel Insignia has let alone the “So Called” Luxury version of the Buick Brand. LOL
1. Price
2. Fuel range
all because the morons at GM have their brains where the sun don’t shine and in addition to their stupidity the USA will NOT have a BUICK LACROSSE GREAT MOVE MARY