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2022 Buick Enclave Avenir Interior Review: What’s in an Avenir?

The second-generation Buick Enclave launched for the 2018 model year, and was updated for 2022. The Avenir is the highest and most expensive trim of the 2022 Buick Enclave. At $56,295 (including the $1,195 destination charge), it is $12,300 more than the base Essence trim, and $5,300 more than the Premium trim. Adding all-wheel drive increases that price to $58,495. While still not our favorite three-row luxury pick, we can’t help but appreciate the design, comfort and space of the 2022 Buick Enclave Avenir. Regardless of trim level, the Enclave comes standard with front-wheel drive, offering all-wheel drive as an option. Each Enclave has a 3.6-liter V6 paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission. Despite the AvenirÂ’s 4,469-pound curb weight, which outdoes those of the Premium and Essence trims by 71 and 110 pounds, respectively, it shares the same fuel economy ratings: 21-miles-per-gallon combined (18 city, 26 highway) for FWD, and 20 combined (17 city, 25 highway) for AWD. So, what does the Avenir include? There are a few features standard on the Avenir that are also standard on the Premium trim. These include a Bose 10-speaker premium audio system, head-up display, navigation, surround-view parking camera, rear camera washer, rear pedestrian alert, four-way power lumbar adjustments for the driver and front passenger, ventilated front seats, power steering column, driver memory settings , heated second-row outboard seats, power 60/40 split-folding third row, an 8-inch digital display between the gauges and power-folding side-mirrors with auto-dimming driverÂ’s side. Some features come standard on Avenir that are options on other trims. Inside, the Avenir gets a standard power sunroof with fixed rear skylight. Adaptive cruise control comes standard, as does enhanced automatic emergency braking. It also has a 120-volt outlet on the rear of the center console. But the Avenir has some exclusive features that make it stand out from the rest. It has nicer trim and quilted leather upholstery that help make it feel considerably more upscale than the rest of the lineup. The Avenir is the only trim with rain-sensing windshield wipers, and embroidery for the first-row floor mats (an indispensable feature, we know). It gets standard 20-inch aluminum wheels with Avenir Pearl Nickel finish. Twenty-inch wheels are available as an option on the other trims, but those are limited to polished aluminum or chrome finishes. It also has its own unique mesh grille.

10 of 18 midsize SUVs earn 'good' IIHS side impact safety rating

It's not terribly surprising that midsize SUVs earned better safety ratings than small SUVs in the latest side-impact tests performed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Just how much better they scored, on the other hand, certainly raises an eyebrow. Ten out of 18 midsize SUVs earned the highest rating of 'good' in the stringent new test, altered for vehicles starting with the 2020 model year with a heavier barrier (4,200 pounds) that moves at a higher speed (37 miles per hour) and is fitted with a hard honeycomb frontal structure. By way of contrast, just one out of of 20 small SUVs earned a 'good' score.  SUVs that receiving 'good' scores were the Ford Explorer, Infiniti QX60, Lincoln Aviator, Mazda CX-9, Nissan Pathfinder, Subaru Ascent, Toyota Highlander, Volkswagen Atlas, Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport and Volkswagen ID.4. For EV fans, it's worth noting the ID.4 was the only electric vehicle included in the test. The Buick Enclave and Chevrolet Traverse scraped away with 'acceptable' ratings while the Honda Passport, Honda Pilot, Hyundai Palisade, Jeep Wrangler 4-door, Kia Telluride and Nissan Murano were deemed merely 'marginal' in the tough new test. Only two models — the Mazda CX-9 and Volkswagen ID.4 — earned a "Good" rating in every test category.  Interestingly, the Jeep Wrangler would have scored a 'good' rating if it were equipped with side airbags for the rear seating positions. It would likely be an engineering challenge to equip its removable top and/or doors with airbags, but the lack of that safety feature allowed the head of the rear passenger dummy to hit the vertical support of the top. Otherwise, the Wrangler scored good ratings across the board. The new Ford Bronco, which makes more allowances for side-impact safety, has not yet been tested.  The popular Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride SUVs stand out in the test with 'poor' ratings for driver pelvis injuries. The Nissan Murano, a vehicle last redesigned for the 2015 model year, was the only vehicle tested that received a 'poor' rating for its structure and safety cage. Videos of the tests of 12 of these 18 SUVs can be found on the IIHS' YouTube page. Related video: Green Buick Chevrolet Ford Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jeep Kia Mazda Nissan Subaru Toyota Volkswagen Safety Crossover SUV IIHS Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

How tariffs in China could cause a meltdown in the American South

While BMW is clearly a German company, the crossovers that are exceedingly important to it are actually made in Spartanburg, South Carolina. And more than that, the Spartanburg plant (physically located in the town of Greer) is where the corporate know-how and capability for those vehicles is concentrated. These are the vehicles – specifically, the BMW X3, X4, X5, X6, X7 – that drove record growth for the company in 2018, according to BMW. But whatÂ’s most notable about BMW Group Plant Spartanburg, given current events, is that according to the U.S. Department of Commerce it was the largest automotive exporter by value for the fifth year running in 2018. ThatÂ’s worth emphasizing: largest automotive exporter by value. Not GM. Not Ford. BMW. And where might one assume that more than a few of those X vehicles are shipped to? China. Some 360 miles southwest of Spartanburg is Mercedes-Benz U.S. International, Inc., in in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. It started building vehicles in 1997. Since then, Daimler AG has invested in excess of $5.5 billion in the facility. It manufactures the crossover now known as the GLE, formerly the ML-Class. It also makes the GLE coupe and GLS. Daimler describes the Tuscaloosa facility as “the traditional home of SUV production” for those vehicles. When it reported its global 2018 sales, Daimler noted that on a global basis SUVs account “for more than a third of all Mercedes-Benz sales.” According to the Chinese finance ministry, on December 15th the Chinese government will impose a 25% tariff on automobiles (and a 5% tariff on auto parts) from the U.S. Certainly this is going to have a direct effect on the sales of vehicles that are manufactured in the U.S. and exported to China. BMW and Mercedes are going to take it on the chin for the vehicles that they make in plants that they invested in so heavily in the U.S. Which could potentially mean that people in places like Greer, South Carolina, and Vance, Alabama, are going to find themselves in the crosshairs of the combatants. Soo too could Lincoln, which produces vehicles in places like Louisville, Kentucky (Navigator), Chicago, Illinois (Aviator) and Flat Rock, Michigan (Continental). Although the Tesla Gigafactory 3 is rapidly nearing completion in Shanghai, it is worth noting that vehicles built in Fremont, California, are being sold in China in numbers that donÂ’t make Musk unhappy.