Buick has worked hard over the past half decade or so to erase its stodgy image. With the advent of the 2017 LaCrosse, the maker’s entire lineup looks fresh, even if products like the Enclave three-row crossover and the Regal sedan are nearing replacement. And, yes, some of the products remain unexciting, but nothing the maker peddles now could be said to lack a point of view—a Buick point of view. And Buick just got better, or at least some swagger, with the debut of the elegantly aggressive Avista coupe concept.

There’s no way to slice the Avista that doesn’t lop off a tasty piece. While the car isn’t confirmed for sale as-is, the Avista’s powerful grille, wing-shaped head- and taillights, and sinewy character line will serve as signature styling cues for future Buicks. The wait for these new cars won’t be long, as the next-generation Regal mid-size sedan is due within the year, and a new Enclave crossover won’t be far behind.

View Photos MICHAEL SIMARI, THE MANUFACTURER

Avista, Better than the Windows Iteration

Some may scratch their head as to why this stunning Buick concept car isn’t called the “Riviera,” the name attached to a long line of glorious Buick two-doors. But this is the New Buick, one which looks forward and not back. The Avista, for its part, looks dynamic with its long, 110.7-inch wheelbase and clipped overhangs, and it might actually be dynamic thanks to the engine installed beneath its extensive hood. There resides General Motors/Cadillac’s new twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6, here making a solid 400 horsepower and mated to an eight-speed automatic—and it drives the rear wheels. As an extra bonus, the car’s exhaust note sounds downright mean, a tidbit we picked up when the engine was started just before the car drove onstage at its Detroit reveal.

Surprisingly restrained 20-inch wheels—yes, we’ve reached the age where such pieces can be counted as subtle—barely hide the massive brake discs at all four corners, and the gaping grille and sharp exhaust outlets further hint at the Buick’s sporting potential. The Avista’s wheelbase is identical to that of the new sixth-generation Chevrolet Camaro SS, as are its front and rear tracks. Buick representatives remained mum on the show car’s underpinnings, but it’s likely that the concept utilizes a mishmash of contemporary GM bits, and we assume a production version (if it happens) would use the same Alpha architecture found underneath the Camaro and Cadillac’s ATS and CTS.

No Question of Style

In terms of the New Buick styling, what stands out most is that grille. One of Buick’s most recognizable design cues of the past 60-some years has been the “waterfall grille” and its flowing vertical slats. The Avista sports a chainmail-type mesh that reminds us of the treatment used on Cadillac’s high-performance V-series cars, punctuated here by the Buick tri-shield badge and a single horizontal bar.

View Photos MICHAEL SIMARI, THE MANUFACTURER

The rest of the Avista is equally bold, with a fender line flowing from over the front wheels into a muscular haunch over each rear wheel, an Aston Martin–like vent ahead of each door, and a steeply raked backlight. The best human analog for the Avista? Actor Daniel Craig’s James Bond; the guy is pure, rippling muscle stuffed into a well-tailored suit. There’s plenty of power evident under the well-proportioned garments, but the overall never veers toward uncouth. And that Superior Blue paint? That needs to be added to Buick’s color sheet yesterday.

Peer through the pillarless side windows—yes, please!—and you find a flowing, airy cabin with seating for four. Buick chose light colors and nontraditional materials to form a new-age luxury experience for the car’s hypothetical occupants. There are splashes of carbon fiber and stitched hides, but the interior’s welcoming vibe largely results from forms that are as carefully crafted themselves as are their relationships to one another. Take the center console, which almost escapes notice thanks to its dark coloring and the way it intersects with the undersides of the white center armrest and the (also-white) primary dashboard surface. Subtle details like the wave-quilt pattern on the seat inserts, which fades halfway toward the seatbacks, and the gleaming overhead console that seems cantilevered above the front-seat passengers’ heads indicate more time was spent on actually designing the space than ticking off some checklist of what a luxury car “should” include in terms of features and materials.

This Needs to Happen

We truly hope Buick builds the Avista, but—as mentioned—we’ve been told its best design attributes eventually will make their way to real-life Buicks. That’s a nice consolation prize, but who wouldn’t want a 400-hp, rear-wheel-drive Buick that’s as stylish and luxurious (and perhaps as sporty) as any Mercedes-Benz coupe? Most every new car today can be equipped with oodles of technology, a fancy touchscreen, and climate-controlled seats, so design and the desires it fosters will become increasingly important. We spent several minutes poring over the Avista’s interior, its pretty exterior lighting, and its beautifully resolved body panels, and we continually found evidence of the designers’ influence. If Buick can deliver the same attention to detail and passion in a salable version, it won’t merely be offering a nice coupe—it will be on the forefront of redefining what “luxury” means to automotive buyers. New Buick, indeed.

MICHAEL SIMARI, THE MANUFACTURER

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