The Buick Cascada Isn't the Chrysler 200 Convertible Rental Queen You Thought It Would Be

Timothy Cain
by Timothy Cain

Front-wheel-drive, soft top, four-cylinder engine, hefty curb weight— the ideal car for the Enterprise Rent-A-Car lot at Miami International Airport?

Not so.

On sale since January, the Buick Cascada has attracted 6,154 individual U.S. buyers over the last ten months.

According to Buick, General Motors has only seen three Cascadas make their way into fleet use, for a total of 6,157 Cascada sales through the end of October.

Considered an apt successor to the defunct Chrysler 200 Convertible, the Buick Cascada — essentially a rebadged Opel Astra convertible — has not found extensive critical praise in the U.S. “Cowl shake and rattling are evident, as is significant noise, even when the top is up,” says TTAC’s review. “Ride quality is stiffer than you might expect or want from a Buick convertible, a feeling amplified by larger-than-necessary 20-inch wheels.”

Car And Driver called the Cascada sluggish, blaming a 3,962-pound curb weight hampering “every type of performance we measure.” Consumer Reports said the Cascada is “just a bit dated in some details.”

But while the natural assumption was that General Motors would push the Cascada toward daily rental fleets in southern climes — C/D suggested vacationers could enjoy “some fun under the sun” before considering a Buick “when shopping for a new car back home” — GM is presently attempting to minimize the company’s reliance on daily rental companies.

87 percent of Buick’s U.S. sales through the first ten months of 2016 occurred on the retail front. Company-wide, the percentage of GM sales produced by fleets fell from 23 percent in the first ten months of 2015 to 19 percent this year. Total GM sales are down 4 percent this year, but the company’s retail volume is up 1 percent.

Apparently, the Buick Cascada most ably exemplifies this trend. Only 0.05 percent of Cascada sales are linked to the dreaded “fleet” tag.

The Cascada is nevertheless featured in GM’s vast fleet guide for 2017, if you’re of a mind to purchase a few dozen Cascadas for your friends at Del Boca Vista, Phase III.

Timothy Cain is the founder of GoodCarBadCar.net, which obsesses over the free and frequent publication of U.S. and Canadian auto sales figures. Follow on Twitter @goodcarbadcar and on Facebook.

Timothy Cain
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  • Mr. Orange Mr. Orange on Nov 17, 2016

    Welcome to the new world. Where we have a British Infiniti, Hungarian Mercede Benz's, a Mexican Fiat,an American NSX and Italian Jeeps.

    • ToddAtlasF1 ToddAtlasF1 on Nov 17, 2016

      Buick is the new Geo; retailing Chinese, Korean, and Polish cars to an indifferent public.

  • WallMeerkat WallMeerkat on Nov 21, 2016

    It isn't badged as an Astra convertible though. In Europe it is a distinct model, Opel / Vauxhall Cascada, it is positioned in a strange place between the Astra and the Insignia (Buick Regal) though it sits on the Astra Delta 2 platform. The rumour / urban myth is that it is something of a strange entry in the GM Europe lineup (otherwise made up mostly of hatchbacks and crossovers) and size wise between the Astra and Insignia models because it was originally intended to be a new Saab 93 cabrio, and was hurriedly rebadged when that marque was spun off..... Of course it is also the successor to the folding roof Astra convertible, now that hinged metal convertibles seem to be out of fashion with their aircraft carrier rear decks.

  • Kwik_Shift Hyunkia'sis doing what they do best...subverting expectations of quality.
  • MaintenanceCosts People who don't use the parking brake when they walk away from the car deserve to have the car roll into a river.
  • 3-On-The-Tree I’m sure they are good vehicles but you can’t base that on who is buying them. Land Rovers, Bentley’ are bought by Robin Leaches’s “The Rich and Famous” but they have terrible reliability.
  • SCE to AUX The fix sounds like a bandaid. Kia's not going to address the defective shaft assemblies because it's hard and expensive - not cool.
  • Analoggrotto I am sick and tired of every little Hyundai Kia Genesis flaw being blown out of proportion. Why doesn't TTAC talk about the Tundra iForce Max problems, Toyota V35A engine problems or the Lexus 500H Hybrid problems? Here's why: education. Most of America is illiterate, as are the people who bash Hyundai Kia Genesis. Surveys conducted by credible sources have observed a high concentration of Hyundai Kia Genesis models at elite ivy league universities, you know those places where students earn degrees which earn more than $100K per year? Get with the program TTAC.
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