Shop for a convertible nowadays and you'll find yourself choosing between muscle cars like the Chevrolet Camaro and Ford Mustang, compacts like the Mini Cooper and Volkswagen Beetle, and luxury cars like the Audi A3 and BMW 2 Series. You might then wonder: Whatever happened to the reasonably priced convertible with four usable seats? Well, put simply, automakers stopped making them. But now one automaker, Buick, is jumping back in with its all-new 2016 Cascada.
It's heavy and not very powerful, and that results in underwhelming acceleration and fuel economy; dashboard controls all look alike, which can be distracting on the road; tech interface is dated compared to rivals; mediocre interior quality.
Like Buick's four-door Regal, the Cascada has been plucked directly from Opel, General Motors' European division. In order to naturalize the Cascada, Buick outfitted it with suspension components that provide a softer, quieter ride. Thanks to a stiff body structure, Buick's engineers were able to tune the Cascada to provide a compliant ride quality while also maintaining a decent amount of handling capability. Take the Cascada through some curves and you'll find its well-mannered European heritage indeed remains largely intact.
Every convertible requires some compromises to practicality, but the Cascada requests fewer than most. The rear seat, though not generous with stretch-out space, can accommodate two smaller passengers. The trunk is a little bigger than normal, too, and it's augmented by fold-down rear seatbacks with a handy pass-through for larger cargo. Additional thoughtful details include a one-touch power top that can be raised or lowered at speeds up to 31 mph and electric seat-belt presenters that bring the front shoulder belts into easy reach when the door is closed.
That said, some features we expect to see in a luxury car, such as keyless ignition and blind-spot monitoring, aren't offered in the Cascada, and its interior design and acceleration are underwhelming. If you take a test drive and don't find the Cascada luxurious or sporty enough, you'll probably prefer luxury-brand rivals like the Audi A3 Cabriolet and BMW 2 Series. Those models cost more, though. On the other side of the pricing spectrum, the Mini Cooper and Volkswagen Beetle are certainly fun cars to drive, but they don't offer as much interior or trunk space as the Buick. Perhaps closest in mission to the Cascada is the Volkswagen Eos, which also boasts a retractable hardtop roof. Overall, the 2016 Buick Cascada is far from perfect, but it's good to see another affordable option in this underserved segment.