Last week a General Motors Fleet Ordering Guide revealed a new trim for the 2019 Buick Regal, which had yet to be officially announced. We knew that Buick's Avenir sub-brand has been a huge success, so it only seemed like a matter of time before the company expanded the trim level to throughout its lineup. Lo and behold, Buick has officially announced the 2019 Regal Avenir, which will now sit as the highest trim level besides the performance-oriented GS model.
Buick says that half of all Regal Sportback buyers opted for the top Essence trim level, so it only made sense to add an additional luxury Avenir trim. Over the past four years, the demand for midsize cars priced from $30,000 to $40,000 has risen by 30%, which further increased Buick's readiness to introduce the Regal Avenir. Buick has yet to announce pricing for the 2019 Regal Avenir, but we expect it to sit somewhere between the $34,795 Essence trim and the $39,995 GS model. Official pricing should be available in early fall 2018, closer to when the car arrives at dealers.
Despite not knowing pricing, we do know what features will come in the Avenir trim. No surprise, there are a lot of them. As with other Avenir models, the interior features a noticeable upgrade courtesy of a Whisper Beige or Ebony theme with Ebony accents, unique diamond quilt-stitched front seats, embroidered headrests, and Avenir sill plates. Other standard features include Evonik Acrylite exterior lighting, a rear camera mirror, an air ionizer, and Buick's new cloud-connected infotainment system. The exterior also benefits from a three-dimensional mesh upper grille and 19-inch Pearl Nickel wheels.
The Avenir trim also rolls in driver assist and safety technologies that are optional on other trim levels including rear park assist, rear cross traffic alert, lane change alert, LED headlights with auto leveling, cornering lamps, and driver side auto-dimming mirrors. Adaptive Cruise Control is also available as an option. As with all other non-GS models, the Regal Avenir will be powered by a 2.0-liter inline-four producing 250 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque going out to the front wheels through a nine-speed automatic.