New Buick GL8 Minivan
As consumer preferences shifted towards
crossovers, GM completely abandoned the minivan segment in North America, but
not in China where its Buick GL8 II full-size people carrier has gone under the
knife.
The mid-cycle facelift of Buick’s GL8
minivan isn’t officially out yet, but Chinese media somehow got their hands
what they claim to be official photos of the car ahead of its launch later this
year.
The exterior redesign goes way further
than your typical nose-job, as essentially, every exterior panel aside from the
roof is new, with Buick giving the 2017 GL8 a sharper and more modern look,
though we can’t help but notice some similarities in the profile with Nissan’s
North American Quest. We suspect that Buick will also make notable changes to
the interior as well.
In its current form, the GL8 can be had
with 2.4 liter Ecotec four-cylinder and 3.0 liter V6 gasoline engines, but
Chinese media are reporting that GM’s 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with
around 250-horses will be added to the range, without clarifying if any of the
two other units will be dropped. Another significant upgrade is said to be the
use of new a multi-link rear suspension to improve handling, ride and comfort.
