A stylish 4-passenger convertible, the 2018 Buick Cascada is a sporty and luxurious ride for sun-worshipers looking for some fresh air. Buick’s first convertible in 25 years competes with the BMW 2 Series, Audi A3 as well as soft-top versions of the Ford Mustang and Chevy Camaro. The front-wheel-drive Cascada is powered by a 1.6-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine making 200 horsepower, which is less than you’ll find in a BMW 230i but it out-muscles the standard engine in the Audi. The Buick beats them both on price. Three trim levels are available, the base, Premium and Sport Touring with prices starting around $34,000. That’s about $7,000 less than the BMW and about $4,000 under the Audi. Standard equipment includes a 6-speed automatic transmission, 20-inch aluminum wheels, onboard Wi-Fi and a power top, which opens in 17 seconds.
Used 2018 Buick Cascada Pricing
Used 2018 Buick Cascada pricing starts at $16,400 for the Cascada 1SV Convertible 2D, which had a starting MSRP of $33,990 when new. The range-topping 2018 Cascada Sport Touring Convertible 2D starts at $19,021 today, originally priced from $37,995.
Original MSRP | KBB Fair Purchase Price (nat'l average) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
1SV Convertible 2D | $33,990 | $16,400 | ||
Premium Convertible 2D | $36,995 | $18,108 | ||
Sport Touring Convertible 2D | $37,995 | $19,021 |
The Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price for any individual used vehicle can vary greatly according to mileage, condition, location, and other factors. The prices here reflect what buyers are currently paying for used 2018 Buick Cascada models in typical condition when purchasing from a dealership. These prices are updated weekly.
Driving the Used 2018 Buick Cascada
This is the perfect car for that lazy Sunday drive up the coast. With top down you can feel the sun on your face, hear the waves crashing into the sand and smell the salty sea air. The 2018 Buick Cascada is sporty, but it isn’t a sports car. It’s a cruiser, not a bruiser. At 4,000 pounds, the 200-horsepower convertible is adequately spunky, delivering good acceleration with only the faintest hint of turbo lag. Its 6-speed automatic transmission isn’t exactly state-of-the-art, but its gear changes are smooth. Still, the Buick is slower than its rivals with a 0-60-mph time of over 8.0 seconds. We also wouldn’t pit it against a BMW 2 Series in the corners, despite its standard 20-inch wheels and tires. But the roomy and comfortable Buick Cascada is a fantastic Sunday drive companion, with a smooth ride, a rigid structure and lightly weighted and responsive steering.
Interior Comfort
Impressively roomy for a drop-top this size, the 2018 Buick Cascada can seat four average-size adults. Seat comfort is high, and the rest of the interior is well finished and nicely detailed. Unfortunately there are a few dated design details like a bazillion buttons on the dash and a smallish infotainment screen. Buick’s signature Quiet Tuning is evident with the top up, and sound levels and wind buffeting remain commendably low even when the Cascada is running in al fresco mode. However, flipping its lid does trim the car’s generous 13.4-cubic-foot trunk capacity to a still-serviceable 9.8 cubic feet.
Exterior Styling
This is not a small car. At 184.9 inches long, the 2018 Buick Cascada is 10 inches longer than a BMW 2 Series. The Buick is also several inches wider than the BMW. But the Cascada wears its size well, with a radically raked windshield, nicely flared wheel arches and a stubby well-tapered proboscis. Certainly the Buick looks best with its fabric top stowed away underneath the cleanly designed hard boot, but its curb appeal isn’t completely sabotaged with it up either. In fact, the Cascada looks downright sexy with its top up but its four windows rolled down, giving the Buick a classic hardtop profile.
Favorite Features
AUTOMATIC ROLL-OVER POP-UP BARS DRIVER CONFIDENCE PACKAGE
Some buyers shy away from convertibles because they worry about safety in a roll-over accident. Buick has addressed this with hidden spring-loaded, pyrotechnically activated rollbars behind the rear seats. Linked to the car’s airbag system, when deployed the rollbars, which are made of high-strength steel, extend approximately 14 inches to match the height of the windshield and protect the car’s occupants.
Although optional on the base model, this safety-focused package is standard on the Cascada Premium and Sport Touring models. It adds Forward Collision Alert, Lane Departure Warning, Front and Rear Park Assist, rain-sensing windshield wipers and automatic high-beam control. An adaptive-cruise-control system is not offered on the Cascada.
Standard Features
To enhance the new Buick Cascada’s appeal, both base and the Premium variants come with a bounty of up-line features that complement the excellent soft top, and a full range of power assists. Highlighting that formidable roster are auto-controlled high-intensity headlights, heat-reflective leather upholstery, a heated steering wheel and seats, Buick’s IntelliLink system with a 7.0-inch color display, OnStar with 4G LTE and Wi-Fi hotspot, Siri Eyes Free for iOS phones, a navigation system, dual-zone climate control, a rearview camera, Rear Park Assist, electric seatbelt presenters, dual 12V powerpoints, and spring-loaded/pyrotechnically activated pop-up roll-over bars behind the rear seat linked to the car’s seatbelt system.
Factory Options
Options are a relatively rare commodity on the 2018 Cascada. Save for a few extra-cost exterior colors, all versions of the Cascada convertible are mono-spec offerings. The only upgrades included on the Cascada Premium and Sport Touring models add Forward Collision Alert, Lane Departure Warning, front as well as rear Park Assist, tunnel detection for the automatic-headlight control, Rainsense automatic wipers, front/rear air deflectors, and a unique “diamond-graphic” finish on the wheels on the Premium and a Sterling Silver finish on the Sport Touring. The popular Dark Effects Package adds dark exterior trim, red interior stitching and piano-black interior trim.
Engine & Transmission
There’s just one powertrain for all three variants of the 2018 Buick Cascada: a 1.6-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder that drives the front wheels through a 6-speed automatic transmission. Part of GM’s new-generation Ecotec family, this free-revving four boasts direct injection and continuously variable-valve timing that help it turn out 200 horsepower — a heady 125 horsepower per liter. It also develops 207 lb-ft of torque from 1,800-4,500 rpm, which can be cranked up to 221 lb-ft in 10-second bursts thanks to an overboost function. A remapping of throttle response also helps enhance the car’s pleasantly brisk acceleration. The modest downside to that enthusiasm is fuel economy. With EPA ratings of 20/27 city/highway mpg, the Cascada falls well shy of best in class. 1.6-liter turbocharged inline-4
200 horsepower @ 5,500 rpm
207 lb-ft of torque @ 1,800-4,500 rpm (221 lb-ft @ 2,200-4,000 rpm w/overboost)
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 21/29 mpg
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Our Expert Ratings come from hours of both driving and number crunching to make sure that you choose the best car for you. We comprehensively experience and analyze every new SUV, car, truck, or minivan for sale in the U.S. and compare it to its competitors. When all that dust settles, we have our ratings. We require new ratings every time an all-new vehicle or a new generation of an existing vehicle comes out. Additionally, we reassess those ratings when a new-generation vehicle receives a mid-cycle refresh — basically, sprucing up a car in the middle of its product cycle (typically, around the 2-3 years mark) with a minor facelift, often with updates to features and technology. Rather than pulling random numbers out of the air or off some meaningless checklist, KBB’s editors rank a vehicle to where it belongs in its class. Before any car earns its KBB rating, it must prove itself to be better (or worse) than the other cars it’s competing against as it tries to get you to spend your money buying or leasing. Our editors drive and live with a given vehicle. We ask all the right questions about the interior, the exterior, the engine and powertrain, the ride and handling, the features, the comfort, and of course, about the price. Does it serve the purpose for which it was built? (Whether that purpose is commuting efficiently to and from work in the city, keeping your family safe, making you feel like you’ve made it to the top — or that you’re on your way — or making you feel like you’ve finally found just the right partner for your lifestyle.) We take each vehicle we test through the mundane — parking, lane-changing, backing up, cargo space and loading — as well as the essential — acceleration, braking, handling, interior quiet and comfort, build quality, materials quality, reliability.
