By Freddie Allen (Editor-in-Chief, NNPA Newswire and BlackPressUSA.com)

On a warm, sunny day in the waterfront city of Norfolk, Virginia, Curtis Parker, the general manager of the CrossRoadsNews, walked down to the valet stand at the Hilton on East Main Street and hopped into a 2018 Buick Regal GS for a spin around town.

Parker was in Norfolk for the National Newspaper Publishers Association’s (NNPA) annual convention. The NNPA is a trade group representing more than 200 Black-owned media companies and newspapers in the United States. CrossRoadsNews is a Black-owned, weekly newspaper serving South DeKalb County in East Metro Atlanta.

The Regal GS was part of a unique “Ride and Drive” experience offered by Buick during the NNPA’s convention.

Buick provided three vehicles for the NNPA’s Ride and Drive experience—the 2018 Regal GS luxury sedan; the 2018 Cascada convertible; and the 2018 Enclave Avenir, a luxury sport utility vehicle (SUV).

The Regal GS features performance seats equipped with heating, cooling and massage settings and comes equipped with a 3.6L V-6 engine.

“[The Regal GS] had just enough pep. It handled well and felt secure and sophisticated,” Parker said. “The Regal would go where I wanted it to go, when I wanted it to go.”

Parker enjoyed the eight-inch (diagonal) Buick Infotainment System and said that the Bose premium eight-speaker system sounded great. Parker also liked the legroom in the Regal and thought that it would be perfect for family road trips, especially with the built-in 4G LTE Wi-Fi® hotspot that comes standard.

“My daughters are taller than I am,” said Parker, who is over six feet tall, “So, legroom is important.”

The 2018 Buick Enclave Avenir SUV also has plenty of legroom, and comes with an additional third row of seating. A rear vision camera, rear park assist and seven air bags, including a front center side airbag, come standard on all 2018 Enclaves.

[/media-credit] Interior of the 2019 Buick Enclave Avenir. (Buick)

Cloves Campbell, the publisher of the Arizona Informant, preferred the Buick Cascada convertible.

“It looks good, that’s the main thing,” Campbell said. “[The Cascada] was a ‘head-turner’; a lot of people were looking at it, asking us about the car, just on the short ride we took around the block.”

Campbell continued: “For the price…it was really nice.”

The base price for the Cascada is $33,990 and it comes equipped with a 1.6L turbocharged engine with direct injection. Convertible aficionados can drive the Cascada in Rioja Red Metallic, Darkmoon Blue Metallic and Carrageen (Sport Touring-exclusive). According to a fact sheet about the Cascada, since its launch in 2016, “the Buick Cascada has outsold the BMW 2 Series convertible as well as Audi’s A3 and A5 convertibles combined.”

Duncan Aldred, the vice president of Global Buick and GMC, said that there’s never been a time like this at Buick.

“This year marks the first, full production year for many of our new models and more new customers are experiencing the new Buick,” Aldred said. “We’re growing sales and earning accolades that demonstrate how much our customers value the attainable luxury products and experiences Buick delivers.”

Parker said that the Ride and Drive was a nice touch that definitely enhanced the NNPA’s annual convention in Norfolk.

“Because of the [Ride and Drive], I looked at vehicles that I probably wouldn’t have looked at, before,” Parker said. “It was a great way for Buick to expand their exposure at the [convention].”

Campbell agreed.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for [NNPA members] to check out the vehicles that are supporting our organization,” Campbell said. “Every time we have a ‘Ride and Drive’ I participate, because I like to drive cars. For publishers, it let’s us know what products are out there.”

Campbell continued: “It’s a good fit for the NNPA, the publishers and the brand, as well.”

Freddie Allen is the Editor-in-Chief of the NNPA Newswire and BlackPressUSA.com. Follow Freddie on Twitter @freddieallenjr.

This article was originally published at BlackPressUSA.com.