Buick's Sunday Drive Club maps six autumn leaf-peeping routes from Michigan to Big Sur
Buick is using its Sunday Drive Club lifestyle platform to pitch six fall-color drives across the U.S., pairing the routes with its SUV lineup, head-up displays and available Super Cruise.
- 17 miles
- Nearly 16,000 acres
- More than 50 miles
- 70 to 90 miles
What Happened
Buick describes its Sunday Drive Club as a lifestyle platform celebrating local discovery, connection and the joy of the drive. Through the perspectives of creators and cultural voices, the club encourages people to explore places, experiences and communities that reflect their own interests and personal taste. The brand frames it as the desire to simply hit the road to experience somewhere beautiful, together. Buick says that whether the journey runs through a bustling city or along a scenic highway, it brings together thoughtful design, comfort and technology to make the drive part of the experience.
- Michigan: Edward N. Hines Drive, a 17-mile parkway from Dearborn to Northville that follows the Rouge River through wooded parks with tall maples and oaks; a longer option is US-31 along Lake Michigan through South Haven, Saugatuck, Holland and Grand Haven.
- Indiana: Brown County, nicknamed the "Little Smokies," home to Brown County State Park — the largest in the state at nearly 16,000 acres — with more than 50 miles of mountain biking trails and a live Leaf Cam from the local visitors bureau.
- Vermont: a leaf-peeping tour starting in Stowe, including a guided tour at Ben & Jerry's headquarters and a gondola ride for an aerial view of the fall colors.
- Maine: Bar Harbor, a 90-minute drive from the Bangor airport, with a 10-minute hop to Acadia National Park and its 27-mile scenic road past Sand Beach and Thunder Hole.
- Colorado: the Million Dollar Highway from Silverton to Ouray on US Route 50 through the San Juan Mountains, plus Owl Creek Pass and a ghost tour in Ouray.
- California: Big Sur along State Route 1 between Carmel-by-the-Sea and San Simeon, roughly 70 to 90 miles, crossing the Bixby Bridge.
Buick ties the routes to optional features on its vehicles. An available head-up display alerts the driver to the next turn while keeping their eyes on the road, and available Super Cruise driver assistance technology on the Enclave or Envision offers hands-free driving on a growing network of compatible roads. For colder afternoons, available heated seats keep occupants warm, and Buick offers accessories including bike racks and roof rails for family bicycle trips.
- Compact Encore GX
- Compact Envista
- Spacious Envision
- Spacious Enclave
Buick says it offers an elevated experience from coast to coast, for everything from errand running to leaf-peeping trips, with an array of technology and safety features, a confident drive and plenty of standard amenities. The brand points readers to Sunday Drive Club creators such as Jai Simmons and Sandy Pierre for route inspiration and asks drivers to tag @BuickUSA when they find their own. Buick notes that drivers must always pay attention when using Super Cruise, use it in accordance with local laws, and that it requires an active service plan or trial.
Why this matters
The piece is a marketing push rather than a product launch: Buick is selling the drive itself — local discovery, comfort and available hands-free technology — to buyers shopping its Encore GX, Envista, Envision and Enclave SUVs. It also shows how the brand leans on creators and cultural voices to reach customers.
Terms in This Story
- Super Cruise
- A driver assistance system that allows hands-free driving on a network of compatible roads while the driver must still pay attention and follow local laws.
- Head-up display
- A system that projects information such as turn directions in the driver's line of sight so they can keep their eyes on the road.
- Leaf-peeping
- Taking a trip to view autumn foliage as the leaves change color.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.