Regal remains, and it’s a scorcher as GS
When I had the chance to road-test a new Buick Regal Tour-X a few months ago, I was impressed that the stately old General Motors icon had the audacity to build a station wagon, let alone a long and slinky wagon, powered by a turbocharged 4-cylinder engine.
The traditional Regal, we were told, was no more, and the wagon would carry on. Well, not so fast.
I have now had the chance to spend a week with the new Buick Regal GS, which doesn’t look anything like the previous Regal midsize sedan, but then, it doesn’t look anything like the Tour-X wagon, either.
No, I would have to say that the new Regal GS is the best-looking car from Buick since...well...maybe ever!
That comes from someone who was never a dedicated Buick fanatic, but who also thought that the previous Regal was an outstanding car. When I learned it was a U.S. copy of a new model of the German Opel Vectra. It was even made in Europe for a while, as Buick geared up to do the manufacturing in the U.S.
Now we find out that if the newest model of the Buick Regal, the GS, is a version of the new model Opel Insignia, a longer and classier car than the Vectra/Regal, but one with smoothly aerodynamic lines that exudes grace and streamlined speed.
Parked downtown in Duluth or Minneapolis, we were surprised at how much attention the new Regal GS generated. People would absolutely stop on the sidewalk and wait until we returned to the car to quiz us about it. Generally, they would leave, shaking their heads in a real-life version of those inane “Real people, not actors” commercials, and mutter things like, “That can’t be a Buick,” or “Sure doesn’t look like a Buick.”
Buick should take note of the accolades, because they are uncommon these days. But valuable.
The bright red Regal GS has a neat grille, and swept-back lines in silhouette, with a neatly styled rear end, as well. As a 4-door, it’s actually a 5-door, but maybe we shouldn’t tell folks that it’s a hatchback, given the reluctance U.S. buyers have for small hatchbacks.
Not that the Regal GS is small. I is 192.9 inches long, sitting on a 114.4-inch wheelbase, and it weighs a comparatively hefty 4,270 pounds. Much of that can be attributed to the all-wheel drive the test car had.
Base price for the Regal GS is a stiff $39,990, and as-tested my car had a sticker of $44,115.
And yes, I’m an advocate of choosing a turbo 4-cylinder rather than a larger V6, but a lot of U.S. buyers want their V6es, so the Rebel GS comes armed and dangerous with GM’s corporate workhorse, the 3.6-liter V6, and it’s more than enough to power all four wheels, and perhaps tow just about anything.
The 3.6 churns out 310 horsepower at 6,800 RPMs, and 282 foot-pounds of torque at 5,700 revs. The 9-speed automatic transmission shifts surely and efficiently, and is explained as an “active twin-clutch” transmission. In a Buick? No kidding?
There is a mode switch, and we drove almost exclusively in the sport setting, which wasn’t all that harsh, and did aid the tighter steering and firmer suspension.
It wouldn’t be a Buick without considerable doses of comfort, and the Regal GS has very comfortable and supportive front bucket seats, and also comfortable rear seats. The rear seats require some amplification, because they are set into a space that is, in a word, huge. With the front buckets set back as far as I would set them as a 6-foot driver, there is a lot of headroom and enormous leg and foot-room in the rear.
The car came equipped with Continental tires mounted on 19-inch alloy wheels, and the size of those tires may have helped the Regal GS handle closer to sporty sedan standards, although they did seem to cause more than a little noise from street irregularities.
Changing from the Regal wagon’s turbo 4 to the Regal GS’s big V6 takes a hit in fuel economy, although an EPA estiamte of 19 city and 27 highway isn’t bad for a big, heavy, all-wheel-drive sedan. But if the turbo 2.0-liter 4-cylinder gives up some drag-racing potential to the 3.6 V6, its performance might register as adequate, while its fuel economy would get at least 5 more mpg on the highway.
With all its grooves and contours, I had trouble deciding which angle of the Regal GS I liked best, and it turned out to be pretty much a tie. Pick an angle, ay angle, and you’ll appreciate the car’s appearance.
That brings us back to the old cliche ad campaign: “Wouldn’t you really rather have a Buick?” For the first time in a long time, and maybe ever, I can say the answer could be a decisive “Yes!”
