Buick Regal - Buick goes sporty

If you go back far enough in Buick history, you’ll actually find some sporty models in the lineup. In recent history however, “Buick” and “sporty” were rarely found in the same sentence. The brand has been branded as the vehicle of choice for the over-60 crowd. Buick has been making a concerted effort to design vehicles that appeal to a broader demographic. They can design and build any type of vehicle they want, so why not do something with a bit of flair?

The new Regal is intended to do just that. Based on GM’s global midsize platform, the new Regal has both stunning styling and great functionality. This is the kind of car that will appeal to a large segment of the population if they just realized that it is not the same Buick as their grandparents drove. That’s the challenge that corporate management faces. If consumers would just evaluate the vehicle on its own merits, it does a good job of selling itself.

The styling gets an A+ grade. It is sleek and curvaceous. It looks good from all angles and has deftly balanced the application of chrome to give the vehicle an upscale appearance. It definitely looks sporty…but does it drive that way? Yes kinda.
Rather than being considered a “sporty” car, I’d call it more of a great handling cruiser. Its dimensions and chassis make it a breeze to handle in city traffic. It is also large enough to have a nice controlled ride and surprisingly good road manners.

 The Regal is responsive and communicates what’s going on without being harsh or rough riding. The traditional Buick “boulevard” ride is nowhere to be found in the new Regal.
In response to current demands for improved fuel economy and reduced emissions, the new Regal is yet another midsize that won’t be offered with a V6 engine anymore. The base engine is a direct injection 2.4 liter 4 cylinder with 182 horsepower. That combined with the 6 speed automatic transmission manages to move the car around briskly and also deliver 30 mpg highway fuel economy. A higher performance turbocharged 4 cylinder is the optional engine and offers 220 horsepower for those wanting more power.

The interior is roomy and nicely appointed. It’s more functional, more informative and less chromy, almost to the point of being anti-Buick. For my taste, the seat bottoms were almost too firm, again a purposeful departure from Buicks of the past. The rear seat is roomy for this class of car and the trunk offers a very large 14.25 cubic feet of space.

In all, this is a very appealing car. It’s actually the kind of sedan that you would have expected to see at a Saturn dealership, but now its flying Buick colors and that’s OK. The current starting price of $27,000 is for the CXL midlevel model. A more basic CX model will be offered a bit later with a start price expected to be in the $24,000 range.