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MM Test-Drive: 2018 Buick Regal GS
https://www.buick.com/sedans/regal-gs-luxury-sedan
IN A NUTSHELL: A Buick for people who don't like Buicks.
A couple of folks, here and there, have asked me to check out a new Buick Regal GS when I had a chance. These cars don't sell well, especially in GS trim, and the GS version is sometimes difficult to find in stock. Today, though, I had my Lacrosse at my regular Chevy/Buick/GMC shop, getting an oil change and the required once-a-year state safety-inspection (the first two oil changes are on the house), and they had a nice, new, bright red GS parked out on the lot, unsold. So, I wasted little time getting the key/fob and a dealer plate and hitting the road for a test-drive. Fortunately, it was past the worst of the morning rush, and traffic wasn't too bad....which still isn't saying much in traffic-clogged Northern Virginia, the Los Angeles of the East. While I was at the dealership, I briefly looked at a couple of other new 2019 Buicks. I noticed that the new Envision SUVs, built in China, don't have that unpleasant smell inside that the first ones to come from China did...perhaps customer complaints from Americans forced a change in the finishing process for the interior at the Chinese factory. And, I noticed that all of the new 2019 Buicks now have the big tri-color emblem on the grille sealed under a clear plexiglass cover that makes the washing/drying/waxing process for it much easier...and gives it a nice shiny finish. I consider that an improvement over the 2017 and (some) 2018 versions. The Regal is also slated to get an Avenir version...but we won't see that in the American market until fall. The GM saleseople at the shop, of course, were also elated to see that Ford is dropping so many of its American-market sedans in the near future. They, of course, stand to pick up least some of that sedan-traffic...at least what is left of it.
But back to the new Regal GS. The GS, of course, uses the same platform as the rest of the Regal lineup, with the exception of having special sport-seats, wheels/tires, some chassis/suspension retuning, and, unique among American-market Regals, (basically) the same 3.6L non-turbo V6 and 9-speed Sport-Shift transmission as the Lacrosse and Enclave. I'm not going to do an extended review or write-up on it, as I did that not long ago with the AWD Tour-X Wagon version of the Regal that was generating a lot of interest at the time. But, per request. I will describe its road manners. And, like other Opel-derived Buicks (the Regal, of course, is a rebadged German Opel Insignia), it was well-built and noticeably more solid, inside and out, than Buicks of purely American or Chinese design.
On the road, the Regal GS is anything BUT a traditional Buick. Its custom-designed, relatively narrow-width sport-seats, with high, sharp bolsters, are reminiscent of what one would find in a Volkswagen GTI or Focus RS. My admittedly wide torso and rump (though I have lost significant weight in the last year, from several factors) fit the seat about as well as Rosie O'Donnell in a Miss America bathing-suit. The normally-aspirated 3.6L V6 and 9-speed automatic are basically the same as the ones in my Grandpa Lacrosse or the Soccer-Mom Enclave...but the throttle-by-wire and transmission response, not surprisingly, seemed tuned a little more for sharp response over mush-comfort, though shifts remained smooth. Despite the added weight/drag of the standard AWD, this engine definitely has enough power to get out of its own way.....just like it does on my own FWD car (though I don't actually use it most of the time). Wind noise, like in other Opel-designed Buicks, was well-controlled, but road noise from the big Continental Contipro-Contact tires was pronounced.....especially by Buick standards. Interestingly, I didn't hear as much fuel-injection pulse/thrum noise from the Regal's version of this engine as in the Lacrosse, which is supposed to be more comfort-oriented. Ride comfort, as expected, was firm over bumps, even with the hot (90-degree) temperatures outside making the tire-rubber soft and the shock-fluid thin. The tires had been sitting in the late-morning sun for several hours and had heated up to several pounds over cold-recommended PSIs....that helped firm the ride up a little, too, but I wouldn't call it harsh by any means. The shifter, a conventional fore/aft PRNDL with a manual bump-slot for sport-shifting, was much easier to use than the GM electronic joy-stick the Lacrosse and Enclave are stuck with....that's part of where the Opel design comes in. Steering response was relatively quick, but not as sharp-quick as I had expected, and body roll, as expected, was kept in check. The brakes were sport-sedan sharp and effective, with good pedal feel, and I didn't have any noted problems with the brake/gas pedal placements and my big Men's-size-15 clodhopper shoes. In short, this is a well-made, nice-driving sport sedan for adults, though relatively lean ones if you want to find into the front seats comfortably.
And, as Always.......Happy Car-Shopping.
MM
https://www.buick.com/sedans/regal-gs-luxury-sedan
IN A NUTSHELL: A Buick for people who don't like Buicks.
A couple of folks, here and there, have asked me to check out a new Buick Regal GS when I had a chance. These cars don't sell well, especially in GS trim, and the GS version is sometimes difficult to find in stock. Today, though, I had my Lacrosse at my regular Chevy/Buick/GMC shop, getting an oil change and the required once-a-year state safety-inspection (the first two oil changes are on the house), and they had a nice, new, bright red GS parked out on the lot, unsold. So, I wasted little time getting the key/fob and a dealer plate and hitting the road for a test-drive. Fortunately, it was past the worst of the morning rush, and traffic wasn't too bad....which still isn't saying much in traffic-clogged Northern Virginia, the Los Angeles of the East. While I was at the dealership, I briefly looked at a couple of other new 2019 Buicks. I noticed that the new Envision SUVs, built in China, don't have that unpleasant smell inside that the first ones to come from China did...perhaps customer complaints from Americans forced a change in the finishing process for the interior at the Chinese factory. And, I noticed that all of the new 2019 Buicks now have the big tri-color emblem on the grille sealed under a clear plexiglass cover that makes the washing/drying/waxing process for it much easier...and gives it a nice shiny finish. I consider that an improvement over the 2017 and (some) 2018 versions. The Regal is also slated to get an Avenir version...but we won't see that in the American market until fall. The GM saleseople at the shop, of course, were also elated to see that Ford is dropping so many of its American-market sedans in the near future. They, of course, stand to pick up least some of that sedan-traffic...at least what is left of it.
But back to the new Regal GS. The GS, of course, uses the same platform as the rest of the Regal lineup, with the exception of having special sport-seats, wheels/tires, some chassis/suspension retuning, and, unique among American-market Regals, (basically) the same 3.6L non-turbo V6 and 9-speed Sport-Shift transmission as the Lacrosse and Enclave. I'm not going to do an extended review or write-up on it, as I did that not long ago with the AWD Tour-X Wagon version of the Regal that was generating a lot of interest at the time. But, per request. I will describe its road manners. And, like other Opel-derived Buicks (the Regal, of course, is a rebadged German Opel Insignia), it was well-built and noticeably more solid, inside and out, than Buicks of purely American or Chinese design.
On the road, the Regal GS is anything BUT a traditional Buick. Its custom-designed, relatively narrow-width sport-seats, with high, sharp bolsters, are reminiscent of what one would find in a Volkswagen GTI or Focus RS. My admittedly wide torso and rump (though I have lost significant weight in the last year, from several factors) fit the seat about as well as Rosie O'Donnell in a Miss America bathing-suit. The normally-aspirated 3.6L V6 and 9-speed automatic are basically the same as the ones in my Grandpa Lacrosse or the Soccer-Mom Enclave...but the throttle-by-wire and transmission response, not surprisingly, seemed tuned a little more for sharp response over mush-comfort, though shifts remained smooth. Despite the added weight/drag of the standard AWD, this engine definitely has enough power to get out of its own way.....just like it does on my own FWD car (though I don't actually use it most of the time). Wind noise, like in other Opel-designed Buicks, was well-controlled, but road noise from the big Continental Contipro-Contact tires was pronounced.....especially by Buick standards. Interestingly, I didn't hear as much fuel-injection pulse/thrum noise from the Regal's version of this engine as in the Lacrosse, which is supposed to be more comfort-oriented. Ride comfort, as expected, was firm over bumps, even with the hot (90-degree) temperatures outside making the tire-rubber soft and the shock-fluid thin. The tires had been sitting in the late-morning sun for several hours and had heated up to several pounds over cold-recommended PSIs....that helped firm the ride up a little, too, but I wouldn't call it harsh by any means. The shifter, a conventional fore/aft PRNDL with a manual bump-slot for sport-shifting, was much easier to use than the GM electronic joy-stick the Lacrosse and Enclave are stuck with....that's part of where the Opel design comes in. Steering response was relatively quick, but not as sharp-quick as I had expected, and body roll, as expected, was kept in check. The brakes were sport-sedan sharp and effective, with good pedal feel, and I didn't have any noted problems with the brake/gas pedal placements and my big Men's-size-15 clodhopper shoes. In short, this is a well-made, nice-driving sport sedan for adults, though relatively lean ones if you want to find into the front seats comfortably.
And, as Always.......Happy Car-Shopping.
MM
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