With the first 2011 Buick Regals hitting dealer lots, Buick gave journalists a chance to get behind the wheel for some initial driving impressions.
The 2011 Buick Regal is aimed at a younger buyer and is therefore sportier. Buick will be equipping the Regal with an optional turbo, manual transmission, a high performance GS model and potentially other body styles to help set the Regal apart in buyers’ minds. Buick officials at the event said that they would be happy to see the average age of the Regal buyer fall in the mid-forties range.
In San Diego, Buick provided us with both turbo and normally aspirated Regal CXL models. Initially, US buyers are only getting one trim level choice. When production moves to North America, more models will become available. Looking farther into the future, Buick has announced that it will be ditching trim designations all together in the future and move towards offering packages built off of one model a la Lexus.
Driving out of town and into the countryside, we were behind the wheel of a turbo model equipped with the optional real-time damping system. The turbo model’s has 220 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque proved to be adequate power for enjoying for driving twisty backroads that Buick staff had selected for us. The turbo model and . The IDCS system offers Sport, Tour and Normal modes and it was fun to toggle between the two ends of the spectrum.
The non-turbo model’s 182 horsepower and 172 lb-ft of torque simply could not provide enough motivation to make life interesting when assaulting any kind of incline. Given what you lose in fun, the better mileage, an estimated 20/30 versus the turbo’s 18/29, and $2,500 lower sticker price of $26,995 versus $29,495, really did not seem to be worth the compromise. Also, the non-turbo’s steering felt too heavy after swapping out of the turbo model.
The interiors of the Regals we sampled were expertly assembled and all plastics that you touch or are soft and rich feeling. There were a lot of buttons on the center stack and that was a bit off -putting at first, but by the end of the day it was relatively easy to accomplish most tasks while driving.
Styling wise, the Regal is a handsome design that has a muscular look to it. Because this car was initially going to be a Saturn Aura in the US market, one has to wonder what might have been different if it was to have been a Buick from the get-go. The portholes from other Buick models certainly aren’t missed on the Regal.
First out of the gate is the Regal CXL with the 2.4-liter direct-injected Ecotec inline four-cylinder which starts at $26,995 and reaches a maximum of $31,780 when navigation and other toys are added. When the turbo model does arrive, it will have a base price of $29,495.
Thinking back to the 1997 Buick Regal that my aunt owned, the 2011 model is completely unrecognizable. Unfortunately, that older Regal is exactly what many potential buyers may think of before they have a chance to experience the new model. The challenge before Buick is to get the word out and get butts into seats to let buyers know: The old Buick Regal is dead, long live the new Buick Regal!
General Motors covered my expenses to attend this event.
Michael Sheena
Huliq.com
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