Buick Regal GS 2012 Review

Buick Regal GS 2012 Review . The Buick Regal GS 2012 is a strong, sporty execution for Buick that's sharply styled and fun to drive. The chassis is excellent. I like the styling cues that blend bling and subtlety, and the cabin is purposeful and well-laid out.

Still, perhaps we're overselling the GS a touch. Is it a true sports sedan? For 2012, it's close. It has all the right looks and reinforcing elements inside and out. Thing is, the Hyundai Sonata turbo packs 274 hp, and from a pure engine standpoint, offers similar performance, though the Buick offers a heavier helping of torque. My point is that most wouldn't say the Sonata is a sports sedan, but the Regal GS purports to be just that.

Maybe I'm nitpicking, because when I think GS I think Gran Sport and muscle cars, which isn't necessarily practical with stiffer CAFE regulations pending. Add Haldex all-wheel drive, take the manual option and up the output by maybe 35 ponies—then this thing would be an enthusiast special. In other words, make it closer to the concept from the Detroit auto show in 2010.

As for the experience in the driver's seat, this car delivers for the most part. The power is reasonably strong from launch, and there's plenty of juice for passing and merging. There's a bit of torque steer when one really mashes the throttle, though it's a fine for a front-wheel sedan with this hp rating. It's surprisingly easy to spin the tires on damp surfaces, even when simply taking off with gusto. The body is composed in corners, the chassis is taut though not overly stiff, and this car handles nicely through curves. Kudos to Opel for starting this, and Buick for refining it for Americans. The steering, even in GS mode (which I drove mostly in) is still a bit light for a sport sedan, though there is some feedback. Solid brakes, too, with bright pedals that offer quick bite.

The styling inside and out works in harmony to suggest performance—I like the headlights, blinding wheels and Brembo calipers. Inside, the cabin feels almost narrow, with snug seats and athletic, simple gauges.

Overall, this car has nice reflexes and responds to inputs both aggressive and routine. It is a car I looked forward to driving, and even did blitz out to the rolling countryside near Ann Arbor one evening, just, well, because. Crack the sunroof, feel the steering, eye the glowing gauges—it's certainly better than anything on TV. Still, I would prefer something a touch closer to the Opel OPC for pure enthusiast pleasure.

EDITOR WES RAYNAL: I liked the last Regal GS I drove (that one was a manual). As I've said before, I like the car's looks, especially the exterior, and I believe Buick should consider offering this look as an option on lesser models. The interior looked good, too, though it's dark. But the materials were up to snuff, and everything is screwed together well. I'm also seeing positive reader comments complimenting the cockpit styling, and some saying that Buick is now on their radar when it wasn't prior. So Buick's future is, perhaps, bright.

Is it good to drive? Hmmm. Pleasant, I guess, is the word I'd use. The ride is comfortable, the car is quick—this is a sweet engine with the turbocharger, and GM should be scrambling to put it in more stuff. In my opinion, the GS could use better steering with some more feedback. For the most part though, like the others, this particular GS was fun to buzz around town in and blast down the highway.

EXECUTIVE EDITOR ROGER HART: Raynal noted my only real beef with the GS—the steering is so overboosted as to have literally no feel at all. Maneuvering around a parking lot, the light weight is fine, but when you are out pushing the car in a corner, you want a little more feel to steering. With it being so light it is way too easy to turn and it handling becomes darty.

The turbo four spools up quickly and has enough punch to push this car around. It's a fun car to drive, quick enough to keep your attention and comfortable enough for a long drive. And the Regal is a handsome little car as well.

All things considered, the Regal is a solid player, and the fact that you can get it with a manual transmission if you like, says something about the effort GM is making in trying to make the car appeal to a broad audience. And it's close to being a really good car.

EXECUTIVE EDITOR BOB GRITZINGER: I, too, found the steering somewhat light and dull, until I punched that “GS” button on the center stack. GS mode dials up significantly more steering response and feedback, along with tauter suspension settings and faster transmission response. A median setting, Sport, tightens the suspension only.

In GS mode, the car becomes a near track star, highly reminiscent of our long-term test Volvo S60 R-Design, which checks in at $47K (but is also higher output and AWD). However, given the Volvo's front-drive bias, the two cars drive remarkably similar, with plenty of controlled turbo-boosted torque on tap, excellent suspension setups, and equally strong interiors and styling. When it comes to output, note that the S60 needs two more cylinders and a liter of displacement to get 325 hp and 354 lb-ft, while this Regal is getting 270 hp/295 lb-ft out of a mere 2.0-liter inline four. To me, that's the definition of new muscle for today's efficiency-minded world.

I want to revisit the suspension just to add that this Regal GS setup, on GS mode, is among a very few front drivers out there that perform at this level. When you're into the throttle in hard cornering, most FWD cars break loose and send you into the weeds. In the GS, you can actually feel the front rubber grabbing for traction, extending and reaching out to maximum suspension travel to pull the car around the corner on the desired line. I'm sure there's a limit to that fun, but on dry pavement on public roads, I didn't find it.

I would like even quicker transmission response, especially considering the turbo takes a tick to spool up, and similar to the S60 R-Design, this sporty GS cries out for steering column-mounted paddle shifters. (Unlike the Volvo, which gets paddles for 2013, that's not in the cards for the Buick. On the other hand, you can buy a six-speed manual in the Regal. So touché.)

There's a lot to love about this GS. It has to be at or near the top of front-drive sport sedans on the market today.

ROAD TEST EDITOR JONATHAN WONG: Unfortunately, I wasn't around when the Buick Regal GS with the manual transmission made its way through the office. That's a downer, because I was really looking forward to driving it. Instead, I got a night with the automatic, which wasn't all that bad. The Regal really piques my interest because it's a direct competitor to one of my favorite vehicles—the Acura TSX.

In GS form, it matches up well with the TSX V6 based on pricing and power. The 2012 Acura TSX V6 with Technology package (which includes navigation) starts at $39,545, and there's 280 hp from the 3.5-liter V6 that's only available mated to a five-speed automatic transmission. So compare that with this Buick's $39,060 price tag and 270-hp from the force-induced four-cylinder, and you can see that the two are close.

Where does the Regal GS win? It packs more torque with 295 lb-ft compared to the TSX's 254, and it enjoys an extra cog in the automatic gearbox. The adjustable settings for steering, suspension and engine mapping are cool, and something the Acura doesn't have.

Where does the Regal GS lose to the Acura? In its brake-pedal feedback, for certain. GM vehicles usually suffer from squishy brake-pedal feedback, which always drives me insane. And then there is the steering, which offers little feedback and hardly has any weight tuned into it. It's sad that Buick missed badly in this department. I also happen to prefer the Acura's interior, too, with the supportive and comfortable front buckets. The Buick seats are OK, but there are some parts in the interior that look a little cheap.

But drive the Regal GS, and what people said above is correct. With the car in GS mode, it features a ton of cornering composure no doubt aided by the wide 20-inch rubber. And put your foot into it, and the turbo four pulls you forward with a hint of boost lag down low, only to punch hard in the middle of the rev range.

So given the choice between a Regal GS with an automatic gearbox and a TSX V6, which one would I take? That's a tough one, but I think I would still end up with the Acura. I'm always taken by the steering response and feedback of the TSX, and the V6 is one very smooth engine. Of course, this all may very well change once I finally get myself into a Regal GS with the manual transmission. And if Buick does a little work to make the steering feel better.

Base Price: $35,720

As-Tested Price: $39,060

Drivetrain: 2.0-liter turbocharged I4; FWD, six-speed automatic

Output: 270 hp @ 5,300 rpm, 295 lb-ft @ 2,400 rpm

Curb Weight: 3,710 lb

Fuel Economy (EPA/AW): 22/20.2 mpg

Options: Audio system including navigation, seven-inch touch-screen display, iPod connectivity and multifunction controller ($1,145); Power tilt/slide sunroof including sunshade ($1,000); 20-inch polished alloy twin five-spoke wheels ($700); White diamond tricoat paint ($495). Buick Regal GS 2012 Review .

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