I'm undecided. While this is a breathtakingly awesome move for Buick, this should have happened 5-7 years ago somewhere within GM.

This is a huge move up in the market for GM, but now it's got to play against cars like the TSX, A4, CC. I hope Buick's got it where it counts, which is overall quality/feeling, because that's what it'll need. All the other players have been doing turbo FWD sedans for a few generations. Why am I imagining something cobbled together like a rubber-booted, imprecise oar of a shifter? Probably because that's what I remember the last "larger than a Cobalt" GM FWD sedans containing. My expectations will be high.

220hp is respectable, I think. The issue will be with Buick's older demographic. That many HP on a little turbo 4 can be difficult to manage. Punch it, and the wheels break loose because of the low torque curves. Be too easy on it, and the engine will appear to be breathing needlessly hard. A 2.0 is a small engine, and the older buyers may not like the sound/feel/buzziness. That, or younger, upmarket buyers may also be opting for a little more refinement than a 4-cylinder.

So, truly, I'm torn. This could be exactly what Buick/GM needs, or it could be affirmation for the skeptical that GM cars aren't quite up to the competition.

I wish them the best, and I'll be sitting here tapping my fingers together in anticipation.

 

Are you forgetting the Buick did come several years with 240hp supercharged v6 until GM Foolishly killed the Regal? And the Park Ave Ultra I might add. The hp isnt anything to be concerned about. I think Turbo Lag has been pretty well figured out too. As for 4cyl sound, I dont care for it, but I doubt most buyers will care what the exaust note sounds like. As long as its reliable and gets out of its own way.

 

This truly is the only GM sedan right now that I'd buy for my wife...

And with an M6, if I didn't have a demo, I'd buy a black one for me, too

 

Additionally, the Lucerne has a Northstar option with 275 hp. And the LaCrosse Super had the Grand Prix GXP / Impy SS powertrain (303 hp LS4).

 

It will depend on the size of the new Regal. I think it's smaller than the outgoing W-body cars, yes?

Putting a turbo and a 6-speed is really going to be the issue. The older W-cars are bigger, heavier. A turbo car offers most of it's torque at low RPM (think like 1800-2000). Especially with a short 1st and 2nd gear, there's a propensity for the front end to break loose, especially on wet surfaces.

I would strongly encourage GM to put LSD in these cars.

The GTI I had (200hp turbo, 6-speed) was annoying in any kind of situation where it needed traction. The car would simply never hook up. Our GLI is the same way. For reference, I drove bigger cars like the Passat, and it's the same issue. I also drove an Impala SS when it came out in 2001? with the 240hp 3.8. That thing had tire-torture written all over it.

I really want to say right around 200-220hp in a midsize car is the cutoff where performance driving becomes a serious chore trying to get the front wheels to stick to the ground.

 

I think the Regal is basically the new G6, where the LaCrosse is more the W-Body sized car.

 

If that's the case, then GM better nail the aforementioned turbo lag, weight distro, and torque steer challenges. And I'm hoping for low NVH, because that's a rare quality in any midsize sedan. I'm hoping Buick will meld this new "sport" affliction with it's typical armored-casket tendencies of yesteryear. If that's the case, then I see true luxury competition.

 

The LNF doesnt really suffer a turbo lag problem . As far as the torque steer , that could be interesting . In that interview with Mark Ruess , he touched the issue , and said( in short) they have discovered suspension tricks to nearly eliminate it .

The OPC Insigina shoots 325 hp thru its AWD driveline . The Elipson haldex awd system , from reading info anyways , appears to be a pretty buff system .

 

I am more than happy to see GM making me eat my words over the fact they kept Buick over Pontiac.

I'd have to go back to the Monza-clone Buick Skyhawks of the mid 70s to name any Buick with a manual. I'd need a few years to name Buicks last sedan with a manual.

Mid 7 seconds to 60 is pretty lame until you realize we're talking about a 4 cylinder sedan that's roughly the size of Cadillac's old CTS (190" long, 73" wide, and 58" tall) that weighs about 3600 pounds. That 4 banger has alot of car to haul around.

This also contrasts how absolutely amazing the Camaro V6 is.

The Camaro V6 weighs over 160 pounds more, has 2 more cylinders, 34 more horsepower, 15 more lbs/ft of torque will get to 60 mph 1 1/2 seconds quicker. I also doubt that Regal will match the V6 Camaro's top speed of 157mph.

The Regal turbo gets 29 mpg on the highway and 18 in the City. Exactly what the V6 Camaro gets! (base Regal with the 182 horse 4 gets only 1 mpg better on the highway and 2 in the city.... not exactly a compelling reason to chose it)

The Regal does come with a crisp 6 speed manual and a German-quality level interior, free of the old GM's habit of cheapening everything out they can in order to save a few pennies. The car looks good. The interior looks great!


Although the Buick Regal is a good start in making me eat crow because I said that GM needed a brain scan for choosing to keep Buick over the better selling Pontiac division, I wouldn't tear up that referal for a CAT Scan just yet.

There is just no logic to 4 cylinder sedan that doesn't get any better fuel economy than a 300+ horsepower, heavier, and far faster sports coupe's V6. I suspect that either the V6 from Camaro would make the same fuel mileage in the lighter Regal, or it could be geared or tuned down to get even better fuel economy than the turbo 4 in the Regal.... while having quicker performance.

The new Regal has the makings of a breakthrough car that will turn around Buick. But it seems it will be a breakthrough car in need of a better engine.... worse yet, that better engine is already in GM's stables.

 

There is a third leg to the stool. I think the missing link here is CO2 emissions. Its not just about fuel economy vs, horsepower anymore. Upcoming stringent CO2 standards favor smaller displacement turbocharged engines over larger displacement naturally aspirated ones as far as I know.

 

CO2 = fuel economy.

The car that burns more fuel emits more CO2.

It isn't a pollutant that is collected by a filter (like diesel particulates) nor converted to a benign compount (like CO, NOx, and unburned hydrocarbons are via the three way catalytic converter). CO2 is just a normal byproduct of "perfect" combustion of hydrocarbon fuels.

 

That would have stepped on Pontiac and even Saturns toes. This would have made an awesome G6 and if you remember from a few years ago, this car was actually supposed to be the 2010 Saturn Aura.

Turbo lag isn't really an issue with the LNF and torque steer isn't a problem with 220HP. Remember the Malibu V6 has 252HP and Accord/Camry/Fusion/Altima V6 are also in that ~260HP range. Lacorsse has a 303HP V8 in the last generation and a 280HP V8 this generation.

This isn't the EPA number, it is the GM estimate. Camaro was rated 26mpg before it got the EPA number of 29mpg. So this turbo Buick is actually 3mpg better than the Camaro V6 using the apples to apples numbers. I expect the base engine to at least match the Malibu's 33mpg.

 

LOL definitely would have made a cool G6...

Funny how many threads there are of young people looking for ways to convert their autos to manuals on the G6 boards. 6-speed was only offered on the top of the line super expensive G6s. While the lower end for the younger crowd ones didn't get it. Not even the ecotecs... LOL

What kind of price range is this thing going to be? If they have options in the low to mid 20s I think it will do well.

 

I like it, nice package! But it needs more power, when both fusions v6 engines make more power then a sporty buick car is sad!

 

The top engine for the Buick Regal will most likely be the same 304HP V6 That is also used in the Camaro. 220HP/258tq turbo I4 is just a mid level engine. The Equinox SIDI 2.4L is the base engine. Ford will have a 2.0L Ecoboost I4 out in the Fusion some time next year with about the same power. Both are tuned for economy otherwise you would see 260-290HP out of the turbo 2.0L.