Welp, I still think it looks nice.

 

It is hella sexy. One of the best wheel packages I've seen on a GM product. This and the Grand Sport nail the dish that small spoke wheels should have.

And I hope it does well...

 

This car competes against the Acura TSX and the VW CC. It seems like it does that pretty well. would we like more, yes. Would we always wecolme more power, yes. I think it does fine for its market. I personally would take the CC if it was a 5 year deal. More then that and VW reliablilty becomes suspect.

 

That's why it came in 3rd in a three-way comparo against those same cars. Seems like the complained mostly about the lack of power and overall refinement.

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...l_turbo_page_2

 

Quote from the C&D Article...

"Said tech editor Michael Austin, “You’d only go fast in the Regal because you had to, not because you wanted to.” "

OK....I pass. I wanted a car that makes me see red when I drive it hard. GXP Grand Prixs do that. Comp Gs do that. G6 GTPs did not do that. I guess this one doesn't either.

I'll give up some of the lithe chassis for the pure fun and power of the Hemi Charger The sad thing is, I really WOULD rather have the Buick...

 

Well, we looked at and test drove both. With the relatively small amount of sedans/wagons available with a stick, we had to shop that widely. The G37 was a wonderful car, but not so much of a car as to be worth $6k more than a $32k Subaru Legacy GT. The Fiesta was much more car than the price implied (dirt cheap even when loaded), and while it may have been boring, it would have made a wonderful family car for the wife to drive. Sadly, she has a thing against Fiestas since her last car in Slovenia was a stripper model Fiesta. The WRX wasn't enough car to justify it's price being right next to the Legacy GT's either. We looked at a Fusion (Focus? ) sport, but it wasn't living up to any expectations. Neither were the Civic Si or Sentra Se-R Spec V. If we could have found a G8 GXP within a couple hundred miles, we would have jumped on it even at $35k+ because it's a whole lot of car for the money.

We were looking at current generation sedans/wagons, either new or a year or two old. We were about to decide on a 2010 Legacy GT when someone suggested the CTS-V. The V wasn't on our list because I didn't even remember they made one before the current supercharged model. It's a hair smaller than the Legacy GT, but much more car for the money. And there happened to be a good deal on one not even 15 minutes away. (Of course, we could have bought a brand new, full warranty, loaded Fiesta for the same price and had everything but the V8 power and butt warmers)

Anyway, I hope that helps explain how I cross-shopped that many cars. The GS is nice for a low $30k car (even though I think a Legacy GT would be better for that money), but if the price crawls much higher than that, it will be out of it's league.

 

So give us the Opel Insignia OPC coupe with the 3.0 L turbocharged V-6, M6, and AWD for $35K and Buick will not be able to keep any of them in stock.

 

In the end all that matters is that this car delivers the goods - and delivers them at the right price. Sure, AWD would have been neat, but for the power/torque level of the GS, maybe it does make sense to delete it. Especially if what GM is saying about the hyperstrut front suspension is true. Less weight, less cost, less complexity. It would be a completely different story with a 365 hp turbo V6 of course, but that's not what this package is.

Hopefully this world wide web flame fest on the Regal GS will be productive in the sense that GM now knows that the GS package as it is, better be damned near perfect on release.

I'll miss those Recaros though...

 

Pop quiz for you guys. If one of these is $35,000 nicely equipped...and a Taurus SHO is less than 10% more, comparably equipped...

What do you choose?

 

Easy choice fo' SHO!

 

No stick.


But I get your your point Jason. The problem which a $35K GS has, is that some really great cars live at that price point.

 

GM is not going to knowingly sell a car they're going to take a loss on. You're not going to pitch a car to the powers-that-be and base your whole plan around selling it at a loss.

I think it's premature to chalk the GS up to being a loser. It might not be the car you thought it would be, but that doesn't necessarily mean it won't be successful in the end. Heck, I was up-in-arms about a certain 3900 pound pony car with a God-awful interior and it's still selling like hotcakes.

 

In my case (assuming I was crazy enough to blow that kind of coin on a car right now)? Probably the roomier SHO. For the wife to drive.

Remember, reviews of the SHO have not exactly been friendly about its handling. I mean, it handles well "for a big guy", but it isn't going to go after a 3 Series. The SHO is quite a bit bigger than the Regal. Heck, it is bigger and heavier than the Lacrosse, which itself is bigger and heavier than the Regal.

For the price of an SHO, one could also have a base Corvette. That's a no brainer, unless of course you have no need for a two seat sports car.

I'm not necessarily defending the Regal GS; I'm just saying that the existence of other viable options at t given price point doesn't render the car pointless when they have somewhat different priorities. I've no doubt the Euro-tuned Buick will offer a better handling balance than the somewhat bloated SHO, as well as better fuel economy (as a trade-off for its reduced straightline acclerative capabilities). Plus, as Charlie mentioned, it will offer the involvement of a manual gearbox. Then there's the styling. While the SHO is sharp in its own right, that new GS is pretty sweet looking.

In a bruiser like the SHO (especially if the wife will drive it some / most of the time), I'd be all over the automatic. But if I were looking for a sporty sedan for my own DD use, I'd still be tempted by the stick (and in years past, the stick would have been an absolute requirement).

Also, personally, at these power levels I think I'd rather have a well sorted FWD chassis over a heavier, thirstier awd setup for the kind of driving I'd do in the real world. Still a bummer that AWD isn't being offered for those who do want it, however.

 

MazdaSpeed 6? I don't think they've brought it back for the new-gen 6 yet, but I think that's the class leader as far as sportiness, and I'd take a used one over this Regal.

I might argue that the TSX is sportier too. It's certainly not as powerful, but we all know power isn't the whole story for sportiness.

We can dream, can't we?

 

For reasons unknown to me, you cannot get a Recaro seats in the Cadillac with the 3.0L. You also cannot get the Recaro seats with the 3.6L AND manual transmission. Recaros = automatic or CTS-V.

Personally, I'd be inclined to go for a CTS with a stick. We'll have to see how the 2012 Malibu and Fusion shape up.
The '6 only offers a manual with the 4 banger. Styling wise I hate the new front end, but the back end is good. I'd prefer to own an 07 Mazdaspeed 6. Those were a blast to drive, like a DSM for grown ups, which is what I was secretly hoping the Regal would be. I wish I still had a Galant VR4.