FIRST DRIVE ~ 2011 BUICK REGAL CXL

OSOYOSS, B.C.: It was déjà vu all over again driving the 2011 Buick Regal from Vancouver to Kelowna.
Some 13 years ago I drove the then new 1997 Regal over the same road and with the same co-driver, the Toronto Star’s Jim Kenzie.
Back then, you had a choice of a 3.8-litre normally aspirated or supercharged V6 in the 1997 Regal and Regal GS respectively. It was a solid performer that was stoutly built giving great value for the dollar which, frankly, at that time, a lot of GM vehicles did not.
For instance, my neighbour has a 1997 Regal GS he uses as a daily driver. With more than 300,000 km on the clock the heads have never been off and he has yet to have a major mechanical failure.
Built in GM Canada’s Oshawa production plant for much of its life in the first generation, the Regal was so good it was named as tops in quality and owner satisfaction in 2003 by no less an authority than J. D. Power and Associates.
Interestingly, the Regal will again be built in Oshawa starting in the spring of 2011. Currently, it is sourced from Germany.
The Regal will initially be offered in the topline CXL trim level with a starting price of $31,990.
Standard engine is a 2.4-litre Ecotec four-cylinder with direct fuel injection producing 182 hp and 172 lb/ft of torque. Available in the fall will be a twin-scroll, 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder making an estimated 220 hp and 258 lb/ft of torque. It will have a starting price of $34,990.
The base CX will arrive early next year, Buick opting to open with a bang with its top two models.
Initially, there will be one transmission, a six-speed automatic with sequential manual shift mode. Later a six-speed manual will be available with the turbocharged engine.
Fuel economy using regular gasoline with the 2.4-litre is listed at 10.8/6.5/ 8.8L/100 km (26/43/32 mpg) city/highway/combined. With the 2.0-litre turbo, the fuel rating with premium is estimated at 6.9L/100km highway.
The 2.4-litre and 2.0-litre have been used in GM vehicles for some time now. For instance, the 2.4-litre and six-speed automatic is the standard powertrain on the Canadian-built Chevrolet Equinox.
StabiliTrak, GM’s take on electronic stability control, and all-speed traction control are standard as are four-wheel disc brakes with four-channel anti-lock braking and electronic brake assist.
Suspension is coil spring over MacPherson struts at the front and a multi-link independent system at the rear.
When the turbo comes next year, it will offer a GM first called Interactive Drive Control (IDC). It lets the driver select his/her preferred suspension setting.
The system has three choices: Normal, Tour and Sport. Respectively they offer day-to-day, long-distant comfort and sporting road holding for more spirited motoring.
How it works is all four shocks are electronically controlled and continuously adapt within milliseconds to the prevailing road conditions, vehicle movements and individual driving style.
Regardless of which mode you choose, the system has the ability to “learn” the driver’s habits and adapt to enhance driver inputs.
The standard wheel is an 18-inch alloy but the Interactive Drive Control model brings larger 19-inchers.
The chassis of the new Regal is 25 per cent stiffer than the last one which, in its day, was a leader in this department.
In truth, Buick had to do this because today’s buyer, especially the younger more affluent target demographic, is familiar with ride and handling of Audis, BMWs and Volvos.
So it made sense to tap into GM’s German subsidiary, Opel, for a platform that competes head-to-head on the same market.
Buick found what it was looking for in the Opel Insignia  the 2009 European Car of the Year. The Insignia has garnered more than 39 prestigious awards and is the best-selling mid-size sedan in Europe.
In my opinion, the Audi A4 currently defines the essence of what a true “European sports sedan” should be. It is tight, responsive, fast and you can get four adults in with no hunching.
Making it a double case of déjà vu with the Buick Regal was riding with Canadian Product Manager, Fred Dixon. Dixon is 42, and as things would have it, he grew up in the same part of Mississauga (Clarkson) where I worked. I must have seem him back in the day.
More to the point, he is six-feet, two-inches tall and I doubted if he would fit in the back seat when he drove with Kenzie and I.
Fit he did, and along the way, his passion for the Regal was evident as he pointed out a number of little things one might miss at first glance. An example was the little red lights around the outside of the speedo gauge that illuminate to follow the needle as it swings around the gauge face.
I drove both the 2.4-litre and the turbo and found the latter to be substantially quicker. With 86 more lb/ft of torque, the way it digs in for passing is as good or better than a whole lot of V6s on the market and why Buick ruled out the need for larger engines.
The 2.4-litre,while not a road burner like the turbo, is more than adequate for a vast majority of drivers.
On long stretches of Highway 1 near Kelowna there were endless conga lines of motor homes. When it comes to passing, in any car, you have to judge your space and time.
With a stab on the gas, the 2.4 kicks down smartly from sixth to third and picks up the pace with alacrity. In the turbo, you don’t have to second guess to make it.
With the optional IDC, the Regal defaults to Normal with a buttons for Sport and Tour on the centre stack. If you turn on Sport or Tour and then switch off, the system automatically goes back the Normal mode.
Frankly, I couldn’t feel much of a difference between the three although I didn’t try to push the performance envelope on the open road with all the summer tourist traffic.
Dixon told me, and I believe him, that the difference is palpable once you get familiar with the car and it starts adapting itself to your driving style. For me, the car is just fine without it.
The interior reflects the lessons learned and put into play by the “New” GM. It is sumptuous without being overdone which used to be GM failing.
With an all-black interior showing its German heritage, I found the saddle beige leather seats and black upper instrument panel a nice blend of Euro-American which, again, you never would have found in a GM a decade ago.
Buick has re-thought its approach to interior design and in the Regal you find this in integrating new technologies. An example is a multi-function controller on the center console for operation of the audio system, navigation system and the Bluetooth phone. The faceplate for the “infotainment” screen is set at a 30-degree angle to contribute to the car’s flowing interior design.
Part of this new Buick design approach is also seen in the satin metallic, piano black and new, Kibo-patterned interior trim materials. Kibo is a rich, dark, progressively grained wood.
I’ve saved the exterior styling for last.
This is a very handsome car, and I don’t mean pretty, the complex lines of which don’t come across in photos. Just look at the way the rear spoiler is integrated into the rear deck and you know the designers were calling the tune which is as it should be.
Along with the LaCrosse and Enclave, the new Regal brings a new face as well as a new spirit into Buick showrooms across the country.
Already the top selling mid-size car in Europe, and a runaway best seller in China, I’m betting déjà vu is again in the offing for the 2011 Buick Regal.
 
BODY STYLE: Near-luxury mid-size sedan.
DRIVE METHOD: front-engine, front-wheel-drive.
ENGINE: 2,4-litre, DOHC inline four-cylinder (182 hp, 172 lb/ft), 2.0-litre DOCH inline four-cylinder (220 hp, 258 lb/ft).
FUEL ECONOMY: (Regular) 2,4-litre, 10.8/6.5/8.8L/100 km (26/44/32 mpg) city/highway combined; (Premium) 2.0-litre TBA.
PRICE: CXL 2.4-litre, $31,990;CXL turbo, $34,990. Price does not including $1,395 shipping fee.