2012 Buick Regal GS (910)

Overview:

This week we’re looking at the 2012 Buick Regal GS. Wow, is this an international production?! A US manufacturer, a car that is assembled in Canada, the engine and transmission is from Germany and 15% of parts are from Mexico. Well, hopefully we have taken the best of many countries to put out a great product. And it would appear they have given this careful thought… or not!

Remember the old Buick’s of the 1950s and 1960s? One model was called a Road Master, but of course we kids called it a Road Hog. Yep, it was huge, bulky and albeit a classic today over half century later, today’s Buick’s are classy looking but I doubt it will ever be a classic since, it like most of the field play it safe. And when they aren’t safe, we call them Scion on the cheap end or Lamborghini on the obscene pricing end of the spectrum. Both approaches are over the top.

Opinion:

Henry Ford, father of the automated production line that revolutionized the auto industry was because he was a thinker. That led to the concept made manifest and is now so much of the production line is being manned by robots. Hey I have to ask my union friends – do those robots pay union dues?

Perhaps it will be computers and Robotics that will help to end the union’s curse on America. My guess is that top management would agree that curse has been the major reason for the need for a bail out by tax payers. Whether you agree with the bail out or not we who study the industry know why the need was there. It still is and we need to give a lot of thought on how we can eliminate the cancer.

I wonder what Henry Ford would think of the growing union stronghold, or should I say Stranglehold. It was Henry who said “Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason so few engage in it”. Well, someone out there will think of a way before a total melt down.

Think about it!

Handling & Performance:

Regal is a pleasure to drive with responsive power for a four cylinder. My test vehicle had a 6-speed Manual transmission but some may want to opt for the 6-speed automatic.

Styling:

Beautiful. Nice job GM.

Fit and Finish:

Excellent assembly. Is it Man or Machine?

Cost:

You get what you pay for and this is a lovely automobile and I’d say it is priced right, all things considered. However, after just coming out of a Nissan Versa it gave me pause to reflect on saving $17,000 if I bought the Versa. Would I rather have that in the bank for a rainy day? I’ll have to think about that.

Conveniences and comfort:

Very comfortable and I finally got my sun visors that extend. That’s a pet peeve of mine since nothing irritates me more than moving the visor to the side window and it only covers half of the blinding glare. Overall the Regal has a perfect array of standard features.

Consumer Recommendation:

This is a tough one to pick out the best since the field is very competitive but as for me, I gotta tell you the Cadillac CTS remains one of my all time favorite cars in today’s world. GM looks good in this battle.

Recognized Competition:

Buick Regal $35,000, Acura TSX $30,000, Audi A4 $33,000, BMW 3 Series $35,000, Cadillac CTS $36,000, Chrysler 200 $27,000, Honda Accord $24,000, Hyundai Sonata $26,000, Infiniti G Sedan $33,000, Lexus ES 350 $37,000, Lexus IS $34,000, Lincoln MKZ $35,000, Mazda 6 $19,000, Mercedes C-Class $35,000, Nissan Maxima $32,000, Subaru Legacy $25,000, Toyota Camry $30,000, Volkswagon Jetta $23,000, Volvo S60 $31,000.

Good News:

Fair fuel economy coupled with great styling luxury packed sedan priced well.

Bad News:

Nothing I can put my finger on, but the shifting mechanism could be a bit tighter. When you test drive it, you’ll see what I mean. And finally, although fuel economy is fair, when gas prices go to $8.00 a gallon you’ll be looking for something that gets 40-50 mpg.

Standard Equipment:

2.0 Liter Turbo Ecotec 4-cylinder 182 horsepower engine, 6-speed manual transmission, ONStar with turn by turn navigation, 4-wheel ABS disc brakes with Brembo front brakes, stability and traction controls, front, side and head curtain and airbag sensing system, rear seat mounted airbags, daytime running lights, LATCH system with rear child lock security, tire pressure monitoring, 19” allow wheels, power heated mirrors with turn signals, 2 – 12 V outlets, 1 – 120 volt outlet, 8-way power driver and passenger heated seats with 4-way power lumbar, dual zone climate control, Bluetooth, cruise control, leather wrapped steering wheel, remote entry with push button start, power windows & locks, 60/40 split folding rear seat, tilt and telescopic steering column, stereo 9 speaker audio with CD/XM, USB port.

Gas Stats:

$4.15/ Gal avg. Feb 24, 2012

www.fueleconomy.gov

for more information.

19 City and 27 Highway MPG

Pricing:

MSRP $34,450.