2011 Buick Regal: Bringing back an old name

Buick will show its new sports sedan, the 2011 Regal, to potential sports-sedan customers in Los Angeles on Thursday.

L.A. is the perfect place. Why? Because Buick sells so poorly there and wants to change minds on the West Coast.

This could be the car that does it.

Buick hopes the Regal's turbocharged four-cylinder and adjustable suspension will deliver a driver's car rivaling L.A. hotshots Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Not to mention Volvo and Acura.

In fact, General Motors promises the new Regal is like nothing you've ever experienced from Buick.

The new Regal will arrive in the second quarter of 2010 with its sights set squarely on competitors such as the Acura TSX and the Volvo S60. The Regal was developed in Germany--it is essentially the Opel Insignia, a car we think looks terrific, drives well and is the European Car of the Year. Buick says the Insignia has won more than 31 awards and is the best-selling midsize sedan in Europe.

The Regal also has been a success in China, where Buick has strong sales. It went on sale in December 2008, and more than 64,000 Regals have been sold there.

Next spring in the United States, the Regal will be offered in CXL trim only, with additional trim levels coming in the 2012 model year. Two four-cylinder engines will be available, the standard 2.4-liter direct-injection Ecotec that produces 182 hp, and next fall, the aforementioned optional 2.0-liter, direct-injection turbo four, producing 220 hp, arrives. Both engines have a six-speed automatic transmission standard.

The car has MacPherson strut front suspension and four-link independent rear suspension. The turbo model will be available with a new adjustable suspension system. A stability system is standard. Also standard is 12-way power, leather and heated driver seat, leather and heated passenger front seat, Bluetooth capability, XM Satellite Radio, dual-stage frontal airbags, side-curtain airbags and pedal-release system. Rear-seat thorax airbags will be an option, as will a navigation unit, a Harmon Kardon sound system, an internal flash drive and a USB port.

The car looks good. It's a bit trite to say, but the car really does look like it's moving when it's sitting still. It is styled right to our eye and the proportions look spot on. The roofline is reminiscent of the Mercedes CLS and the Volkswagen Passat CC. The interior looks good, well-designed and with nice-looking, well-built materials.

What's next? Buick isn't saying, but we think a wagon version would be a natural since the Insignia comes that way. And isn't it time for Buick to have another coupe in the lineup?

By Wes Raynal