2018 Buick Regal GS

Fifty-three years ago, Buick introduced the Riviera and Skylark Gran Sports to the world, packing big Nailhead V-8s and more style than just about anything else General Motors built at the time. By 1970, the zenith of the muscle-car era, the 455-cubic-inch GSX, wearing a wild stripe package and a distinctly un-Buick-like rear spoiler, was running quarter-miles deep in the 13s. That doesn’t sound like much today, when a Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE will punch through the quarter in 11.7, but it’s worth remembering that the tires of the era were about as sticky as a curling stone sliding on Buckyballs.

The GS badge floated in and out of the Buick lineup over the years, having most recently been applied to a reworked Opel Insignia with a 259-hp turbo four that was available with a six-speed manual transmission. The revivified Regal GS wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t exactly heir to the mighty GSX or its honkin’-turbo-V-6 GNX descendant. First and foremost, it was a modern Buick that did modern Buick things—which largely meant trading thrills for serenity. Today’s new 2018 Buick Regal GS is more in the vein of its predecessor than its lairy forebears, but there are some important differences.

Dang, Regal, Izzat You?

First of all, the new GS version of the Regal Sportback—which, again, essentially is a rebadged Opel Insignia—is a legit looker. Sure, it cribs its overall four-door-hatch shape from the BMW 4-series Gran Coupe and the Audi A5 Sportback, but it’s at least as attractive as either. The GS’s all-wheel-drive-only drivetrain also puts it squarely in Ingolstadt’s horse race, in which its 3.6-liter V-6 gives it a distinct horsepower advantage over the A5’s turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four. The Buick’s engine puts out 310 horsepower to the A5’s 252, and it dishes out 282 lb-ft of torque compared with the A5’s 273 lb-ft.

On the winding byways of northern Georgia where we drove the GS, it built speed deceptively, cranking along at elevated velocities as we noted the absence of invasive Kudzu along the roadside. They’ve been spraying the stuff, apparently, stacking the dead vines a couple of stories high in some places. Our copy of R.E.M.’s Murmur suddenly seems out of time. The Buick is confidence-inspiring enough to allow this sort of at-speed, side-glance sightseeing. The steering, regrettably, is merely rheostatic, transmitting nothing of the road to the driver’s hands. Pressing the Sport or GS driving-mode buttons (the latter is Buick’s take on a Sport Plus mode) only adds weight. It’s a six-of-one, half-dozen-of-the-other proposition.

We drummed our fingers behind the wheel in search of shift paddles only to find that they weren’t there. Buick’s market research suggests that its customer base finds such performance-oriented folderol gimmicky. Surprisingly, the paddles weren’t strictly necessary. GM’s nine-speed automatic transmission, co-developed with Ford, doesn’t hunt for gears and valiantly does its part to keep the six in its powerband. The outgoing Regal’s manual, regrettably, has followed the saber-toothed cat and its cousin, the Buick Wildcat convertible, into the mists of memory.

While the previous GS came shod with sticky performance rubber, the 19-inch wheels of the new car wear only all-season 245/40R-19 tires. They tended to sound peals of squeal under hard cornering, with mild understeer as a defining characteristic. The Buick is neither piggish nor ponderous, but even with its fancy GKN-sourced torque-vectoring system—fundamentally the same one as found in the Ford Focus RS—it doesn’t offer the sharp-edged reflexes of the Audi. The large Brembo brakes up front look the business and mean it, too. Pedal feel is progressive, stopping power is serious, and we noticed no fade during zippy on-road shenanigans. We do, however, find it a mite chintzy when manufacturers go for flashy calipers up front but neglect the rear brakes’ aesthetics.

New Values

The cabin is a mixed bag. GM needs to ditch the pebbled, firm-touch dash material that resembles hard plastic. Perhaps the company should consult the heads over at Kia regarding sources of alternative interior materials. The overall design is pleasant, and the seats are a standout pleasure. Their look, perhaps, is a bit much, as they feature pass-throughs for five-point belts that never will be installed in the car, but in practice the seats are supportive, easy to adjust for fit, and all-day comfortable. BMW could take a few lessons from GM on these chairs. The Regal Sportback’s cargo area is commodious, offering 32 cubic feet of storage with the rear seats up and 61 with them folded.

Buick’s contender in the luxe-ish liftback sweepstakes comes in at $39,995, or $3580 less than the A5 Sportback and $15,380 less than the V-6–powered S5 performance model. It’s also $6300 less costly than an all-wheel-drive BMW 430i xDrive Gran Coupe. Even going heavy on the options, one is hard pressed to push the GS much beyond 46 large, while the Germans make it simple to nudge the A5 into base S5 territory and push the 430i well past the 440i’s starting price. Those who desire real sport in their sportbacks will no doubt still spend the coin on one of those Bavarian jobs. Viewed, however, as a value proposition, the 2018 Regal GS delivers a compelling package of features, practicality, and style.

Specifications >

VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door hatchback

BASE PRICE: $39,995

ENGINE TYPE: DOHC 24-valve V-6, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection

Displacement: 223 cu in, 3649 cc
Power: 310 hp @ 6800 rpm
Torque: 282 lb-ft @ 5200 rpm

TRANSMISSION: 9-speed automatic with manual shifting mode

DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 111.4 in
Length: 192.9 in
Width: 73.3 in Height: 57.3 in
Cargo volume: 32 cu ft
Curb weight (C/D est): 3850 lb

PERFORMANCE (C/D EST):
Zero to 60 mph: 5.8 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 14.7 sec
1/4-mile: 14.3 sec
Top speed: 140 mph

EPA FUEL ECONOMY:
Combined/city/highway: 22/19/27 mpg