2012 Buick Regal GS review

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Forget what you think you know about Buick: The 2012 Buick Regal GS deserves an open mind. The 2012 Buick Regal GS aims to gain a toehold in the luxury performance arena. Can the $35,310 Regal GS go toe-to-toe with Audi and Acura? Hey – you promised to keep an open mind! Read on.

The Regal lineup has expanded for 2012 to include the 2.4 liter Ecotec-powered base model; the Regal eAssist, which adds a battery, electric motor and regenerative braking to the Ecotec; the Regal Turbo, which sports a 2.0-liter turbocharged direct-injection engine; and the Regal GS, which adds mild body modifications, suspension and braking upgrades and hotter engine tuning to the Turbo.

The Regal GS is available in a fairly limited palette of colors, with several premium paints adding a touch of metallic luster. This midsize sedan is nicely shaped right out of the box, and the GS shadings help wring a bit more sportiness from the design. There’s a trapezoidal theme throughout the interior and exterior, from the air intakes low on the front fascia to the big exhaust portals at the rear. 19” alloy wheels are standard, and 20” polished alloy wheels are optional. Lower rocker panels and a modest rear spoiler complete the GS package. There’s just a small “GS” badge appended to the Regal on the back of the vehicle – no big screaming chicken on the hood or garish striping to announce that GS is in town. This is a grown up sedan -- for the most part.

Remember that I asked you to keep an open mind, right? Well, exercise that muscle now. Imagine a sport seat, only slightly softer, with slightly more generous "American" proportions. Give that seat rich, thick textured leather and contrasting stitching, and you’ll have the standard heated front seats of the Regal GS. Seating is a highly personal matter of taste, but I think Buick got this right, and 12-way power adjustment (including a 4-way lumbar) for both driver and passenger feels like luxury. After hours in the driver’s seat, I was still impressed.

Also impressive is the GS’s standard sport steering wheel, which houses redundant buttons for audio, navigation and communications. The wheel is of the flat-bottomed variety, and it’s covered with perforated leather to insure good grip. Not too thick or too thin, the wheel is just right for assertive driving.

I'm not crazy about the Regal’s dashboard design, in particular the center stack. Not that it’s terrible or dysfunctional -- it’s not. But it is kind of dull and monochromatic, and not as elegant as the rest of the vehicle. At least there’s some smart engineering, like a one-piece cowl that has no seams, assuring clean fit and finish.

The GS’s back seat is pleasantly roomy. Some negotiation has to occur when long-legged passengers sit in the back, but a little compromise can make everyone comfortable. Two across will be quite fine, but three across had better be closely acquainted before the ride begins.

Every GS comes with OnStar, GM’s live, satellite-based navigation system and XM Satellite radio. The only options available on the GS are a new touchscreen navigation and audio system, a power sunroof, bigger wheels and premium paint.

The heart of a performance car is the engine, and Buick has a winner with the 2.0-liter Ecotec turbo. The turbocharger delivers approximately 20 lbs. of boost (as opposed to 15 lbs. of boost for the regular Regal Turbo) helps the direct-injected engine deliver 270 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque to the front wheels.

Hey! I told you to keep an open mind! Front-wheel drive does not automatically mean poor performance. In the case of the Regal GS, it doesn’t even mean excessive torque steer. Torque steer is a product of power delivery and suspension geometry. When power is abruptly applied to the front wheels, the biggest challenge is to get that power applied in a straight line. Otherwise, the torque will pull the vehicle to one side (usually the right), forcing the driver to fight with the wheel to keep going in the intended direction. Engineers try a myriad of solutions to this problem, from smoothing out power delivery to sophisticated suspension setups. Buick has come up with something that they call the “HiPer Strut,” which replaces the common MacPherson struts you find in a base Regal.

I have to be honest – steering geometry makes sense to me when the engineers explain it, but when I try to tell others about it, it all goes to gobbledygook. So, I just drive the cars, and try to experience what the engineers have described. Here’s what I found in the Regal GS: You can apply an exhilarating amount of power, and it results in a very minor, tolerable amount of torque steer. Road feel is excellent, and the car tracks beautifully through curves. And GS adds an additional trick to the bag in the form of Interactive Drive Control, which lets you select from Normal (the default), Sport and GS modes that affect both suspension and steering settings. As you’d probably guess, Sport and GS progressively tighten up the Regal's responses, making the GS feel more like a performance car.

Driving around in the GS was by far the most fun I've ever had at the wheel of a Buick. My test car was equipped with a slick 6-speed manual transmission which allowed me to keep the engine in its power band while enhancing the feeling of control I had over the vehicle. The clutch is buttery smooth, with an ease of operation that would be very forgiving for a driver who was returning to a manual after a long stay in automatics. A 6-speed automatic transmission will be offered later in the 2012 model year, but I hope the GS finds drivers who appreciate the stick.

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