Sunday, January 12, 2014
2012 Buick Regal GS A Journey to Traverse City Michigan
Buick and sports performance are something that hasn’t gone together for quite some time. Sure GS badges, etc. were thrown on the side and a powerful engine was thrown in but the total package of a sports sedan has not been in the Buick repertoire. Now with the upcoming 2012 Buick Regal GS they have touched on something that actually pushed the right buttons when it comes to driving enjoyment.
Recently I was able to travel to Traverse City Michigan for a pre-production screening of the new 270hp Buick Regal GS. This region of Michigan is filled with twisty country roads as well as scenic lakefront vistas that create a perfect backdrop for the Regal. It was very easy to find hours of driving enjoyment here and was a great way to test out everything the Buick Regal has to offer including its interactive driver control, high output Ecotec Turbocharged engine, 6-speed manual transmission and driver orientated cabin.
Setting the Buick Regal GS apart from the exterior of the standard Regal was accomplished by adding distinctive satin finish front air intakes, distinctive rocker panels, a lip mounted rear spoiler and 20-inch 5 dual spoke rims running Pirelli summer only tires. All of this gives the Regal GS a much different aura about it than standard Regals. It has more aggressive lines and stance. The Regal is not contentious and Buick engineers are focusing on Refined Performance rather than all out performance figures. No chrome Is present instead replaced with all brushed and polished Aluminum that add a real premium touch to the GS.
The interior is very similar to your everyday Regal you find on the road today bit with some important differences that make a minor aesthetic change into major functional changes. The Regal GS features a unique flat-bottomed perforated leather wrapped steering wheel that tops the list on some of my favorite steering wheels. It is large, meaty, offers great road feel and instills confidence even under heavy load. New for the 2012 Regal GS is the Intellilink ™ infotainment center that strives to better engage the driver with the technology available without overly distracting from the driving input. The systems is much more efficient than the current system, it offers touch capability, much better voice recognition, and the ability to to integrate programs such as Pandora to allow for a more connected feel even on the go. I wasn’t able to really test the system and I imagine with something this complex that bugs will be present in the early editions of this but I am told that owners will be able to upload software updates from a USB flash drive as they become available.
Driving the Regal GS was quite a pleasure especially in a location as majestic as Traverse City, Michigan. Situated in far northwestern Michigan this small quaint town has grown into a bustling tourist location for many Michiganders, but if you venture out past all the hotels and shops you find an area ripe with great twisting roads and awesome lake front vistas that are a perfect compliment to the Regal GS. With a small population of locals it is easy to find yourself alone on the road and here is where the GS shines. The 270 hp 295 lb.../ft 2.0L EcoTec engine is one of the most SAE certified power dense engines that GM has ever produced. This attached to the new HiPer strut technology and huge 20-inch wheels equals quite an agile and athletic car. Straight-line speed is impressive but certainly isn’t the main point of this vehicle. A broad torque curve allows for less gearshifts and more torque on tap as you power out of the numerous turns in the Traverse City countryside. Heavy use of the throttle elicits a pleasing turbo spooling sound and engine rumble, but with a focus on refined performance there really isn’t much of a throaty aggressive exhaust note that I expected from something this powerful.
Steering feel comes through a wonderful perforated leather wrapped flat bottom steering wheel that is a joy to use. It is a great compliment to the loads of grip on tap from the 20-inch wheels. Road feel is direct and there is a good sense of on-center directness that equals to quite a bit of confidence on the road. Supplementing all of this is an interactive drive control that has three setting; comfort, sport, and GS. Each mode equals to about a 20% increase in overall suspension stiffness that is accomplished through an infinitely variable bypass valve within the strut body. For those looking for hardcore performance GS mode is the weapon of choice. Offering the greatest level of stiffness it also increases the relative weight felt through the steering column. But unlike performance sedans in the past that had to sacrifice ride quality in the search of more grip, the other settings loosen up the suspension and it becomes suppler when the road becomes less curvaceous.
This was my first time in Traverse City, Michigan and I have to say it was a perfect location to show off the Buick Regal GS. It was a gorgeous place that fully embodied the majestic lake front property that many Michiganders love with everyday. As a man from Indiana I spent many summers visiting the dunes of southwestern Michigan but never have I gone this far north. Where we stayed was a bit touristy, but once outside the city boundaries it was like being home here in Bloomington, IN surrounded by trees, wilderness, and not much else it felt like the many times I have driven through Brown and Monroe county here. There were some amazing roads and with limited traffic it was one of those rare places where one could actually enjoy driving without worrying about other motorists. This may have been my first time but I think Traverse City will be a regular stop for me and my future wife Katelyn. But now enough of the post card moment Ill get back to the car.
One of the surprising aspects of the Regal GS is the fact that when you don’t need all 270 hp you can actually drive quite fuel efficiently. Over a 20-mile stretch at an average speed of 60 mph 31 MPGs were quite easy to attain. This means that on one hand owners have a stylish sports sedan that is capable of an extremely athletic performance, but at the same time on a long road trip fuel costs won’t pile up. With an initial MSRP of $35,310 the Buick Regal is quite a good value for customers who are looking for an excellent compromise between the amount of performance technology and livability they can get. The GS is not a pure performance vehicle it also has to be a car that someone can jump into day after day for a commute to world but also needs to excite its driver on weekend escapades to the back country roads. The Regal GS succeeds at being a great blend of both offering a comfortable interior with a striking exterior that is complimented by a first rate driving experience that is sure to win over customers tired of a sports sedan that kills their spine and a luxury sedan that just seems too pedantic.
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