Topic: First Drive: 2011 Buick Regal

[Jaeger]

Thats what I was saying earlier in this thread....you can get a base LaCrosse for the SAME price as the base Regal, and I would say the LaCrosse is even nicer than the Regal.

Agreed.  The LaCrosse also makes a more convincing case as a near luxury vehicle.

Jaeger

[EV Dan]

still a Buick...   

I'd say one of the best things about this car is that it is NOT a Buick.

That's sure not saying a lot for Buick.

Jaeger

Not for Buick as a brand, but I think it's good for the car itself.

I said it before dumping the Pontiac badge was a mistake. Should have left one luxury, one sporty-performance and one universal brand (Caddy, Pontiac, Chevy). The Regal would make an excellent market contender as a Grand Prix with sufficient power, good styling and much improved interior.

my fav generation:

[rrocket]

^^Nah...not enough fake ground effects, scoops, garish styling and bulges to be a Pontiac......

The "Pontiac-ization" of the Regal would be a terrible thing....

[Jaeger]

^^Nah...not enough fake ground effects, scoops, garish styling and bulges to be a Pontiac......

The "Pontiac-ization" of the Regal would be a terrible thing....

Well doing THAT to it would be terrible indeed.  But they managed to keep the G8 fairly fromage-free.  And I could see this vehicle doing better as a Pontiac than as a Buick for the reasons already mentioned.

Jaeger

[rrocket]

^^Nah...not enough fake ground effects, scoops, garish styling and bulges to be a Pontiac......

The "Pontiac-ization" of the Regal would be a terrible thing....

Well doing THAT to it would be terrible indeed.  But they managed to keep the G8 fairly fromage-free.  And I could see this vehicle doing better as a Pontiac than as a Buick for the reasons already mentioned.

Jaeger

YOu mean apart from the non-functioning hood scoops, side intakes and rear splitter sill?   

[Jaeger]

^^Nah...not enough fake ground effects, scoops, garish styling and bulges to be a Pontiac......

The "Pontiac-ization" of the Regal would be a terrible thing....

Well doing THAT to it would be terrible indeed.  But they managed to keep the G8 fairly fromage-free.  And I could see this vehicle doing better as a Pontiac than as a Buick for the reasons already mentioned.

Jaeger

YOu mean apart from the non-functioning hood scoops, side intakes and rear splitter sill?   

Well I said FAIRLY.   

Jaeger

[CatsEye68]

Jaeger
I think one has to physical drive the two before deciding if one is worth the increase

Nonsense. Jaeger is able to deem it a failure without seeing one or even getting within several miles of one, just by reading spec sheets. He has 30+ posts in this thread to prove it, too. He seems to be a "quantity over quality" type of guy in more ways than one. And then of course the peanut gallery joins in for the chorus.

[rrocket]

Jaeger
I think one has to physical drive the two before deciding if one is worth the increase

Nonsense. Jaeger is able to deem it a failure without seeing one or even getting within several miles of one, just by reading spec sheets. He has 30+ posts in this thread to prove it, too. He seems to be a "quantity over quality" type of guy in more ways than one. And then of course the peanut gallery joins in for the chorus.

Oh stop crying.  What we say makes perfect sense.  Do you disagree that the LaCrosse seems the better value for $32k??  That's all we're saying....

[CatsEye68]

Thats what I was saying earlier in this thread....you can get a base LaCrosse for the SAME price as the base Regal, and I would say the LaCrosse is even nicer than the Regal.

Agreed.  The LaCrosse also makes a more convincing case as a near luxury vehicle.

Jaeger

Again, you don't know what you're talking about. The base Lacrosse has cloth seats, chintzy-looking 16" wheels, and its only real advantage over the Regal is its size. The Regal is a much better-equipped car.

[rrocket]

I think in terms of quality and nicer interior, the LaCrosse trumps it...But hey, that's just me.


Can't win with you anyways...We say a nice thing about a GM (LaCrosse) and you still cry about it....

[Jaeger]

Jaeger blah blah blah blah blah.... And then of course the peanut gallery joins in for the chorus.

Hey, I graduated from the peanut gallery?  Coooool!    Have you driven a Regal, by the way?  You seem to have very strong opinions on the car and are quick to question the basis of everyone else's opinion on the car.  What's yours?

Jaeger

[Not Convinced]

I wonder why GM doesn't just import and sell this cars (amongst many others) as Opels, instead of rebadging them with grandpa (baggage) brand names.  Perhaps they would attract more buyers intending to buy European autos and save rebadging dollars...just a thought.

[Dante]

I took a closer look at what I believe are the main competitors for this car - Passat, TSX and S60. I left the mid-size Lincoln out on purpose as it does not offer 4-cyl engines. I also priced the respective models with A/T as they are the volume sellers. I would assume leather is a must at this price-point so I compared the lowest trim with leather for each vehicle. Volvo does not have the prices yet, but it's safe to assume they won't be the cheapest in any combination. I did not add any other options.

Passat 2.0T Highline w/DSG - $38,175.
Acura TSX Premium Auto - $37,590
Regal 2.0T 6A/T - $34,990

The major feature missing form the Regal at $35K, which is included for the other two, is the HIDs (available), but the $2600 price difference to the next price up (TSX) would most likely cover for it. The difference might as well cover for the fancy adjustable suspension available on the Turbo.

I did not compare all three cars feature by feature, but it seems like the Regal has all the major goodies expected in a premium vehicle.

I think it becomes obvious that the value is there, and it's called the Turbo version if you compare to the intended competitors of the car.

I agree the base engine should've been perhaps DI with 200 hp. However, even for the base trim, I see more value in Regal than the TSX ($32K vs $34.3). The $34K TSX has cloth seats too while the $32K Regal has leather. The Passat Comfortline w/DSG is $32.5K.

I find that as long as the most expensive, fully loaded Regal 2.0T stays under $40K, it’s about right. Add a 2.4L DI 200 HP as the base engine and it will totally make sense IMO.
If they can lower the starting price to start at around 30K once the Canadian production start, this may be a successful model.

Just my 2 cents...

[Shnak]

Who in their right mind would compare a Buick 'grandpa-mobile' Regal to a VW Passat and an Acura TSX? I'm sorry but that's just the truth. Nobody under 60 even looks at Buick's, no matter how good/sporty they are proclaimed to be.

[Dante]

Who in their right mind would compare a Buick 'grandpa-mobile' Regal to a VW Passat and an Acura TSX?

People who understand that the Regal it is NOT your traditional Buick, but literally an Opel Insignia with interchangeable grill and badges.

In Europe, Opel Insignia competes head-to-head with Passat, Accord (TSX), Mondeo and it has been highly praised since its arrival.
Now, if you have proof that the vehicle’s dynamics have been altered despite GM’s claim, that’s a different story. Nobody here drove this car yet (especially the Turbo version) so at this time I would go by what the media (Euro) reports.
What do you go by when you claim this particular car is a 'grandpa-mobile'?

[Jaeger]

Who in their right mind would compare a Buick 'grandpa-mobile' Regal to a VW Passat and an Acura TSX? I'm sorry but that's just the truth. Nobody under 60 even looks at Buick's, no matter how good/sporty they are proclaimed to be.

Well, that's who they're "targeting" therefore we are supposed to put blinders to all other midsize sedans and just accept on blind faith that it is a valid contender in that field.

Or else, y'know, think for ourselves.  I'd still like to know what makes this car $8k better than a Sonata, much less a TSX slayer.

Oh, and there's nothing wrong with proclaiming yourself to be sporty if you've actually got the goods to back it up.  But asking 182 ponies to haul around 3600 pounds does not promise for a a very sporty experience, IMHO.

Jaeger

[Jaeger]

I wonder why GM doesn't just import and sell this cars (amongst many others) as Opels, instead of rebadging them with grandpa (baggage) brand names.  Perhaps they would attract more buyers intending to buy European autos and save rebadging dollars...just a thought.

They's certainly stand a better chance of attracting NEW buyers, and goodness knows they need that in a big way.  Their entire customer base pretty much has one foot in the grave.  Not the group you want to be relying on to sign up for your (allegedly) sporty sedan.

Jaeger

[Dante]

Not everyone likes/wants a Sonata ... Good enough?

Why do you think the Regal 2.0 Turbo is not a good contender (not necessarily the winner - I never said that) for the cars/trims I listed above?
Remember, this is a paper analysis because none of us drove one.

[Erik]

Who in their right mind would compare a Buick 'grandpa-mobile' Regal to a VW Passat and an Acura TSX? I'm sorry but that's just the truth. Nobody under 60 even looks at Buick's, no matter how good/sporty they are proclaimed to be.

Just like I am sure that a few years ago, no one would have thought about buying a luxury car from Hyundai....

[Jaeger]

Not everyone likes/wants a Sonata ... Good enough?

Nope - that's not even an answer, much less a good enough answer.  Of course some people will always prefer A versus B - but that avoids entirely the question of the comparative merits and value of A versus B.  But I fully understand why, in this case, you'd do anything to avoid that discussion - 'cause it's not looing too good for your boy.

Why do you think the Regal 2.0 Turbo is not a good contender (not necessarily the winner - I never said that) for the cars/trims I listed above? Remember, this is a paper analysis because none of us drove one.

Because I don't feel constrained to consider it's merits against ONLY the cars you have listed.  As a consumer, I have a wide open field to consider - not just the cars GM tells me to consider.  The 2.0T Buick will give up about 50hp to the 2.0T Sonata, it will probbaly also weight considerably more and probably cost 10 grand more.  I haven't driven either, but that alone makes me think it just might not present a compelling choice as compared with a much less expensive rival.

Jaeger