Topic: Test Drive: 2011 Buick Regal CXL

[TopGun]

80% are the same attack? What about the posts defending any possible criticism ?

[/quote]

I don't do the ROFL often...this is one of them.  So....should we stop the "defence" before the "attacks"?

[Jaeger]

How absurd that criticism of a vehicle for its very obvious shortcomings - identified by journalists and members alike - should be damned as "attacks" merely because the subject of the criticism is a domestic brand.    The paranoid persecution complex of some on this board is sad, funny and surreal all at once.

Jaeger

[safristi]

..this thread is hanging on duckie................ ...................

[Sir Osis of Liver]

Did you even read what I wrote?  I said "But save for the TSX, NONE of those cars you listed were HEAVILY advertised as "sports sedans"".  So yea, I pointed out that the TSX was the only car you listed marketed as a sports sedan.  Tool.   

And why can't we about car stuff on a car forum?  I have no idea why you guys get all butt-hurt when there are people who scrutinize, analyze and moan about car stuff on a.....car forum.

FWIW, I think the IS250 SUCKS with the 2.5L V6 (204HP) and the BMW 2.3 is also a joke.  So if I think those 2 cars suck with those engines, why wouldn't I think (or others) that the Regal sucks with it's underpowered POS powertrain that is LESS potent than either of those 2 other cars, yet weighs more?

Yeah, I misread your statement.

I don't have any issue with people not liking any particular car. I do have an issue with people trashing others who dissagree.


BTW what kind of tool? Screwdriver or Mjöllnir? It makes a difference!

[chrischasescars]

BTW what kind of tool? Screwdriver or Mjöllnir? It makes a difference!

Bahahaha!

[rrocket]

BTW what kind of tool? Screwdriver or Mjöllnir? It makes a difference!

Does a dildo count as a tool?   

[Mozeby]

For somebody who puts so much emphasis on blowing away other sedans, why are you so interested in a Sonata?  Even the Turbo version has an estimated 0-60 time in the mid 6s which would leave it at the bottom of the V6 pack with the Accord and Fusion, and would be whooped by the class leaders like the Altima, Malibu, Camry, & Mazda 6.

I don't know how interested I'll be in the Sonata Turbo until I drive it.  Same goes for the Regal Turbo, which will have the added bonus of a manual transmission.  But I have driven the norally aspirated Regal GT (Geriatric Transport) and know it's not for me.  And the normally aspirated Sonata is nice enough to make me think the Turbo version will be quite appealing indeed.

And a car need not be a neck-snapping dragster to hold my interest - though I have much enjoyed strong pull from my VQ Altima.  But it can't be slow, sluggish, tepid and recalcitrant.  Particularly if it is being marketed as a premium sports sedan - and priced accordingly.  The Regal didn't provide much more in the way of driving enjoyment than my Dad's 4-pot Accord does.  Better chassis, similar power, more weight and a less responsive slushbox do not net out to anything resembling a sporting drive.  They are both perfectly good cars that will be perfectly satisfactory to the average commuter.  But sports sedans they most certainly are not.

Jaeger

So wait a minute.  It's being priced as a premium sports sedan.  At $32K? How many premium sports sedans do you know that start at 32K?  If anything you're looking at mid to high 30s minimum, and the Germans don't give too many discounts, so you're looking at even more dough.  And from what I've seen, if you look at the base engines in the $40K class like the Mercedes C300, Lexus IS250, or Acura TSX, you'd be looking at many a tailights if you challenged anyone at the streetlight.  It's not that important to some people.  That's why we have choice.  Besides there's a Regal Grandsport coming with even more power than the Turbo model.

[CatsEye68]

Does a dildo count as a tool?   

Only if it has a name that starts with the letter "J" that is reminiscent of a manufacturer of European speedometers...

[Sir Osis of Liver]

BTW what kind of tool? Screwdriver or Mjöllnir? It makes a difference!

Does a dildo count as a tool?   

Not to me, but whatever works for you man!

[Jaeger]

So wait a minute.  It's being priced as a premium sports sedan.  At $32K? How many premium sports sedans do you know that start at 32K? 

The one I drove was closer to $36k and the dealer said it didn't have all options.  It certainly didn't have nav. I'm pretty sure that when the Turbo comes with out its long laundry list of options, we will see it quickly up into G37 territory, even if it starts at a lower base price.  The G will eat it for breakfast.

Yes, I get that power isn't important to some people.  That point has been made over and over and over and over again.  I hope for Buick's sake that they find a strong niche demand amongst enthusiast buyers for (comparatively) slow sports sedans.  I wish them the best of luck.

Jaeger

[rrocket]

Any sales figures for this car yet?  Been avail for over a month here, and a few more in the USA...I found this article:

http://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2010/09/midsize-car-sales-figures-america.html

Let's look at the stunning 2011 Buick Regal. She is a beauty. Of course, beauty is only skin-deep. Fortunately the 2011 Regal is also a pleasant car to drive, even if you want to give'er a little in the twisties. Nevertheless, the Regal's sales growth has been suspended; hopefully temporarily. From 150 U.S. sales in May  to 321 U.S. sales in June  to 1703 U.S. Sales in July, the new Regal was showing signs of catching on. But then August's Sales Stats came in and Regal sales totalled just 1704, a gain of 1, as you can see in the Graph below. Interestingly, Buick can't blame a slow sales month for the growth suspension. See, sales of the Buick Enclave, Buick LaCrosse, and Buick Lucerne improved compared to last August. Even without the 2011 Regal, Buick sales rose by 2274 units.

FWIW, the Acura TSX sold 2419 last month.

[Truth be told]

And why can't we about car stuff on a car forum?  I have no idea why you guys get all butt-hurt when there are people who scrutinize, analyze and moan about car stuff on a.....car forum.

No one is saying they can't. It just gets really old and boring when 80% of the posts in any GM related threads turn into the same attack over and over again. In most forums, that would be considered trolling. The admins around these parts seem to be ok with it. Aside from trolling, it is incredibly tedious.

Truth be told, it has been unfair for the GM slappy duo lately.  To make things better I am going to send free T-shirts to Erik and Sir O, they will read "I bailed out GM, and all I got was this lousy Buick"   

[CanuckS2K]

Any sales figures for this car yet?  Been avail for over a month here, and a few more in the USA...I found this article:

http://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2010/09/midsize-car-sales-figures-america.html

Let's look at the stunning 2011 Buick Regal. She is a beauty. Of course, beauty is only skin-deep. Fortunately the 2011 Regal is also a pleasant car to drive, even if you want to give'er a little in the twisties. Nevertheless, the Regal's sales growth has been suspended; hopefully temporarily. From 150 U.S. sales in May  to 321 U.S. sales in June  to 1703 U.S. Sales in July, the new Regal was showing signs of catching on. But then August's Sales Stats came in and Regal sales totalled just 1704, a gain of 1, as you can see in the Graph below. Interestingly, Buick can't blame a slow sales month for the growth suspension. See, sales of the Buick Enclave, Buick LaCrosse, and Buick Lucerne improved compared to last August. Even without the 2011 Regal, Buick sales rose by 2274 units.

FWIW, the Acura TSX sold 2419 last month.

A couple of strange things about those graphs.  Why on earth would Camry/Venza sales be combined???  They are two different vehicles, no?  Also in the second graph, why is the TL there?    

[rrocket]

^^Because it's classes a mid-size?

[Sir Osis of Liver]

Re:Camry/Venza

IIRC The Good Car Guy, aka Timothy Cain, just posts the info as he gets it from the manufacturer. Sometimes they combine models. Sometimes it's weird though Toyota USA combines Corolla/Matrix sales, but Toyota Canada reports them as separate models.

Maybe Ford should report Fusion/Edge sales?

Hopefully Regal sales pick up, but in the current US market, it's hard to get any sales, especially when you're fighting preconceived notions.

[dirtyjeffer]

Re:Camry/Venza

IIRC The Good Car Guy, aka Timothy Cain, just posts the info as he gets it from the manufacturer. Sometimes they combine models. Sometimes it's weird though Toyota USA combines Corolla/Matrix sales, but Toyota Canada reports them as separate models.

Maybe Ford should report Fusion/Edge sales?

Hopefully Regal sales pick up, but in the current US market, it's hard to get any sales, especially when you're fighting preconceived notions.

the Camry/Venza are probably combined for two reasons...they are both in the same class and are built on the same platform...a Venza is essentially a "Camry Wagon"...my Financial Advisor has one, he really likes it.

[dirtyjeffer]

To make things better I am going to send free T-shirts to Erik and Sir O, they will read "I bailed out GM, and all I got was this lousy Buick"   

ok, come on now...THAT was funny.

[dirtyjeffer]

Any sales figures for this car yet?  Been avail for over a month here, and a few more in the USA...I found this article:

http://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2010/09/midsize-car-sales-figures-america.html

Let's look at the stunning 2011 Buick Regal. She is a beauty. Of course, beauty is only skin-deep. Fortunately the 2011 Regal is also a pleasant car to drive, even if you want to give'er a little in the twisties. Nevertheless, the Regal's sales growth has been suspended; hopefully temporarily. From 150 U.S. sales in May  to 321 U.S. sales in June  to 1703 U.S. Sales in July, the new Regal was showing signs of catching on. But then August's Sales Stats came in and Regal sales totalled just 1704, a gain of 1, as you can see in the Graph below. Interestingly, Buick can't blame a slow sales month for the growth suspension. See, sales of the Buick Enclave, Buick LaCrosse, and Buick Lucerne improved compared to last August. Even without the 2011 Regal, Buick sales rose by 2274 units.

FWIW, the Acura TSX sold 2419 last month.

so, the Regal didn't even outsell the Kia Optima?!?...i don't even know what a Kia Optima is (i assume a US version of a Magentis?).

an interesting note is the Genesis seems to be doing rather well in its category (considering the brands it is up against, it is holding its own).

[Leviathan]

Let's look at the stunning 2011 Buick Regal. She is a beauty. Of course, beauty is only skin-deep. Fortunately the 2011 Regal is also a pleasant car to drive, even if you want to give'er a little in the twisties. Nevertheless, the Regal's sales growth has been suspended; hopefully temporarily. From 150 U.S. sales in May  to 321 U.S. sales in June  to 1703 U.S. Sales in July, the new Regal was showing signs of catching on. But then August's Sales Stats came in and Regal sales totalled just 1704, a gain of 1, as you can see in the Graph below. Interestingly, Buick can't blame a slow sales month for the growth suspension. See, sales of the Buick Enclave, Buick LaCrosse, and Buick Lucerne improved compared to last August. Even without the 2011 Regal, Buick sales rose by 2274 units.

Low initial sales were planned/expected:

GM Prices Buick Regal; Losing Money on Every One?

GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz told reporters at the Detroit auto show last week that GM had two choices in establishing pricing for the Regal.

"We could either price it where the euro-dollar exchange would want it priced -- where it would be almost sales proof," he quipped. "Or we could forego any significant profitability on the vehicle until we can get the plant in Canada producing the Regal.

"We're taking Plan B because it would be ridiculous to overprice the car for the first eight or nine months and then drop the price when it is produced here," he said.

As a result, Lutz warned Regal production -- and thus sales -- will be relatively low volume, about 35,000 in its first year.

[toolatecrew]

Let's look at the stunning 2011 Buick Regal. She is a beauty. Of course, beauty is only skin-deep. Fortunately the 2011 Regal is also a pleasant car to drive, even if you want to give'er a little in the twisties. Nevertheless, the Regal's sales growth has been suspended; hopefully temporarily. From 150 U.S. sales in May  to 321 U.S. sales in June  to 1703 U.S. Sales in July, the new Regal was showing signs of catching on. But then August's Sales Stats came in and Regal sales totalled just 1704, a gain of 1, as you can see in the Graph below. Interestingly, Buick can't blame a slow sales month for the growth suspension. See, sales of the Buick Enclave, Buick LaCrosse, and Buick Lucerne improved compared to last August. Even without the 2011 Regal, Buick sales rose by 2274 units.

Low initial sales were planned/expected:

GM Prices Buick Regal; Losing Money on Every One?

GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz told reporters at the Detroit auto show last week that GM had two choices in establishing pricing for the Regal.

"We could either price it where the euro-dollar exchange would want it priced -- where it would be almost sales proof," he quipped. "Or we could forego any significant profitability on the vehicle until we can get the plant in Canada producing the Regal.

"We're taking Plan B because it would be ridiculous to overprice the car for the first eight or nine months and then drop the price when it is produced here," he said.

As a result, Lutz warned Regal production -- and thus sales -- will be relatively low volume, about 35,000 in its first year.

Ok I understand that in order to get the regal out sooner they will lose money on it..what I don't understand is the need to get it out "sooner".

What exactly is the point of selling 35.000 or less regals at a LOSS? Its a new "exciting" model that should see a sales surge simply becuase its NEW. Why not wait a year launch it with a more refined powertrain (since you have more development time) and sell 35,000 plus the next year at a PROFIT??

Not only that but the article further reveals that a lot of those sales of money losing Regals will actually canabalize sales of GM vehcicles that are actually PROFITABLE.

With only four brands remaining, GM is desperately trying to position its vehicles in marketing and pricing against non-GM competitors.

However, the Regal, in the early going, is being cross-shopped against its own siblings and its cousins. Edmunds.com's analysis of shopping traffic on its Web site shows nearly half -- 46 percent -- of people who have a Regal on their shopping list also consider Buick LaCrosse. Fourteen percent consider Buick Lucerne. Nearly 12 percent check out Chevrolet Malibu. Of the most cross-shopped vehicles, the only non-GM product to be considered by Regal buyers is the Ford Taurus.