General Motors left us on the edge of our seats at this year's Detroit Auto Show when its Buick Regal GS show car was unveiled. A few months later, GM confirmed that the sportier Regal was headed for production, and now, just a short time before the sedan's official debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show, we have official information and photos of the production-ready car. Ladies and gentlemen, the 2012 Buick Regal GS has arrived.
GM has, of late, made great strides to rework Buick's image here in the United States, trying to inject some youth and enthusiasm in a brand that has long been associated with a much older crowd of buyers. This top-rung Regal is based heavily on the performance-oriented Opel Insignia OPC, one of Europe's most praised sport sedans, and while the U.S.-spec car you see here certainly looks like it's fresh off the boat, it has been toned-down in its transoceanic journey. We get the Opel's beefed-up visuals with large, fang-like air intakes up front, big exhaust-work out back and optional 20-inch satin chrome wheels (19s are standard, if that's more your style), but where the Regal GS begins to separate itself from the Insignia OPC isn't visible from outside.
Powering the GS is The General's turbocharged 2.0-liter Ecotec inline-four, estimated to produce 255 horsepower at 5,300 rpm and 295 pound-feet of torque from 2,500 to 4,000 rpm. To any enthusiast's delight, this power runs solely through a six-speed manual transmission, though we're told that a six-speed automatic with paddle shifters will be available shortly after launch. The Opel OPC, for the record, receives a force-fed 2.8-liter V6 that generates 325 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque.
Unlike the show car that GM rolled out back in January (and unlike the Buick's European counterpart), all-wheel drive will not be available on U.S.-spec models.Front-wheel drive doesn't sound too elegant for a sport sedan like this, but GM has fitted its High Performance Strut (HiPerStrut) front suspension design which we've found to curb torque steer and reduce understeer in other applications. We asked GM why it decided to omit AWD, and the simple answer is this: It's cheaper to use front-wheel drive and the automaker is completely confident that its HiPerStrut system will fare just as well. We've tested this system in the larger LaCrosse and a variation of it on the Saab 9-5, and although we'll wait until we get some street (or track) time before we reach a final consensus, we don't think the GS will be all that unruly when pushed hard, especially given the lowered power output.
Uprated Brembo brakes promise to keep the power in check, and GM's new Interactive Drive Control with standard, sport and high-engagement GS mode allows the driver to tweak the suspension and steering feel.
Inside the GS, the Regal's cockpit has largely been left alone, save the addition of some sport enhancements. A flat-bottom sport steering wheel is standard, as are heated, leather sport seats. Other standard goodies include things like Bluetooth, XM satellite radio, park assist and bi-Xenon headlamps.
We're definitely ready to see how the Regal GS fares out on the road, and we'll get our first taste closer to the car's on-sale date, currently scheduled for the third or fourth quarter of 2011.
6 speed auto sounds nice though.
Negative.
