First Drive: 2012 Buick Regal GS [w/video]

Filed under: Sedan, Performance, Buick, First Drives

Less Turns Out To Be More Than Enough



When General Motors first announced that the U.S. would be getting some sort of hotted-up Regal, we were told it'd be just like the Opel Insignia OPC that continues to light fires within the hearts of European enthusiasts. That car boasts a 325-horsepower 2.8-liter turbocharged V6, six-speed manual transmission and all-wheel drive. We've had the chance to drive the Insignia OPC and will say without hesitation that it is, in fact, the bee's knees.

Imagine our disappointment, then, when we found out that the Regal GS was fitted with a 270-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder. Oh yeah, and it's front-wheel drive.

But here's what everyone seems to forget: The Regal GS may be down on power compared to the Insignia OPC, but it still produces 295 pound-feet of torque, just like the Opel. The Regal is also about 500 pounds lighter than the Insignia OPC. And sure, all-wheel drive is nice, but the Regal uses what is arguably the world's most advanced front-wheel-drive architecture - GM's HiPer Strut system. Finally, according to our Buick man, the Insignia OPC would have been hit with a gas guzzler tax had it been ported directly over. By contrast, the Regal GS achieves up to 27 miles per gallon.

There's plenty of goodness to the Regal GS package, and after a long stint of hustling this hottest Buick along northern Michigan's finest backroads, we aren't all that disappointed after all.

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2012 Buick Regal GS [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Denny Hulme James Hunt Jim Hurtubise Gus Hutchison Jacky Ickx