Buick Regal History
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The Buick Regal is a mid-size car first introduced by General Motors in 1973 to take advantage of the growing personal-luxury car market. The original model was a flashy notchback coupe based on the A-body Century. It was later joined by a sedan, and both models were offered with a choice of V-6 or V-8 powertrains.
The second-generation Regal arrived in 1978 and garnered a reputation for being a little bit sporty thanks to its three-speed manual. In 1988 the third generation of the Regal was launched, this time on a brand-new front-wheel-drive platform. This version both departed from and returned to Regal tradition--being front-wheel drive for the first time but once again offered only as a coupe. Performance fans looked elsewhere as there was no longer a V-8 or turbocharged V-6 option available and eventually, sales started to decline. A sedan variant was reintroduced by 1990.
When the fourth generation of the Regal arrived in 1997, Buick was no longer offering a coupe and there was still no V-8 option. However, a new supercharged model with 240 horsepower on tap was launched bearing the GS name. A dealer upgrade labeled the GSX SLP Performance Package was offered on this GS model, boosting output to 270 horsepower and adding an assortment of performance accessories. Production of the fourth-generation Regal eventually died off in 2004.
The popular nameplate made its return in the 2011 model year with what is essentially a rebadged Opel Insignia sedan. In fact, the Regal was initially planned as the replacement for the Saturn Aura sedan, but that GM division was shuttered in 2009, before it could offer the four-door.
The resulting fifth-generation Regal is priced competitively against rivals like the Acura TSX, Volkswagen Passat and new Volvo S60. It has barely anything in common with past namesakes. It's offered in a few different flavors: a naturally aspirated 2.4-liter model and a 2.0-liter turbocharged version are joined in the 2012 model year by a high-output turbo version dubbed the Regal GS, and a version with a mild hybrid system called eAssist will be added late in the model year. All powertrains feature direct injection and come paired to a six-speed automatic transmission with manual-shift control.
The current Regal has been fairly well-reviewed, with our editors complimenting its aero style, its neutral front-drive handling and the turbo thrust of the new GS edition.
Buick had planned to offer all-wheel drive on this new Regal, but has since scuttled the plan, citing the cost and weight the system would bring.
