2011 Buick Regal vs. Its Competition

Martin Padgett Editorial Director

Buick points to the Volvo S60 and the Acura TSX as chief competitors.

In sales, those are pretty low hurdles to clear, but the S60 does have some of the finest front seats on the planet, and its wedgy look is entirely new this year.

The TSX has the awkward new Acura styling theme—the bottle-opener grille—as well as a heavier, pricier, and not much more powerful V-6 version to live down, while in truth it’s a comfortable four-door with good steering and lots of high-tech gear.

The Nissan Maxima and Volkswagen CC are both rebodied versions of stock family sedans.

The CC’s a little more clever in its look and its twin-bucket rear seats; the Maxima looks fine outside, but has a lower-rent interior and suffers with a CVT that turns the power band into a slurry of grunts and growls.

The car the Regal should fear most? The Hyundai Sonata, which carries a base price under $20,000, but adds Turbo and Hybrid versions this year for less than the normally aspirated Regal CXL’s $27,000 sticker price.