DACH Supersonic February 27, 2018 Share February 27, 2018 2018 Buick Regal GS first drive: The backroad Buick The new GS may not be track ready, but it’s an improved Regal by every performance measurementhttp://autoweek.com/article/car-reviews/2018-buick-regal-gs-first-drive-backroad-buick#ixzz58JgWnwXP One might assume the GS (Gran Sport) badge on the back of this Buick means serious business. After all, in the past, those two little letters signaled to everyone that specialized performance equipment was on board. The very first GS models back in the mid-1960s were hardcore. Buick described the Skylark GS as “a howitzer with windshield wipers.” And to be sure, the 2018 Regal GS is a meaningful improvement over the standard Regal Sportback. Yet, this one stops short of being a howitzer—or a true track-ready performance package. “It’s not really meant to drive on the other side of that wall, onto the racetrack,” Buick’s vehicle performance manager Mike Mueller mentions to us as we look out over Atlanta Motorsports Park’s road course in Dawsonville, Georgia. “We could have dialed up the GS but that’s not where we were trying to go. It’s not supposed to be a Camaro, Corvetteor high-performance Cadillac.” While the GS may not be a super sedan like Caddy’s V-Series monsters, engineers massaged the Regal in every way to improve its performance on the street. Under the hood, GM’s venerable 3.6-liter V6 takes the place of the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder in standard Regals. Here, that V6 makes 310 hp and 282 lb-ft of torque—a 60 hp and 26 lb-ft of torque bump over the four. Although the last Regal GS offered the option of a six-speed manual transmission up until 2016, this new one comes paired solely to GM’s nine-speed automatic. And all Regal GS models use a specifically-tuned version of the Regal’s twin-clutch all-wheel drive system. The chassis components as well as the strut front and five-link rear suspension systems are largely the same as the ones used on the more pedestrian Regal Sportback AWD models. The biggest change comes from the adoption of Continuous Damping Control (CDC) dampers from ZF at each corner. The firmness of these shocks can be adjusted through buttons on the center console. The front springs are unique here but only because the V6 carries an additional 40 pounds over the four-cylinder. Mueller says the stabilizer bars as well as chassis bushings remain unchanged. The GS does have Brembo brakes up front that measure 13.6-inches in diameter, up an inch over the standard Regal front brakes. Out back, the GS has 12.4-inch vented discs that are about an inch larger than the solid discs in the Regal. And to cover the new brakes, there are 19-inch wheels wrapped in 245/40R19 Continental Procontact TX tires. The GS carries some tasteful body mods, including more aggressive front and rear facias, side sills and a rear lip spoiler, and they make an already handsome car look a little tougher. On the inside, there are unique GS sill plates, a GS shifter and 14-way adjustable sport seats. Of course, this is still a Sportback. And that means there’s 31.5 cu-ft of cargo space with the rear seats up and a wagon-like 60.7 cu-ft. with them folded. So, this sporty machine is quite useful too. The Execution Slide into the new heated, cooled, massaging and heavily bolstered sport seats and its clear the GS is built to have some fun. The seats are fantastic and even include adjustable thigh support which was appreciated by my six-foot-four driving partner. Another welcome upgrade is the new partial TFT instrument cluster. It’s modern and much more befitting a car in this price class compared to the analog cluster in the normal Regal. Immediately ahead of the shifter are buttons labeled “sport” and “GS”. They are the key to unlocking driving enjoyment in this Buick. Press sport and the transmission will hold onto gears slightly longer and quicken the shifts. Sport mode also increases the heft of the steering, biases more torque to the rear axle and will dial up a firmer damping setting too. An individual mode allows the steering, dampers and all-wheel drive system responsiveness to be adjusted independently. Engage the “GS” mode and its basically Buick’s version of sport plus. The steering boost is dialed back even further, resulting in heavier, more substantial weighting. The transmission shifts are no quicker but the shift schedule is more aggressive, so it won’t upshift to a taller gear if you are hustling down a mountain road. The all-wheel drive system will bias even more of the engine’s torque to the rear axle here, and the damping from the CDC system becomes firmer still. What doesn’t change, no matter what mode you select, are the calibrations for ABS, traction control and stability control. You can turn off traction control by pressing a button on the dash once. And by holding that button down for a few seconds, the stability control can be dialed way back. But as one might imagine—it never goes away completely. “We don’t suddenly give you back 1970s handling,” says Mueller. “There’s always that last ditch effort from the system to keep you on the road.” One of the best things about the Regal GS is that it’s not overly hard-edged in anything that it does. There are plenty of sporty cars that can be a little too stiff and aggressive for daily driving, but Buick strikes an excellent balance here. In the default (normal) mode, the Regal drives just like a regular Sportback. The suspension is smooth and that nine-speed goes about its work in the background without anyone really noticing. The V6 is just fine here with plenty of torque to squirt through traffic. Driven hard, the Regal is quick. But this is the same basic V6 that lives under the hood of so many GM products—everything from Camaros to Colorados and even Buick’s own LaCrosse. So, when you really work this V6 hard, it doesn’t feel or sound particularly exciting, or special enough for a high-performance application Drive it up a set of switchbacks and the transmission’s preference for taller gears will have you pressing the sport or GS buttons. We toggled through all three modes (normal, sport and GS) and found that in almost every driving situation, we just left it in GS. The transmission calibration is excellent, dropping gears or holding onto them without going one gear too far or staying in a low gear too long. The heavier weighting of the steering in GS mode feels good on a mountain drive as well as in the city. On those twisty Georgia backroads the Regal GS was athletic and fun. The only reason to perhaps not have the GS in GS mode? Negotiating a field of Detroit-class potholes. Our $43,510 Regal GS was loaded. It carried the $945 Sights and Sounds package, which includes Buick’s navigation system HD Radio, and a Bose audio system. The $1,690 Driver Confidence Package pulls together all the safety tech like adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, forward collision warning amongst others. The Appearance Package ($485) brings wireless phone charging and LED headlamps on board. Our metallic paint cost an additional $395 and the sport aluminum pedals are $175. The Takeaway The GS is certainly the Regal in Buick’s lineup we’d want parked in our own garage. It’s responsive and enjoyable on ribbons of twisty asphalt without compromising comfort—and that’s appealing. But there are of course others in the Buick’s competitive class -- performance German machinery that will bring a little more agility and a little more cache to the driving experience for a little more money. Still with all the options checked, the GS is a really good deal and easily the best Buick we’ve driven in years. ↡ Advertisement Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DACH Supersonic February 27, 2018 Author Share February 27, 2018 (edited) 2019 Buick Envision http://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/18814/2019-buick-envision-gets-an-update-lower-starting-price The Buick Envision might not be the most exciting car on the road, but it’s an important one for GM’s premium brand. It just went on sale in the U.S. in summer of 2016 and the compact crossover is already getting refreshed for the 2019 model year along with a lower cost of entry starting at $32,990, about a grand cheaper than the current base model. The untrained eye might not notice the facelifted design of the 2019 Envision, but it’s received a revised look in front and back along with new wheel options. A redesigned grille falls more in line with the corporate design language of the rest of Buick's lineup and it’s a rather handsome look. “Some of the 2019 Envision’s most notable changes are the results of listening to our customers,” said Elizabeth Pilibosian, Envision chief engineer, in a press release. “Beneath the updated exterior are a number of changes guided by a goal of offering the most refined and pleasant driving experience possible.” “Refined and pleasant” is the name of the game with the Envision. A few other highlights of this mid-cycle refresh include a new nine-speed automatic transmission for Envisions equipped with the 2.0-liter turbocharged engine. That engine also gets a boost in performance making 252 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque, shaving a half-second off the zero-to-60 time over the previous model. Most Envision drivers probably won’t notice or care, but it’s a nice bonus. For the first time in a Buick in North America, the 2019 Envision will have an engine stop/start deactivation switch in case you don’t like that little rumble that comes with waking the engine back up when you hit the gas pedal after it’s turned itself off. The rest of the updates are quite minor like heated seats that warm up faster, a better microphone for the infotainment system, and enhanced visibility on the rear-view camera. We couldn’t help but wonder if the Envision would be added to the swankyAvenir subbrand in the near future, so we asked Buick if that was in the cards. “Unfortunately we do not comment on future product plans,” said a Buick representative in a statement to The Drive. “As of now, we are focused on building the Avenir sub-brand on the Enclave Avenir and LaCrosse Avenir.” Keep an eye out for the 2019 Buick Envision in showrooms and retirement home parking lots soon. Edited February 27, 2018 by DACH Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DACH Supersonic February 27, 2018 Author Share February 27, 2018 Adventure Meets Luxury in the All-New 2018 Buick Regal TourX https://www.themanual.com/auto/review-2018-buick-regal-tourx/#/2 My grandpa (theoldjaffar ) drove a Buick. So, I imagine, did yours. It was the emblematic car of the Midwestern male who was on the downhill side of the American dream. Solid, economical, more conservative than a Cadillac but with more panache than a Ford, a Buick sedan was the most stylish car you could drive without your neighbors thinking you were being uppity. Buick flourished under that brand perception until, one day, it began to languish. For about 20 years, buyers eschewed Buick as the “old man sedan.” But as anyone who came up under the Macklemore anthem “Thrift Shop” can tell you, grandpa’s style is riding high on a comeback. Accordingly, Buick has stayed true to the values that made our grandparents love and re-imagining it in an ultra-modern context. We got the chance to meet Buick’s fresh-off-the-line 2018 Regal TourX last month in the beautiful red rock palace that is Sedona, Arizona. The dirt switchbacks of the Coconino National Forest were the perfect place to experience the surprising agility of this … well, what is it, even? A luxury wagon? A featherweight SUV? Who cares? If there’s one thing we should all be well aware of in 2018, it’s that labels don’t freakin’ apply. As in the past, so in the present, Buick designs vehicles for people who value experience over extravagance. Hence the 73.5 cubic feet of storage space — we can imagine fitting enough gear for a week-long camping trip in the back. The low-lying roof makes easy work of strapping even more cargo on top. The twin-clutch all-wheel drive means you get independent motion on each of the vehicle’s four wheels, offering confident traction even in gnarly road and weather conditions. Watching a Buick rep demonstrate this was cool, but even cooler was feeling it happen underneath us on a gravel road. All of this, plus a roof rack, fog lights, StabiliTrak stability control system, and 5-link rear suspension coming standard, makes it apparent that this car is built for adventurers — the type of person for whom the world is their gym. Practical utility is just part of the experience, however. Buick has also outfitted the Regal TourX with thoughtful details that enhance the overall driving experience. Some of the finer features include: The sculptural beauty — these cars look like they’re moving even when they’re standing still. The hands-free lift gate lets you get the back hatch open by simply waving a foot under an illuminated motion sensor beneath the bumper. I admit to having a little too much fun playing with this during a pit stop. The unique exterior wheel cladding keeps the fenders clean. Your Buick transitions seamlessly from a day in the wild to a night on the town. (You, however, might need a shower in between.) Thanks to quiet tuning tires (used by luxury brands such as Mercedes Benz and Tesla), the car rode surprisingly light and quiet. Maybe a little too quiet. I’m used to gauging my speed by the rush of wind past my window. I got up to 89 mph on Interstate 17 before I realized it and slowed to a modest 75 mph. Two words: moon roof. Four more words: built-in Wi-Fi hotspot. The new Buick TourX is a head-turner. More than once during our three-day driving experience, we had people in parking lots and scenic turnouts look the TourX up and down before asking, “Hey … what is that?” Which gave us the perfect opportunity to respond with Buick’s tagline, “That’s a Buick.” I felt my grandpa, thousands of miles away in his retirement community in Florida, smiling at me. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
t0y0ta Supercharged February 27, 2018 Share February 27, 2018 This first car is a splitting image of the new Opel Insignia 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watwheels Supersonic February 28, 2018 Share February 28, 2018 This first car is a splitting image of the new Opel Insignia 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fungyee77 5th Gear February 28, 2018 Share February 28, 2018 Yah that's the opel insignia in Singapore. In some countries it's branded under Vauxhall and in Australia it's branded under Holden. GM branding is very confusing... 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Friendstar Supercharged February 28, 2018 Share February 28, 2018 Damn. VW group rocksMost prestigious Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BanCoe Hypersonic February 28, 2018 Share February 28, 2018 Thats why their name is General Motors...... every brand in general oso can 1, like suka suka can have 1 Yah that's the opel insignia in Singapore.In some countries it's branded under Vauxhall and in Australia it's branded under Holden.GM branding is very confusing... 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamburger Hypersonic February 28, 2018 Share February 28, 2018 So what is the general consensus of a buick. Making reference like how a Toyota is perceived to be a trusty machine albeit a boring and more expensive one. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ct3833 Supersonic February 28, 2018 Share February 28, 2018 ... In some countries it's branded under Vauxhall and in Australia it's branded under Holden. GM branding is very confusing... That was because GM bought over Vauxhall and Holden respectively. Both companies have a long history in their respective countries like Ya Kun in SGP. I believe GM 's intention is to preserve the old brand names so as to retain the local's mind share. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BanCoe Hypersonic February 28, 2018 Share February 28, 2018 i thought even Isuzu was under GM too... wonder what happened to that brand (i mean the cars) completely died it seems That was because GM bought over Vauxhall and Holden respectively. Both companies have a long history in their respective countries like Ya Kun in SGP. I believe GM 's intention is to preserve the old brand names so as to retain the local's mind share. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watwheels Supersonic February 28, 2018 Share February 28, 2018 GM recently just sold away Vauxhall and Opel to PSA (Pug, Citroen, DS). Previously GM also own Saab and sold it off. Seems like they capitalise on the tech and know how of European makes and sell them off when GM is done. Their focus is still on their American brands. Renault Nissan also added Mitsubishi recently. Subaru's Fuji heavy industry is owned by Toyota. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamesc Hypersonic February 28, 2018 Share February 28, 2018 Where is Proton? It should be next to Volvo. And can put Daimler under Geely now. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DACH Supersonic February 28, 2018 Author Share February 28, 2018 i thought even Isuzu was under GM too... wonder what happened to that brand (i mean the cars) completely died it seems I think it is dead in the US market. Maybe it has an SUV model in some global markets. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Datsun366 Turbocharged March 1, 2018 Share March 1, 2018 Drive a Brick. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thaiyotakamli Supersonic March 10, 2018 Share March 10, 2018 I prefer tesla Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DACH Supersonic March 11, 2018 Author Share March 11, 2018 Some changes for Buick cars in USA by 2019. https://www.motor1.com/news/235753/buick-lose-brand-badge-plate/ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BanCoe Hypersonic March 12, 2018 Share March 12, 2018 You have a Buick?? in Singapore... didnt know they landed here already I bought the Veran 2017 1.5T last year. Then I try to make it more like BMW ↡ Advertisement Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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