We have not seen that play before the interview? Take a renowned European model for the U.S. market, impact on the emblem of the troubled North American brand, and the hope of landing. Actually, Buick Regal, just like what happened with General Motors' version of the spread offense. Never mind that this is not a winning strategy for the Saturn, trying the various products of General Opel European companies to sell before his death - GM Regal again.
Dredging is the name of the past is a strange move for a brand that wants to reinvent itself to appeal to a younger audience. (Still curious, is that Regal is the nickname of questionable value after hanging on the road average, and mostly badge designed cars for the past four decades.) Yet for all the skepticism regarding the "new" GM is back his old scripts, Regal is actually the car that makes this offense clicks.
With a starting price of $ 26,245, the median reversal Regal secure affordable entry-luxury sedan. It turned out so well that we can fully see that cheating was ignorant to think that it costs more. Of course. GM plays its tricks, which means that the price goes up fast enough to the level of facilities such preferred, add $ 2,500 to account for turbo, 220 hp version of the car (model, which we discuss here) . GM has also promised cheaper Regal, one with a cloth seats and a sporty model, the Regal GS 2012. The prices for the GS model has not yet announced, but charged cancellation Turbo Regal runs about $ 34,000, a new top-of-the-heap is not cheap.
Regal is a great first impression with a few visual cues to tell you that in the near-luxury sedan, simple and attractive windows and chrome alloy wheels. Buick color palette of heavy metals in earth colors, no doubt chosen to ensure that each board on the road at least leave the plant looking neat. Although parts of the proposal, which it makes, let me say "inspired" by other brands (eg BMW-like crowd at the trunk or wannabe Infiniti front) tells you that you're looking for something better than a Chevrolet.
However, Regal has good looks fleeting. The longer you live in the wild in the car park is next to another car, the more obvious contradictions in the construction of the station. There is a noticeable lack of flow between the front and rear, and seen in profile, the dimensions are good, the front looks too hard and too long. It's almost like the designers cut their mission, he said. "I will do everything from A-pillar forward and the C-pillar back, and we will do the rest later"
Internal problems are more fundamental. The dashboard, seats and door panels are modern, but the material is uneven in quality and color. The interior of our tester is a brown-on-tan GM called "Kashmir" (car that we use for photography came with a different and darker in color combinations), but as much as two-tone interior colors vary depending on the type of plastic, or finish. If the interior feels cheap and Regal, as an ascetic in the backseat, where he missed the beautiful front door accents, and you can chalk that are fairly typical for this category. But we have to call from GM's corporate cycle to ridicule. It is covered with a piece of faux-aluminum plastic cables, which, when pressed, makes a marked decrease in this process.
But these things are easy to live with ergonomics Regal audio and navigation is not as brutal. Why GM does not provide a version of its solar system touch screen I have no idea, but kludge knobs, buttons and controls job to check every car going by pretending an excellent product.
While the design of the field Regal dashboard button is nicely symmetrical, there is no rhyme or reason for the appearance. Even more casual is a button on the center console behind the gearshift and other stupid iDrive knob. But this is a cheap and seemingly tacked-on piece of the BMW quality and tactile controller and its functionality. Example? from time to time, the system requires the driver to the numbered button to select screen press, despite the presence of other dial and four-axis joystick in the center console.
At least Regal otherwise pleasant. Despite its inherent shortcomings, it's a pleasant enough place to spend time behind the wheel. The way the dashboard and door panels is a bit of form over function, even if the construction does not require driver's knee pretty bad, and Regal's sister car, the Buick LaCrosse. The seats are upholstered in leather and the promotion of decent enough for the average driver. Is there enough space on the front and back to normal size people as well. Visibility is fine, at least by today's standards lowered, but it may be difficult to how long the back-end estimate.
GM Regal aggressive marketing as an honest-to-god German-designed sport sedan - at least in case of cancellation of testers - like calling Coors Light genuine German beer. Maybe you can do things for the Turbo Regal models have some claim to be sporty, but the base Regal is powered by a 2.4-liter GM direct injection four cylinder ECOTEC engine, and there is no way that all 182 horses will tickle Those Germany. Of course not only with 172 ft-lbs torque 3600 regal kr motivate e GM six-speed automatic transmission is available for this model, yeoman's work, a return to a creditable 30 miles per gallon on the highway. But the drive is not a combination that everyone with its smoothness, power and the sound will impress.
It is this last point - the noise - it is perhaps the most frustrating, because it is one of the few areas left where near-luxury car can actually differ from their everyday counterparts. GM dropped the ball here in two ways. The first is that the engine sounds as grating as a leaf blower at full boil, you are advised to stop at the hardware store to get compost bags. Regal is the first GM vehicle equipped with a version of the Ecotec 2.4-liter, but it would be the first, no sound. If there is anything worse than the sound of ECOTEC, the hiss Regal is a sunroof. When the hood is closed, there are intermittent problems. But in the open air, I swear sunroof was cracked when it was due to the amount of wind noise is present.
So there are many details that seem to have worked before Regal. Or maybe it was the compromise that is sold in almost the same car in Europe, China and the U.S. that some things were bound to stop. This means that Regal will not rise above the sum of its shortcomings when you are on the road. His control is good for mid-sized sedan with a comfortable suspension that a good compromise between the liquid and stable at high speeds. For front-wheel drive car is minimal understeer and Regal have no problem with the couple on the accelerator to operate.
But although most royal feel, zip past the traffic on the highway to commute, he still feels like a pretty average, everyday car. GM Regal list of competitors is relatively uninspiring group consisting Acura TSX, front-wheel-drive version of the Audi A4 and Volkswagen CC. Other models like the Mazda6 and Hyundai Sonata correlation fit. In general, such a such cars do not grow above the ridge of the common run Camry, Malibus and contracts worldwide. They do this by offering a little more style or substance. Regal has at least two, but only a little ....
