First Drive Review
arrow
Truth in re-engineering.
Buick’s ambitions for this mid-cycle refresh of the Regal, the brand’s middle sedan introduced in 2011, could be read in the presence of an Audi A4 provided for comparison at GM’s Milford Proving Grounds. Our drive was limited to the MPG’s ride-and-handling test route and a tight slalom, but we weren’t immediately convinced that this Regal was the Audi’s equal as a sports sedan. But then neither is it the German’s equal in price, and the comparison wasn’t as laughable as it might have been in the past.
The 2014 Regal is recognizable for new fascias front and rear, a dressier cabin environment, and an array of safety-oriented electronic driving aids, but the major change is the addition of a Haldex all-wheel-drive system available on most models and a new, more refined direct-injected turbocharged 2.0-liter four as the standard engine.
Stronger than Audi’s equivalent mill and rated at 259 horsepower, this turbo engine is of the same displacement as before but employs new architecture that emphasizes low-friction technologies for quieter operation, improved fuel economy, and higher output. The 2.0-liter turbo brings 39 additional horsepower over last year’s Regal Turbo model—but it’s also the engine for the sporty GS, which means the performance variant gets an 11 horsepower downgrade from last year. Fuel economy on the base configuration ($30,615) is said to improve by 17 percent even with the increased power.
Distinguishing the more driver-oriented GS is a tuning tweak that moves the 295-lb-ft torque peak down the tach (from 3000–4000 rpm in the regular Regal to 2500–4000 in the GS), supposedly at the cost of some NVH that we never noticed. All Regals use the same engine and six-speed automatic transmission with two exceptions, both of them front-drive-only configurations.
The first is a fuel-economy special that relies on last year’s base engine, the naturally aspirated 182-hp 2.4-liter with eAssist “light electrification.” This is essentially stop-start functionality and some electric torque boost while underway. (This powertrain is a no-cost option on Premium trim levels, which start at $32,485.) It earns EPA ratings of 25 mpg city and 36 mpg highway, compared to the turbo-and-automatic combo’s 21/30 in front-drive form or 19/27 with four-wheel drive.
And there’s one manual-transmission offering, a six-speed in the front-wheel-drive GS that gets 22/31 on the EPA tests. It might have been our favorite if the manual had been more entertaining to use, but both the shifter and the clutch action were dull workaday machinery. And the turbo’s broad torque band doesn’t really encourage much shifter play, anyway.
More interesting was the all-wheel drive and its electronic limited-slip differential—a real one, not one of those hyperactive brake-operated traction-control systems that try to mimic LSD operation. The Haldex system can direct more than 90 percent of torque to the rear axle, making it possible, entertaining even, to balance the car’s cornering attitude with your right foot. Electronically controlled, it proved more fun in the tight corners of an autocross course, anticipating and reacting more quickly than Audi’s mechanical Quattro system. We wonder how much time Buick (or even Audi A4) owners spend terrifying tiny orange cones, but the Buick had the edge on the German car in these circumstances.
Specifications
VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, front- or 4-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan
BASE PRICE: Regal, $30,615; Regal GS, $37,830
ENGINE TYPE: DOHC 16-valve 2.4-liter inline-4, 182 hp, 172 lb-ft (with AC induction electric motor, 15 hp, 79 lb-ft; 0.5-kWh lithium-ion battery pack); turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve 2.0-liter inline-4, 259 hp, 295 lb-ft
TRANSMISSION: 6-speed manual, 6-speed automatic with manual shifting mode
DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 107.8 in
Length: 190.2 in
Width: 73.1 in Height: 58.4 in
Curb weight (C/D est): 37003800 lb
PERFORMANCE (C/D EST):
Zero to 60 mph: 6.38.7 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 15.116.7 sec
Top speed: 135150 mph
FUEL ECONOMY (C/D EST):
EPA city/highway driving: 1925/2736 mpg
Continued…