2014 Buick Regal GS Turbo
No Age Restrictions Here
On the day the Regal GS was delivered to my house, Katie Bjoerk, Buick Communications Manager, sent me an e-mail highlighting some of the features of this turbo-charged sedan. The one that stood out to me was that the average age of the Regal GS customer is 43 years old.
Ha! I thought to myself, I’m too young for this car!
I just won’t tell you by how much.
The next day, a friend and I decided to go on a snow shoe hike, so we took a drive up into the snow-covered hills near our homes --the GS is an AWD -- and she commented that it was really nice to ride in a sedan for once. As moms with growing families, she owns a full-size SUV, while I own a cross-over. She was right. The Regal’s cabin is low-slung and wraps itself around you in style and comfort. The heated leather seats are the warmest I’ve ever had -- and I use heated seats until April around here. Unlike other sport sedans whose bucket seats are sometimes hard and flat, the Regal’s seats offer just the right amount of support and hold you in when you kick up the throttle; yet, they don’t have the pillowy expansiveness of other sedans driven by people over the age of, um, 43.
Features like the the eight-inch touch screen with next-generation IntelliLink add to the overall luxurious feel of the interior. Never mind that the D.J. on my favorite Sirius XM satellite station called my music classic alternative. It was another small chink in my anti-aging armor, so I romped on the gas pedal to remind myself that I still like to drive fast.
And fast it goes. The 2.0-liter I-4 turbo is quick off the line, delivering 259 horsepower and 295 lb.-ft of torque. Hit the gas, and its response is immediate. The high school carpool crowd was impressed when I demonstrated this for them on the way home one day. They giggled at being thrown back into their seats and one enthusiastic 14-year-old said, “I would do that ALL THE TIME if I owned this car.” I felt a little younger at that moment, so I did indeed, do it again. On the freeway, the Regal GS cruises along without any effort. The 6-speed transmission clicks through the gears without any lag. In fact, I would say the Regal GS is a perfect touring sedan. You get power and performance from the mechanics of it, while the cabin offers quiet and refinement. Factor in that you get 27 mpg on the highway, and this car suddenly becomes a head turner. Sport mode tightens up the suspension and makes driving downright fun. It has three selectable modes, called the Interactive Drive Control System. Standard, Tour, and Sport damping modes offer three ways to enjoy the ride.
I mentioned that the GS comes standard with all-wheel drive. I took it up some pretty slick roads, where the snow and ice had been packed down pretty well. It was hardly a challenge for this sedan as I don’t recall slipping or spinning once. Throw in the fact that the Regal also comes with StabiliTrack with full-function traction control, and winter road conditions become much less of a worry.
Outside, the Regal gets an updated design, with wing-shaped LED lighting. 18-inch alloy wheels round out the sportiness of this sedan.
Safety features include blind zone alert (a little too bright of a reminder at night), cross traffic alert, collision mitigation braking, and lane departure alert. I tried to activate this alert purposely (on a deserted road, of course) but it must have known I was trying to trick it. Nevertheless, it’s good to know it’s there. I did appreciate the fact that my test vehicle came with rear-seat side-impact airbags.
The combination of turbo power, all-wheel drive, and excellent gas mileage makes the Regal GS a tough competitor in the luxury-sport segment. As tested, the Regal GS priced out at $40K and change. So yes, even though I am too young for this car, I did enjoy driving it. I wonder if I’ll like it even more when I turn 43...which won’t be for a long, long time.
Ha! I thought to myself, I’m too young for this car!
I just won’t tell you by how much.
The next day, a friend and I decided to go on a snow shoe hike, so we took a drive up into the snow-covered hills near our homes --the GS is an AWD -- and she commented that it was really nice to ride in a sedan for once. As moms with growing families, she owns a full-size SUV, while I own a cross-over. She was right. The Regal’s cabin is low-slung and wraps itself around you in style and comfort. The heated leather seats are the warmest I’ve ever had -- and I use heated seats until April around here. Unlike other sport sedans whose bucket seats are sometimes hard and flat, the Regal’s seats offer just the right amount of support and hold you in when you kick up the throttle; yet, they don’t have the pillowy expansiveness of other sedans driven by people over the age of, um, 43.
Features like the the eight-inch touch screen with next-generation IntelliLink add to the overall luxurious feel of the interior. Never mind that the D.J. on my favorite Sirius XM satellite station called my music classic alternative. It was another small chink in my anti-aging armor, so I romped on the gas pedal to remind myself that I still like to drive fast.
And fast it goes. The 2.0-liter I-4 turbo is quick off the line, delivering 259 horsepower and 295 lb.-ft of torque. Hit the gas, and its response is immediate. The high school carpool crowd was impressed when I demonstrated this for them on the way home one day. They giggled at being thrown back into their seats and one enthusiastic 14-year-old said, “I would do that ALL THE TIME if I owned this car.” I felt a little younger at that moment, so I did indeed, do it again. On the freeway, the Regal GS cruises along without any effort. The 6-speed transmission clicks through the gears without any lag. In fact, I would say the Regal GS is a perfect touring sedan. You get power and performance from the mechanics of it, while the cabin offers quiet and refinement. Factor in that you get 27 mpg on the highway, and this car suddenly becomes a head turner. Sport mode tightens up the suspension and makes driving downright fun. It has three selectable modes, called the Interactive Drive Control System. Standard, Tour, and Sport damping modes offer three ways to enjoy the ride.
I mentioned that the GS comes standard with all-wheel drive. I took it up some pretty slick roads, where the snow and ice had been packed down pretty well. It was hardly a challenge for this sedan as I don’t recall slipping or spinning once. Throw in the fact that the Regal also comes with StabiliTrack with full-function traction control, and winter road conditions become much less of a worry.
Outside, the Regal gets an updated design, with wing-shaped LED lighting. 18-inch alloy wheels round out the sportiness of this sedan.
Safety features include blind zone alert (a little too bright of a reminder at night), cross traffic alert, collision mitigation braking, and lane departure alert. I tried to activate this alert purposely (on a deserted road, of course) but it must have known I was trying to trick it. Nevertheless, it’s good to know it’s there. I did appreciate the fact that my test vehicle came with rear-seat side-impact airbags.
The combination of turbo power, all-wheel drive, and excellent gas mileage makes the Regal GS a tough competitor in the luxury-sport segment. As tested, the Regal GS priced out at $40K and change. So yes, even though I am too young for this car, I did enjoy driving it. I wonder if I’ll like it even more when I turn 43...which won’t be for a long, long time.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment