Test Drive: 2013 Buick Regal GS

By Kevin Harrison

I have recently become obsessed with the show Community. It’s a ridiculous show that’s brilliantly about a study group at a community college which plays on stereotypes, current events and effortlessly gives each character their own unique personality all while making their interaction with each other quite realistic. One of those characters is Pierce – an old, bigoted, senile man who has been at the college for 13 years. Pierce, played by Chevy Chase, is one of the main staples of the show. Community has a cult following, mostly made up of kids born after 1990. And they love Chevy’s character as much as the rest of them.

The funny part is, most of the Community audience really doesn’t know much about Chevy Chase and just how much he has, rightly or wrongly, done for comedy. This is their first impression of him. They don’t know that he used to be a cast member on Saturday Night Live and that he is more known for his roles in Caddyshack, Three Amigos and National Lampoon’s Vacation.

While I don’t claim to be old enough to have been a major fan of any of those shows, I do know that Chevy’s reputation hasn’t exactly been stellar. His acting abilities, comedic abilities and his overall work ethic have all been made fun at one point or another. In a way, Buick has felt the same kind of ridicule.

Known as the brand for seniors or unsuccessful rappers, Buick never really garnered that much respect in the industry with their all-big-cushy sedan lineup. Certainly Buick wouldn’t be uttered from the mouth of anyone under 60 let alone a performance enthusiast.

Buick is thinking that you probably should be paying attention though. Specifically, young people should be paying attention. They want to be the Pierce of the automotive world where young people love him even though they may be completely unaware of the undesirable reputation Chevy Chase has had in the past. As mentioned, this is the younger generation’s first impression of Chevy Chase and he, or specifically his writers, has made it a good one with the show Community.

Will Buick have the same luck with the Regal GS?

It’s been a long time since Buick has made a performance oriented vehicle but there is no denying that the Regal GS certainly looks the part. It’s completely impossible to not notice those 20 inch wheels immediately on this Buick. Yes, I said 20 inch wheels and Buick in the same sentence. In fact, I’m going to blow your mind even further by mentioning Brembos and Buick in the same sentence. Yes, the Regal GS gets Brembo brakes. Seriously. And it really makes the look of the car. However, if you are going to go with the 20 inch wheels (which are optional for a rather cheap $775) be aware that they do show dirt quite easily and they look absolutely aweful when someone curb rashes them (see pic below). So, not only do the bakes and wheels indicate that this Buick means business but they really complete the look of the car which is also beefed up by a dual exhaust in the back and lip spoiler and an aggressive front fascia with LED running lights, HID’s, a massive blacked out waterfall style grille and of course large intake ducts. This is a looker, and it’s been a while since I’ve driven a press car that has generated so many stares. In fact, it’s been a long time since I’ve driven a press car that had so many people come up to me to ask more about it. So Buick, you’ll be happy to know that while it wasn’t 20-somethings that were asking about it, they definitely still had their natural hair colour in tact. I’d say most of the men (women didn’t seem to notice this car at all) were in their late 30’s to early 40’s. So, Buick seems to have the look nailed down for sure.

Inside, Buick tried to continue the performance theme by giving it a chunky, bespoke steering wheel. They missed the mark a bit with this one as the size of the steering wheel is a bit too big. However the seats are excellent – both comfortable with good side bolstering. One thing that I didn’t seem to notice in the Regal e-Assist I tested earlier this year was the fact that the rings around the gauges in the instrument cluster garnered a glare from the street lights at night. While driving my visual senses would pick up this quick flash, almost like someone had just taken a picture of me. I’d immediately look down to the dash to see what it was only to figure out that it was passing street lights reflecting off the gauges. This was very distracting at first, but eventually I became used to it. Still, having random flashes in your eyes isn’t something you should just get used to. Other than that, everything else is fairly agreeable with the interior as the materials feel of high quality and while the dash is a bit busy, it’s still logically laid out.

There are actually two specific buttons on the dash that you should pay particular attention to: Sport and GS. The former tightens up the suspension and reduced body roll. The GS button does the same but also firms up the steering and makes the six-speed automatic more responsive (by the way a six-speed manual is available as a no-cost option). I found myself in GS mode 90% of the time as sport mode didn’t quite do it for me, but I’m sure sport mode is adequate for most other people. I also liked that pushing the GS button also gave you white gauges as opposed to GM’s tacky turquoise coloured gauges.

In GS mode, the end result is decent handling, but I’d stop shy of calling it a track star. There is still some under steer and while there is minimal body roll, the Regal GS doesn’t exude confidence to push it a bit further. It can be easy to get the Regal GS out of sorts of you do push it over the line. That said, it’s probably one of the most competent Buicks I’ve driven in a long time.

The Regal GS gets a turbocharged 4-cylinder engine which makes 270 horsepower and 295 pound foot torque to the front wheels. The end result is some noticeable turbo lag, but once it spools up, it shoots the Regal GS out of the gate like a slingshot. There is little to no exhaust note, but with the windows down you can hear the turbo spool which is almost more satisfying to hear. Once that turbo gets going, it can cause a bit of wheel spin which the traction control takes care of, but also ruins the fun in the process. Turning off the traction control just induces more wheel spin. Still, GM should be commended for making a 4 cylinder engine capable of this kind of output. Now the next step is to figure out a way to put that power to the pavement, something I’m sure GM is already working on.

Since this is still a four cylinder, fuel consumption ratings aren’t too bad. The Regal GS is rated at 11.5 L/100 kms city and 7.0 L/100 kms highway. I returned 12.1 L/100 kms of mixed driving. The automatic transmission will do its best to keep you in a low RPM range, but oddly enough, according to the trip computer, this did not necessarily translate into better fuel efficiency as I would be in the 1,250 RPM range going about 100 on the highway with the computer telling me my current fuel consumption was in the 10 L/100 km range. And this was on a completely flat surface and cruising speed. But considering how much fun it is to hear that turbo spool up during city driving, I suppose 12.1 L/100 kms isn’t too bad.

Here’s the thing though. While I can sit here and type away about the small things that GM needs to work on to make this a true performance car, in a way, that doesn’t really matter. Remember, this Regal GS is meant to usher younger blood into the Buick brand who would have never otherwise considered it before and therefore would know nothing about the brand in the first place. It’s a bit like Chevy Chase in that regard, as I mentioned before. Young people see Chevy play Pierce on Community and think he’s great. That’s their first impression of the man. They don’t know about all the foolishness he’s been involved with in the past. In a way it’s the same deal for the Regal GS. Young people aren’t necessarily aware that Buicks of the past were only parked at nursing homes. Their first impression of the Regal GS should be a good one because it is a good car. It really doesn’t matter what Buick’s past may have been. And with that, Buick, in a way, has a clean slate. Because in addition to the Verano, the regular Regal and now this Regal GS, it’s clear that GM is serious about changing its image. And the best way to do that is to forget the past.

Price As Tested: $47,065

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