Andrew/All - during March Madness this year when the Buick was advertising the Regal GS pretty much every other commercial, I'll admit, the car did catch my eye. I thought to myself, "its a Buick, but I'll take the time to look it up at least". But as soon as I did I knew it would never truly appeal to me as I knew it could never truly be an "enthusiast" car (such as AMG, SRT, M, SS, V, etc.), which is really the market Buick should have shot for with this model. By trying to find the middle ground (i.e. appealing to both the practical "appliance vehicle" market of consumers in which practical considerations usually outweigh passion/performance by leaving the car with an underpowered engine, but simultaneously trying to target the smaller, yet usually more vocal and always more passionate, "enthusiast" market, such as those of us on this forum) Buick ended up with a car that wants to be taken seriously by car enthusiasts, but that is too flabby and slow to make the cut. It is by no means light, weighing in at over 3700 lbs, for the 270 hp under the hood. Had my search turned up that the GS was pushing over 300 hp, I would have been much more interested. 270hp is just not enough for the size and, presumably, the non-sporty vehicle dynamics (e.g. suspension) that come standard with many American cars. I am not surprised in your impressions of the car. If Buick is really serious about appealing to the enthusiast crowd, it should stop worrying about the masses (it already has the Base and Premium models for them), and stick a truly powerful engine under the hood that is a special label (such as the SRTs, AMGs out there) that will make gearheads like us think twice before passing the Buick dealership and moving on to other auto manufacturers. If you think I am wrong, think about what Cadillac has done over the past several years with the massive improvement of its V series. Do I think Buick will take this advice? Probably not

 

Actually, I think they may well do so. The current crop of Buicks is a huge departure from what they've done the last several years, but making too much of a change too quickly will likely alienate people. They need to evolve the brand, they can't just make a wholesale change from "grandpa's car" to "M3 fighter" in one swoop. Grandpa would have a heart attack and M3 fan boys wouldn't be caught dead in a Buick. At least not yet. Cadillac had a reputation for being an old man's car, but look what Hennessey is doing with the V Series cars, and look what the V cars themselves are like. It took a while, but Caddy has really come around to where the rest of the world, and car enthusiasts in general, are really taking notice.

 

I agree with you Mike. This might be their strategy. I don't think they would be successful if they went full blown initially.

 

I like the looks of this one, but I just cant bring myself to buy a four door.

 

IMO Buick has taken a step in the right direction but they a far from walking in the right direction. Park a 2012 Kia or 2012 Hyundai even a nissan altima next to it and remove the badges... Its no longer an "american" car it has an imported look not a Buick look. Don't get me wrong its much easier on the eyes but I don't feel its a Buick anymore.

 

I don't agree. I think Buick like Cadillac has finally found a corporate identity that isn't hideous and actually makes me interested in their cars for the first time. Even Chevy has found a found a nice look. The Cruze, Volt, Malibu, and even the Suburban are nice clean designs. The interior of the Malibu is worlds better than any other midsize Chevy family sedan in recent memory. Finally, they seem to "get it".

And Ford has come a long way too. I had a good look at the NY auto show back in April. The new Taurus is no longer a complete turn off. The Focus and Fiesta are very decent in their respective segments. The only ugly duckling they have is the dowdy Fusion.

Even Chrysler has brought the new 200 and 300 into the 21st century along with the new Grand Cherokee. I don't even recognize the interiors compared to the stuff they replaced.

And it's about friggin time! I'll gladly consider a domestic car now.

 

I love the fusion!! But this is coming from a guy who also loves the lincoln ls. I like wild or traditional this act of erasing hard body lines and making everything round and smooth is awful in my eyes. Its like they weren't sure where the edge of the car should start or stop. Rather than deciding they didn't give it one just continued it over the hood down the fenders into one giant blob. Light just doesn't reflect and refract off of roundness. Sharp, hard, crisp, and defined lines!!! To each is his own I guess. You won't catch me in a Buick; a CTS V now thats a ride!

 

Aww c'mon don't refuse to be bound in the round. What about an XK-E Jaguar? Don't tell me you don't like that! I do love the look Caddy has adopted. It's totally unique and attractive. And that's not an easy combination after a century of the auto business.

I'm with you on some of the roundness. The old Taurus melted bean shape never made a connection for me. And I think that's the reason I find Audi's in general sort of bland and boring. On the other hand, the compound curves in the front end of my wife's Infiniti G35x sedan amaze me every time I'm in that car. As in, how the hell did they ever mass produce this sheet metal?

 

i test drove another gs today with the 20's and a 150 miles on it... i wanted to confirm if all buick gs's were as underpowered and overweight as my first experience/test drive...

well i'm glad to say… today's test drive exhibited a stronger and more powerful experience than my prior disappointment. perhaps this car needs some break-in miles to come alive and deliver the advertised 275 horsepower.

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the silver one looked good too...

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sorry to say that is one ugly car you can do a lot better in your choice for your next car Andrew

 

They are! Both versions. However, it seemed to me that GM cut costs on the interior and exterior materials. The drivetrain is very nice, but compared to the SRT (quite a bit less weight and solid build quality) they just didn't leave me that impressed. I happily got back in the graphite and drove off very satisfied with my previous purchases.

 

Agreed, but being a ~$65K car versus the ~$90K E63 that it can beat around the Nurburgring is still pretty awesome.

And the alcantara steering wheel needs to go, I think with white knuckle driving and sweaty hands that could look horrible, quickly.

 

I must say i like the look but the not the hp , now drop the CTS V motor in it and WOW !!! got somthing really nice ! But i;m little old school , as you can see !!

 

I just want to say that if this is true... I told you so.

Grand National, GNX and T-Type Are Returning to Buick