Re: Cars that should be bought
Posted: Mon Jul 29, 2019 7:14 pm
As is always the case with consumable parts like brakes and tires, driver behavior trumps all. And we've worked this car harder than most. Shortly after participating in the Nevada Open Road Challenge (and averaging 110 mph for 90 miles), the Regal spirited up and down the West Coast before heading east, to the magazine's new home in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The byways for each journey—like the Pacific Coast Highway and Colorado's glorious Route 550—were chosen specifically for their lack of straight sections, because the GS is a Buick unlike any other: It's at home in the curves.
image
2012 Buick Regal GS
That's the GS's best quality, and the reason we're still drawn to it. Even novice drivers can feel comfortable working the Buick hard through corners. The car has that intangible connected feel, the tires seemingly locked to the pavement. Those used to European sport sedans will recognize the behavior immediately, which shouldn't be much of a surprise, as a good deal of the Regal's development was done by GM's Opel division in Rüsselsheim, Germany.
image
2012 Buick Regal GS
The Buick's layout is the amazing part—like all Regals, the GS is front-wheel drive, yet it suffers few of the drawbacks typical of the configuration. Powerful front-drive cars typically get squirrely and wander across the lane when you're hard on the gas—i.e., they suffer from torque steer—but not the GS. Redesigned suspension geometry insulates the Buick's chassis from the corrupting influence of its 270-hp turbo four. New steering knuckles (a technology that GM calls HiPer Strut, which accomplishes the same task as the RevoKnuckle design used by Ford on the Focus ST) allow suspension and steering to operate relatively independent of each other. That means the nimble sedan behaves predictably, one of the reasons the staff has been universally comfortable hammering on it.
image
2012 Buick Regal GS
No surprise, then, that the Buick's front rubber lived such a short life. The $1,148 bill for two tires was definitely steep, but remember that these Pirellis are specialty high-performance pieces, not generic all-seasons. In terms of other maintenance, the GS has been a bargain: The computer has called for just two oil changes, at a cost of just $41.90, and save a loose bolt that was rattling around in the dash (which the dealer removed, gratis), we've had no unscheduled dealer visits.