2012 Buick Regal GS (Reaction) Motorweek Retro

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Күн бұрын

#ACwJ
This week's Motorweek Retro Reaction is the 2012 Buick Regal GS.
You know I love my Buicks, and especially my Regals, so this became a "must do".
When this was released I seriously wanted one, but looking at them multiple times left me kinda of "meh". Tight interiors, uncomfortable driving position, and styling that always looked a little tall, bulbous, and awkward to me.
Still, it's fascinating to watch Motorweek test it because it was a very, very good car that didn't get the respect (or sales!) that it deserved!
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Пікірлер: 40

@OLDS98 2 ай бұрын

This car is an Opel as several others stated. It was supposed to replace the Saturn Aura. It was supposed to be the Aura because GM was Opelizing Saturn. Saturn was killed off as a brand and GM had to sell it somewhere. It could have worked as a Chevrolet as the Opel Antara was a Saturn VUE and then became Chevrolet Captiva. That did not happen as Chevrolet has Malibu. The next general Regal after this was a Opel/Vauxhall Insignia and a Holden Commodore too. They sell this one in at Buick in China. Thank you for your review.

@howebrad4601 2 ай бұрын

I very much agree with your analysis of buicks identity crisis and lack of followup, which is what's needed to develop a brand identity.

@ciro356 2 ай бұрын

As some others have told, the Regal is an Opel Insignia with different badging *but* When the Insignia came out it was styling wise one of my favourite sedans and that still stands, it was a round-ish car and yet to me it was not generic looking. The different grilles of the Buick version do not detract from the general shape but add that somewhat more upscale feel. Yes, neither the Opel in Europe was a Mercedes contender, but it held *really* well its own against the Passats, the Mondeos and other "generalist manufacturers".

@colinschmitz8297 2 ай бұрын

The last time I sat in one of these was probably close to 10 years ago. From what I found they were incredibly small on the inside. I don't have much firsthand experience with the turbo ecotec but I would have a lot of anxiety with it. In my view, Buick and Cadillac needed to choose what market they were supposed to be competing in better. Cadillac was already focusing on European luxury Buick did not need to compete in the same arena using front wheel drive when European luxury is predominantly rear wheel drive focused. They should have focused Buick against Lexus. The predominant area that they needed to focus on was to make the interior comfortable all around and unlike the previous generation of Buicks spare no expense on the interior components. Having a Buick with quality materials for the interior, plush seats and balanced handling with a reliable powertrain I think they would have had a hit on their hands.

@SherdellSims 2 ай бұрын

Jon! Your channel is awesome!!! Keep up the good ... No, great work !

@CarWash811 2 ай бұрын

Oh look that's a nice looking Vauxhall/Opel Insignia. They made Buick from it? That's my first impressions when I saw this. Opel Insignia sold well in Finland and other EU countries. I remember when Opel Insignia launched. It was very nice for a Opel.

@michaelcavalier8750 2 ай бұрын

It's nice looking to me and it offered a manual transmission. I never drove one, but I generally avoid vehicles with turbos. I owned one once. The non-linearity of the power delivery was very frustrating. A 3.8L V6 a manual transmission, but without the turbo would have interested me more.

@overwhamming 2 ай бұрын

Good review, Jon! Hoping you'll share more about your son's SAAB if everyone is comfortable with that. Thank you :)

@SHO1989 2 ай бұрын

Back when this was new, I viewed it as a GM version of the Ford Taurus SHO. IE, a nice, manual transmission, higher performance warm over, of their midsize volume car. I wanted one but it was just too pricey for me, even used.

@user-zq2vu9xz2o 2 ай бұрын

This beautiful car seems to be the direct replacement to the then recently-defunct Saab 9-3 Turbo and Saab 9-5. The interior looks nearly identical to my 2010 Saab 9-3 2.0T ☀️🔥

@runoflife87 2 ай бұрын

Well, Jon, rebadged Opel won't be Buick anyway. It's more like Pontiac or even Oldsmobile. Overall the car was mediocre by European standarts ( just watch Carbuyer review of Vauxhall Insignia), espacially with that Ecotec engine - as unrefined as Iron Duke and prone to small breakdowns. The "quality feel" wasn't there too. That's why both Opel and Vauxhall got much better joining PSA - GM management actually almost killed them in early 2010's.

@overwhamming 2 ай бұрын

Good post. The SAAB 9-5 got tangled up in this badge engineering nightmare as well.

@TurboMan942 2 ай бұрын

I had a 2011 Regal CXL. It drove well, but yes, the inside was tight. The big problem I had was that at 50K miles, it started burning oil and would lead to the solenoids failing. I was told that the valve seals needed to be replaced. I started to question the long-term reliability of it, and traded it for a Toyota. It was a shame because I did like the car overall and took good care of it.

@johnnymason2460 2 ай бұрын

Actually, Jon, this version of the Regal is considered midsize. It's a small midsize car like the Accord and Camry are. The Regal before this one was a large midsize car like the Impala and Avalon were. The Audi A4 was more of a compact car like the BMW 3-series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class are now.

@damilolaakanni 2 ай бұрын

The Accord is actually a large "midsized" sedan, it has been since the 7th generation. It's probably the largest midsized sedan on sale currently, being only a few inches shorter than the Avalon that was just discontinued.

@johnnymason2460 2 ай бұрын

@@damilolaakanni My mother has a 2010 Accord. I can assure you that car is not considered a large midsize car. The Impala was much bigger than that. It's considered a large midsize car. So were the Hyundai Azera and Kia Cadenza. The Acura TLX is considered a small midsize car while the previous RLX was a large midsize car.

@damilolaakanni 2 ай бұрын

@@johnnymason2460 I heard somewhere (I think it was MotorWeek) that the 2008-2012 Accord was classified as a "full size" sedan by the EPA because it had grown in size compared to the previous generation.

@johnnymason2460 2 ай бұрын

@@damilolaakanni I don't go by the EPA since their standards are absolutely confusing. I go by market and pricing. I also go by the size of the vehicle.

@johndoee4742 2 ай бұрын

Jon, review a Buick Verano

@mrgurulittle7000 2 ай бұрын

Regal was pretty decent and excelled in some ways but it felt not as refined as the European stuff. Like you said, Buick is kind of summed up in this car in that they made (or rebadged) a decent car but they never defined the brand itself with it. I think GM should install a CEO for each GM brand to differentiate them more from their other brands. Buick should become a premium floaty American brand because Cadillac is the performance luxury brand. Anyway, I think Buick could’ve done better and tailored the car a bit better for Americans.

@baronvonjo1929 2 ай бұрын

The interior of these always looked cramped to me. Always thought a Encore was probably a better sitting car. Never sat in either but it just looks like it.

@raymond_sycamore 2 ай бұрын

They should LS swap an Envista.

@ljfire100 2 ай бұрын

Happy thursday Jon. Had no idea this was supposed to be sports car lol

@weegeemike 2 ай бұрын

Me and my mom are Buick people so we were excited back in 2012 when they reintroduced the Regal name. Went to the dealer to check em out and it just wasn't "Buick" enough. It was obviously a European GM product with a trishield slapped on. Too expensive and not roomy and comfortable enough for traditional Buick buyers' taste. Not to mention it wasn't exciting or sporty enough to attract Audi or BMW buyers into the Buick showroom. As a result, it failed here in the US. Oddly enough, I feel like this car would have made a lot more sense and would've sold a lot better if it was a Pontiac.

@warrenny 2 ай бұрын

I've found that car people in general either love Buick or at least give them some respect. I like Buick but I never cared for the Regals except for this generation. I'm guessing you know that Pontiac was already gone by the time this Regal was available, so it would not be possible to sell as a Pontiac.

@joeseeking3572 2 ай бұрын

I thought these were pretty interesting, especially because they offered a 6 speed. Back when they were available, I always gravitated to a mid-size near luxury (Maxima until sunset) or premium (BMW) sitck shifts. But a manual Regal GS was really hard to find, and without the third pedal, meh - Opel or not, the exterior was too Buick - and it read Buick to your neighbors, drove Buick no matter what it could do at the limit with GS setting selected. Unfortunately stickshifts are mostly gone and I hang on to one of the final non-M 5's that I can shift myself as the relief car. Wish car makers would bring them back - brother just bought a new Golf R - because he wanted 'one more manual' - don't know that I'd go that far, but I get it. BTW - re: comment on driving position - understand completely. Not with this car specifically, but a Saab I once really liked - in that case it was a short thigh cushion. Excellent car in so many ways, but I could not see driving it daily :(

@haydensproductions4716 2 ай бұрын

I test drove a 2017 Regal a year ago and found the interior quality lacking. I had a Verano and the difference in quality was palpable.

@njaneardude 2 ай бұрын

It has Mercedes styling cues.

@user-qi8ns1fo5d 2 ай бұрын

Interesting review especially braking as upgrade my brakes on 93 Holden ute not just improved performance in distance, but handling n wear n tear. As for cockpit dash i hated it not just GM but also my boss Ford Ranger with blue dash lighting.

@Usagi98962 2 ай бұрын

I live in Europe, and I can not help but see an Opel Isignia in this car.

@AllCarswithJon 2 ай бұрын

Well, there's a really good reason for that! LOL The sad thing is that "everyday, boring" European cars come over here as "premium". We have lower standards in some ways it seems! May I ask what part of Europe you hail from?

@Usagi98962 2 ай бұрын

The northeastern country called Estonia is technically is just little Finland.

@Usagi98962 2 ай бұрын

@@AllCarswithJon We also have this fanatism for American cars, people think they are cool classics, sure there are cuple of rare old cars here like Edel was even at some car meet, but also some average everyday American cars are seen here as something very fancy and exotic.

@Noneofyourbusiness2000 2 ай бұрын

I like the manual only, but imagine how much cooler this thing would be with rear wheel drive and an LS3.

@michaellong6336 2 ай бұрын

Funny how you would give Buick a shot again after 2 prior ones with 5 transmissions. No accounting for love.

@jonbrowning6839 2 ай бұрын

GM has been unable to make a competitive car in decades. Trucks, maybe, but cars, they just have missed, and keep on missing, the mark.

@faugrad 2 ай бұрын

This car would have been better if it wasn’t the watered down version of the Opel. The Opel had a V6 and AWD vs the Buick’s 4 cylinder and FWD version.