2014 Buick Regal GS AWD System: More than Everything You Ever Wanted to Know

[@tuolumne9]

Great hearing from an engineer. One of my most favorite videos of the year so far. Keep ones like this coming.

[@MrMechanus]

Definitely a step in the right direction for Buick!

[@1guyin10]

They really have done a nice job on the recent Buicks. It will take some time for the public to figure that out, but at least now they have a product that is truly competitive. I would take the Regal over an Acura.

[@edavis5300]

Great looking, great performance! Go GM for making a car that'll compete! This engineer is on it!

[@swinglow33]

Should do a AWD shootout with the Audi A6 and the Buick. I'd like to see which has more grip on the slippery stuff and how the electronics and AWD systems are different.

[@DucatiPaso750]

I am sold. Good review.

[@weirdshibainu]

I sell buicks. Good cars but almost always an overlooked brand. Despite good styling and tech, it still harbors under being an old persons car. Only reason why buick is still alive, is because gm sells tons of them in China, where its considered a premium brand...go figure.

[@andregayle]

Sad, I've always liked Buicks from among American brand cars and the new ones... look hot!!!

[@sinusbradycardia]

I have a Buick Regal Grand National, I love my grandpa car.

[@brye-bread]

I'm considered selling my G37 for a regal... but so far gas prices have bee low enough where i'm not willing to part with my G yet.

[@weirdshibainu]

Never sell or buy a car based on gas prices..it'll never pencil out in your favor at a dealership

[@MrGreenelight]

Buick is a Premium Brand in the US also, it is just not an overpriced snob appeal brand.

[@Dr_Xyzt]

Judging by the engineer speak, this car is officially awesome! Buick gets an A+.

[@autoholicmedia]

This is the system Saab developed with Haldex for Saabs first AWD system, which was coined XWD. Then in following years, other manufacturers started using the Gen 4 system, which included GM putting it in cars such as the Regal. So everything about the system in the 2014 Regal has been available in Saabs since 2008, which makes me curious as too how much work this particular engineer put into the system, other than adapting it to the Regal. Unless he was part of the Saab/Haldex research team 6+ years ago.

[@swinglow33]

Good point about the wheel size. I've heard it's preferred when purchasing after market snow tires to use a smaller wheel size so you have more sidewall.

[@nappiral]

I can just envision the senior citizens drifting their Regals into store fronts on a snowy day.

[@bighands69]

nappiral American cars in the middle of a revival. Over the last 20 years they have been in decline. But in the last few years they are getting more desirable.

[@thehermitslantern777]

I will be 60 this September. I've loved Buicks & Oldsmobiles for as long as I can remember. Also, Cadillacs. My first car was an Oldsmobile Omega. It was solid. Yes, I like luxury cars but this one actually has some pep. Yep, I laughed at your comment. Will be picking mine up on Saturday & it's Copper Red Metallic. Look Out! ;)

[@AWCAWD]

I have a question for the engineer. He states @5:03 mins that the car can allocate between 0 and 2700 Nm torque to the rear axle. Even if the car is equipped with the turbo charged engine it only has a maximum torque of 295 lb-ft. This corresponds to only 400 Nm. Where does the rest of the torque come from? 2700 Nm is equivalent of ~1990 lb-ft. This must be some sort of a mistake.

[@williamwheaton8117]

I believe it comes from the transmission. And probably in first gear

[@smibru]

This car is very good looking! I happy to see that Buick added an awd version to the GS Regal, because fwd just doesn't cut it in a lux performance car!

[@janhfiusa]

We have 2 2008 SAAB 9-3 AERO XWD's (one sedan and one wagon) with the HALDEX 4 system... and have been enjoying them... remember SAAB is Swedish & HALDEX was Swedish (now owned by Borg-Warner)... SAAB/HALDEX developed and shared with OPEL and now BUICK... It only took 5/6 years for BUICK to get its version...

[@jeffpmeyer]

What are those, Blizzaks? My RWD Impala used to go through blizzards with those. I'd like you to compare this with Audi A3 and WRX in terms of winter handling on all season stock tires.

[@BradLancaster86]

Buicks are fun in the snow, and sand. got stuck on the shore line of the kootany lake (having fun) managed to pull out but realized I had to jump the sand bank to get back out on the road, that old regal with the 3800 fwd launched back out on to the road like it a scene from the dukes of hazard. We where on a month long road trip from London to Victoria, had to get it out of that lake :-}

[@martinrobillard1]

first question you ask the seller ... how do i disable the traction control

[@politcallycorrect5816]

13:27, that has nothing to do with the AWD, and all to do with the winter tires.

[@sic22l]

11:24 Regal is loaded as standard but not very cheap - it costs basically as much as 328i xDrive. In Europe you can get less equipped Insignia for much less than 3 series or loaded for similar price. Proportions are the same, just in Europe you have a choice.

[@RhuaridhJWM]

The MSRP of the cheapest FWD Buick Regal is $30,000 -- which is £18,000. The cheapest Insignia is £18,000, but it offers nowhere near as much equipment as standard. The model of Insignia in Britain which grants similar spec to the Buick -- heated leather seats etc. -- costs about £23,500.

[@sic22l]

Rhuaridh Marr I'm not comparing prices alone because they have to be different (higher taxes in Europe). Since numbers are not comparable, I'm comparing them with other cars available in both USA and Europe. In Europe loaded Insignia costs as much as base BMW 3 series (£23,550). In US loaded Regal costs as much as BMW 328i xDrive. So basically in US Regal costs as much as premium cars and in Europe Insignia is just a regular sedan.

[@thehermitslantern777]

I've loved Buicks & Oldsmobiles for as long as I can remember. Also, Cadillacs. My first car was an Oldsmobile Omega. It was solid. Yes, I like luxury cars but this one actually has some pep. Will be picking mine up on Saturday & it's Copper Red Metallic. Look Out! ;)

[@Mr.Waffullz]

Soooo can we get the hopped up Vauxhall version VXR now? Paint it black and bring back the Grand Nation.

[@Trades46]

I'm curious of the eLSD. I know only the GS has it, but is it an actual mechanical LSD mounted at the rear-end with a electronic-controlled locker or an electronic brake-actuated system on a open differential? Also, kudos to Buick/Opel in choosing the Haldex Generation 4. Some of the Volvo community (which Volvo made the change to Gen. 5) were complaining how the newer Haldex system doesn't respond as fast the the Gen.4 unit. As for the Insignia OPC, I'm not really complaining as the 2.0T does a good job at motivating the car. The 2.8 V6 turbo, from the experience of the older Cadillac SRX 2.8T, that particular motor wasn't exactly smooth, not too eager to rev, somewhat coarse sounding and drinks as much fuel as a LS small block. It is quite powerful, but the new 3.6 NA DI V6 kind of has the same power, smoother & not remotely as thirsty.

[@Deathincart]

why did gm invite you guys to canada? im confused. awesome videos love your stuff watch all your videos, top grade stuff!!

[@tuolumne9]

Gotta hand it to GM, that chrome and those wheels just work. Looks properly European

[@sjokomelk]

That's because it IS European... It's a badge engineered Opel Insignia :-P

[@KillerKyle94]

sjokomelk GM owns Opel

[@bighands69]

sjokomelk It is not an Opel. Opel is part of GM and it is a cheap part of GM at that. Buick is a luxury car that is smooth to drive and a good driving experience. Opel is anything but that.

[@watzonda2b]

LB-Ft please!

[@gabeborscheid3828]

Bingo Walter black, yes the haldex 4 is one of the rear drive module bolt on AWD systems that many car companies not innovative in the AWD department choose to use on their FWD vehicles. This GM engineer is tasked to program the cars computer system to manipulate the RDM to work with this vehicle in different circumstances. I don't want to knock this system cause it does what it sold to do, which is deliver up to the said torque as needed by the vehicle. This is not where the issue lies with GM, Ford and others using this and other bolt on AWD systems , the issue comes down to how they choose to deliver power to this RDM. Remember when the engineer went speechless, well what I have seen is they tend to deliver power to this RDM by using a transfer diff. attached to one of the front axles after the front open differential. Why you might ask, because this is a bolt on system and they are trying to use the FWD drivetrain as much as possible without of course using a specific transmission for the AWD version of the car. This is to consolidate and save money, that is why it is done. This makes the AWD system very unsymetrical and inconsistent depending on which front wheel loses traction first. If for instance the front right axel is attached to the RDM and the front left axel loses traction the front open differential will not send power to the right front axel and thus no power is sent to the RDM until braking is applied to the front left axel due to the traction control system. Now back to the point where the engineer went silent, it may be possible that in other countries power is more directly sent to this RDM from the engine and so the programing has to be different. Buy a car that doesn't have a FWD or RWD version, buy a vehicle that is designed as an AWD vehicle only, this is if you care about getting a good AWD vehicle!

[@cars-Nstuff]

Thanks to Saab for designing this AWD system. Saab calls it XWD. First seen on the 9-3 :)

[@maveric0738]

This system is the Haldex system.

[@Amilakasun1]

Do they have right hand drive cars?

[@Gliese380]

Vauxhall Insignia is what you're looking for.

[@alfredenciso3026]

my favorite part was the na na na na at europe...this is AMERICA DAMIT! !!!! Loved it!! bahahahaha

[@680ecks]

Not sure what automatic awd I have in my jeep but feels funny to me never know if it is working .have an old blazer you push the button and clunk it's in .

[@308_Negra_Arroyo_Lane]

It may engage 100ms after "detection", but it takes a long time to actually detect, and the engagement of the clutches actually destabilizes the car a bit. Haldex is just a bolt on system for 2wd vehicles, it can never compete against Audi's Torsen Quattros and Subaru's Symmetrical AWD. TFL is sounding more and more like marketing mouthpieces for the companies now.

[@TFLcar]

Thanks for the comment Walter. FYI: We've asked Subaru to explain why their system is better to give you both sides of the story. Please note that this is not a review or a test but a tech demo/explanation. We plan on conducting a independent test of both system as soon as we can get the right cars and weather together at the same time. Thanks for watching.

[@mss627]

MrThePrivateer Yeah but then we'd have to live an Europe and nobody wants that.

[@AAmatt777]

Walter Black lol you're the one that has fallen to the marketing. All Subaru and Audi's Torsen setup has is a slightly higher thermal capacity but this Buick system actually engages quicker. And is 50/50 from every start. Audis also don't have rear limited slips...that's really premium tech, especially since it's electronically controlled. Also. If you've ever seen those roller tests l, audis always eat shit because they require so many rotations of the wheels before power is transferred. Not so with this system. (Or xDrive for that matter)

[@txmball1993]

10:50... I have 10 fingers lol

[@realspillBill29]

Here in 2024 as a 3 year owner of a 2015 gs awd....tryna gain more knowledge of when my turbo kicks in

[@bluecement]

yep!

[@Gliese380]

I ♥ Opel

[@gene978]

Oh Roman, you sure had the man laughing his ass off! NOT. I find all engineers to be focus driven and very direct. Kind of like Nathan ;-))

[@leadnsteel]

These Awd systems really need to have a lock mode on the dashboards where you could keep it on all the time. I remember having a Chevy Astro with permanent awd and it was a tank in the snow. All of these new automatic systems are garbage except for maybe Subaru. Even they switched from a permeanent system to automatic which isn't as good.

[@bighands69]

leadnsteel it is all about trade off. The Subaru is not as comfortable as the Buick.

[@shinook6667]

I heard the engineer say 3 times that it can allocate 2700nm of torque to the rear wheels... That's 1991ft/lbs of torque!!! Then he said it was it was about half what the power train puts out... First off, his conversions are WAY off. Second, only sending a max of 50% of the power to the rear does make this an awd system worth bragging about. Roman, you sounded too much like a Buick spokesperson in this video...

[@AWCAWD]

***** i.) You are most likely right about the gear ratios and this way the numbers could make sense. The 295 lbft of torque refers to 1:1 gear ratio. In first gear that could be much higher. Thanks. ii.) One clarification:the angular (rotational) speed itself has nothing to do with torque. The CHANGE of angular speed over time, which is the angular acceleration multiplied by the moment of inertia (the distribution of the inertial mass with respect to the axis of rotation; for short: the equivalent of mass in rotational motion in Newton's second law) gives you the torque. So, the rapid increase of angular speed gives you higher torque than a slow increase when it comes to moving your car. You may have a STEADY low or high rotational speed both producing no torque (not counting frictional loss).

[@politcallycorrect5816]

The AWD engineer was hot. Nothing special about the AWD system though.

[@ferrugem1986]

Are you kidding me? its an Opel Insignia with Buick brand.

[@igorgrencik8834]

I have Opel Insignia biturbo 4x4 122000km and I have third new haldex in it :(

[@clinteast7476]

Buick messed up not having a 3.8 supercharged version of this car

[@GODs_Son777]

That guy is too nervous. lol..

[@delanddavis3163]

The guy in the back looks drunk asl😂😂😂😂😂

[@grantmills4184]

Hey comments from 6 years ago, I’m a guy from 2020. Like most things this year, Buick’s current lineup is a disappointment. No more sedans and wagons, just SUV’s. Great.

[@SuperHollywood809]

2014 Buick?????????? that car is since 2009 here in Europe, as an Opel Insignia. anyways it is a good car, I think it was car of the year in 2009 in Europe.

[@BeachJedi101]

Not bad Buick.

[@noamzacks3315]

Aka Opel/Vauxhall Insignia(europe)

[@smithjoe5179]

Wtf how many dollars is that in real dollars Roman?

[@eggbirdtherooster]

believe me, this is nothing more than a Opel Insignia..

[@EGGINFOOLS]

So?

[@jozalegija9787]

je isti je ko opel insigmija al ljudi kazu da je kvalitetnije puno napravljen

[@bighands69]

eggbirdtherooster You are so wrong about that. Opel are hard harsh drives. Buick are smooth luxury rides.

[@jozalegija9787]

Vanstina je ista imao sam buick iz 1999 godine V6 3800 sl i bio sam prezadovoljan sa njim. Posto sam imao jedini takav primjerak u drzavi ( Bosni i Hercegovini), djelove sam tesko nabavljao, a sve ostalo je super bilo.

[@clinteast7476]

older car guys dont want a 4cylinder car period.

[@robanda1anda2anda3]

Europe cars get 50 ,60,and even 70 mpg. I drove a Renault during a vacation and couldn't believe the power and mpg's. Front wheel drive based cars will never be as good as rwd 's.. what will the repair costs on theses kind of vehicles be in 5 years(after warranty). why don't reviews show drive train structure, projected repairs .etc. I still think its a good car for average consumer with some bucks to spare.

[@bighands69]

bobinsky European cars are terrible. Unless you want to pay out big money on a German car. Renault are terrible cars that break down a lot. They are not luxury like a Buick. So what is a Renault. What redeeming feature does it have.

[@76carmel]

60 km/h = 35 mph

[@andymatthys6200]

I'm a dodge/jeep guy, on top of that a truck person in general... that being said I want this car

[@JKx150]

gm's AWD drive system is nothing special. Im a die hard regal fan, but there are tried and tested AWD systems out there for less. Audi A4, Subaru ect... and for build quality I doubt Buick, or Audi can out last a Subaru. Styling wise, I put audi in the lead. Overall, I can not see the benefit vs. cost for the AWD optioned Gran Sport.

[@TheBigFunOne]

This car does all of what the legacy does and it's a faster car.

[@mihaisavu5818]

Opel insignia

[@TAOSEELE]

Just look at this guy! Does anyone think that he did anything on the AWD system? He just got his driving license lmfao! This car is 90% Opel. Opel Insignia to be precise. 10% is bad GM marketing

[@BrooklynsFinestOG]

Very sexy and hot car I might just get one.

[@VolatileDisposition]

It's a good video and makes this car look interesting but seriously if we're talking about AWD at 30,000 dollars, then the Subaru legacy fully loaded is a far better car which will hold its book value better than any in this market and price point. Look on eBay and see how long Subaru cars last and sell for. Buicks are worthless after a 5 year loan is paid off --which is the way most Americans pay off a car at this price point

[@brye-bread]

That is until the person who buys them used comes along and realizes that the Subaru is overpriced :)

[@VolatileDisposition]

what is a fact is that many subaru cars older than 10 years and 150,000 miles do sell every single day on ebay. there's a reason for it. they are known for their bullet proof reliability. almost every legacy ever built is still on the road. no other car matches that record.

[@brye-bread]

VolatileDisposition of course you can back that gross assumption up with some real data?

[@VolatileDisposition]

sure. don't take my word for it. www.subaru.com/why-subaru/reviews-awards/subaru.html scroll down to see who's who saying it

[@VolatileDisposition]

www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=90%25+of+subaru+legacy+cars+still+on+road

[@bllendegaming]

looks like opel insignia :/

[@moguai22]

insignia OPC

[@sjokomelk]

It IS the Insignia, just bagde engineered to a Buick...

[@chryslerprowlerv8]

50 grand for a 4cly Regal???NONSENSE!!!!!

[@bimmerlife5452]

his car is soo not american its all ople

[@bighands69]

Vic GTX 780Ti This car is so American since it is GM. You do know that GM is American.

[@bimmerlife5452]

Yes I'm american my self I own 2009 corvette

[@Ibanezeguitarfan]

Well that was the most boring car video I've ever watched.

[@hobohobona]

One of the worst buicks I've ever owned

[@TrumpsaTerroristChangeMyMind]

How so? I have this same car in the GS trim but in fwd sadly I still love it tho!