When Buick came out with the Regal sport sedan in 2011 they touted it as a true contender in an already competition laden class. They spent many millions on television and magazine advertisements to get everyone pumped up about the way Buick was changing its image from one of "ho-hum" to one of "oh yeah"! Unfortunately it did not live up to all the hype and was quickly relegated to mediocrity due largely in part to a huge lack of power under the hood. Now with the 2012 model year Buick has made a substantial change to this previously lacking, yet incredibly important aspect of the Regal Sedan. Buick finally has a vehicle that can actually live up to its moniker as a sports sedan that enthusiasts will want to drive purely for the fun of it. After all, isn't that really the point of a sport sedan in the first place? The driving experience from the new Regal GS Sedan can actually be called exciting thanks to a beefier engine output that has been coupled with better brakes and a tightly tuned suspension that helps the car hug the road with confidence. The excitement can also be tamed when necessary thanks to an adjustable suspension.
Since the GS is the new kid on the block let's start by talking about what new tidbits it has to offer. It comes with a larger engine that cranks out 270 horsepower which is 50 more than the Regal's Turbo offering. That is also nearly 90 more ponies and the base model so there is certainly a huge difference between the different trims being offered for this vehicle. It also has a sportier suspension that has been tweaked for a tighter ride that will make the driver feel more connected to the road. A manual transmission is the standard with the GS and that should raise suspicions that this is not your ordinary Regal. Throw in Brembo brakes and high performance tires and there is no doubt that Buick finally got the picture and realized how to make the car a truly competent sport sedan that people will find exciting to drive. While all of these improvements certainly make the car a contender they will still have a difficult time competing with offerings from BMW and Infiniti. Nonetheless, this is definitely not your grandpa's Buick by any stretch of the imagination.