2012 Buick Regal GS Announced
2012 Buick Regal GS
The Buick Regal GS concept was unveiled in January at the Detroit Auto Show and the officials said that the concept will become a production model in the near future. And they were right as the first truly performance Buick will be available starting with next year after a good amount of time since Buick had such a competitive model. Comparing the concept model exposed at the beginning of the year with the production model, we notice that nothing much has changed since then. The main differences you will notice are the smaller air intakes on the front fascia, the exhaust finishers on the back and the Recaro-like front seats.
Luckily, it has the other ingredients of the concept model, like the generous 20-inch rims, high performance Brembo front brake calipers, the rocker panel extensions, the integrated rear spoiler and the satin-metallic trim. More important, the engine is the same 2.0-liter four cylinders which is the same with the one found in the Regal Turbo model but the General Motor technicians raised the horsepower number and at the same time reduced backpressure thanks to a large exhaust system. Now the car offers 255 hp and a 295 lb-ft of torque which is 35 hp more than the power unit found in the Turbo.
2012 Buick Regal GS
Upon launch, the 2012 Buick Regal GS will be offered only with a 6-speed manual gearbox and later on they will introduce a new 6-speed automatic transmission. Initially, the concept promised a 0-60 mph sprint in less than 6 seconds, but now the officials at Buick lowered down their expectations of the car, saying that the Regal GS will do the mile-a-minute-mark in less than 7 seconds.
Unlike the concept version exposed in January which had an all wheel drive system, the production model has only front wheel drive which is a small disappointment in our opinion, but a plus is that the car will feature the all new HiPer Strut suspension system that benefits from a customized MacPherson geometry up front to maintain a better negative chamber in cornering and at the same time, reduce the torque steer.
The car will come as standard with 19-inch rims covered by all-season Goodyear Eagles tires and for extra money, you could get 20-inch wheels, but this time in combination with Pirelli P Zero summer tires.
Moving inside the car, it will be quite similar with other “Regal” cars, but it will come with metal pedals, a special flat-bottomed steering wheel, a satin-finished trim, white lightning for the instrument panel (when the GS mode is activated) and more-heavily bolstered front seats. Other standard features of the car include the following: xenon headlights, Bluetooth connectivity, backup sensors, keyless entry and start plus a powerful 320-watt Harman/Kardon sound system if you are not satisfied with the sound made by the powerful engine.
