2012 Buick Regal GS Automatic Tested: That’s Right, It Shifts for Itself

No matter how beguiling its looks or convincing its Opel-derived specifications, the Buick Regal has one major handicap: a name laden with disappointment. Buick has overhauled its model names, but “Regal” inexplicably survives. What’s in a name? Well, gas shortages and vibrating V-6s and gussied-up Luminas are evoked by this one, introduced in 1973, just as the General’s long night was settling in.

And perhaps no car at GM is more deserving of a new appellation, having gone completely off the North American reservation as a car sired in Germany and schooled by  the nuns at Our Lady of  the Nürburgring. Thank them for the Regal’s stout structure, competent suspension, and, in the burly GS, the set of gluey Pirelli P Zero tires. They were 255/35ZR-20s on our car, marked with a wear rating of 220, and shadowed by a replacement price of $426 each, so don’t say you weren’t warned. But they provide settled control in turns and help the Brembo front calipers (and anonymous rears) produce startling braking.

When the turbo’d 270-hp GS appeared last year fitted exclusively with a six-speed manual—any Buick with a stick is news—we saw a 0-to-60-mph time of 6.2 seconds.  As of 2012, the 2.0-liter, direct-injection Ecotec four will also go doggie-style with a no-extra-cost Aisin-Warner six-speed automatic. Our first test-track tussle with the automatic produced a 0-to-60 time of 6.4 seconds, while the braking (163 feet) and skidpad results (0.88 g) are similar if not identical.

So, for a 3751-pound sedan propelled by just four pistons, the GS surrenders little of its fleetness to the automatic. Yes, the Buick’s hydraulically boosted variable-effort steering has some insulating fat in it, but the car drills into corners with convincing certainty and enough grip to send your double macchiato flying out the window. Whether you set the Drive Control System’s suspension, steering assist, and throttle adjustments to standard or sport, or go all red-misty-eyed and push the dashboard’s “GS” button for maximum stiffness and throttle response—frankly, the gradients are pretty subtle—this Buick won’t forget what it is.

Read More: http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2012-buick-regal-gs-automatic-test-review

Chicago Buick Regal Dealers

Early Buick Verano Customers Raring for Red

Data shows new Buick buyers favor expressive exterior color and leather interior

DETROIT – Buick Verano sales continue to trend upward, with nearly 2,500 sold in March, the luxury sedan’s best month yet. Early trends show the Verano is bringing new types of customers to the Buick brand.
Verano owners are:

• Seeing Red. Or at least buying it. One quarter of all Veranos sold have worn the most colorful hue offered, Crystal Red Tintcoat. According to paint supplier PPG, red was only the fifth most-popular color across the industry last year.
• Progressive urbanites. Verano’s top three markets are New York, Philadelphia and Chicago.  Other major metropolitan markets like Dallas, Houston, and St. Louis are among the Top 10.
• New to Buick. Nearly one in two Verano owners are trading in vehicles from brands outside of General Motors.
• Western leather lovers. Almost half of Veranos sold on the West Coast are top-spec 1SL models with soft leather-appointed interiors, a heated steering wheel, and standard Bose audio.
• Saving fuel. Verano’s EPA rating of 32 mpg on the highway beats competitors like the Acura TSX, Infiniti G25, and Lexus IS250. While those competitors recommend the use of premium fuel, Verano uses regular gas.

Karen Schindler of St. Louis became the first Verano owner in early December when she traded in her 2002 Lexus IS300. “I got everything I wanted with this car for a great price. I really love it, and things like the heated steering wheel were a big surprise. And it’s great that it was built here in the U.S.”
The Verano is assembled in Lake Orion, Michigan.

Every 2012 Verano is eligible for Experience Buick, which offers the security and convenience of a 24-month lease that includes routine maintenance, an OnStar Directions and Connections plan and SiriusXM radio, bundled into a single monthly payment.

Read More: http://media.gm.com/content/media/us/en/gm/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2012/Apr/0412_verano

Chicago Buick Verano Dealers

2013 Buick Enclave: Interior and Exterior Styling Updates [New York Auto Show]

Launched as a 2008 model, the Buick Enclave is built on the same GM Lambda platform as the GMC Acadia and the Chevrolet Traverse three-rows. Despite the corporate sharing, the Enclave has managed to carve a lucrative niche in the luxury-crossover segment for Buick, selling more than 58,000 Enclaves in 2011 in the U.S. Still, the Lambda platform is aging and GM has chosen to refresh all three, with the 2013 Enclave being the last updated model introduced. It and the 2013 Chevy Traverse make their debut at the 2012 New York auto show.

Apparently anxious to not alienate its current customer base, Buick chose to handle the Enclave’s 2013 update with kid gloves. Materials, details, and styling cues are revised to remain contemporary, but the Enclave’s essence remains fully intact.

Same as it Ever Was

Viewed from the front, the grille is the most striking detail: The new Enclave employs an alternating pattern of black and chrome uprights of varying dimensions where the previous model had a simple, all-chrome affair. The lower front fascia is now painted to match the body. New headlamps have a longer, leaner, and more-angular profile and replace the more-rotund previous units; they incorporate amber turn indicators, which formerly resided in the lower front fascia. Standard HID lamps are enhanced with LED accent lights; headlamps that turn in concert with the steering wheel are available. Blue rings in the headlights match those on the previous car, as well as the cars in the rest of Buick’s lineup. Buick’s trademark portholes have been re-oriented to a more horizontal position on the hood, now sitting inside the hood’s prominent creases rather than outside them.

LED taillamps and a body-color rear valance echo the design in front. The oval exhaust outlets of the outgoing Enclave have been replaced with more-rectangular units. Aluminum 18-inch wheels are standard; buyers will have their choice of upgrading to either 19- or 20-inch aluminum wheels in painted, machined, or chrome finishes.

Read More: http://www.caranddriver.com/news/2013-buick-enclave-photos-and-info-news