REGAL : THE FUTURE

[regfootball]

A coworker's 50k Impala is in the shop (oil and water leaks) so the dealership (my old dealer group actually) gave a new Regal loaner. (disclaimer, they have recently gotten like 10 new 13's that aren't going anywhere any time soon).

She is impressed with the car, the leather is 'silky smooth'. It's 'smaller than the Impala though'. Otherwise it's apparently just a nice car.

We know the Regals lack some real bling and wow.

I like Regals a lot. I think a big problem is it is not much bigger than a Verano, but it sells at a near LaCrosse price. Malibu Turbo is arguably the same car with the possibility for a better price.

Buick made some great improvements for 2014. New nose, new dash, AWD, turbo improvements. It's been getting great reviews.

I doubt the sales will be impacted much. Talk is the Regal production may move back over the pond.

Folks who want the big Buick get the LaCrosse. The Verano is successful because its an expensive way to get a Buick and it's a quality piece too.

Currently, some complaints for the Regal are no v6, no AWD with stick. No coupe, no wagon, safe styling.

It is likely that something will need to be done in the future to give Buick a more defined niche. There have been rumors that the next Regal may be RWD based, but then wouldn't it compete with Cadillacs? Does it need more body styles? LaCrosse will always be regarded as having more space. Verano will always be priced more accessibly.

REGAL : THE FUTURE. Give us your predictions and opinions. How does it fit in moving forward?

Edited October 3, 2013 by regfootball

[ocnblu]

I think the LaCrosse and Verano sell more because they are more traditional as Buick automobiles. This Regal was always pitched as a "European Sports Sedan", not what people associate with the brand. People know about Buick's Gran Sport heritage, but past GS models were still about authoritative American luxury with classy sportiness and power added seamlessly.

Notice that some younger people are buying Buicks. The Verano and Encore are helping with that, and they are executed as traditional more so than the Regal is positioned, imo.

[David]

I expect the Regal will be totally redone as the mid lux sports car for the brand that would attract young people who have the extra money to move from the Chevy / Toyota basic cars to a Buick/Acura level car and are not ready for the Cadillac/Lexus level.

I do not think Buick needs to go RWD. I personally think they can stay FWD and add AWD. An AWD Regal Sports sedan with a turbo 4 as entry and Turbo 6 as a Regal GS edition would do very nicely.

[smk4565]

Agreed with Onc, traditional Buicks sell, and the Regal doesn't fit the brand. The Regal is like a luxury + sport trim Saturn Aura, although the Regal has less horsepower than the Aura at least when you compare the 2.4 and 2.0t to the 3.5 and 3.6 V6's in the Aura. The Verano works because there are people what want some luxury and a smooth riding, quiet car and don't want any performance. Most new car buyers are older, and many Americans sit in traffic or go down a highway for their daily commute, so they aren't looking for M3 handling.

The Verano hits a sweet spot of people that want a Lexus-like car in a small size and a small price.

The Lacrosse hits the sweet spot of the traditional Buick buyer that wants a full size car (Impala sort of does this too).

The Regal doesn't hit the sweet spot for anything.

[Drew Dowdell]

I'll be driving the 2014 Regal and LaCrosse most of the day tomorrow. So I'll let you know next week.

[David]

Sweet, look forward to hearing your review on them. Thanks Drew

[ehaase]

From a business standpoint, I think the Regal should be dropped. I don't think Buick needs anything between the Verano and LaCrosse.

[David]

From a business standpoint, I think the Regal should be dropped. I don't think Buick needs anything between the Verano and LaCrosse.

Regal GS which was a supercharged sedan was awesome and plenty of them around at least here in Washington. So you do not feel the need to have a performance sedan in the buick family?

[Drew Dowdell]

That depends. The Regal is the handler of the three by a longshot. One of the best balance fwd sedans out there. Buick needs to market it better.

[frogger]

I love that the base engine is the 2.0T now and the revised interior, but the new wheels are no better than the old wheels (which I found ugly).

The car's pricing in Canada starts where an Accord V6 pretty much tops out, similar to Acura sedans. I think enthusiasts pony up for RWD bias nameplates, and non-enthusiasts spending this kind of money are buying something more spacious/practical like an SUV or larger sedan.

[regfootball]

From a business standpoint, I think the Regal should be dropped. I don't think Buick needs anything between the Verano and LaCrosse.

vehemently disagree. which is also why i started the thread. I think what Buick needs to do is refine the focus of what is between the Verano and LaCrosse. Verano and LaCrosse are comparably mild, I think there is room for a performance Buick. And it's size should bridge the gap better as well.

CTS size RWD / AWD chassis?

That depends. The Regal is the handler of the three by a longshot. One of the best balance fwd sedans out there. Buick needs to market it better.

yuppers

[ocnblu]

Yup, that could work. The Regal should move to Alpha and be sold as coupe and sedan. It also must have drama in the design, as the best Buicks of the past had, in spades. That is the way to sell more Regals. As it is, it does not offer enough over the Verano to make a case for itself, sadly.

[smk4565]

The Regal costs all most as much as an ATS, why move the Regal to Alpha? And then would it be mid-size, like a cheaper version of a CTS? The Regal is a car that GM doesn't need, especially if they have a more desirable Malibu Turbo. The real solution is to make the Lacrosse a bit smaller, so it is closer to Hyundai Azera size and hold the price where it is. Then make a Buick Park Avenue in the $39-50k space and kill off the XTS. Then Buick has 3 sedans all with similar focus, and Buick would do battle with low end of Lexus, the Avalon, Azera, Cadenza, low end of Acura and cars like that. That frees up Cadillac to make sports luxury.

[vonVeezelsnider]

They need to have a true GS that is more than all-show-no-go over the standard Turbo model. They should also consider moving it to RWD if Chevy isn't planning something similar. That being said, cars like the S60 and TSX aren't exactly setting the charts on fire either. If they do a second gen, they are going to have to differentiate it better.

[Drew Dowdell]

Cadenza looks good on paper, but it is not Lacrosse or even upper end Impala level in the real world.

[ehaase]

From a business standpoint, I think the Regal should be dropped. I don't think Buick needs anything between the Verano and LaCrosse.

Regal GS which was a supercharged sedan was awesome and plenty of them around at least here in Washington. So you do not feel the need to have a performance sedan in the buick family?

Buick has the Verano turbo and can add the 3.6L turbo to the Lacrosse if needed. I don't see the need for the Regal in the U.S. market. I wouldn't mind seeing a Riviera coupe developed off Alpha.

[David]

From a business standpoint, I think the Regal should be dropped. I don't think Buick needs anything between the Verano and LaCrosse.

Regal GS which was a supercharged sedan was awesome and plenty of them around at least here in Washington. So you do not feel the need to have a performance sedan in the buick family?

Buick has the Verano turbo and can add the 3.6L turbo to the Lacrosse if needed. I don't see the need for the Regal in the U.S. market. I wouldn't mind seeing a Riviera coupe developed off Alpha.

Why not have the Regal a 2 door sports coupe with two engine options, Turbo 4 and then the twin turbo V6. They could do also an AWD HO Twin Turbo V6 and call it the Grand National!

[ehaase]

Why not have the Regal a 2 door sports coupe with two engine options, Turbo 4 and then the twin turbo V6. They could do also an AWD HO Twin Turbo V6 and call it the Grand National!

I honestly don't think Buick could sell more 500 Regal coupes per month in the current market. The upcoming Anthem is where Buick can get some volume.

[regfootball]

Cadenza looks good on paper, but it is not Lacrosse or even upper end Impala level in the real world.

sat in the Cadenza last weekend. It is a weak presentation all around. The optima in the same showroom is more interesting and less dough. I liked the shape of the dash, but again, the Optima is so much more interesting!

rode in the borrowed Regal today, love the car! but it just doesn't make a splash with the public!

Maybe all the Regals should come with GS bodywork.

Right now to solve the coupe issue, Buick needs the Astra 3 door as Verano coupe!

I doubt a Regal coupe would sell much but it would add identity to Buick. Brass tacks is would a Regal coupe take the place of the CTS coupe?

[bobo]

The Regal is actually one of my favorite cars. It drives better than the Acura TL or TSX. I think its difficulties are due to (1) it started out as a German import, which never sell well for GM, (2) it doesn't look very Buicky, which is not necessarily a bad thing in appealing to a younger demographic, and (3) interior room is too close to the Verano. The Lacrosse drives like an old persons car and appeals to a different kind of buyer. It needs to grow to become more of a full-sizer and give the Regal some breathing room, but the Regal also needs to grow a little bit to get some distance from the Verano. Buicks should remain primarily FWD with optional AWD and be an upmarket option to Chevrolet. Although wagons don't sell well, a wagon version would give the Regal its own niche for those who don't care for crossovers (the Insignia wagon looks great).

[regfootball]

anyone think a hatchback Regal would do anything in the market?

Buick, when the new Anthem arrives, will explode. Female buyers and crossovers........

Edited October 5, 2013 by regfootball

[ocnblu]

Um, "no" on the hatchback Regal.

[PONTIAC06]

I think part of this might be marketing...I just got my Infiniti about 1 month ago, and the Regal GS, and Volvo S60 were the other two cars I was seriuosly considering. The only things that really took away from the Regal was how hard I got to push it in the test drive, so I never really knew what it could do, and the payment was higher for a less expensive car (lease). Actually, the G37 I ended up with also is a coupe...so having a Regal coupe may have swayed me back that direction...and the new for 14 AWD and interior seem like solid improvements...

[JayPitt]

I wanted to love the Regal. I really did. Last week, we drove a Regal Turbo and a Regal GS. Built in Germany, but still suffered from the vague, non-reactive steering in the center that my partner abhors. The GS was lovely and loaded at $39K, and the dealership was ready to slash $10K off the list to get it out the door for us. We still ended up purchasing a Lexus ES the following day instead. Having seen a Regal yesterday in a parking lot next to the newly-purchased ES, there dullness of the Regal was striking and sad.

[Drew Dowdell]

That's ok. At least you still have the other Buick.

[Mule Bakersdozen LS]

I'd replace both Regal and LaCrosse in their current forms with ONE Epsilon II mid-size, front or all-wheel-drive, 5-6-passenger model: and it'd be called the Century! Special, Super, Ultra, (later) GS trims, 3.6-liter DOHC High Feature 290hp V-6 (standard all except GS) or 2.4/2.5-liter ECOTEC eAssist I-4 (Special/Super) engines, 6 or 8-speed OD automatic TAPShift III transmissions, front split-bench or bucket seats for Special/Superl bucket-only for others, cloth (like velour not that sandpaper crap in everything these days for the last decade-its horrible) or leather for Special; leather for all the rest; perforated/special leather for Ultra/GS; keep the successful and long-awaited ascension toward premium luxury, how's $30,000 start? Would this be a good mix for keeping real Buick buyers happy and roping in the imports? 4-door notchback sedan, 5-door, 2-3-seat (5-8-passenger) Estate Wagon, 2-door, 5-passenger notchback coupe, and, if we're feeling like a styling/heritage experiment, Sedanette 2-door fastback 4-5-passenger coupe, but obviously, the sedan as always would be the primary focus. And Buick needs a REAL full-size car again, the LaCrosse is still just a mid-size, has a tiny trunk, and too many small shortcomings for me to really recommend/like it, and honestly, I've never yet embraced any LaCrosse of either generation. As of right now, I'll stick with the old Century, though its equipped like a Chevy as it should not have been. But I welcome the Anthem, another vehicle Buick has needed for over a decade-maybe GM will do crossovers (excluding the Lambda Trio) right finally!

[Drew Dowdell]

Buick needs a big car still.

[ZL-1]

anyone think a hatchback Regal would do anything in the market?

Buick, when the new Anthem arrives, will explode. Female buyers and crossovers........

I think neither the liftback nor the wagon from the Insignia range would be successfull in the US.

[ehaase]

I read on another forum that the Anthem won't be sold in the U.S.

[Drew Dowdell]

I think there is a bit of a mixup because of us referring to the coming mid-size Buick CUV as the Anthem, perhaps a bit prematurely. There is a China Only Buick mid-size crossover being prepared (Think another Vueick) and possibly using that name, but it will be different from what we get here.