HAS THE WORLD GONE MAD!?!?! Buick beating BMW?!?!

[Stanley Rockefeller]

http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/Buick_Regal/

Damn guys...if they made this in a coupe version, I'd be all over that schit! esp. at that price!

Sure it's no e30, but for a regular commuter, (or anything that can handle the Autobahn speeds, I'd sport it!)

[peytonracer4]

my dad recently had a 2010 lacrosse as a rental. it had like 8 miles on it. he said it was extremely nice, a rival to our lexas gs.
unfortunately it's either fwd or awd :(

[naplesE30]

Buick has been making really nice cars for the past Id say 3 yrs. Even crazier is its a status symbol in China. The Chinese LOVE Buick and they are buying them like hot cakes.

[z31maniac]

I'm looking forward to see what the GS model will be like next year.

AWD turbo to compete with the SHO?

[nrubenstein]

I've driven the Lacrosse and its a perfectly nice appliance for people who are considering a Toyota. Comfy spacious, and dead boring to drive. I'd rather have it than a Toyota, but...

[Sagaris]

I am still not convinced that the American auto industry is a world player yet. The Buick is a sharp looking car but I am sure that a lot of the hype over the car is how good it looks.
I would be more impressed; however, if it was not a rebadged Opel Insignia since it seems that a few times in the past 20 years there have been decent looking American cars that came from sister companies overseas.


I drove the Saturn Aura with the 3.6 DI motor and about 66,000 miles. The throttle response was absurd, way too touchy (DBW calibrated to ensure the car feels much more powerful than it is to take part in the current horsepower wars). There were many faults with the car. Inoperable electronics, rough transmission, clunks in the suspension, and a shimmy in the steering. I was disappointed because the Aura was supposed to be one of the new American cars that is supposed to hold a flame to the Japanese, Korean, and German competition.

Maybe the one I drove was abused ? Nah, it's just a good looking piece of garbage.

Only time will tell whether the new Regal holds up or if it is just another nice looking car that can't hold up like the competition.

I know for a fact that within 5-6 years a lot of people are going to be kicking themselves for buying EcoBoost Ford's when the warranty expires and the dual clutch transmissions are problematic, turbos are failing, AWD systems are noisy, direct injection systems have the engine fouled with carbon deposits on top of the other problems that a normal car has.

[bimmerteck]

BMW is too worried about letting their marketing sell cars and has lost sight of how to build reliable cars with good performance. 9 out of 10 drivers still place getting from point A to point B as their primary need from a car. They don't imagine stopping off at the local mechanic on the way there. Although if you work on BMWs it's an excellent time to be in the business. :)

Regal Reliability - 9.0 (Excellent)
3-Series Reliability - 6.0 (Mediocre)

[nando]

7.5 second 0-60?

pass...

[nando]

I am still not convinced that the American auto industry is a world player yet. The Buick is a sharp looking car but I am sure that a lot of the hype over the car is how good it looks.
I would be more impressed; however, if it was not a rebadged Opel Insignia since it seems that a few times in the past 20 years there have been decent looking American cars that came from sister companies overseas.


I drove the Saturn Aura with the 3.6 DI motor and about 66,000 miles. The throttle response was absurd, way too touchy (DBW calibrated to ensure the car feels much more powerful than it is to take part in the current horsepower wars). There were many faults with the car. Inoperable electronics, rough transmission, clunks in the suspension, and a shimmy in the steering. I was disappointed because the Aura was supposed to be one of the new American cars that is supposed to hold a flame to the Japanese, Korean, and German competition.

Maybe the one I drove was abused ? Nah, it's just a good looking piece of garbage.

Only time will tell whether the new Regal holds up or if it is just another nice looking car that can't hold up like the competition.

I know for a fact that within 5-6 years a lot of people are going to be kicking themselves for buying EcoBoost Ford's when the warranty expires and the dual clutch transmissions are problematic, turbos are failing, AWD systems are noisy, direct injection systems have the engine fouled with carbon deposits on top of the other problems that a normal car has.

my sentiments. Ford's quality ratings were way up until just recently - they've been trying to pack so much tech/features into their cars, and now that some of them are starting to show their age, they aren't holding up so well.

in 15 years I bet you don't see very many of these cars left on the roads. yeah, maybe they've gotten better - but it wasn't really that long ago that they were still churning out crap, and it's easy to improve on the abysmal cars they were producing 5 years ago. I don't really see that changing too much, it's just well designed, high-tech crap now.

[Sagaris]

7.5 seconds isn't bad, but the engine specs suggest better performance in a midsized car. Admittedly the 0-60 time is just a benchmark, but I think you can see how participating in both the horsepower wars AND the fuel economy wars is really getting ridiculous. All these new SUV's that claim great highway MPG are a bit annoying to drive as their transmission shift algorithms want to use 5th and 6th gears ASAP. Some of them have managed to make it work, but for the most part they dont shift how you might want them to when passing, towing, or merging without a dramatic kick-down that startles your passengers.


Along with the gearing and transmission shift points, there is the actual engine tuning. Sure, you may have a peak horsepower of 280, but the low end power might be compromised for the sake of fuel economy and emissions which makes it less enjoyable to drive. Example: The new Pentastar V6.

Check out the AFR's on this dyno



It runs lean up til 3600-3700 RPM for better mileage and possibly lower HC emissions for which torque suffers. It then richens up after 3700 RPM to obtain a nice peak HP number to post in an advertisement. Along with the weird engine tuning, like I mentioned with the Saturn Aura, companies are getting a bit nuts with their drive-by-wire throttle response for that false sense of power. After the fuel crisis in 1979, they created CAFE and had a goal of doubling the corporate average fuel economy by 1985. They did so, and there is a strong correlation with vehicle weight decreasing and improved fuel economy. After they had achieved their goal in 1985, cars started packing on the pounds (yes they also became safer as a result) but fuel economy hasn't been a priority until lately as cars have gained weight just like the American's driving them.

My point is, I would much rather see car companies be more innovative and use their engineering powers to continue create cars that are safer but make them lighter as well as opposed to simply trying to manipulate current powertrain technology to do reduce fuel consumption. Mazda ambitiously wants to shed 700 lbs for the next iteration of the Miata. I don't know if they can do that, but kudos to them for making a step in the right direction.

[Kershaw]

mazda has always been about fun cars. fat cars are not that fun.

those afrs are pretty damn ridiculous.

[Schnitzer318is]

Although if you work on BMWs it's an excellent time to be in the business. :)

Yep, the shop I work at does pretty well. All the guys there won't buy any BMW after the e46 chassis. Too much plastic and aluminum.

Hell we have a few cars in there right now (e60's or e90's can't remember) that came in with tensioners wobbling and making noise. The ALUMINUM bolt (yep 1) that holds it in place had it's head sheared off. Both of those cars have <50,000 miles.

[mikeedler]

All the guys there won't buy any BMW after the e46 chassis. Too much plastic and aluminum.

Hell we have a few cars in there right now (e60's or e90's can't remember) that came in with tensioners wobbling and making noise. The ALUMINUM bolt (yep 1) that holds it in place had it's head sheared off. Both of those cars have <50,000 miles.

and??? that can happen to any manufacturer

and most BMW mechanics can't afford anything newer than the E46 chassis, not that I think the newer ones are any better.



the Opel insignia (buick thing for you guys) is actually a pretty popular car over here. I have a friend (travelling salesman) who already has over 100,000 km on his with not 1 problem.

A few of you sound like my father bitching about fuel injection being from the devil and carburetors being the best thing since sliced bread.

[Sagaris]

A few of you sound like my father bitching about fuel injection being from the devil and carburetors being the best thing since sliced bread.

VW/Audi has been pushing lots of technology into their cars for a while now. I don't have to elaborate on what a basketcase they are. Even off the showroom floor the VR6 cars with DSG all have a shudder as they accelerate from a stop.

Technology is not a problem at all, it just bites car companies, and then owners, in the butt when they can't make it work right, which is usually because it hasn't been around long enough to work out the failure points.

When Audi first started toying with turbocharging, Ford was still stuffing V8's into family cars with body-on-frame construction. Sure, ford had a very limited run of 2.3L turbo engines, but Audi has has consistently been immersed in turbo technology and they still cant get it right. So to think of Ford or GM which is practically new to turbocharging, new to dual clutch gearboxes, new to direct injection, practically new to all-wheel-drive systems (when their 2wd transmissions are still junk) among other tech, is just scary.

[5Toes]

7.5 seconds isn't bad, but the engine specs suggest better performance in a midsized car. Admittedly the 0-60 time is just a benchmark, but I think you can see how participating in both the horsepower wars AND the fuel economy wars is really getting ridiculous. All these new SUV's that claim great highway MPG are a bit annoying to drive as their transmission shift algorithms want to use 5th and 6th gears ASAP. Some of them have managed to make it work, but for the most part they dont shift how you might want them to when passing, towing, or merging without a dramatic kick-down that startles your passengers.


Along with the gearing and transmission shift points, there is the actual engine tuning. Sure, you may have a peak horsepower of 280, but the low end power might be compromised for the sake of fuel economy and emissions which makes it less enjoyable to drive. Example: The new Pentastar V6.

Check out the AFR's on this dyno



It runs lean up til 3600-3700 RPM for better mileage and possibly lower HC emissions for which torque suffers. It then richens up after 3700 RPM to obtain a nice peak HP number to post in an advertisement. Along with the weird engine tuning, like I mentioned with the Saturn Aura, companies are getting a bit nuts with their drive-by-wire throttle response for that false sense of power. After the fuel crisis in 1979, they created CAFE and had a goal of doubling the corporate average fuel economy by 1985. They did so, and there is a strong correlation with vehicle weight decreasing and improved fuel economy. After they had achieved their goal in 1985, cars started packing on the pounds (yes they also became safer as a result) but fuel economy hasn't been a priority until lately as cars have gained weight just like the American's driving them.

My point is, I would much rather see car companies be more innovative and use their engineering powers to continue create cars that are safer but make them lighter as well as opposed to simply trying to manipulate current powertrain technology to do reduce fuel consumption. Mazda ambitiously wants to shed 700 lbs for the next iteration of the Miata. I don't know if they can do that, but kudos to them for making a step in the right direction.

Brian, this is great.

And yeah Buicks are all boring. My Dad has a 40,000 mile 1985 BUick LeSabre with the V8... so slow.