The Buick Regal is General Motor's comeback kid". It is a mid-size vehicle that was originally succeeded by the Buick LaCrosse in 2005. The Regal started out as an A-body with a two-door or four-door style. Initially a front engine/rear wheel drive, it came with a sporty 231 cubic-inch (3.8 L) V6 or 350 cubic-inch (5.7 L) V8. Another engine of the automatic three-speed featured a 455 cubic-inch (7.5 L) V8. Whereas the two-door coupe was not necessarily a family car, the four-door sedan was much more kid-friendly.
General Motors was looking to the Buick Regal for successfully competing against the Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme. Not surprisingly, the makers of the Regal paid special attention to the coupe, which was made in Flint, Michigan; Framingham, Massachusetts; or Fremont,... View more California. Opera windows gave the car a stylish look, while the 350 V8 was so successful and efficient that production of this type of engine continued on through 1980.
The first Buick Regal rolled off the assembly lines in 1973. This first generation Regal featured the two-door or four-door FR layout on an A-body. A second generation started in 1978 and lasted through 1987. Added were the four-door station wagon and a G-body. The engine lineup now features a 196 cubic-inch (3.2 L) Buick V6, 252 cubic-inch (4.1 L) V6, 265 cubic-inch (4.3 L) Pontiac V8 and a few others, but no longer the initial 350 or 455. The transmission is now a manual three-speed or automatic three- or four-speed. The third generation lasted from 1988 to 1996. Gone were the station wagon setup and platform; added were the W-body on a FF layout. The four-speed automatic is now standard and the engines are either the 2.8 L, 3.1 L or 3.8 L setups. The fourth generation Regal was billed as the last one for the American market. The four-door sedan remained relatively unchanged. What should have been the swansong for the Buick Regal actually turned into a rebirth for the 2011 market when a 2012 model premiered.
Currently hot on the used car market, the Buick Regal features a 3.8 L V6 that affords a fuel economy of 30 miles per gallon on the highway and 20 miles per gallon in the city. Standard features include keyless entry, auto-on headlights, a child safety seat anchor, heated exterior mirrors, and fog lights. Cup holders and a leather-encased steering wheel are just some if the interior luxuries that drivers notice. Body-colored front and rear bumpers give the vehicle a compact look.
Car aficionados who cannot get enough of this model are looking forward to the 2012 Buick Regal GS. After all, the 2011 Regal has been chosen by U.S. News & World Report as the "Best Car for the Money", which allowed it to beat the BMW, Lexus, and Audi. With an automatic or manual six-speed transmission, high-output turbo engine, FF layout and four doors, it is an attractive sedan that almost mimics the feel of a sports model. View less
