I tested the Buick Regal Turbo w/IDC

[AzNMpower32]

After a long wait, I was finally able to test the Buick Regal Turbo. It only recently has begun to hit dealership showrooms and inventory is limited but trickling in from Rüsselheim, DE.

30-second summary:

What's nice:

• The styling is distinctive, flows well. It looks good with the xenons.
• Comfortable inside, enough tech to please but not to overwhelm. Nice to have split-folding rear seats.
• Good drivetrain and driving dynamics.

What's not:

• Steering
• Centre console, like all Opel products, is overwhelmed with buttons.
• Brake feel a bit soft.

The review for anyone bothered:

It did take a little bit of perseverance to get my hands on this car. Turbos are only beginning to arrive, so we had to walk all around the lot, up to the 4th top floor of the car park to find this silver TO6 tester. I was the first person to test this one, even the sales rep hadn't been in a Turbo model yet. But at the end, he thanked me for taking him out in the car . At the end, he told me to park it in the front: "I'll be showing this one this week."

In case y'all don't know, the Regal is an Opel Insignia with a different grille and badges. It's a really thinly-disguised Opel: the car PDI paperwork all have the Opel symbol, and the door jamb literally says "Manufactured by Adam Opel". That's why I had good expectations- I've driven the Opel Astra a couple times, once in Germany and was pleased. The Regal is about as German as one can get from GM in the US.

The 2 litre, turbo-4 has good thrust and is very smooth through the mid-range of the rev band. I was surprised by the torque- this thing can really haul, even spin the wheels if you give it the boot and the speed climbs quickly without fuss. It's quiet on the highway, with minimal outside noise and cruises comfortably at 120km/h (75mph). There's a hint of turbo-whistle at lower speeds if you listen for it but it's not that obvious.

But do yourself a favour and find a backroad. There, the EDC adjustable dampers really shines (GM calls it IDC). It functions similarly to what you'd find in a BMW, and the driver can tweak settings in the Board Computer just like the 5er. The standard and Touring modes are nice, but I'd be content leaving it in Sport all the time. There, the throttle response is immediate and smooth- better than most BMWs today. The 6-speed AT is smooth and responsive and finds the right gear. And best of all, there's no float on backroads, this thing stays glued to the road without slack. It's very competent and makes rural driving fun, yet the ride is never punishing even with 19" conventional tyres. A spare tyre is standard, if you were wondering.

Unfortunately, there are two glaring shortcomings. First, the steering is far too light for anyone- there's absolutely no need for this even for 60 year-old women. It could be 50% heavier and transmit 50% more feedback without offending anyone. Secondly, the brake feel is spongy (just like every other Opel I've driven) so even if brake performance is good, there's more pedal travel than sportier cars. And the otherwise excellent interior cabin is marred by 75 rows of buttons.

Flaws aside, this really is a good car. It definitely won't unseat a BMW but in many ways, it's less infuriating. The gearbox has a clear logic and downshifts promptly when called for without manual intervention. The throttle is linear, without surges or dead spots (ahem BMW ), responding nicely to inputs. The indicator stalk works conventionally even with the 3x lane-change blink. It even uses an ordinary key! How great is that?! Heck, there's a 6MT if you want.

Unfortunately, production will switch over to Canada mid-2011, so there won't be many more coming from Germany . This is honestly a good car, not just a good effort by GM and it's pretty good to drive. Sometimes I test drive cars I never would buy, but after today's test drive, I would actually consider this for myself. It's not perfect and we don't get the practical hatchback or wagon versions, but if someone said "you have $35k to spend on a 4-door sedan", this would be on my short list.

Believe me: it's worth a test drive. (Unless you want a hardcore racer, then I can't help you)

Buyer's Tip: Get a TO5 model or higher for the suspension modes. The IDC is absolutely worth it. Get a MT as well. Skip the 2,4 Ecotec model, even the salesperson remarked this turbo model was far better, even better than the LaCrosse. The turbo will run on E85.

Test info: The test route involved suburban, rural, and highway roads in Henrico and Goochland Counties, VA. Yeah, cross borders. Pavement was predominantly good. Weather was clear, 10°C.

[MINIz guy]

Cool car. I remember the Top Gear review on the Vauxhall Insignia. Supposedly there is a Gran Sport version of this car coming out in mid-2011. Sounds like a good sleeper.

[Kloogy]

They should bring back the GNX