Buick has pulled the wraps off the highly anticipated (by us at The Drive, at least) next-generation 2018 Regal GS. It has a sporty, yet subtle aesthetic inside and out-and it has the power under the hood to back up the look and the GS badge.
Bucking the trend these days, this sport-tuned liftback is packing a good old-fashioned, naturally-aspirated 3.6-liter V6 which makes 310 horsepower and 282 pound-feet of torque. Historically, Buick has been pretty damn good when it comes to V6 Regals, so here’s to hoping this new Regal GS is up there with its spiritual predecessors in terms of performance and excitement. It looks like it will be automatic-only, but so was the Grand National, so quit whining. Besides, the nine-speed auto should give the car a solid range of cogs to choose from.
Exterior improvements over the normal Regal include sporty front and rear fascias, a rear spoiler, and 19-inch wheels with Brembo brakes peeking out. On the inside, you get a handsome interior with bolstered leather seats with standard heating, ventilation, and massaging, a flat-bottom steering wheel, and the Buick Intellilink infotainment system.
All-wheel drive is standard, with a twin-clutch system that’s been tuned especially for the GS.
Unfortunately, we won’t be getting a GS version of the Real TourX wagon, but the sportback still looks pretty cool.
Based on the numbers, the Buick Regal GS measures up incredibly well to the somewhat slim competition. The alphabet soup Acura TLX A-Spec SH-AWD makes 290 horsepower and costs $45,750 while the Lexus IS350 F-Sport makes 306 horsepower and goes for $47,245. The new GS has a little more horsepower than both of those and undercuts them in price fairly significantly starting at just $39,990 with destination fees.
So, if you’re looking for a sporty, somewhat affordable sport sedan (wait, can we call this thing a sedan?) with all-wheel drive, the new Buick Regal GS appears to be an solid value. Buick has been doing an excellent job the past few years moving away from exclusively being a brand for the early bird special crowd—and this may be its most exciting step yet.
