Virility, versatility all in one package
I’ve been eagerly looking forward to this all week.
It’s the final day of a hectic work week that involved meeting the needs of 60 or so people, juggling many moving pieces and pressure to get the finest details right.
Since Monday I’ve been thinking about this three-hour treatment, waiting for the chance to relish in the solitude. I’m certainly ready to treat myself.
It’s not a pampering spa session, a therapeutic yoga class or a relaxing hot stone massage I’m anticipating. It’s a drive. Not just any drive, though.
The road between Tofino and Nanaimo, on British Columbia’s Vancouver Island, features dips, bends, curves, climbs, descents and a playfulness that makes the highway one of the most dynamic roads in Canada.
And a great place to test the 2018 Buick Regal GS.
The 2018 Buick Regal comes in two variations, Regal Sportback and Regal GS. The sweeping roofline of both models gives the vehicle a coupe-like look.
You may have heard me mention how much I love a hatchback. Well, Regal satisfies that desire in a sedan. Offering an exceptional 892 litres of cargo space, more than twice as much as the 2017 Regal, the rear cargo lid is huge and opens to reveal a cavernous space that is worthy of station wagon status.
With the 2018 Regal Sportback, Buick aims to drive outside the traditional sports sedan segment and offer customers the ability to integrate its surprising versatility into a modern lifestyle.
The Regal Sportback comes standard with front-wheeldrive, a nine-speed automatic transmission paired with a 2.0-litre turbocharged fourcylinder engine that produces 250 horsepower and 260 lb.-ft. of torque.
All-wheel drive is available with active twin-clutch, an eight-speed automatic transmission and increased torque value of 295 lb-ft.
In the front-wheel drive version, the rear seat is a 60 / 40 split while the AWD has a trifolding 40 / 20 / 40 rear seat. Two folding bicycles fit easily in the rear hatch.
Of course, the first vehicle I thought of in comparison was the Audi A5 Sportback but Buick has this vehicle beat as well as the BMW 4-series Gran Coupe with more overall cargo space behind the first row.
One very cool feature, and a Buick first, is the active hood pedestrian safety system which
“. . . senses the imminent impact of a pedestrian between 25-48 km/h and uses a pyrotechnic actuator to lift the back of the hood up about 102 millimetres to lessen the impact and potentially reduce injury.”
And then there’s the GS, which is the version I had the pleasure to drive over two mountain ranges, through mystical rainforests, hugging snug corners with ominous rocky outcroppings barely clearing the roof.
I’d go so far as to call the 2018 Regal GS a hot hatch. The sophisticated German-engineered sedan sticks to the road and stays flat in the corners.
The intelligent AWD with active twin-clutch system gives the driver superior control, sensing which wheel has the best grip and directing the correct amount of torque to each rear wheel independently.
Pair that with the GS’ hoppedup 310-horsepower 3.6-litre V-6 engine and throwing it around the tight corners through the mountains of Vancouver Island was pure driving excitement.
The engine also features cylinder deactivation and stop/ start technology for improved fuel efficiency.
When the stereo wasn’t blasting out my road trip soundtrack, the Regal GS cabin was quiet, partly due to Buick’s QuietTuning system which includes all-new tire insulation. Road noise is a thing of the past.
My eye is immediately drawn to the sexy seats. Who needs a massage therapist when the driver’s seat offers a massage, is heated or cooled, has adjustable seat and seat-back bolsters as well as thigh support?
Those performance seats have received a seal of approval from AGR, or Aktion Gesunder Rücken, an international Campaign for Healthier Backs.
And who doesn’t love a racy flat-bottomed steering wheel and metal pedals?
Outside, the GS looks more aggressive than the Sportback due to the unique front and rear fascias, rear lid spoiler, 19-inch wheels and of course, those hot red Brembo brake calipers on the front wheels. It sounds more aggressive as well with a sport-tuned exhaust system that sings a sultry V6 tune.
Buick is on a steady upward swing, winning the inaugural Total Ownership Award, ranking highest across J.D. Power’s ownership experience factors in vehicle dependability, initial quality, performance, customer service and sales satisfaction.
The 2018 Buick Regal Sportback and Regal GS can only help in those areas.
Don’t be fooled by the 45-year-old Regal nameplate. The sporty 2018 Regal GS is a seriously playful road machine that drives like a virile 20-something and I enjoyed every minute of its invigorating ride.