• News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
  • News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
Sign up Now (For Free)

Sign up for our newsletter and receive the latest automotive news in your inbox!

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Thanks for subscribing!
News
Read Now
  • All News
  • Automakers
  • Automobiles
  • Auto Shows
  • Business
  • EVs & Environment
  • Guides
  • Lawsuits/Legal
  • Regulatory
  • Ride-Sharing
  • Safety & Recalls
  • Technology
Recent
  • The Rearview Mirror: A Sports Car from a Company You've Never Heard Of
  • Analysts Predict Declining Tesla Sales in Q3
  • Overlanding is the New Hotness
  • New Vehicle Sales Increase in September
  • Are EVs Affordable? Only if You’re a Luxury Buyer
  • Honda Takes Wraps Off New All-Electric Prologue
  • Mercedes to Offer True Self-Driving in Late 2023
  • Biden Meets UAW Picketers, Offers Support
  • Ford Halts $3.5B MI Battery Plant; Fain Slams Company
  • An Electric Acura NSX Could Be Coming
Editor’s Choice
    Reviews
    Read Now
    • All Reviews
      • Feeder
    • Classic Cars
    • Concept Cars
    • Convertibles
    • Coupes
    • Crossovers/CUVs
    • Diesel
    • Hot hatches
    • Hybrids
    • Luxury Vehicles
    • Minivans
    • Muscle Cars
    • Pickups
    • Sedans
    • Sports Cars
    • Super Cars
    • SUVs
    Recent Reviews
    • A Week With: 2024 Buick Encore GX Sport Touring AWD
    • A Week With: 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQB 250+
    • A Week With: 2024 Mazda CX-90 Turbo S Premium Plus
    • A Week With: 2024 Mercedes-AMG EQE SUV
    • A Week With: The 2024 BMW i7 xDrive60
    • A Week With: 2024 Alfa Romeo Tonale Veloce AWD
    • A Week With: 2023 Toyota Camry XSE Hybrid
    • A Week With: 2024 Subaru Impreza RS
    • A Week With: 2023 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Desert Boss
    • First Drive: 2024 Polestar 2
    Editor’s Choice
      Guides
      Car Warranty
      • Endurance Warranty Reviews
      • BMW Extended Warranty
      • Extended Warranty For Cars Over 100k Miles
      • Extended Car Warranty Cost
      • Subaru Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Reviews
      • CarShield Cost
      • Aftermarket Car Warranty
      • CARCHEX Warranty Reviews
      • Reputable Extended Car Warranty Companies
      • Used Car Warranty Companies
      • Best Car Warranty
      • Is CarShield A Scam?
      • Mercedes Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Plans
      Insurance
      • How To Identify A Car Insurance Company
      • Geico Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • How Far Back Does A Car Insurance Company Look
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance For Used Cars
      • State Farm Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance From Progressive
      • Dollar A Day Insurance
      • Auto Insurance For SSI Recipients
      • Car Insurance Rates After A Suspended License
      • Auto Insurance For Salvage Vehicles
      • Average Cost of Dodge Ram 1500 Car Insurance
      • Car Insurance Florida
      • Full Coverage Auto Insurance
      • GrubHub Insurance
      • Amazon Delivery Auto Insurance
      Shipping
      • Car Shipping Companies
      • uShip Reviews
      • Auto Shipping From California To Hawaii
      • Montway Auto Transport Reviews
      • Cheap Car Shipping
      • Easy Auto Ship Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Miami
      • Auto Shipping To Alaska
      • Car Shipping Cost
      • Auto Shipping Hawaii
      • Auto Shipping Puerto Rico
      • Sherpa Auto Transport Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Atlanta
      • Auto Shipping Boston
      • Auto Shipping. Chicago
      About
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Terms of Use
      • Privacy Policy
      • Affiliate Disclosure
      • Sitemap
      TheDetroitBureau.com

      More than just “another” place to find news, reviews, spy shots, commentary, features, and guides about the auto industry. TheDetroitBureau doesn’t stop with the press releases or confuse a few lines of opinion with insightful, in-depth reporting.

      Contact Us

      Like what you see? Have some ideas for making The Detroit Bureau.com even better? Let us know, we’d love to hear your voice.

        Media
        Listen Now
        • Headlight News: All Episodes
        More from TheDetroitBureau
        • Guides
        • Latest News
        • Auto Reviews
        • Podcasts
        Headlight News

        TheDetroitBureau.com’s Headlight News offers a look at the past week’s top automotive news stories, as well as what’s coming up in the week ahead. Check out the week’s top story and our latest review…along with a dive into the past with this week in automotive history.

        home > news > Automobiles > Buick Takes on the Import Hot Hatch Crowd With 310-hp Regal GS

        Buick Takes on the Import Hot Hatch Crowd With 310-hp Regal GS

        “A driver-focused, engaging and entertaining” 5-door sportback.

        Paul A. Eisenstein
        Paul A. Eisenstein , Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
        July 19, 2017
        Buick bulks up at it brings back the Regal GS with a new 310-hp V-6.

        Narrowly sidestepping oblivion when General Motors emerged from bankruptcy in 2010, the Buick brand has since set out to make itself relevant again, scoring some moderate gains with an assortment of small, medium and large SUVs. But the big challenge has been reaching younger, hipper buyers for whom Buick remains all but invisible.

        That just might happen with the latest entry into the Buick line-up, the new Regal GS taking direct aim at some of the latest import hot hatches. Making a solid 310 horsepower and 282 pound-feet of torque, it actually delivers a bit more power than the new Honda Civic Type-R, in fact. And the Regal RS sends torque to all four wheels, rather than just the front two.

        Power to the People!

        “With the all-new 2018 Regal GS, we set out to make a driver-focused, engaging and entertaining sport sedan without sacrificing the smooth ride and refined character expected of any modern Buick,” said Martin Hayes, the chief engineer for the five-door sportback.

        Depending upon your taste, the Regal might seem a bit tame. There are no hood scoops and winglets up front, nor a big wing hanging off the back. There are larger are inlets on either side of the front fascia and underneath the grille, as well as a small rear spoiler, but beyond opting for the five-door layout you might not immediately know this is an untamed version of the more conventional, and recently redesigned Buick Regal sedan.

        It's got more power than most hot hatches but the look is also a lot less cluttered.

        (First Drive: Honda Civic Type-R. Click Here for our review.)

        Where the Civic Type-R and many of the other new hot hatches have been migrating to relatively low-displacement engines relying on lots of turbo boost to make their numbers, the new Buick Regal GS opts for a classic 3.6-liter V-6 – though it does adopt some newfangled touches like direct injection, as well as fuel-saving cylinder deactivation and stop/start technology.

        The package churns out a healthy 51 horsepower more through its nine-speed automatic transmission than the old Regal GS, and punches it out to all four wheels. The all-wheel-drive system uses a twin-clutch setup to improve torque distribution, as well.

        The bottom line is a domestic hatchback that makes more power than a number of imports, including the 306-hp Type-R and Lexus IS350 F-Sport models, the 305-hp Subaru WRX STI, as well as the 292-hp VW Golf R and 290-hp Acura TLX A-Spec. That said, Buick can’t claim king-of-the-hill status, falling short of the 350-hp Ford Focus RS.

        (Buick among contenders for North American Car, Truck, Utility of the Year. Click Here for more.)

        During a Wednesday morning preview, Buick officials stressed that they intended to maintain the comfortable driving manners the brand has long been known for. But those who’re intending to push the new Regal GS hard will have the option of engaging the new car’s Continuous Damping Control, or CDC, system capable of adjusting the car’s dampers up to 500 times per second.

        Add a new Interactive Drive Control which lets the driver switch over to more aggressive driving modes.

        Completing the package are new new Brembo front brakes, stock 19-inch wheels and tires – and a sport-tuned exhaust.

        Inside the 2018 Buick Regal GS.

        Inside, Buick has turned up the heat, so to speak, with sport seats, metal pedals and a flat-bottom steering wheel, among other things. There’s also an optional, full-color Head-Up Display system.

        There’s a standard 8-inch diagonal touchscreen and 8-inch diagonal reconfigurable instrument cluster as standard equipment, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility also come standard.

        The GM brand has also loaded the 2018 Regal GS up with an array of safety features including adaptive cruise control, forward collision alert with automatic emergency braking and pedestrian braking, lane keep assist and lane departure warnings.

        Buick hasn’t been shy about using aggressive pricing to take on its domestic import competitors, the recently remade Buick Regal sedan dropping $2,000 compared to the outgoing model. The Buick Regal GS, meanwhile, starts at $39,990 – including delivery fees. That’s about $6,000 more than the Type-R but anywhere from $6,000 to $8,000 than comparable offerings from Acura and Lexus.

        Final EPA mileage numbers will be released shortly before the official sales launch of the 2018 Buick Regal GS later this year.

        (Click Here to see how Buick is moving upscale with new Enclave Avenir.)

        How to Care for Your Car

        Cheap Car Warranty

        Editor's Choice

        Best Extended Car Warranty

        Editor's Choice
        Recently Published

        The Rearview Mirror: A Sports Car from a Company You’ve Never Heard Of

        Sept. 30, 2023

        Analysts Predict Declining Tesla Sales in Q3

        Sept. 29, 2023

        Overlanding is the New Hotness

        Sept. 29, 2023

        Leave a Reply Cancel reply

        Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

        Share this article:
        © The Detroit Bureau 2023
        • Guides
        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms of Use
        • Affiliate Disclosure
        • Contact Us
        • Sitemap
        Follow Us: