Monday, January 3, 2011

2011 Buick Regal CXL Sedan

2011 Buick Regal CXL Sedan
2011 Buick Regal CXL Sedan
2011 Buick Regal CXL Sedan Price As Tested: $31,780
This week we're driving Buick's all-new 2011 Regal CXL, which incorporates General Motors' German build platform and a model name from past success. As stated in this column before, Buick's survival following the demise of Oldsmobile and Pontiac nameplates falls directly on the car's popularity in China, and now, hopefully, worldwide.
Regal's home base assembly point is Rrusselsheim, Germany, which is a major selling point for the new Buick. Furthermore, you can "feel" the German-build in Regal's steering wheel, just as you can when you drive a more expensive Audi, Mercedes-Benz or BMW. Buick feels those who drive the Japanese built Acura TSX are prime candidates for a change and I feel the car will attract a large buyer demographic.
Germany also receives credit for supplying 40-percent of the parts content, with U.S. and Canada 21-percent. The rest of the car's 39-percent of substance are supplied by a multitude of world manufacturers. Thus, German built Regal reinforces a world car marketing premise, be it badged as a Opel Insignia in Europe or a Buick Regal in America and China.
My initial drive impression was "so-so" concerning the power under the hood, as the V6 was below average in all areas. However, that changed for the better when I remembered that the new Regal comes only with 4-cylinder availability, be it an optional 2.0 liter 220 horse Turbo or our tester's 2.4 liter Ecotec fuel injected version, which puts out 182 horses.

2011 Buick Regal: Car Seat Check

2011 Buick Regal
2011 Buick Regal

For the 2011 model year, Buick resurrected the Regal nameplate. This entry-level luxury sedan can seat five passengers.
For the Car Seat Check, we use a rear-facing infant-safety seat, a convertible child-safety seat and a high-back booster seat, all made by Graco. The front seats are adjusted to a comfortable position for a 6-foot driver and a 5-foot-8 passenger. The child seats are installed in the second row and, if available, third row. The booster seat sits behind the driver’s seat, and the infant seat and convertible seats are installed behind the passenger seat.
Here’s how the 2011 Regal scored in MotherProof.com’s Car Seat Check:
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Latch system: There are five Latch anchors in the Regal, with two sets in the outboard seats and one anchor in the middle position (photo above). This allows parents to install a child-safety seat in the middle seating position. However, only two car seats can be installed into this car using the Latch anchors. Using one Latch anchor to connect two car seats is not recommended. The anchors are somewhat buried in the seat cushions. Three easy-to-use tether anchors sit on the rear shelf behind second-row’s head restraints. 
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Booster seat: Large side bolsters pushed our high-back booster seat inward and nearly over the top of the seat belt buckle, which sits deeply in the seat cushions.

Saturday, January 1, 2011

All-New Buick GL8 Luxury MPV Revealed

Buick GL8 Luxury MPV 
General Motors announced the all-new Buick GL8 in Shanghai. The luxury MPV is built on the heritage of the original GL8, China’s first family of executive wagons. The company said that the new model will be available in the market in January 2011.
The all new Buick GL8 features seven innovations and 27 technological breakthroughs along with improved design, space and safety, technology, power, features and quality. The new GL8 comes equipped with a graceful exterior design highlighted by Buick’s distinctive double sweep spear running from front to back.
This MPV comes with an option of a 3.0-liter V-6 SIDI intelligent direct injection engine or a 2.4-liter Ecotec engine with high fuel efficiency. The advanced 6-speed automatic transmission from the American auto maker provides unrivaled power for the luxury MPV segment.
When it comes to safety, the new GL8 has a super-solid body frame. The Bosch 8.1 ESP system delivers premium handling and is complemented with large-size tires and disc brakes, with six air bags available on selected models.

2012 Buick Verano Details Unveiled

2012 Buick Verano
Just as the 2012 Buick Verano is getting set for a 2011 debut, the preliminary pricing as well as equipment details were revealed by a survey sent to Buick dealerships. The online survey is intended to gather information about potential customer buying behavior of the car in four trim levels.

According to GM Inside News, Buick called upon the dealerships to participate in an online order study of a “potential new addition to the Buick portfolio.” Buick reportedly stated that the potential new entry would be a compact car and be available in four models. Further, each model will be a build off of the previous model.

Hence, it was revealed that the 2012 Buick Verano will likely be powered by a 2.4-liter inline-four engine that can produce power of 180 hp and 172 lb.-ft. of torque through a six-speed automatic transmission.

The base Verano 1SB is anticipated to have a starting price of $20,900. The 1SD model adds Bluetooth, automatic climate control and remote start with a starting price of around $22,100.