Buick gives the 2014 Regal a more familial look, including new fascia, grille and headlamps.
It’s a big week for Buick, General Motors’ “near-luxury” brand using the New York International Auto Show to roll out a pair of redesigned models critical to reviving Buick’s faltering momentum.
The show features both the redesigned LaCrosse and updated Regal, the latter and smaller version of the two getting some modest exterior and interior tweaks – and an assortment of new radar- and camera-based safety features – including rear cross traffic alert, lane change alert, blind spot assist, lane departure warning, forward collision alert and collision mitigation as well as adaptive cruise control.
“The new 2014 Regal is more expressive, more connected and more technologically advanced,” said Tony DiSalle, U.S. vice president of Buick Marketing. “The new Regal gives those discerning buyers more of the technologically advanced features they want in a modern luxury sedan, all with the style and refinement they expect from Buick.”
The 2014 Buick Regal gives buyers a choice of two engines and front or all-wheel-drive.
Buick has been rapidly expanding and modernizing its line-up after years of neglect. But it needs a little boost after recent stutters in the market. Part of the challenge is convincing buyers that vehicles like the new Regal aren’t the same, flaccid boulevard cruisers of decades past. There have been some signs of success, according to DiSalle, who notes that nearly half of new Regal buyers are conquests who are new to Buick and they represent the youngest median age among the brand’s lineup.
The 2014 Buick Regal exterior updates include revised front and rear fascias, new headlamps with standard LED daytime running lamps and a revised grille that reveals the new “face” of Regal. At the rear, the 2014 Regal gains LED wing-shape taillamps inspired by the recently updated Enclave – and meant to give the sedan more of a familial look. A new chrome accent bridges the taillamps to further enhance Regal’s wide stance.
The interior redesign places a sharper on focus on a new instrument panel “center stack” housing a larger eight-inch color touch screen. There’s also a new steering wheel that includes controls for the various safety and infotainment features added for 2014.
The 2014 Regal adds an assortment of high-tech safety and infotainment systems.
The next-generation Buick IntelliLink infotainment system is available on the 2014 Regal. It offers more features with a higher level of wireless connectivity and customized options. All build on the OnStar safety and security system.
A new 2.0-liter turbo engine delivers 259 horsepower, an 18% increase for the Regal Turbo, which Buick promises will deliver a greater feeling of on-demand power. The available Haldex all-wheel-drive system helps make the most of traction in all driving conditions and also enhances the cornering capability of the Regal GS when driven in the GS mode of the Interactive Drive Control System.
A 2.4-liter naturally aspirated inline-four with eAssist is also available on the 2014 Regal, and makes 182 horsepower. Six-speed automatic transmissions are matched with both engines and a six-speed manual is available in the Regal GT with the front-wheel-drive package.
Electric power steering is now standard on all models. That should enhance mileage though Buick hasn’t yet released its final EPA-approved fuel economy figures.
The 2014 Regal GS also features the exclusive application of Buick’s Interactive Drive Control system, which allows the driver to select different drive modes – including the track-oriented GS setting.
In GS mode, the Regal increases steering effort for more direct feedback to the driver. Increased damping levels improve wheel control and reduce body roll for better agility. GS mode also is designed to alter the shift feel of the six-speed automatic transmission.
The GS’s HiPer Strut front suspension – standard on FWD and AWD models – enhances ride and handling by reducing torque steer; more linear and communicative steering through improved camber control; and improved impact isolation on bumps and rough surfaces. It is complemented by a four-wheel-disc brake system featuring front Brembo four-piston front calipers and larger rotors.