Buick Regal Sedan

Buick Regal Sedan
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Full 2014 Buick Regal Review

What's New for 2014

The 2014 Buick Regal receives a variety of changes. Most Regals now come with a 259-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder engine, which replaces last year's 222-hp turbo engine. It achieves better fuel economy, too. The 2.4-liter "eAssist" four-cylinder is still available as an option, but the GS trim level's 270-hp turbo four-cylinder has been discontinued. All-wheel drive is newly optional on all turbo Regals. There are also some exterior design tweaks, an updated equipment roster (including new safety features) and a redesigned dashboard with a standard 8-inch touchscreen.

 

Introduction

Having said that, we can see how someone could take the 2014 Regal for a spin and return with a more favorable opinion. The car has no glaring faults to speak of (apart from sluggish acceleration on the "eAssist" model), and its newly standard 259-hp turbocharged engine makes a strong first impression, as does the car's collection of standard and available features. The dashboard is also less cluttered and more attractive this year, thanks in part to a redesigned touchscreen with improved graphics. Moreover, if you look closely at the base front-wheel-drive Regal's pricing, it's a few grand cheaper than the far less powerful 180-hp BMW 320i.

But membership in the entry-level luxury sport sedan club isn't just about power and features. If it were, we'd be talking about cars like the 274-hp Kia Optima SX in the same sentence as the Audi and BMW. To qualify, you need the sort of intangible excellence that makes every 3 Series a pleasure to drive, and you're frankly not going to find it here. The Regal can be good fun, particularly in playful GS guise, but lacking that je ne sais quoi, it's not a serious threat to purpose-built sport sedans, including GM's own entry, the Cadillac ATS.

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