Tucked away in a GM plant somewhere lies the Buick Regal GS, a 300+ horsepower sports sedan that was meant to tag along with the Cadillac CTS
If one thing is for certain, new age Buick doesn’t sit close to its predecessors. Instead, the brand serves as a side name in a clogged GM parent company that’s struggled to find its groove. When we think American sports sedan, we think Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing or the bulky Ford Taurus SHO. For the most part, the class has mainly been supplied with foreign entrants stateside, but as recently as 2020, Buick made a sports sedan– one that has been forgotten and lost to history to say the least.
The 2020 Buick Regal GS was meant to push the levels of the Audi A5, GM’s sister vehicle Cadillac CTS, and the BMW 430i. Long gone are the days of the Buick Grand National and the muscle car-esque body lines. Nowadays, the brand has been relegated to something your grandma drives en route to Sunday morning church. The brand has lost its flavor, that nearly four years later after discontinuing the fastest Buick in today’s generation– sedans are all but gone from the Buick lineup. Buick didn’t always use to be like this– at one point it had a sedan, a wagon, and a full range of SUVs in its lineup. Today, the moniker is just a former shell of itself.
Regardless, the Regal GS was Buick’s attempt to bring back the high-performance GS nameplate. Packing a 310 horsepower, 3.6 liter V6– the GS is one of few Buicks to ever hit north of the 300-horsepower mark. But relax, it’s not setting any drag strip times soon, hitting 0-60 in 5.8 seconds and running the 1/4 mile in 13.9. It’s hard not to get confused however. Draped in a screaming red paired with tangibles that resemble more of an Audi S5 than an Encore– it’s easy to mix up just what brand lies on the front grille. Simply a rebadged Opel Insignia, the European-built sportback made its way stateside to serve as Buick’s standalone sedan in 2020. A five-door hatchback signified by the German-like sloped rear roof design and the addition of extra practicality with the sportback it was rough sailing for the half blind person who was deciding between the Buick and an A5.
However, it’s the mere fact that it existed. The GS trim has weaved in and out of the brand’s lineup throughout the years, but it stuck here. The GS was a sexy car before things hit the fan for GM’s disowned child. A 3.6 L V6 really topped the cake, the highest trim on one of Buick’s longest-lasting vehicles was a huge deal and was a definite alternative to other American sedans at the time. The hook? The affordability of the Regal made it an enticing offer. Starting at $39,995 when new and good looking examples now available for south of $20,000. While not completely on par with the rest of its competitors, if you wanted a cheap way to get a modern, good-looking car with more than 300 horsepower– the Regal GS was a sublime choice.
Buick never sold a lot of these, in fact only 241 Regals were sold in 2020, the final model year for the GS making them one of the most rare vehicles that you can get for cheap. The 3.6 L V6 was also paired to a nine-speed transmission that was created in an unique partnership between GM and Ford. The tranny is quick to shift, delivering power at all the right points. The nine-speed rarely gave us any problems and we struggled to find too many problems with it.
The sport seats with cutouts for a racing harness add a unique touch to the GS, making it look more like Camaro ZL1 than a Sunday stroller. For a vehicle and brand that has shunned any fun in the past decade– the GS’ seats look out of place. Nevertheless, we concur they add a certain “cool” factor to the car, even when everything else in the interior looks the same, old boring self. There are still clear signs about what this car is clearly supposed to be. The lack of paddle shifters drives home the point and serves as a direct juxtaposition to the racing seats– stating that this car isn’t meant anywhere near a racetrack.
Yet, the GS isn’t bad in corners. Take it down any twisty road and you can feel that there was some thought put into this vehicle. It takes turns well, not German engineering well, but well enough for a car that started shy of $40,000. Underneath the 19-inch ProContact TXs sat six-piston massive Brembo brakes– giving the GS somewhat of an identity crisis. Sad, because the GS had so much potential– if it wasn’t a Buick.
The GS could never figure out what it wanted to be. In some aspects, it was an under-the-radar sports sedan with stylish looks, an powerplant that fit the bill, and features that could justify the GS actually being worth a buy. In other aspects it fell flat on its face– the lack of paddle shifters, a lethargic acceleration time, and an unrefined interior. However, for the prices they’re at now– why not give it a shot. We liked our time with the Regal GS. Sure, it’s not an S5 or a CTS-V, but it is unique. And that’s what we adore.
