In high school my neighbors’ dad had a 1980’s Monte Carlo SS that was the talk of the neighborhood. It was a beefy car with a V8 that looked like something a cool dad would drive. One of the teachers at the school I attended had a dark blue 80’s Buick Regal that I secretly admired. It was similar to the Monte Carlo—just a little more refined. And (at least in my opinion) it seemed to live up to its name. It was regal or maybe you would call it muscular royalty. That was a cool car.
The Regal is supposed to make a come back in 2011. But this time, it doesn’t have that same look. Instead of muscle it says something like, “Dodge Neon.” I’m sorry, but this is a totally different direction for Buick. Whatever happened to the meaning of “Regal?” Sure, the car has a plush interior that is very inviting. But the exterior looks like an entry level car. Buicks are supposed to be big, powerful, and comfortable.
But the worst part (for fans of Swedish cars) was seeing the headline at autoblog: BREAKING: Buick confirms 2011 Regal 2.0T to come with manual transmission. Wait… wha?. It’s not the manual transmission that seems odd to me; it’s the 2.0T. It’s no wonder that GM has failed to sell SAAB to Koenigsegg, Spyker, or anyone else. They’re banking on SAAB internals to power all their new models! First it was the Cobalt and now a Buick!?
It just doesn’t seem right.