Third Drive: 2011 Buick Regal makes even more sense on American soil

Filed under: Sedan, Performance, Buick, First Drive, Luxury

2011 Buick Regal – Click above for high-res image gallery

It was cold and rainy last November when we first drove an early prototype of the 2011 Buick Regal in Michigan. The weather was lousy, but our short time with the car intrigued us. There were far fewer complaints about conditions last month when we spent time with the sport sedan on the famed Nürburgring in Germany – its home turf. As it moves closer to arrival, Buick’s newest family member once again showed us its moves in the mountains of Southern California.

We spent the better part of a sunny spring day driving both the normally-aspirated and turbocharged models – each with automatic transmissions – in an attempt to see how the imported European challenger runs on clean and dry domestic pavement. How does the four-door sedan perform in this new arena? Is it tough enough to compete in the mid-size segment? Most importantly, is the Buick Regal good enough to accomplish its goal?

Gallery: Third Drive: 2011 Buick Regal