Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

2012 Buick Regal GS: Paint It Black
VEHICLE REVIEW
by Jeff Stork, Gaywheels.com
2012-07-25

This article shared 9713 times since Wed Jul 25, 2012
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


I joined Buick during the glory days of the turbo 3.8-litre. (The Grand National was announced the year I started.) Every male under 30 and quite a few of the women at Home Office bought one—myself included—and proceeded to spend a Michigan winter going diagonally, coping with the awesome power and serious lack of traction that black beauty provided. We loved it dearly, but it was hardly a balanced automobile. The motoring press loved it as much as we did. Tony Assenza from Car and Driver Magazine road-tested the legendary GNX in April of 1987 and wrote of it, "In a world of sleek shapes and refined manners, the GNX is an ax-wielding barbarian laying waste to everything in its path."

Fast forward 25 years to 2012. In my driveway is the 2012 Buick Regal GS. It's the single most powerful car Buick has produced since the Grand National—but instead of a monster, it's a sleek shape with highly refined manners. Will I still like it?

Let's start with some background. I went to the press launch for the Regal back in 2010 and drove both the 2.4 conventionally aspirated 182 hp and the 2.0 turbocharged 220 hp versions. I described the Epsilon-based mid-sized sedans as "well tailored and well mannered" and thought they were an excellent addition to the Buick line up. I found the 2.4 to be a bit sluggish and the 2.0 turbo to have a very pleasing power band, but didn't think of either as an "ax-wielding barbarian."

The GS version is highly modified from the base model. The 2.0-litre turbo in the GS is the High Output Ecotec 2.0L turbo. Its 270 hp exceeds the '87 Grand National's 245 rated hp and falls just short of the GNX's 274, but since both those engines were underrated, its probably about on par with the Intercooled Grand National. It is offered with six-speed manual and six-speed automatic transmissions.

There are lots of unique touches. It has a deep skirted front fascia flanked by Bi-Xenon HIS headlamps and a unique rear one with dual exhaust ports. There are special rocker panels, a rear spoiler, and 19-inch twin spoke alloy wheels with Pirelli tires. Peek through the spokes and note the big Brembo calipers. Pirellis and Brembos—is this heaven? No, this is Buick.

The interior is offered in ebony leather only, with special touches such as a leather-wrapped F1-style steering wheel, piano-black dash trim and leather-trimmed sport seats. A Special GS Interactive Drive Control system offers standard, sport and GS settings for the suspension. GM's Intellilink is standard, along with a killer 336-watt Harmon Kardon Audio system with nine speakers and XM Satellite radio.

Options are few, and colors are limited: 20-inch polished wheels and performance tires, power sliding sunroof, GPS navigation and three extra-cost colors out of the five available. Quicksilver and Smoky Gray are standard, White Diamond, Carbon Black Metallic and Crystal Red Tintcoat are optional.

My test car was finished in the Crystal Red Tintcoat and features the meaty 20-inch wheel package. I found it to be quite a handsome and purposeful looking car, and others seemed to agree. I found neighbors in the driveway admiring it, and found it to be a topic of conversation from the couple at the table next to mine when I parked it at an outdoor cafe. All good signs as far as I am concerned.

But enough looking—it's time to see what happens when the rubber meets the road. Touch the starter button and the 2.0 turbo comes to life. It's smooth—Buick V8 smooth—and the exhaust note is quiet. Shift into drive and the car feels powerful, but doesn't play all of its cards. In fact, you could drive the GS and find it a smooth, well-balanced sport sedan with a poised ride, excellent handling, and crazy good brakes. You'd praise the engine torque, and would probably be a bit at odds with the six-speed automatic—which seems to default at least one gear too high for the sporting driver—and no sport setting. That should be an easy enough fix for such a sporting ride.

To transform the GS, the driver need do three things: select "GS" suspension mode, turn off traction control, and shift over to manual stick mode. The well balanced GS is now one crazy mother. Steering and ride are both tightened, and the turbo soars up to redline without the slightest hesitation. I wish the manual stick was the tiniest bit quicker, and with all due respect to the six-speed automatic, I'd go for the six-speed manual in a heartbeat. But the car is now crazy fun, and sticks like glue to the tarmac. The Brembo brakes are killer and bring the GS down out of harm's way in no time flat.

I have to say that the Regal GS is the most fun I've had behind the wheel of a Buick since the Grand National. And that becomes my challenge to Buick: as much as I like the GS and think it's a great sport sedan choice, how about giving us one to boost your street cred? Tweak the power up to 300 hp and paint it black. Not Metallic Black, not Nocture Firefrost. Paint it black. Black out all the trim and give us a Regal Grand National. It'll be more sophisticated than the old girl, for sure, with superior ride quality and superb handling, but it'll be a Grand National. And we both need one.

See www.Gaywheels.com .


This article shared 9713 times since Wed Jul 25, 2012
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

Nex Benedict's autopsy report released 2024-03-27
- The full autopsy report for Nex Benedict (he/they)—a 16-year-old transgender and Indigenous student from Oklahoma's Owasso High School who died in February a day after a school fight—has been released. The Oklahoma Office of the Chie ...


Gay News

Charles Busch dishes on life as a storyteller 2023-11-09
- Performer/writer Charles Busch, who recently penned his autobiography, Leading Lady: A Memoir of a Most Unusual Boy, said that collecting his most precious and salient memories in a book felt "inevitable." "Storytelling is such an essential ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Tyler Perry, marriages and splits, Beyonce, strikes, Sinead tribute 2023-08-04
Videos below - Tyler Perry has offered $100,000 to anyone with information that leads to a conviction in the murder of 24-year-old Black queer musician Josiah "Jonty" Robinson, according to Out. An autopsy concluded that the cause of Robinson's ...


Gay News

Artist Isabella Mellado illuminates the masks within community 2023-06-15
By Jess Savage - Chicago-based artist Isabella Mellado's paintings and sculptures are vibrant, colorful and larger than life. Her work represents autobiographical and allegorical scenes, nearly all of it featuring characters inspired by the ...


Gay News

Board of Commissioners unanimously passes Bodily Autonomy Ordinance Amendment with support of Equality Illinois, ACLU Illinois 2023-05-25
--From a press release - Chicago, Ill. — May 25th 2023 — Today, the Cook County Board of Commissioners unanimously passed an amendment to the Human Rights Ordinance ensuring the protection of all individual's right to their own bodily autonomy. The ...


Gay News

AUTOS 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz answers the right questions 2022-05-11
- You may think the 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz answers questions nobody asked, but if that's true, somebody should have asked. A car-based pickup is not a new idea. Chevrolet and Ford offered the El Camino and ...


Gay News

Cook County state's attorney expunges 15,000+ cannabis convictions 2022-04-20
-- From a press release - CHICAGO - On Friday, April 22, the Cook County State's Attorney's Office (CCSAO) will present 214 additional cannabis cases to be automatically expunged, bringing the total to 15,191. The Cannabis Expungement Project nears an end following ...


Gay News

Chicago Auto Show returns to McCormick Place 2022-02-11
- The Chicago Auto Show is back. Following a very scaled-down version that took place last year, the event has returned—although it's not quite as large as the event was before the COVID pandemic. The Chicago Auto ...


Gay News

Chicago Auto Show to take place Feb. 12-21 2022-01-10
- The Chicago Auto Show is slated to return to its traditional February dates: Feb. 12-21 at McCormick Place. The show is open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day, except for the final day (Presidents Day), ...


Gay News

Now, only five of Chicago's 50 aldermen reject automatic pay raises 2021-09-16
- Forty-five out of 50 Chicago aldermen have opted to accept a 5.5% pay increase in 2022 that will push the highest paid among them to an annual salary of more than $130,000, according to The Chicago Tribune. ...


Gay News

AUTOS 2021 BMW 430i: Hard Top or Soft? 2021-08-06
- This year's BMW 430i xDrive really is the classic sportscar. You can get it as a coupe or as a convertible, the only two trims available. Basically, it's just two doors and you can have it with a year-round hard top ...


Gay News

Chicago Auto Show taking place July 15-19 2021-07-14
- An abridged version of the annual Chicago Auto Show will take place July 15-19 at McCormick Place, 2301 S. King Dr. The auto show will be one of McCormick Place's first live, in-person events since the ...


Gay News

Pritzker announces $10M vaccination lottery 2021-06-18
- As Illinois continues to lead the Midwest in vaccinating our residents, Gov. JB Pritzker announced a new $10 million "All In for the Win" promotion that will reward vaccinated Illinoisans by automatically entering them into a ...


Gay News

Chicago Auto Show to return to McCormick Place in July 2021-05-04
- On May 4, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot joined elected officials, tourism backers and labor leaders to announce the return of the annual Chicago Auto Show. The event—the nation's largest and ...


Gay News

THEATER 'A Portrait of My Mother' to start streaming May 9 2021-04-08
- Jarrott Productions will present the world premiere of A Portrait of My Mother, written and performed by Carlo Lorenzo Garcia and directed by David R. Jarrott. The autobiographical tribute to Garcia's mother, Maria, begins streaming on ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.