The 1996, mid-size, front-wheel drive Regal carries on a Buick tradition of packing a solid punch under its hood. Regal shares the same automotive platform as several other General Motors products, including the Chevrolet Lumina, Pontiac Grand Prix, and Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme with one important difference; its engine. Regal is available with an advanced, 205-horsepower, 3800 Series II, 3.8 liter V-6 engine first introduced in the 1995 Buick Riviera. Regal is marketed as either a two-door coupe or four-door sedan. Three different trim levels are available: Custom, Limited and Gran Sport. The Limited edition is sold only as a four-door sedan. We had a chance to test drive the Gran Sport Sedan with the advanced V-6 engine. This engine is standard in Gran Sport and Limited, and optional on Custom. Both engines have spark plugs, coolant designed to last 100,000 miles and sequential port fuel injection. The smaller 3100 V-6 engine possess 160 horsepower. Our test model had a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $21,800. With its $677 Prestige Option Package and $540 destination charge, the bottom line added up to $24,722. The advanced, 3800, Series II, V-6 engine has 35 more horsepower than last year's version. Acceleration is exceptional. It's one of the most powerful engines in its class. Plus the engine is remarkably quiet. Regal, which first debuted in the early '70s as a rear-wheel-drive car, comes equipped with many standard features. Included are electronically-controlled four-speed automatic transmission, four-wheel independent suspension, cruise control, power windows, power mirrors, cassette stereo, four-wheel anti-lock brakes and dual air bags. The prestige option package includes steering-wheel mounted radio controls, dual lighted vanity mirrors, driver's seat with six-way power and keyless entry system. Dual climate zones are standard too. This feature allows the front passenger to control temperatures in their area from a dial located on the arm rest. Gran Sport comes standard with two bucket seats in front and room in back for three. Custom and Limited feature a standard front seat accommodating three. Behind the wheel, drivers have a good view of the road ahead, behind and to both sides. Between Gran Sports bucket seats is a deep storage bin with coin holder. Dual cup up holders, cloaked underneath flip tops, are positioned in front of the bin. Small levers control temperature and fan speeds. Our optional compact disc/cassette stereo, located underneath the climate controls, has average-sized pre-set buttons. The standard power antenna rises and retracts when the radio is turned on. The dashboard has a gentle reminder about depressing the parking brake before gears can be shifted, a good footnote for drivers unfamiliar with this safety precaution. Another nice touch is an automatic garage-door opener holder, with dual map lights, between the sun visors. The trunk release is located in the glove box while the hood release is on the floor, left of the driver. The fuel tank door does not have a locking mechanism. Cruise control, along with the multi-speed windshield/washer activate from the turn signal stalk. Headlights activate from the dashboard, right of the steering column. The flat, shallow trunk has high lift over, rather than the more trendy, and owner-friendly low lift over design. Our test model included the large, optional 16-inch tires, providing better road-gripping ability. These tires are optional only in the Gran Sport edition. Mileage is estimated at 19 miles per gallon city, and 29 mpg highway. Our test sedan registered 25 mpg combined city and highway driving. The gas tank holds 17.1 gallons of unleaded fuel. General Motors assembles Regal in Ontario Canada. |