2011 Buick Regal CXL: Surprise from a sleepy brand

    When General Motors went through its bankruptcy restructuring last year, one of the big surprises was its decision to let Pontiac and Saturn go -- and keep Buick.

    After all, Pontiac was remaking itself as the American BMW under the watchful eye of Bob Lutz, while Saturn possessed the best dealer network of any American car brand.

    Buick, by contrast, was viewed as the car for old fogies that had resisted all attempts to reduce the average age of its buyers to somewhere south of senior citizenry.

    At the time, the rationale for Buick's survival was that GM wanted to protect the Buick name in the fast-growing Chinese market, and that dictated that it maintain a presence in the U.S. as well.

    What went unmentioned was the opportunity for a mid-market offering that combined the luxurious touches of an upscale brand with the value offered by a high-volume popular-priced car.

    In other words -- Cadillac class for Chevrolet cash.

    Cue the 2011 Buick Regal, a new car with an old nameplate that could accelerate Buick's return to the American mainstream by appealing to buyers who have yet to receive their first Social Security check.

    What makes the Regal immediately appealing is that it feels light on its feet. Physics alone don't explain the effect. At 3,600 pounds, it's no lightweight, and with a 2.4 liter four-cylinder engine, it certainly is not overpowered.

    But the Regal feels nimble. The steering wheel is in just the right thickness, the shifter is in the right place, and the Regal starts, steers, and stops like a much smaller car. It is a pleasure to engage, and that can't be said of every car.

    Regal's appeal doesn't stop there. The car delivers a more than adequate combined fuel economy on the EPA cycle of 23 miles per gallon and 30 mpg on the highway.

    Fitted out with a goodly amount standard equipment (leather on the seats and steering wheel, stability control), the base sticker price is a reasonable $26,245.

    The quicksilver metallic test car carried $2,790 worth of options including power eight-way seats and sunroof (including $750 delivery charge), which came to a hardly excessive $29,785.

    This is a Buick you don't have to apologize for. The design is thoroughly modern with a sophisticated swage running from the front fender to the rear wheels above the rocker panel. Somebody smartly decided to delete the decorative portholes that have been turning up on Buicks lately as a misguided nod to its distinguished past.

    The car's s rear section is a bit too abbreviated for my taste and comes to an abrupt end, but there is still plenty of space in the trunk.

    Inside, the instrument panel is a model of visibility, functionality, and design -- attractive and up-to-date, without the overreaching that afflicts some recent GM efforts.

    How do you explain this fortuitous combination of elements? It may just be that the Regal slipped through the cracks and wasn't afflicted by over-attention.

    The Regal began life as a Saturn Aura but moved to the Buick side of the house after Saturn expired. Like other former Saturns, the Regal is built by Opel in Germany far from corporate headquarters (though production moves to the U.S. next year). With its mixed parentage, the Regal escaped the GM disease of excessive planning.

    Along with the LaCrosse, Buick now has two modern sedans to park next to the trucks and SUVs in Buick-GMC showrooms.

    Now it is up to GM's new marketing genius, Joel Ewanick, to convince baby boomers who have been avoiding domestic brands for most of their driving lives that it is more than okay -- maybe even smart -- to be seen in a Buick.