Another New Buick to Love: 2012 Buick Regal GS Announced for Columbia, SC

2012 Buick Regal GS sedan, available soon in Columbia, SC (GM Media)

If you love Buick Regal's styling but wanted something a little more potent than the standard CXL's 2.4L engine, your ship has come in!  Buick has announced the new 2012 Buick Regal GS, which will arrive in the second half of 2011 to Columbia, South Carolina.

When it arrives, the Regal GS will deliver an estimated 255 HP and 295 lb-ft of torque, all run through a six-speed manual gearbox; a six-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters will be available later on.  The new Regal GS also receives exclusive race-inspired exterior styling and interior appointments. Furthering the Buick styling tradition, the four-cylinder Regal GS has two portholes on each side; Buick models equipped with V6 and V8 engines historically received three and four respectively.

Unlike the Regal GS show car, the production model will only be available in front-wheel drive.  Columbia drivers will experience the well-received HiPerStrut suspension system, seen on uplevel models like the Buick LaCrosse and Saab 9-5, which serves to reduce torque steer under acceleration commonly found in front-wheel-drive performance sedans.  Regal’s class-exclusive Interactive Drive Control System will also be standard equipment, providing Columbia Buick drivers with pushbutton control over the Regal GS’ suspension and steering settings.

Pricing has not been announced, but the 2012 Buick Regal GS will be for sale in Columbia, South Carolina in the second half of 2011.  When it does, you can bet that your Buick dealer in Columbia will be among the first to get a hold of this Buick performance sedan!

Flashback Friday: 1980 Buick Regal for Columbia, South Carolina Drivers

YouTube finds itself loaded with all sorts of old videos, many of them promotional videos of vintage cars that have passed through Buick dealers in Columbia, South Carolina over the years.  Today, set your clocks back thirty years and take a look at the 1980 Buick Regal.

Buick Regal: Then and Now the Buick Columbia Loves

Back then, the Buick Regal was available as a two-door coupe in standard, Sport Coupe, and Somerset trims.  You wouldn't know it then, but the turbocharged V6 engine found in the Sport Coupe would form the basis for one of the most world-renowned Buicks of all time, the Buick Regal Grand National.

The Regal has come a long way in the three decades since the 1980 Buick Regal, with the new 2011 Buick Regal offering a range of options that people could only dream about back in the Carter administration.  Today's Regal offers features such as dual-zone climate control, heated leather seats, XM Satellite Radio, a total of six airbags, ultrasonic parking assist, an onboard GPS navigation system, and a USB port for connecting your iPod.  (Okay, perhaps the iPod comparison is unfair--in 1980, America was just getting the Sony Walkman!)

2011 Buick Regal in Columbia at Jim Hudson Buick

Today, the 2011 Buick Regal is available from Jim Hudson Buick in Columbia, South Carolina starting at $26,245 for the well-equipped Regal CXL that includes leather seating, USB port inputs, dual-zone climate control, heated seats, a power driver's seat adjuster, a six-speed automatic transmission, and six months of OnStar service with turn-by-turn navigation. Available in six levels of equipment right now, the Regal lineup will grow late this year with the addition of the Regal CXL Turbo and its 220-horsepower four-cylinder engine; the turbocharged model will start just under $30,000.

For more information, visit Jim Hudson Buick at our Buick Regal Columbia website or call us at 803-783-0110!

Buick Regals in Columbia SC: Now an IIHS Top Safety Pick!

2011 Buick Regal CXL (before the crash tests, of course)

Good news for anyone looking for a Buick Regal in Columbia, SC: the 2011 Buick Regal has been awarded the Top Safety Pick award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety! Regal received the institute's highest rating of Good on front, side, rear, and rollover impact protection.  (Matter of fact, the roof took just shy of five times the vehicle's weight before failing--the federal standard is 1.5 times.  Good news should you find yourself in a Regal shiny side down.)

You can see the IIHS' full test results for the 2011 Regal here, or (if great test results have you in a looking mode) shop your Columbia, SC Buick dealer for a great selection of new 2011 Buick Regal sedans.

Something New to Love: Buick Lucerne CXL Premium

2011 Buick Lucerne Sedan

Here's another new thing to love about the 2011 Buick Lucerne in Columbia, South Carolina: the newly-introduced Lucerne CXL Premium trim.

The Lucerne CXL Premium includes sophisticated technology that used to involve mixing and matching several packages and options, slotting in nicely between the mid-level CXL and the top-of-the-line Super.  The CXL Premium offers a 280-watt Harman/Kardon 9-speaker premium sound system, the Driver Confidence Package (optional on the CXL) with content theft alarm, remote vehicle start, and ultrasonic rear parking assist; heated power mirrors that dim automatically on the driver's side, side blind zone alert that adds a warning in your side mirrors of cars that may prevent a safe lane change, and exclusive chrome-plated 17" aluminum wheels.

Pricing starts in the upper-mid-$30s, depending on your choice of options and equipment. (And if you're one that clings to the plush ride of Buicks of yore, you'll definitely want to check out our selection; the Lucerne is easily our smoothest ride and the last Buick still available with a front bench seat!)  If you have any questions, Jim Hudson is Columbia, SC's authorized Buick dealer here to help you.

It's not just Columbia, SC that loves the new Buick Regal...

Ever since the new 2011 Buick Regal hit Columbia, SC in mid-May, many of our customers have loved the modern styling, sporty performance, and refined interior.  Turns out they're not alone; Buick has launched MomentofTruth.com featuring reactions, interviews, and discussions from all across the internet about the new Regal.  With discussions being pulled from Twitter, Facebook, and Flickr, it doesn't get much more pure.

If you've had a chance to see the new Regal in person, there's also a place to share your thoughts.  (If you haven't, come pay your Columbia, SC Buick dealer a visit and see what you've been missing! We even have one on the showroom floor, no walking in the heat required.)

Rumormill: Buick to receive flagship Lexus LS competitor?

Chinese market 2010 Buick Park Avenue

Here's a piece of news that may make Columbia, SC love a Buick even more: Sources reporting to GM Inside News are indicating that GM is in the early stages of a flagship, rear-wheel-drive sedan that would go up against such rivals as the Lexus LS series.  Such a sedan would be based on a premium version of GM's Australian-sourced Zeta platform; more pedestrian Zetas have been on American shores for a few years, most notably as the dearly-departed Pontiac G8.  Of course, as these rumors go, the plans are still in the early stages without so much as a sketch; the closest inspiration may be the Chinese-market Buick Park Avenue seen at the right.

What say you, Columbia?  Would this have you rushing for your Columbia Buick dealer?