June 23rd, 2014
Although I was hoping to secure a Corvette or Camaro or
some other sporty car for a week in summer, I was unable to do so. I had to
settle for a 2014 Buick Regal, which is a fine car but not quite the one I was
hoping for. Once I managed to get over the disappointment of my lack of success,
I learned to appreciate driving the Regal. It was reasonably luxurious and
peppy, although not exactly what I would call fast. We had no problem seating 5
inside, but anybody taller than me would have difficulty with the sloping
roofline in the back. This particular didn't come with a window sticker, so I
was left to try and figure out the price on my own (somewhere between
$33-$34,000). While this is really more than I would want to spend, it was much
cheaper to the Regal that I would want to purchase (the Regal GS, which would be
closer to $40,000). While this car was nice, I couldn't really see Tara & I
owning one. For less money we could get a Chevrolet Cruze or Malibu, which are
both more in line with our budget. While the mileage was nice at 26.3MPG for the
week, I was really hoping for closer to 30. I am sure that the AWD feature
didn't help, and this is something that I would have absolutely no interest in
having on my own car. And I can honestly say that nothing really stood out to me
while driving this car, either positively or negatively. I suppose that is good,
but not something that I want to say about something that I am spending that
much of my hard earned money on.
2014 Buick Regal T AWD
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The rear three-quarter view of the Regal.
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The side view of the Regal.
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The front three-quarter view of the Regal.
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The front view of the Regal.
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A quick look at the back seat shows that it has decent room, but
it is difficult to see the lack of headroom for anyone over 6' tall.
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The trunk was quite spacious, and would have no problems fitting
Drew's hockey equipment inside.
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This model featured a Turbocharged engine and all-wheel drive.
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The driver side seating area.
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The center console was nice, but there were some quirks with the
radio that bothered me (namely that the presets screen didn't change
as you scrolled through them).
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The cup holders were too close together to fit two drinks in
them without them hitting each other (perhaps bottles or cans would
work, but not fast food cups).
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The steering wheel controls are much different that what I'm
used to, but took no time at all to get familiar with.
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26.3MPG over 371.2 miles - not too shabby... and the range when
full was over 500 miles! We never see that in the Enclave or the
truck!
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