Autoblog

Opel Insignia OPC getting facelift. Will the Buick Regal GS see it, too?

Steven J. Ewing — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 16:31:00 EST

Filed under: Spy Photos, Sedan, Performance, Europe, Buick, GM, Opel

We've seen spy shots of the base Opel Insignia wearing facelifted front and rear ends, and now it appears that the more potent OPC version will be benefitting from a nip/tuck, as well.

The front bumper has been redesigned, incorporating new air intakes - toned-down versions of the model's signature fangs - as well as a new grille. Out back, there will be minimal changes to the overall fascia, most likely stuff like slightly redesigned taillamps, and inside, these spy shots show a larger navigation/infotainment screen sitting atop the center console.

This is all well and good for the Insignia, but we're wondering how these changes will impact North America's Buick Regal GS. No, it may not share the same powertrain punch as the Euro-spec OPC, but visually, the cars are nearly identical. When questioned about possible changes for the GS, a Buick spokesperson told us that the automaker "can't comment" on any changes at this point. Even so, we wouldn't be surprised if some small changes come our way in the next year or so.

Opel Insignia OPC getting facelift. Will the Buick Regal GS see it, too? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 07 Aug 2012 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2012 Buick Regal GS

Jeff Sabatini — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:55:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Performance, Buick, GM, New Car Reviews

A Great Sport Sedan With One Big "But"

Of the remaining General Motors nameplates, Buick is the one that's most difficult to wrap your mind around. On the one hand, it's supposed to be a premium brand, but on the other, it's selling vehicles with sticker prices that tend to start in the $20,000 price range, seemingly encroaching on Chevrolet territory. To wit: The Buick Verano is a bit over $23,000 and the Buick Regal starts just under $28,000, while Chevy sells its Cruze, Malibu and Impala in that same range. Even the Buick LaCrosse, whose price shot up nearly $4,000 this year, starts at $31,045. Indeed, GM must be using a mandoline to price the different versions of its sedans clustered around the $25,000-$30,000 price range.

But it's over that threshold where things get really perplexing. Because whether we understand GM's strategy or not, a twenty-some-thousand dollar Buick makes sense. You look at all the boxes you have to tick on a mainstream brand product to get the amenities that Buick offers and you dump that and all the data about the premium competition in a spreadsheet, and you can probably justify a Buick as a wise purchase. If you're an actuary or an accountant, all the better.

A Regal GS with a $35,310 base price (or an as-tested cost of $38,155 like ours), however, has stepped onto an entirely different playing field, like a junior varsity kid getting bumped up to play on Friday night. This isn't the sort of car you research over the Internet and lease after a five-minute test drive. It's purportedly a driver's car, something to seek out and manhandle. We thus find it rather disingenuous to compare it with cars from Acura and Volvo - the Regal GS is really scrapping with vetted sports sedans like the Audi A4 and BMW 3 Series, and even its kissing-GM-cousin, the larger Cadillac CTS.

Continue reading 2012 Buick Regal GS

2012 Buick Regal GS originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Shots: Are you the 2012 Buick LaCrosse GS?

Jeff Glucker — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 12:58:00 EST

Filed under: Spy Photos, Sedan, Performance, Buick, GM, Rumormill

Spied: 2012 Buick LaCrosse GS - Click above for high-res image gallery

Wherever cars are produced or tested, there will be spy photographers waiting to snap photos. Michigan is a hotbed of such activity, and one shooter's lens has just caught a white Buick LaCrosse being driven to a local fast food joint for lunch. Spying a LaCrosse wearing Michigan manufacturer plates is nothing special, but a quick glance of the wheels and brakes reveal this to be one special sled. You're looking at what we're hoping is a 2012 Buick LaCrosse GS.

While we don't know what's under the hood, we can clearly see this Buick is wearing the 20-inch rollers pulled from an Opel Insignia OPC. According to the photographer, the wheels are wrapped with Bridgestone Potenza summer tires size 245/40R20. Behind the wheels sit larger front rotors and calipers. We can only hope that an equally exciting engine is nestled within this LaCrosse's flanks.

Gallery: 2012 Buick LaCrosse GS Spy Shots

[Images: Chris Doane/Brenda Priddy & Company]

Spy Shots: Are you the 2012 Buick LaCrosse GS? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 12:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Shots: 2012 Buick Regal GS caught going out for lunch

Jeff Glucker — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 12:31:00 EST

Filed under: Spy Photos, Sedan, Buick, GM

Spy Shots: 2012 Buick Regal GS - Click above for high-res image gallery

We spy with our little eye, a camouflaged 2012 Buick Regal GS taking a group of General Motors employees out to lunch. Rather than opting for the drive-thru, this group decided to stay out of the office a bit longer and left the vehicle alone in a parking lot, and our CarPix spy photographers were ready to pounce in order to give us this good look at the sportiest Buick we've seen for eons.

And sporty it shall be judging by the hardware the cameras caught. A set of heavily-bolstered Recaro seats look identical to the super grippy chairs used in the model's Opel Insignia OPC twin, and there's a six-speed manual transmission sprouting between the bolsters, further suggesting that this is no mere people hauler. The Regal is expected to borrow heavily from the OPC partsbin, and that's great thing. The OPC is motivated by a 320 horsepower, twin-turbo V6 that pushes the all-wheel drive car to 60 miles per hour from a standstill in just six seconds. In our brief experience with the Euro market car, it has an altogether more hardcore and snarlier character that should appeal to diehard enthusiasts, and it's sure to bring some performance luster back to the TriShield brand. We can hardly wait.

Gallery: Buick Regal GS: Spy Shots

[Source: CarPix]

Spy Shots: 2012 Buick Regal GS caught going out for lunch originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 08 Oct 2010 12:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Detroit 2010: Regal GS concept seeks to reignite Buick's performance fire [w/video]

Jonny Lieberman — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 11:41:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Detroit Auto Show, Sedan, Performance, Buick, GM

Buick Regal GS - Click above for high-res image gallery

Is the Buick Regal GS the most important "maybe" of the 2010 Detroit Auto Show? It's been more than two decades since performance enthusiasts cared about Buick in any meaningful way. The car at that time was the now legendary Buick GNX. Even if the proposed Regal GS makes production - a big if - it's not going to be a GNX replacement, at least not in the hearts and minds of power-mad Buick enthusiasts. However, at this chapter in Buick's story, every little performance bit counts.

That stated, here's what we might get: Power comes from a beefed-up version of the direct-injected 2.0-liter turbocharged Ecotec four-cylinder making 255 horsepower and a walloping 295 pound-feet or torque. Compare that to the regular 2.0-liter DI Ecotec that we know and love in cars like the Pontiac Solstice GXP and Chevrolet Cobalt SS: 260 hp, 260 lb-ft of twist. Five horsepower less, sure (your lawnmower makes five horsepower), but we'll gladly trade those ponies for the 35 extra torques. All that grunt gets routed through a six-speed manual before being kicked out to all four wheels. Speaking of wheels, the Regal GS rides on gorgeous 20-inch alloys that are hauled to a halt by big Brembos squeezing 14-inch cross-drilled and vented rotors.

One of the more interesting aspects of the Regal GS is its traction control system that Buick has dubbed "Interactive Drive Control." There's a Normal mode, a Sport mode and most enticing, a GS mode. That final setting changes the default torque split, routing most of the power to the rear wheels. Color us curious, excitedly so. The Regal GS also sits 10mm lower than the standard car and is further visually differentiated by twin intakes on the front clip and two through-fascia tailpipes. It's even got sporty Recaros and a flat-bottomed steering wheel.

Are they going to build it? Our gut says "yes," or something very close to it. As a brand, Buick needs a shot in the arm of something hot and bothered. Why not a hopped-up Regal? And will we eventually see an even more muscular version of the Regal GS, fitted with a 325-hp turbocharged 2.8-liter V6 from the Opel Insignia OPC, possibly called the Regal GSX? Maybe GNX fans will have something to look forward to after all. High-res shots below, official press release with full specs and video of the live reveal after the jump.

Gallery: Detroit 2010: Buick Regal GS

Gallery: Buick Regal GS Concept

[Source: Buick]

Continue reading Detroit 2010: Regal GS concept seeks to reignite Buick's performance fire [w/video]

Detroit 2010: Regal GS concept seeks to reignite Buick's performance fire [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 11 Jan 2010 11:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Frankfurt 2009: Bring us the 2010 Opel Insignia OPC Sports Tourer

Jonny Lieberman — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:39:00 EST

Filed under: Frankfurt Motor Show, Performance, Wagon, Europe, Opel

2010 Opel Insignia OPC Sports Tourer - Click above for high-res image gallery

Remember this? "More wagons! More wagons!" Well, here's another. Meet the Opel Insignia OPC Sports Tourer. Salient facts: 325-horsepower turbocharged 2.8-liter V6, AWD, six-speed manual, eLSD torque vectoring and it's a station wagon. Oh, and get this -- it's built from off the shelf GM parts. Serious.

For instance, that fancy-pants eLSD torque vectoring system comes from the Saab Turbo X. All the rest of the pieces are General Motors parts bin. Ready for the best part? You can't have it! Ha ha ha. Of course neither could we. Would we totally rock a slightly larger, good looking EVO X-ish station wagon? Hell to the yeah. Which part is the good GM again?

Gallery: Frankfurt 2009: 2010 Opel Insignia OPC Sports Tourer

Frankfurt 2009: Bring us the 2010 Opel Insignia OPC Sports Tourer originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Shots: Opel Insignia OPC Sports Tourer caught naked

Dan Roth — Sun, 17 May 2009 16:45:00 EST

Filed under: Spy Photos, Wagon, Europe, Buick, GM, Saab, Opel, Specialty

Opel's Insignia OPC is one of those "available elsewhere" cars that's got us licking our chops. The Insignia is headed to North America as a Buick, and enthusiasts everywhere hope the hotshot OPC version gets widely propagated. What's not likely to make any trans-Atlantic journeys is a wagon version of Opel's performance-enhanced sedan. Spy-shooters have nailed an Insignia OPC Sports Tourer running about uncamoflaged, and the wagon's got its sights trained on Audi's S4 Avant.

Built up from familiar General Motors pieces, the Insignia OPC Sports Tourer uses componentry we've seen before. The 2.8 liter turbocharged V6, six speed manual, and all wheel drive system with eLSD torque vectoring is a recipe cooked up by the Saab Turbo X, albeit Opel's version is spicier, with 325 horsepower on tap. Euro-flavored performance wagons are a delectable treat, but it doesn't look like the Insignia OPC Sports Tourer will be added to Buick's menu for North American automotive diners.

[Source: Carscoop, Photo: Carscoop]

Spy Shots: Opel Insignia OPC Sports Tourer caught naked originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 17 May 2009 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Opel and Vauxhall reveal 325-horsepower Insignia OPC/VXR

Sam Abuelsamid — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 10:28:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Performance, Europe, GM, Opel, Vauxhall

Vauxhall/Opel Insignia VXR/OPC - Click above for a high-resolution gallery

General Motors may be on life support, but the European operations at Opel and Vauxhall are still showing a 325-horsepower pulse. The latest signs of life come in the form of the hotted up Insignia variant shown above. In right-hand drive Vauxhall form, the super Insignia is badged as the VXR, while the left-hand steered continental version gets an OPC suffix. Regardless of the steering wheel position, all of the important Nürburgring-tuned bits are the same, and in this case, it appears to be another derivative of the technology that first appeared last year in the Saab 9-3 Turbo-X.

That means there is a turbocharged 2.8-liter V6 under hood, now with power boosted to 325 horsepower (from the 300 hp in the Saab and the Cadillac SRX). The 295 lb-ft of torque is fed through a six-speed manual gearbox, and out to all four wheels through a Haldex system with an electronic rear limited-slip differential. According to the automaker, acceleration to 62 mph comes up in 5.8 seconds, while an adaptive damping system and retuned suspension that sits 10 mm lower help the Insignia carry the speed through corners. Check out the high-res gallery below and the press release after the jump.

Gallery: Opel Insignia OPC/Vauxhall Insignia VXR

[Source: General Motors]

Continue reading Opel and Vauxhall reveal 325-horsepower Insignia OPC/VXR

Opel and Vauxhall reveal 325-horsepower Insignia OPC/VXR originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 15 Apr 2009 10:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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320-hp, twin-turbo Opel Insignia spied ahead of Geneva debut

Noah Joseph — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 14:29:00 EST

Filed under: Frankfurt Motor Show, Spy Photos, Geneva Motor Show, Europe, Hatchback, GM, Opel, Vauxhall, UK

General Motors' Opel division has been hard at work on a performance version of its hot new Insignia, the reigning European Car of the Year, and the first spy shot - probably snapped on someone's camera phone - has surfaced online. To be sold as the Vauxhall Insignia VXR in the UK and as the Opel Insignia OPC in Europe, the car is reported to have lapped the vaunted Nürburgring Nordschleife in a hair over eight minutes, which is a blistering fast time for a relatively large hatch.

The hot Insignia evidently wears big 20-inch wheels with concave dark spokes and chrome accents, wrapped in 255/35 R20 rubber and capped by bulging wheel arches. All four contact patches are in use to put down the anticipate 320 horsepower from the twin-turbo V6, while big air vents borrowed from the sharp-lookin' Opel GTC Concept help the drivetrain get the wind it needs. Hatchback, sedan and wagon variants are all expected to be part of the mix. We're hoping to see this bad boy in pre-production preview form this March at the Geneva Motor Show, with the full production version to follow in the Spring at the Frankfurt Auto Show. But more than that, we're quietly hoping to see it Stateside as the successor to the V8-powered Buick LaCrosse Super (known as the Allure in Canada due to a certain unsavory Quebecois slang conflict). We can hope, can't we?

[Source: EVO via AutoExpress]

320-hp, twin-turbo Opel Insignia spied ahead of Geneva debut originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 28 Jan 2009 14:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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