Looks

Enticing younger buyers into Buick showrooms is job No. 1. While the Enclave crossover and the recently redesigned LaCrosse have chipped away at the average age of Buick owners — it's down from 72 to 64 — the curvy Regal should lure in shoppers at least a decade or three younger than that.

The Regal we see in the U.S. is identical to a German GM design called the Opel Insignia. In fact, Buick proudly states that the two are virtually identical, save for the grilles and a few light treatments. That's likely because it would have been hard to complain about the original look. The front is modern and unoffensive, the profile and rear quarter bring BMW to mind, and the rear looks like it came from Acura — from before when that brand forgot what a curve was.

Taken in all at once, the Regal looks like a more expensive car than its $26,245 base price suggests. My hotel room was perched directly above the test fleet of Regals I piloted for this review, and while I worked from my hotel balcony I saw too many joggers and passers-by to count crane their necks to check out the row of sedans. Many even stopped to peek in the windows.

The Regal's look is an elegant one that's hard not to take note of in any of the six typical colors it's currently available in: white, silver, beige, dark gray, dark blue and black. Unfortunately, the dark red that's so attractive on the LaCrosse isn't yet available on the Regal.

    See also:

    Parking Brake
    The parking brake pedal is located to the left of the regular brake pedal, near the driver door. To set the parking brake, hold the regular brake pedal down, then push the parking brake ped ...

    Ignition Transmission Lock Check
    While parked, and with the parking brake set, try to turn the ignition to LOCK/OFF in each shift lever position. • The ignition should turn to LOCK/OFF only when the shift lever is in P (Park). ...

    Automatic Headlamp System
    When it is dark enough outside and the exterior lamps control is in the automatic position, the headlamps come on automatically. See Exterior Lamp Controls . The vehicle has a light sensor locate ...