More Confirmation: The Next Buick Regal GS Has A V6 Engine - You Remember What A V6 Is, Right?

Timothy Cain
by Timothy Cain

Two things leak more than the bathroom faucet at your Great Aunt Martha’s cottage in Saugatuck.

The White House.

And Buick.

It seemed fairly clear three months ago that something was afoot when GM Canada’s Buick.ca website momentarily revealed the 2018 Buick Regal GS’s powertrain: a 3.6-liter V6 and all-wheel drive. But Buick declined to comment, removing from the Canadian website the section that mentioned a V6 offering.

Once again, however, Buick appears to have let the horses out of the barn. Buick’s in-house magazine, B, revealed details ahead of schedule, GM Authority has learned. Rather than the 259-horsepower 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder of current GSs that too often feels underwhelmed, B magazine says the 2018 Regal GS, “employs a high-feature V6 engine that furnishes an estimated 310 horsepower.”

The V6 liveth.

It’s not a common strategy. We’ve seen V6s disappear from the lineups of numerous midsize cars — from the Chevrolet Malibu, Hyundai Sonata, Kia Optima, and Mazda 6 to the upcoming 2018 Honda Accord. The next-gen Accord sacrifices natural aspiration, both in four and six-cylinder models, at the altar of 1.5-liter and 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinders. Although there’s likely to be no lack of power, something is lost in the move away from a naturally-aspirated V6 — something that won’t be lost in the 2018 Toyota Camry, which keeps its V6 option.

Indeed, six-cylinders aren’t the norm at some premium Regal rivals, either. At Audi, you need to step out of the A4 range into an S4 to get six cylinders. Volvo doesn’t offer a six-cylinder in the S60. A six-cylinder BMW 3 Series is a $48,895 affair. There’s no V6 in the Mercedes-Benz C-Class family until you’ve crossed the $50K/AMG threshold.

Buick, after switching to an exclusively four-cylinder lineup with the semi-premium fifth-gen Regal, will now allow a 3.6-liter V6 to re-enter its Regal lineup.

It’s not surprising to see Buick adopt an unusual engine strategy with the sixth-gen Regal.

Already, the brand has adopted a unique bodystyle strategy, killing off the sedan in favor of a four-door liftback the automaker will call the Regal Sportback. Despite the market’s aversion to wagons, Buick is also bringing the Tour X wagon to the United States at a surprisingly decent price. Throw in a V6 engine and you have a fast midsize car from a traditional domestic marque with hatchback and wagon variants.

Just as with the leak at Buick.ca in April, Buick once again won’t confirm what Buick has already put in print. The digital version of B magazine, meanwhile, is missing the section pertaining to the GS variant’s performance.

We do expect, however to hear more details on the 2018 Buick Regal GS’s V6 engine option in the coming days.

The 2017 Buick Regal GS has a $37,465 base MSRP, roughly one-third higher than the basic Regal.

[Images: General Motors]

Timothy Cain is a contributing analyst at The Truth About Cars and Autofocus.ca and the founder and former editor of GoodCarBadCar.net. Follow on Twitter @timcaincars.

Timothy Cain
Timothy Cain

More by Timothy Cain

Comments
Join the conversation
2 of 56 comments
  • Festiboi Festiboi on Jul 13, 2017

    Rumor has it that this platform was designed originally to house only a four-cylinder. But due to the negative feedback in Australia to a four-cylinder only Holden Commodore, the structure had to be re-engineered to accommodate a V6 for that market. Perhaps GM decided that since they went to that much trouble with the upcoming Commodore, why not offer a V6 in the US on the almost identical Regal as well?

  • Thegamper Thegamper on Jul 14, 2017

    I am very excited for this car. I would like the wagon with a V6 and AWD but don't think that's happening. It will definitely be on my radar come time for my next car, both the wagon and the GS. I have to say that I do really like the Lacrosse as well. Omg...am I a Buick fan?! I am not against a 4cyl turbo, it can be refined to be a very nice powerplant, but my recent experience with long term turbo reliability with a non GM vehicle and my heavy foot will have me leaning toward NA engines for as long as they are available.

Next