A Jolt of German Refinement

Skeptics will say, “Here we go, again,” as General Motors Co. taps its German subsidiary Adam Opel GmbH for product to rebuild one of its brand's showrooms in the U.S.

Clearly, it didn't work for Saturn or Cadillac a decade earlier. But with the new-for-'11 Buick Regal, GM finally may have found the right strategy for injecting Germanic soul into its American cars.

The new sports sedan arrives stateside in second-quarter 2010 after highly successful launches late last year in China and in Germany as the Opel Insignia.

The Insignia draws rave reviews on its home turf, where it ranks as the best-selling sedan in its class. In China, the locally built Regal launched in December and has sold some 64,000 units. Young Chinese are captivated by the Regal, keeping the average age of its buyers around 35 years — astonishingly low for Buick.

Before the U.S.-bound Regal hits the full show circuit and ahead of formal testing next year, GM offered a handful of media several hours behind the wheel and, for comparison, its sister the Insignia. The Regal's principle target in the U.S. is the Acura TSX.

Driving pre-production Regals along rural roadways outside of Detroit makes it easier to understand why GM backed out of a deal to sell a majority stake in Opel to Canada's Magna International Inc. In short, Opel makes a fine car.

The U.S.-spec Regal leverages the same Epsilon II platform, which also underpins the new-for-'11 Buick LaCrosse that launched in North America in September, but with subtle mechanical and design differences between its Chinese and German iterations.

For example, the engine is federalized to meet U.S. regulations, as are items such as the mirror glass and the guts of the headlights. But little differs in styling between the Insignia and Regal. Aside from the Buick grille and 3-shield badges, sheet metal is exactly the same.

In fact, Buick's signature port holes will not get stamped into the Regal's hood until production begins in North America in 2011. GM also installs an insert to the front bumper to fill the elongated European license plate basin until production begins in Oshawa, ON.

The Regal's design proves more striking out on the roadway with some morning rain splattered along its haunches than in GM's advanced design studio.

Standard motivation comes via GM's new 2.4L direct-injection 4 cyl., making 182 hp and 172 lb.-ft. (233 Nm) of torque. GM pegs its fuel economy at 20-30 mpg (11.8-7.8 L/100 km) city/highway on regular gasoline.

However, we test drove models with the optional 2.0L turbocharged GDI 4-cyl., which does not arrive until the third quarter of next year.

Our verdict is overwhelmingly positive. Making 220 hp and 258 lb.-ft. (349 Nm) of torque, the 2.0L mill is the kind of engine that will turn Buick skeptics into believers faster than three shots of Jagermeister.

Responsive and well-behaved, the car slings its 3,600-lb. (1,633-kg) weight through the corners and over pitches in the roadway with enthusiasm.

Yes, the suspension in the Buick is dialed down from the drum-tight setup of the Insignia. But this is not your granddad's floaty-boaty Buick; the well-sprung suspension works together with a quick, precise steering system like no other vehicle to wear the three shields.

And one test model even included a 6-speed manual transmission. GM declines to offer a timetable for the Regal's manual transmission. But if the gearbox makes it to the U.S., it will be the first since a 5-speed manual on the '89 Buick Skyhawk.

Another first: no volume V-6 for this Buick. Both transmissions match up well. The 6-speed automatic seems content to sit in the logical gear and not hunt for something higher, while the manual shifts quickly with a hint of the “click-click” ease of its European competitors.

GM estimates fuel economy with the 2.0L at 18-29 mpg (13-8 L/100 km) city/highway. Premium fuel is recommended but not required.

Base pricing is expected to slot just below the new LaCrosse that starts at roughly $28,000, which makes the Regal slightly less expensive than the TSX.

GM also provides drive time in an Insignia OPC model to demonstrate the possibilities for the Regal. The vehicle is outfitted with a 325-hp 2.8L V-6 engine, high-performance tires and racing seats.

It's hardly surprising the Regal is such an impressive car, given that it is an exact duplicate of the smash-hit Insignia. In fact, not watering down the Buick to fit U.S. tastes easily ranks as its greatest attribute.

But it will take more products of the Regal's ilk to erase Buick's longstanding reputation for pillowy-riding large sedans with sloppy steering.

So it should hardly be surprising GM will go back to Germany for another small Buick sedan based on the redesigned Delta compact car architecture shouldering the new Opel Astra.

Have we seen this approach before? Sure, but this time it's difficult to argue with the results.