2019 Buick Regal Sportback Review

The Regal's turbo 2.0-liter engine is punchy and provides a surprising amount of thrust. It takes a moment for the engine to build boost, but once you're going, acceleration is more than adequate for its purposes. In Edmunds testing, the Regal hit 60 mph in a quick 6.3 seconds.

The Regal delivers a smooth and easy braking response that's also very stable and reassuring when you need to make a sudden panic stop. Its antilock braking system is fast-acting and relatively quiet in operation. The Regal needed 124 feet to stop from 60 mph in testing, which is comparable to the segment average.

The steering is quick and has light effort, which makes it easy to wheel around the city and in parking lots. But the effort at highway speeds is too light, requiring many corrections to go straight. Otherwise, we like its directness and aren't overly bothered by the low amount of road feel.

We would not call this Sportback "sporty." The Regal swaps some handling prowess for ride comfort, and that's OK in this case. Overall, it's composed but exhibits pronounced body movement with every bump it encounters. The Regal Sportback GS should handle more crisply.

This is an easy car to drive, but it's not without faults. The auto stop-start cannot be defeated, so you have to learn to drive around it if traffic merging is to be done quickly. Downshifts from the nine-speed transmission can be on the slow side, but shifting is otherwise smooth.

The seats lack breathability and the material feels cheap, but the cushions balance firmness and compliance well. There's a good amount of adjustment, including four-way adjustable lumbar support. Lateral support is average, and the armrest padding on the doors is thin.

Ride comfort is quite agreeable. Bumps big and small are generally dispatched without the Regal feeling overly floaty or disconnected. There is a little more body movement in exchange for the softer ride, but it isn't anything to complain about.

Buick excels at keeping the loud noise out of the cabin. At city speeds or when cruising the highway at 75 mph, the Regal's cabin is very quiet. Wind and ambient noise is attenuated especially well, and road noise only permeates at a low level. There are no creaks or rattles to be heard.

The climate controls are straightforward save for the vent modes you must access through the touchscreen. All other controls, such as fan speed, have real buttons but can also be changed via the touchscreen. The seats have no ventilation, but the heaters work great. The air conditioning is powerful.

There's nothing overly clever here. The controls are fairly straightforward and easy to manipulate. The touchscreen is responsive but — typical of touchscreens — is not as easy to operate on the move as a rotary knob. Oddly enough, there's no trunk release in the cabin or on the key fob.

The rear sloping roof cuts into rear headroom a bit. The door opening looks wide but pinches down at the foot area, making it slightly awkward and less convenient than it appears. Getting into the front is otherwise easy, with a shallow stepover and decent head clearance.

Its driving position should be ideal for most people. The seat drops down quite low for tremendous headroom or can be raised high for a more commanding view of the road. The tilt-and-telescoping steering column offers a decent amount of adjustment, too.

The dashboard's bulk cuts into knee clearance, but the easy-entry driver's seat helps alleviate this issue. There's ample head- and hiproom up front and plenty of legroom in the rear with a buffer of soft, concave front seatbacks. The cabin is generous enough to fit five with decent headroom for the middle seat.

The view out the windshield is wide. But your view in left-hand turns is partially obstructed by the side mirror, which is mounted at the intersection of the door and front roof pillar. The rear roof pillars are thick, and rear visibility isn't as good as what you might hope from a hatchback.

The quietness and design of the interior are appealing, although its parts-bin switchgear and garish chrome highlights definitely detract. Details such as these, plus a notable lack of arm padding, chip away at the Regal's regalness.

There are fairly deep door pockets up front and slightly less sizable ones in the rear. The armrest bin is average with cellphone-specific storage/charging space. Of three front cupholders, one is oversize to accommodate larger bottles. A small space upfront can conceal valuables under a sliding door.

With 31.5 cubic feet of cargo space, the Sportback's trunk dwarfs any comparable sedan's trunk. The rear seats have a 40/20/40-split arrangement and fold almost flat, giving you nice, convenient options. These cargo advantages have no downsides, so why would anybody choose a sedan over a Sportback?

With a fairly roomy back seat and easy-access LATCH anchors under plastic flip doors, car seat installation should be relatively easy. The lower roofline might require some extra bending, but this isn't far off a standard sedan.

The upgraded Bose audio system delivers decent clarity and adequate bass and should satisfy the average person's audio needs. The quiet cabin helps as well. The navigation system is modern but unremarkable. Its interface is a little fussy at first but becomes easier with practice.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto work well, as does the standard media interface. Wi-Fi with 4G LTE internet is standard (limited trial) via OnStar and connects up to seven devices. There are three USB plugs and wireless phone charging. Bluetooth pairing is easy and can be done via voice command.

Our Regal came with a rearview camera with dynamic guidelines, rear parking sensors, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert. Adaptive cruise is offered but wasn't equipped on our car. Everything works relatively well, but there's nothing special, which you'd expect at this class level.

Voice controls have a quick response time. You can make calls, find an address, check weather, or tune to any radio station including satellite. Long button presses call up Siri or Google, too. Tolerance for natural language is quite good. The help menu is rather extensive.

That turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder produces 250 horsepower. Regals with this engine and front-wheel drive have a torque output of 260 pound-feet and come with a nine-speed automatic transmission. All-wheel-drive models make 295 lb-ft of torque and drive their wheels through an eight-speed automatic.

The Regal 1SV comes standard with 17-inch wheels, automatic headlights, LED daytime running lights, heated power side mirrors, keyless entry and ignition, 60/40-split folding rear seats, OnStar (with a 4G LTE connection and Wi-Fi hotspot), a 7-inch touchscreen interface, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration, a USB port, and a seven-speaker sound system.

Moving up to the Preferred adds a power-adjustable driver's seat, an auto-dimming rearview mirror and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. It also offers options such as the Driver Confidence package (18-inch wheels, LED headlights, rear parking sensors, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert) and the Sights and Sounds package (a navigation system, an 8-inch touchscreen, dual rear-seat USB ports, and a Bose eight-speaker audio system).

The Preferred II comes with the upgraded 8-inch touchscreen plus 18-inch wheels, dual-zone automatic climate control, 40/20/40-split folding rear seats, a heated steering wheel, and a driver information screen between the gauges. All-wheel-drive models also feature active noise cancellation through the audio system. You can get the optional Driver Confidence package with this trim as well. It offers the same features listed above plus wireless device charging, while the Sights and Sounds package adds navigation and the premium Bose audio system.

Essence models bundle the standard features of the lower trims and add leather upholstery, heated front seats, an air ionizer and a power-adjustable passenger seat. The optional Driver Confidence package adds the same features as on the lower trims but also tacks on driver-position memory and an auto-dimming side mirror for the driver. A second Driver Confidence package (called Driver Confidence II, naturally) pads on adaptive cruise control, forward collision alert, automatic emergency braking and lane keeping assist.

Taking the Essence and adding unique interior and exterior elements equals the Avenir. Upgrades include quilted-stitched leather seating surfaces, a gloss-black front grille, adaptive headlights and 19-inch wheels. Also standard is the aforementioned Driver Confidence I package and Sights and Sound package. Oddly, this top-trim car is only available in front-wheel drive.

For a sportier take, there's the Regal Sportback GS. It comes with a 3.6-liter V6 engine (310 hp, 282 lb-ft of torque), a nine-speed automatic, all-wheel drive, a sport-tuned suspension, 19-inch wheels, Brembo brakes and sport seats. Standard and optional feature content are similar to the Essence's.