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For the last few decades, the American automobile industry has been consistently beaten by the foreign automobile industry.  The American automobile industry has looked into this problem and found every way they could to bounce back.  They have done this with a new mentality: quality cars for a good price, as opposed to mediocre cars for a not–so-good price.  One car that showcases this new mentality is the 2011 Buick Regal.

I showed up to the dealership unsure of what to expect.  I noticed that every car in the showroom was quite nice looking, except the Cadillac DTS, which looked dated. Then, my guide came over and pointed out the new Regal.  My eyes nearly popped out of my head in a cartoon-like way.

The Buick Regal no longer looks like a huge boat made for your grandparents to travel in. It’s slimmer, with a sportier look that actually makes you want to drive it around town, not into a lake.  Both the interior and exterior are attractive.

Once in the car, I noticed that the seat was very comfortable; it has different warm and cool settings. I already had the feeling that the name Buick has begun to mean something entirely new. I started the car and heard the engine roar to life. The two-liter, 220-brake horsepower inline four-cylinder engine has a turbo charger, something that never seemed to fit in a Buick.  It must be mentioned that Volkswagen has a two-liter inline four-cylinder engine with a turbo, yet it only produces 200-brake horsepower.  Because the Buick is larger, you might think it would need the extra twenty, but Volkswagen makes such heavy cars that perhaps it needs the extra twenty just as much.

It was explained to me that the engineering with the turbo charger meant better cooling and better lubrication so that it would take much, much longer for it to burn out. Even when you stop the car, turn it off and leave it, the car continues to take care of the turbo on its own by continuing to cool it.

Next, I set off down the road. The car was so enjoyable to drive; it was a relaxing experience. The turbo had no lag, and the car could get going when you put the pedal down. But with such a smooth suspension, it was easy to see that Buick was now in hot pursuit of a Lexus or Mercedes.

Instead of thinking to myself, “This is a whole new car that has come from an old company,” I thought, “This is a new car from an entirely new company!” Normally, when a car company goes in a new direction, you can tell because the engineering still seems to be  in the test phase within the first or one or two model years.  But with the Buick, there was no more of the usual American car companies only engineering the car 95%.  Everything was in place.

Overall, the new 2011 Buick Regal is a sign that the American automobile industry is making a complete turnaround. They’ve seen their business stripped away from them in one fell swoop by foreign cars. Wealthy people turn to BMW and Lexus, while the not-so-wealthy choose Toyota and Honda. Between Buick, Cadillac, Ford and so on, it is easy to see that America is going to make plenty of competition on all fronts.