2012 Buick Regal GS Officially Rated at 270HP, up from 255HP

The official performance and fuel economy numbers on the 2012 Buick Regal GS are out. When GM revealed the Buick’s sports sedan in production trim at the Detroit Motor Show this past January, the company estimated that the Regal GS was good for 255HP and a 0-60mph time of less than 7 seconds.

Now GM announced that the Regal GS’ 2.0-liter direct-injected turbocharged four-cylinder engine has been SAE-certified to deliver 270 horsepower (201kW) and 295 lb.-ft. of torque (400Nm) fat 2,400 rpm or an estimated 0-60 mph performance of 6.7 seconds, or 0.9 seconds slower than the car’s European sibling, the Opel Insignia OPC that features a 325HP V6 and AWD.

Power in the North American model is channeled to the front-wheels only through a six-speed manual gearbox, with GM stating that the Regal GS gets an estimated fuel economy of 28 mpg (8.4 lt/100km) on the highway

“The Regal GS 2.0L turbo delivers the highest specific output of any production engine GM has ever offered, and at 135 hp per liter is the most power dense engine ever certified by SAE,” said Mike Anderson, Ecotec global chief engineer and program manager.

“We’ve been combining direct injection and variable valve timing with boosted engines since 2006, and there’s no question the Regal GS turbo has the responsiveness and acceleration of some V-6s, while delivering the fuel economy you’d expect of a four-cylinder,” Anderson added.

The new 2012 Regal GS will go on sale in the States this fall with prices to be announced closer to launch.

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Vauxhall Insignia gains New 1.4-Liter Turbo Petrol and Improved EcoFlex Diesels

It’s model-year changeover over time for the Vauxhall Insignia with the British company announcing the addition of a low emissions ecoFLEX diesel model and a new-to-the-range 1.4 Turbo petrol engine.

Beginning with the petrol model, the 1.4-liter turbocharged unit, which is also offered in the Astra, delivers 140-horsepower and 200Nn of peak torque, while returning 51.4mpg UK (5.5 lt/100km) in the hatchback and saloon models and emitting 129g/km of CO2. In the UK, the Insignia 1.4 Turbo is priced from £18,680 for the ES Hatchback up to £27,110 for the SRi Nav Vx Line Red Sports Tourer.

For the new model year, GM’s Vauxhall unit updated the Euro 5 compliant 2.0 CDTi diesel engines in the Insignia ecoFLEX model. The four-cylinder unit is available with 130PS or 160PS power outputs, and for the first time, is offered with Start/Stop technology. The underbody aerodynamic measures and low rolling resistance tires help to improve fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

When equipped with the 130-horsepower version, the Insignia ecoFLEX achieves a top speed of 129mph (209 km/h), with 0-60mph (96 km/h) taking 10.4 seconds. The 160HP model records a 137mph (220 km/h) top speed and a 0-60mph sprint time of 8.9 seconds. Compared to the outgoing ecoFLEX diesel, CO2 emission have dropped by 10 percent, from 129g/CO2 to 115g/CO2.

Prices for the Insignia ecoFLEX diesel models start from £20,345 for the ES 2.0 CDTi 130PS Start/Stop Hatchback and go up to £29,385 for the top-of-the-range SRi Nav Vx Line Red Sports Tourer 160HP.

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