2019 Buick Regal Sportback Reviews, Pricing & Specs

Buick introduced its Regal Sportback last year, trading the previous Regal’s traditional sedan look for a sleek liftback profile. Fresh off...

Buick introduced its Regal Sportback last year, trading the previous Regal’s traditional sedan look for a sleek liftback profile. Fresh off its introduction, the model sees no major changes for 2019.

The Regal Sportback sits in the premium midsize segment, but compared to similar cars, the Regal offers unique, demure styling. Inside and out, every crease, bulge, and recess looks deliberately placed and adds up to a car that is cohesively tasteful and understated. It’s also a lot more practical than a lot of sedans with 31.5 cubic feet of cargo with the rear seats upright.

All four of the Regal Sportback’s main trims, Base, Preferred, Preferred II, and Essence, return for 2019. Standard features on Base include 17-inch alloy wheels, LED daytime running lights, a 60/40 split-folding rear seat, keyless access and start, a 7-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, USB connectivity, 4G LTE connectivity, cloth upholstery, and, for 2019, a cabin ionizer. Preferred adds a leather-wrapped steering wheel, an 8-way driver’s seat, and an auto-dimming mirror. Preferred II throws in a 40/20/40 split-folding rear seat, 18-inch machined alloy wheels, fog lights, and an upgraded 8-inch infotainment system. Lastly, Essence adds heated front seats and leather upholstery.

Buick also offers the GS grade with a unique sporty front and rear fascias, side skirts, and spoiler, 19-inch wheels, Brembo performance brakes, a sport-tuned exhaust system, and exclusive paint colors. Inside, GS gets a flat-bottomed steering wheel, ergonomic racing seats with heating, cooling, and massaging, and a full-featured instrument cluster.

Base, Preferred, Preferred II, and Essence employ a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline V4 engine with 250 horsepower and 265 pound-feet of torque paired to a 9-speed automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive (FWD) is standard, but Preferred II and Essence offer all-wheel drive (AWD) for an additional cost. This setup can pull as many as 22 mpg city, 32 highway, and 28 combined on premium fuel. Meanwhile, GS gets a bigger 3.6-liter V6 with standard AWD and a 9-speed automatic transmission, which puts out 310 hp and 282 lb-ft of torque. The larger V6 is rated for 19, 27, and 22 mpg using premium fuel.

The Regal Sportback employs ample safety features, including a standard reversing camera. Another standard feature is the active hood, which detects an imminent collision with a pedestrian and raises the hood within milliseconds to minimize injury. From there, buyers can choose extra safety packages. Driver Confidence I adds lane-departure warning, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and rear backup sensors. Driver Confidence II tacks on front pedestrian braking, lane-keep assist, forward collision alert, and adaptive cruise control with forward automatic braking.

The 2019 Regal Sportback occupies an interesting middle ground between a mainstream midsize sedan and a luxury car with tasteful, restrained design and plenty of standard and optional features.