Buick Regal Best Midsize Car In 2020 J.D. Power U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study
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The 2020 Buick Regal has topped the midsize car segment in the 2020 J.D. Power U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study.
The General Motors sedan finished ahead of two key segment rivals in the annual reliability study: the Volkswagen Passat (which has now been thoroughly redesigned for the 2020 model year) and the ever-popular Toyota Camry.
While this result is certainly impressive for the oft-overlooked Regal, it’s unfortunate that the Buick sedan is receiving this praise just as it is about to be discontinued. Buick confirmed last month the Regal would be put to pasture after 2020, though it will remain in production in China, where sedan sales are still “significant,” the company said.
Low demand for passenger cars was in part to blame for the demise of the Buick Regal, but it can also be chalked up to GM’s sale of Opel to Groupe PSA. GM was paying Opel to continue to build the car on its behalf at its plant in Germany, so it’s easy to see why GM didn’t want to continue the practice as the sedan’s sales declined.
The Buick Regal wasn’t the only vehicle from the brand to top its segment in the 2020 J.D. Power U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study. The Buick Encore was ranked the best small SUV in its segment as well, beating out the Kia Niro and Volkswagen Tiguan. In addition, Buick outperformed every other mainstream brand in the study. Buick owners experienced 103 problems per 100 vehicles, placing the American brand ahead of many other rival automakers. The best-ranked overall brand in the study was luxury marque Genesis, with owners of the Korean vehicles reporting 89 problems per 100 cars, while Lexus was second with 100 problems per 100 vehicles.
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Congratulations (again) to Buick. And phooey on GM for dropping the Regal in the US.
don’t worry. there is a slew of chevy suv/cuvs primed to get extra sound deadening to fill the buick line up.
Why the downvotes? Very funny comment if you ask me.
I’ll add that no congratulations are in order for GM on this one. Groupe PSA should get the credit here.
I agree on the PSA comment. GM doesn’t even build this car.
Why would PSA get the compliments?
Vehicle is a GM design built using GM components.
The design & performance factors are heavily influenced by the German Engineering where the car is built. Thats why it’s rated by many as equal to or BETTER than it’s AUDI, BMW & Mercedes competition in the small luxury sedan Category.
Michael Moss
It’s a midsized car!
Peter G: I drive one. It AIN’T a “mid” sized car Einstein.
In the US, the Regal is a mid-size car. D class segment.
Whether or not you drive one doesn’t change how it is categorized.
The Buick Regal w -car from 1988 on for many years prior to going to PSA a few years ago was built in Plant #2 Oshawa Assembly and the Chev. Impala in Plant#1 two top quality award winning facilities recently closed down by GM Detroit Management to devote resources to EV was the Corporate reason stated !
The “NEW” Regal was re-introduced in 2011. NOT your Father’s Buick. A Euro style SPORT sedan built in Germany. A fantastic competitor to the BMW 3 series, Audi A4 & Mercedes 300 series, for LESS money than those overpriced “status” mobiles. It came off the line in TWO models. As per USUAL GM F’d up later Models adding dozens of trim line options of the same friggin car. It went down hill. It was then made over inside & out, 2017 & 2019 highly rated AGAIN. At this time it was “sold” to PSA by the wizards in Detroit.
Built by European (probably German) workers.
Ok Nate. It’s a “mid-size” buddy. So how does that relate to what’s being discussed on this thread??
latest consumer reports : buick 19 out of 30. thank god for jd powuuuuh.
https://www.autonews.com/retail/porsche-reaches-top-consumer-reports-brand-rankings-tesla-rises-11th
But Cadillac was #1 in Consumer Reports brand survey for the 9th year in a row.
Doesn’t matter surveying your readers is a terrible way to conduct a survey. Any results are absolutely worthless.
BTW: they should change the name from Consumer Reports to Toyota Drivers Report. Because 90% of their readers drive Toyota/Lexus vehicles.
They tell you: we got 240,000 responses to our survey.
They don’t tell you: 200,000 of those responses were for Toyota/Lexus vehicles. And 40,000 for all other brands combined.
What CR have you been reading the last 10 years??? Quit spreading the #Fakenews.
Michael Moss
I’m not going to be quoting highly flawed statistics from a magazine that’s admitted to taking bribes.
CR has rated BUICK REGAL at the TOP of it’s “Compact Luxury Sedan” Category in 2017 & 2019. EQUAL to the Audi A4 you morons pay $15k more for the nameplate & perceived economic “status”. AND the Regal blows them ALL away in the important CR “road test” score. Now ad the JD Power BEST award. This is another Pontiac G8 F up. Just when you finally get it right you blow it up!! SO let’s “Discontinue” the Regal because “no one is buying sedans anymore”. Like BMW, Audi, Lexus, Mercedes, Toyota, etc are “discontinuing” their sedans?!!!? WTF GM?!!!? Get your overpaid a$$es together & figure out how to get past the perception that Buick is an “old man’s” car when the Regal is anything but “my Father’s Buick”. This is one of the all time PRIME examples of the incompetence of the ladies running this disaster of a company. GM CEO & CEO of Marketing should resign in shame. What’s left now, the boxy crappy overpriced and unreliable Cadillac Sedans and the lower end Chevys??? 🙄🤬
Would you expect GM to continue paying a French company to build a car for them in Germany, which is them imported to the US, and sold in small numbers?
GM started making the friggin REGAL Russelsheim in Germany 2011. 👍👍 GM sold the Russelsheim Plant to French PSA. 👎👎 GM is clueless how to MARKET the Buick Regal SPORTS sedan to anyone under 50. 👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎
The GM way, get great reviews, don’t advertise, then kill it.
85,000 miles on my 2016 Regal GS and it’s been completely trouble free. No mechanical issues. No Recalls.
The JD dependability study looks at 3 year old vehicles. The results are for the previous generation 2017 Regal.
@BahamaTodd: JDP also does them on older cars as well as initial quality and dealer satisfaction, etc. This is just one of numerous reports they offer. Traditionally, Buick has done well in them all for many years. If you want to see older than the 3 year old cars, Google JDP Dependability study for older cars.
Built in plant #2 Oshawa, Canada from the two door Buick Regal w-car introduction in 1988 then the four door a year or so later till 2017at that now recently closed facility by GM Management in Detroit !
https://www.jdpower.com/business/press-releases/2020-us-vehicle-dependability-study
General Motors Company receives five segment awards: for the Buick Encore and Buick Regal, and for the Chevrolet Equinox, Chevrolet Silverado HD and Chevrolet Tahoe.
The 2020 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study is based on responses from 36,555 original owners of 2017 model-year vehicles after three years of ownership. The study was fielded from July through November 2019.
Hmmm, once again I’m reminded about how horrible GM’s marketing division truly is. Add the Regal to the long-long-looooong list of vehicles that was never advertised or to use their slang “marketed.”. GM – a manufacturer of great cars with absolutely no idea how to actually sell them.. I honestly think the idea is, if it doesn’t sell itself, we’re not going to try to figure out how sell it… (rolls eyes)
Well said Marty. Fire that CEO of Marketing. NOW.
GM will always be screwed when it’s best cars are part of a “premium” brand with few buyers. It makes it difficult for Chevrolet US to go up again the designs and trim levels offered by Ford, Honda and the Korean twins.
GM China with Buick competing against VW and Honda is probably the smartest strategy going forward. Unfortunately few Americans want a Buick but they dont want a Chevy Malibu which means continued loss of market share and eventually profits.
Today’s GM is one recession away from breakdown with so many damaged brands. Ford and FCA did so much with marketing & design while lacking GMs technical chops.
leave it up to the CEO morons to kill their best rated sedans
Well, this is not good news. Once Mary gets wind of this, she will most likely kill it off sooner.
It’s what the (leader?) of GM does. If it’s good, it has to be discontinued….see CT6 and CT6-V.
I hope her pillow is very soft in order for her to sleep at night.
Oh, that’s right, it’s probably stuffed with greenbacks along with her mattress, so I’m pretty sure she sleeps well.
Although, I wouldn’t describe it as “beauty sleep”.
I use to think highly of cute little Mary but I think its time for her to retire!
We own 2019 Regal Sport back GS Red as the one in the article and we just love it can not say enough good about it!
I have owned many GM cars during life from (my 3rd Vette) to Camero’s to a 1999 S10 Xtreme that I still own
and Dam this Buick is just the best! I am totally disgusted with G M!
(STUPID IS AS STUPID DOES) EH G M!
Every line I have bought from GM over the years gets eliminated. Oldsmobile, Pontiac, now Buick cars. I drive a Lacrosse and my wife is in a Tourx. We both love them. I also have an Allison transmission in my old truck and they sold them also. I have never understood what they do.
I have a 2017 Regal GS that’s coming off lease soon. I can’t find another one within 50 miles. Very disappointed, really like the car, although the interior is a little boring. The year I leased it Consumer Reports rated it 2nd below the Audi A4 in small luxury vehicle class, ahead of the BMW 3 series. GM screwed itself by not marketing this car.
Buick who? As far as I’m concerned they are a dead brand walking after 2020 with zero cars or anything of interest for NA. The Regal hatch and wagon gave GM something that Ford and FCA lacked and Mary just threw that all away. I don’t see Subaru killing off it’s mid size Legacy sedan or the Outback wagon. Why you ask? Because they actually care about these vehicles, promote and advertise them, invest in them and give them standout features. Subaru’s ship has a captain that know where they are going. GM’s ship is lost at sea floating around endlessly trying to find big profits and pleasing Wall Street.