The new 2018 Buick Regal lineup throws the conventional sedan body style out the window in favor of a trio of more compelling options: the Regal Sportback and the Regal GS, both hatchbacks, and the Regal TourX wagon. Even though these Regals continue to share much with the Europe-market Opel Insignia, these redesigned versions aim for new territory and push Buick a bit further upscale. We got a chance to wring out pre-production examples of each of these new Regals on a ride-and-handling test loop. Here are our first impressions from the brief seat time C/D had in each version.

Regal Sportback: Middle of the Road
Don’t be misled by the swoopy lines or the word Sport in its name, because the standard 2018 Regal is not an overtly sporting machine. Its front-wheel-drive chassis is shared with the Chevrolet Malibu (all-wheel drive is optional), and it doesn’t feel all that different from the 2.0T-equipped Malibu. If anything, the Regal is tuned to be a bit softer than the Chevy, with light, overboosted steering and a compliant ride that verges on floatiness over larger bumps. At least the brake pedal is firm and confidence-inspiring. The front-wheel-drive version we drove accelerated strongly, with the 2.0-liter turbo four providing plenty of midrange grunt and the nine-speed automatic transmission shifting quickly and smoothly (an eight-speed automatic is standard in all-wheel-drive models).
Regal TourX: Practical and Placid
Predictably, the longer and heav...