This ain't grandma's Buick! The 2014 Buick Regal has gotten a teched-out makeover before it hits the streets in the fall. Last year's touch-screen display has been bumped up from 7 to 8 inches. That gave us plenty of room to navigate during our hands-on demo with Buick's updated IntelliLink system.
We were impressed with the fluidity and responsiveness of the display as we interacted with the system. Navigating around the display is similar to using scroll on a smartphone screen. The homescreen offered a number of options including OnStar, OnStar Nav, Phone, Audio and Settings, and the display has drag-and-drop capabilities, enabling us to rearrange apps to our liking. Due to spotty Internet connectivity, we were unable to test out the navigation system, but our Buick rep said that we could expect a 3D rendered map.
To test out IntelliLink's smartphone integration, we paired our Nokia Lumia 920 via Bluetooth. Once the phone was connected, we saw an IntelliLink prompt asking permission to sync our phone's contacts. The system also aggregated our voice messages. If we wanted to make a call, we could either use the voice command feature or the large number pad on the home screen. Speaking of voice command, Buick has updated its voice command software for a more natural speaking experience. In addition to pulling in contacts and voicemails, IntelliLink can also work with smartphone apps such as Pandora and Stitcher.
The Regal Turbo has a couple more tricks up its sleeve including Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Lane Change Alert, Side Blind Zone Alert, Lane Departure Warning, Forward Collision Alert and Collision Mitigation Braking – for surround protection. There's also Adaptive Cruise control, which allows drivers to set car length distance and speed, coming in handy with start-and-stop driving.
