2011 Buick Regal
The first batch of 2011 Buick Regals that are set to go on sale this quarter will come with a gasoline-only 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine but eventually a new 2.0-liter turbo mill will be offered, by which time both engines will feature E85 flex-fuel capability.
The 2.0-liter turbo will arrive in late August and will be GM’s first forced-induction engine to be E85-capable. Incidentally, this engine was originally developed for the 2010 Saab 9-5, which just happens to share its Epsilon II platform with the Regal.
The information comes from Jim Federico, vehicle line executive for the global midsize platform, who also explained to the guys at Autoblog that the combination of direct injection and turbocharging will allow the 2.0-liter engine to get much closer to the volumetric fuel efficiency of gasoline while running on ethanol. Naturally aspirated engines are typically 15 percent less fuel efficient when running on ethanol-based fuels.
Both the 2.4-liter unit and 2.0-liter turbo will also feature direct injection technology and come paired to a six-speed automatic transmission with pseudo manual control. The 2.4-liter engine is rated at 182 horsepower and 172 pound-feet of torque, while the 2.0-liter turbocharged unit gets 220 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. Fuel economy is estimated at 30 mpg on the highway with the 2.4-liter unit and 29 mpg on the highway with the 2.0-liter turbo.
[Autoblog]
