2018-19 GS Owners: Need Your Input

[FavaBean]

sorry to continue, but where is that?!? That's the difference between continuing with Sirius or not for me. Does a 2018 TourX have a different system?

I don't know if the TourX has a different system than the GS. I can't imagine that they would give less functionality in a GS.

To set... your preferred song or artist MUST be playing on SXM at the time when you try to set them.

The path to follow is:
Audio (home screen)/Menu/Tune Select
From here, you need to select if you want an alert for your preferred 'artist' or 'song'.
Again, you must set this while the song is still playing.

The alert shows up on the DIC and gives you the option to tune to the new station or ignore.

If anyone wants images of screens (red needle system) let me know and I can post.

 

[BahamaTodd]

I don't know if the TourX has a different system than the GS. I can't imagine that they would give less functionality in a GS.

To set... your preferred song or artist MUST be playing on SXM at the time when you try to set them.

The path to follow is:
Audio (home screen)/Menu/Tune Select
From here, you need to select if you want an alert for your preferred 'artist' or 'song'.
Again, you must set this while the song is still playing.

The alert shows up on the DIC and gives you the option to tune to the new station or ignore.

If anyone wants images of screens (red needle system) let me know and I can post.

Might be different between the old and new infotainment systems. All red needles with 8" infotainment have the old system.

 

[BahamaTodd]

It's really hard to tell through the sound compression YouTube videos have. I can take a video of mine if you like.

Does the GS have the same 4000rpm rev limit in Park/Neutral that the Commodore has?

Yes. Revs are limited in park

 

[FavaBean]

Might be different between the old and new infotainment systems. All red needles with 8" infotainment have the old system.

Shhhhhh! I was trying to avoid making this thread (also) into a red vs white needle. 😉

But agreed.. very true. I think there are some folks who own 2 regals - each with a different system/year. Maybe they can shed some light on this.
Then... there is the question if the GS system differs from a TourX even within the same year.

 

[Gracie615]

The V6 is sold in Australia under the Commodore name. Yes that car does get a louder deeper sounding exhaust.

1:27

Compared to mine:

Yes! Now that's what I am talking about! I wished the Buicks sounded as good as that Commodore. I heard the difference as soon as it was started. Thanks for posting that Todd!

 

[shs92645]

Thank you to everyone who replied. I asked this question because my original plan to buy a new Regal GS in one year to replace my current ‘13 GS came to an end with the announcement that GM was pulling the plug on Regals. I’ve been giving serious consideration to the sale on now but this morning decided not to move forward due to the problem being encountered with lack of parts to repair these cars. I normally replace my cars every 3-4 years but my ‘13 may stick around for awhile. In fact it just may be a car that I run up the odometer as it is in mint condition and every drive is a treat. I guess I’m lucky to have it since GM did such a lousy job of letting the world know what a great car they had made!

 

[Jack GS]

I’ve been giving serious consideration to the sale on now but this morning decided not to move forward due to the problem being encountered with lack of parts to repair these cars.

That's certainly a valid concern. At the end of the day, you know what's best for you, but since you came to the forum for input, I will offer mine.

Parts Availability
After the amount of time you've had your '13 GS, how many parts have you had to replace? I know people don't plan accidents but keep a new GS in "mint condition" like you are currently doing and you shouldn't have any issues. The powertrain is all GM and all of the service items are common across the GM fleet.

Length of Ownership
If you only plan to own a new GS for a few years, you'll still be well within all the warranties, assuming you don't put on tons of miles.

Your Current Ride
I see a lot of the new and previous generation GS's around me and I must say, the last gens still catch my eye. They are a nice, clean, and sporty car. I have never driven one, but since you seem to enjoy it so much, why switch?

Why You SHOULD Switch
You have an opportunity to grab a high feature car right as they are becoming harder to find and right as they're going on sale. The V6 power, true torque vectoring AWD (easily my favorite driving characteristic of the car), adaptive suspension, heated/cooled/massaging seats, heated steering wheel, better UI/Infotainment, utility of the sportback design... I could go on but I am sure you're well aware of all the features. For the money, it's one of the best optioned cars around.

Big Three sedans (sportbacks) are going by the wayside. Are you willing to forgo the performance and additional creature comforts of the new GS for the next 3-4 years? And once your next 3-4 years are up with the '13 GS, what replacement options will you have then?

I don't like playing the "What if?" game, but I wanted to invoke some more thought 🙂 When it comes down to it, I have enjoyed every second of ownership with my GS. I even persuaded a close family member to buy a Sportback Essence (didn't take much convincing). I am confident they will enjoy the car, and I am confident you would enjoy a new GS too.

Drive one and then see how much you'd be willing to stick with the '13.

 

[BahamaTodd]

Its up to you and what you're comfortable with, but as far as spare parts go:

The US Regal is being discontinued, but production of the car isn't ending. Opel assembly will continue for the next few years, and so will Regal production in China. With US production ending GM will carry out their normal end of life cycle activities including building up a sufficient inventory of spare parts.

If you are concerned about the GS powertrain, the V6, 9 speed and AWD system are used in several other GM vehicles (Buick Enclave, Chevy Blazer, GMC Acadia, Cadillac XT5, XT6 etc) so those components will always be readily available.

 

[novoseb]

I don't know if the TourX has a different system than the GS. I can't imagine that they would give less functionality in a GS.

To set... your preferred song or artist MUST be playing on SXM at the time when you try to set them.

The path to follow is:
Audio (home screen)/Menu/Tune Select
From here, you need to select if you want an alert for your preferred 'artist' or 'song'.
Again, you must set this while the song is still playing.

The alert shows up on the DIC and gives you the option to tune to the new station or ignore.

If anyone wants images of screens (red needle system) let me know and I can post.

It sounds like that feature was dropped when they changed the infotainment system. Here are screenshots of what I think you’re describing in my 2019. The star you see is only for the station favorite, not artist or song. First screen is regular audio menu screen, second is after pushing the direct tune button:

 

[FavaBean]

Here are screenshots of what I think you’re describing in my 2019. The star you see is only for the station favorite, not artist or

Wow. I'm amazed how much different the two UI's look. The new setup visually looks soooo much more modern and cleaner.

I'm surprised they (potentially) got rid of that functionality - it IS a nice feature. Here's the old UI (red needle) shots just in case:







 

[L J]

Personally I prefer red needle system, that actually works with no bugs.

 

[LoneWanderer]

I've had my 18 GS for almost 18 months now and overall I have been pleased with it. I do have a few complaints, the first being that the seats (while they look really cool) become very uncomfortable (at least for me) on long trips (driving over 4 hours). Next is horrendous tire life. I had to replace all 4 tires (bald/threads showing) after only 21k miles. The dealer service rep tried to tell me this was normal wear for this car (Ha!). I've never had less than 40k miles on the tires on any of my other cars. So for now I am chalking the tire grief up to the control arm issue (TSB) that was fixed at 7k miles. In that same vein, I'm not happy about not having a spare tire but I guess that's the future of all cars nowadays. I am concerned about replacement parts being an issue as my first need of this (control arms) had me without the car for 3 weeks waiting for parts.

I do like to customize my cars, so I am a little dissappointed that we'll never have a good aftermarket marketplace for this model since not a lot of vehicles were sold (and now we're being discontinued (here in the US). So I guess a cool new carbon fiber hood is not in my future. LOL

I'm not sure if this is good or bad, but I have had this car for 18 months and I have not seen another one (at all) here in Atlanta (I had to go to Chicago to buy it). Every time I go to the dealership they ogle it since they have never seen one before, although they did have a single TourX around for a bit.

At the moment I am on the fence if I want to keep it or not, but with 22k+ miles on it I'm not sure I would ever get a good deal on it.

 

[Stray_Kiwi]

And Holden Australasia has confirmed sales of the Holden Commodore Regal will cease in 2020 as well. What I am concerned about is the availability of parts for RHD aspects of the car.

Still loving it though.

 

[D2R]

And Holden Australasia has confirmed sales of the Holden Commodore Regal will cease in 2020 as well. What I am concerned about is the availability of parts for RHD aspects of the car.

Still loving it though.

Is Vauxhall still selling them though?
If so, wouldn't that mean you are safe, mate?

 

[gdbrr1]

With the demise of the Regal I’m trying to decide if I’m going to pull the trigger on a ‘19 GS. I’d appreciate your answers to:

1. Are you happy with your GS?

2. If not, why not?

Thanks very much!!!

Love My 2019 Regal GS. Sad they will not be making them anymore.

 

[Stray_Kiwi]

Is Vauxhall still selling them though?
If so, wouldn't that mean you are safe, mate?

The V6 is not sold in the UK. I suspect several ancillaries have been relocated in the RHD installation of the LGX like the power steering pump for example. Holden say they plan on keeping a 10 year parts supply but they can say whatever they want, whether they'll actually do it is something I don't want to bet my money on.

 

[D2R]

The V6 is not sold in the UK. I suspect several ancillaries have been relocated in the RHD installation of the LGX like the power steering pump for example. Holden say they plan on keeping a 10 year parts supply but they can say whatever they want, whether they'll actually do it is something I don't want to bet my money on.

It is true the V6 is not sold in the UK.
Please note, there is no power steering pump in your vehicle. It has EPS (electric power steering).

The only thing I can think of in terms of the steering system, would be a different steering rack and the intermediate shaft that connects it to the steering column.
Given that I do not know where to look for the part numbers for the RHD version of the vehicle, I can only look up the parts for the LHD version.

It appears that the steering rack has the same part number between the 4 cylinder vs the V6.

Steering Gear & Linkage for 2019 Buick Regal Sportback | GMPartsDirect.com

www.gmpartsdirect.com

Steering Gear & Linkage for 2019 Buick Regal Sportback | GMPartsDirect.com

www.gmpartsdirect.com

So, my assumption is that the steering component would be common for the 4 cylinder and V6 of RHD variants too.
Other things that may be unique to RHD may be the turn signal stalk and the wiper switch stalk where it is exact opposite to LHD. Suspension settings may be different due to the weight distribution.
But other than those, I still believe you are safe for a while.

 

[Stray_Kiwi]

The location of switch stalks in the UK is identical to the USA despite the UK being RHD, i.e. the turn signal is on the left hand side of the steering column and the wipers are on the right. Down under the order is reversed.

 

[GermyShoe]

The location of switch stalks in the UK is identical to the USA despite the UK being RHD, i.e. the turn signal is on the left hand side of the steering column and the wipers are on the right. Down under the order is reversed.

This is the most interesting thing I have learned today. I have driven a car in the UK/Ireland but not Australia. I would not have guessed this.

 

[D2R]

The location of switch stalks in the UK is identical to the USA despite the UK being RHD, i.e. the turn signal is on the left hand side of the steering column and the wipers are on the right. Down under the order is reversed.

Wait, what?
Could have sworn that the turn signal stalk is on the right side of the steering wheel in Japan and Hong Kong where both are RHD.
Well, it is not like that is a part that is readily broken down anyway. 🤔