During our recent trip to Big Sur, California — during which my husband and I got to enjoy a relaxing weekend away, all while testing out Buick’s new in-car technology & partnership with Audiobooks.com — we got to drive around in a 2016 Buick Regal. And while my area of expertise is more on the book end of things, there was quite a bit I loved about that car.
So as a regular driver with no special expertise in cars — here are my top 8 favorite features in the 2016 Buick Regal:
8. Apple CarPlay capability (& Android Auto coming soon!)
The compatibility between the new 2016 Buick Regal and Apple CarPlay makes synching your device — and all of its apps and functions — with your car easier than ever. And as a dedicated Android user, I was THRILLED to learn that an update in early 2016 (March-ish) will make the cars compatible with Android Auto, as well!
7. Get up & go!
Admittedly, my husband did most of the driving during our trip — mostly because he’s a bit of a motor-head and loves driving zippy cars on windy roads, and I prefer taking in the scenery and snapping photos.
So this trip — and this car — were perfect for him. Derek LOVED cruising along Highway 1, which hugs the California coast. The Regal handled the curves beautifully, never faltered getting up to speed, and overall gave us an insanely smooth ride.
6. So comfy.
Riding in the 2016 Buick Regal was like lounging around the house in my favorite pajamas … that is, unbelievably comfortable. Despite a sleek and sporty exterior, the interior of this car is roomy and spacious. The seats are super comfortable and supportive (I often get back issues during long drives — but not so during our 2-hour drive to Big Sur). And all-in-all, it just oozes the feel of a luxury ride … but at a reasonable price point.
5. Adaptive cruise control.
Do you ever have those days where you’re doing a lot of driving and you just want to use cruise control to give yourself a break — but there’s too much traffic? Too many cars on the road? Speeds not consistent enough?
The new 2016 Buick has got that covered with adaptive cruise control — which speeds up and slows down according to traffic, all while maintaining a comfortable distance from the car in front of you. The car doesn’t quite drive itself … but with this feature, it almost does.
4. In-Car WiFi
Every new 2016 Buick — regardless of make or model — comes standard with a built-in 4G LTE WiFi hotspot, so you’re always connected.
And the WiFi is lightning fast, too! We downloaded the entire audiobook for All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr — a 16 hour recording — in a matter of minutes, while cruising through traffic.
3. Lane. Change. Indicator. Lights.
When I first started driving the 2016 Regal, I was frustrated by the major blind spots when I went to change lanes. Until I discovered the most amazing feature: lane change indicator lights.
What are these? On each side mirror is a little light that illuminates whenever there is a car in the lane to your left or right. (The light on your left mirror illuminates when there is a car in the left lane, and vice versa.) So when you go to change lanes, you don’t NEED to look out the window and those pesky blind spots don’t matter anymore. The car tells you when it’s clear.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to swerve suddenly back into my lane because a car I didn’t see comes speeding along just as I try to change lanes. This is a feature I wish I had in my current car right now.
2. Unbelievable gas mileage.
My husband and I could not BELIEVE what good gas mileage we were getting on our drive from the San Jose airport, down windy Highway 1, to Big Sur — almost 100 miles, and we barely used a quarter of a tank.
In fact, the gas mileage was SO good … we thought we were driving a hybrid. I mean, I could have SWORN it was a hybrid. Until the Buick rep assured me that while the Regal does COME in a hybrid option, we were not driving one of them.
1. The car reads books to you!
For a book nerd like me, this really was the coolest feature to the Buick Regal — especially considering it is currently the only car that actually caters to book lovers. The integration of Apply CarPlay (and soon to include Android Auto, which is great news for Android users like myself) makes it easier than ever to listen to your audiobooks on the go.
With that in-car WiFi as a standard feature, it’s also easy to download new books wherever you are. Plus, with the new partnership between Buick and Audiobooks.com, you’ll get two free audiobook downloads next year!
Try it for yourself! Head on down to your local Buick dealership and ask to check out any of their 2016 models with this new technology.
Novel Novice 