Sunday, December 12, 2010

New Regal vs. New Mark X

Buick's Regal


Toyota's Mark X


They have no chance for them to encounter, but both of these were executive medium sedans built for the executive class. Both of these executive medium sedans were my favorites but I wonder which one is my pick?

CASE ONE:
The Regal name on the Buick lineup returned after years of absence and its now an OEM of the Opel Insignia. Although based on the Opel Insignia, the Buick Regal has a striking design that makes other executive medium sedans such as the Honda Accord Euro (Acura TSX), Volkswagen Passat CC, and the Volvo S60 to shame. Although the front face seems to have more pogi points than others, the lineup of the Buick Regal consists of two available engines; one is the 2.4L Ecotec engine and the second is the high-performance 2.0L Turbo engine. Most are fitted with the 6-speed automatic but the turbo variant comes with the 6-speed manual. I guess my favorite Regal is the Regal CXL Turbo because not only it has a turbo engine on it, it also has a manual transmission on it. Turbo and MT combined to make this a fun to drive Regal for the American Autobahn.

CASE TWO:
The Mark X is the replacement of the legendary Toyota Mark II since its debut in November 2004. In October 2009, the Mark X gained its massive model change from inside and out. The design of the new Mark X is razor sharp. That's why this was called "Samurai X" thanks to the commercial with Koichi Sato and the Samurai Code mini drama aired in TV Tokyo from January to March 2010. The Toyota Mark X comes with two engines; a 4GR-FSE (2.5 V6) engine and a 2GR-FSE (3.5 V6) engine. It comes with three styles to choose from; the Standard Type, the Premium Type (loaded with safety features), and the Sports Type (armed with paddle shifters).

For styling, the Toyota Mark X is my pick, but for the performance side, I would go for the Buick Regal because of the turbo+MT variant. Both of these executive medium sedans aren't made for passion, they are made for performance.

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