Wow! That pretty much sums up the 2011 Buick Regal. After a seven-year hiatus, the nameplate returns to a car that's heavily based on the Opel Insignia. In fact, the changes to the North American version are so small they are all but nonexistent -- the headlights are slightly different, there's a Buick badge in the grille and the suspension has been tweaked to accommodate all-season tires (summer tires are the norm in Europe). That's it. To drive these similarities home, General Motors let a small group of autoscribes drive an Insignia and a pair of Regals back to back. The good news is that the pond crossing has taken nothing away from the car's driving dynamics, which is a good thing.

The Regal, which arrives in mid-2010, will come with GM's 2.4-litre direct-injection four-cylinder that's teamed with a six-speed automatic transmission. This combination delivers 182 horsepower and 172 pound-feet of torque. The cars tested featured the engine that will debut in the fall of 2010 -- a 2.0L turbocharged four that, again, is married to a six-speed autobox. It ups the ante to 220 hp and, more importantly, 258 lb-ft of torque at 2,000 rpm. This engine delivers the performance feel of a V6 (around 7.5 seconds to hit 100 kilometres an hour), but it promises to sip its fuel at a four-cylinder-like rate.

The ride and handling is also quite unlike anything one expects from Buick. The suspension has been tuned such that the ride is compliant and refined, yet the handling is tight and precise. The latter also speaks to the steering feel -- light at low speeds and pleasantly firm as the spirit of the drive increases.

For the driver, there's one must-have option--an adjustable adaptive suspension. There are three modes -- Touring (Buick-like in terms of its ride), normal (firmer but compliant) and Sport. When the last is selected, a number of good things happen -- the Sachs shocks tighten the handling, the steering becomes sharper, the transmission's shifts quicken, throttle response is more immediate and the stability nanny's intervention point is moved farther out.

The beauty is that the driver can take all of the changes or select each individually. Regardless of the mode selected the system is always ready to hunker the car down if the driver is forced into an evasive manoeuvre.

There was an instant feeling of familiarity the second I slipped behind the Regal's wheel. Three years ago, when in Germany to drive the soon-to-be Saturn Astra, I was given a sneak peak of the next-generation Aura and its swanky new interior. The demise of Saturn is most definitely Buick's gain. The quality of the Regal's interior impresses almost as much as the car's driving dynamics. The soft-touch materials are definitely off the top shelf, the layout is both attractive and functional and there will be content galore, including a standard 12-way power, leather-lined and heated driver's seat, Bluetooth, XM satellite radio and OnStar. The option list will include items such as a harmankardon sound system with a 10-gigabyte hard drive for music storage and a navigation system. The front seats are both comfortable and formfitting. In fact, they are about as far from Buick's old loungers as it is possible to get without going Recaro (more on this later). The rear seat also brings ample space for two adults and a trunk that will carry a family of four's luggage (14.25 cubic feet).

On to the highlight of the day. The fourth car up for testing was the Insignia OPC (Opel's equivalent of BMW's M division). This car is something else and when (not if ) it arrives it will give Buick the halo car it so richly deserves. The OPC's 2.8L turbocharged V6 slams 325 hp and 313 lb-ft of torque to the tarmac through a six-speed manual transmission and a good all-wheel-drive system. It goes without saying it is quick (sub-six seconds to 100 kilometres an hour) and it is overtly sporty. However, it cedes nothing in terms of ride quality or the sense of refinement that defines Buick.

To handle the extra power, the suspension has been heavily massaged, bigger Brembo brakes clamp down on cross-drilled front rotors and it rides on P255/35R20 tires. Inside, the OPC features Audi R8-like Recaro front buckets (they deliver excellent support) and a funky flat-bottomed steering wheel. Outwardly, the deeper front chin, LED eyebrows over the headlights and a discreet rear lip spoiler speak to the package's stealth potential. It is enough that adrenalin rush and Buick deserve to be in the same sentence.

What's intriguing about the OPC version is that it opens up a world Buick has not seen in years. Chipping the Regal's 2.0L turbocharged engine would up horsepower to around 290 -- think Regal Gran Sport. The full-on OPC model would work very nicely as the next-generation Grand National GNX.

When the Buick Regal lands, it is going to find more than its fair share of admirers. Buick has sold more than 60,000 Regals in China since its launch there earlier this year. It has undeniable style, a top-notch interior, a refined ride and a rewarding turn of speed. It all culminates in a decidedly European driving experience. Now, that's something nobody has accused Buick of delivering in donkey's years.