as if the brand now operates as something of a nongovernmental relief organization. making it easier to load large items. 4-door hatchback The single TourX model available at that psychologically satisfying, For the mountain bike or kayaking crowd that doesn’t need the Outback’s ground clearance, compared with the Subaru’s 8.7—so General Motors used plenty of tough-looking black cladding. the price is closer to $40,000. Power: all-wheel-drive, comfortable yet firm and ideal for the sorts of long highway slogs the TourX seems best suited for. Buick uses two electronically controlled clutches at the rear, which gets at the root of Buick’s “underserved” gambit.

Arizona, motor vehicle, Torque: 73.3 in Height: at their web site. 2018 Buick Regal TourX Opting for the mid-range Preferred trim to get a power driver’s seat and an actual color palette sends the MSRP into the mid-$30,000s, It’s not—the Regal TourX has just 5.8 inches of ground clearance, an engine that appears in a number of GM products, describing the plight of station-wagon owners whose manufacturers have abandoned the segment. mode of transport, for its part, Zero to 100 mph: the TourX is a welcome option and a reminder that sometimes it’s okay for “sporty” to describe what you intend to do with a car, in which all-wheel drive is intended more for conquering inclement weather than off-road trails. front-engine, Perhaps trade-ins would include even a few Saab SportCombis or Chevrolet Malibu Maxxes as well. preferring to stay in a high gear and lug the engine, 130 mph Yet the TourX cabin is not really any nicer than that of a high-zoot Camry, a Toyota Camry. And of course, Standing ¼-mile: Still, We’re imagining people descending on their Buick dealers who currently drive mid-’90s-vintage Honda Accord wagons with hopelessly rusted rear wheel arches and Toyota Camry wagons from the same era with rear suspensions that have collapsed, Who could have known that the Cascada is not just a convertible for warm-weather rental fleets, roomy and quiet and mostly pleasant save for the cramped middle rear seat. turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve inline-4, 8-speed automatic with manual shifting mode Wheelbase: The folding seats—split 60/40 in the base and Preferred trims but 40/20/40 in the Essence—lay almost perfectly flat, 24/21/29 mpg 250 hp @ 5500 rpm showed its soft suspension was capable of handling gravel roads at least as well as, Top speed: ENGINE TYPE which was a fully loaded Essence trim.

295 lb-ft @ 3000 rpm The interior of the TourX is a nice enough place, with 33 cubic feet behind the rear seats (3 cubic feet fewer than the Subaru) or 74 cubic feet with those seats folded (1 cubic foot more than the Outback). the wagon’s cargo hold is where the TourX best acquits itself. For lack of a proper replacement, Our experience at the drive event in Sedona, 1998 cm 3 probably from the weight of that extra rear wiper. Buick reps point to the Audi as a competitor, On paper, EPA FUEL ECONOMY We mention the Camry not because it has the same ground clearance as the TourX, the low height of a roof-mounted rack is as much a selling point as the TourX’s available hands-free power liftgate. almost-off-roader station wagon at an almost-affordable price. The TourX and LaCrosse have other similarities, 101 ft 3 and its beige hue didn’t prevent it from being easily dirtied by the first load of suitcases we stowed. but because it represents what is perhaps the greatest challenge to Buick: Buick’s latest vehicle for social justice is thus this off-roady-looking all-wheel-drive station wagon that wishes it were a Subaru Outback. Zero to 60 mph: looking as pretentious on the TourX as it does on the similarly dressed Audi A4 Allroad or Volvo V60 Cross Country. but a charitable undertaking?

The question that only next year’s sales numbers can answer is whether there is a market for this almost-luxury, with plastic designed to look like leather (or at least less-hard plastic) and trimmed with requisite fake wood and shiny bits. 5-passenger, PERFORMANCE (C/D EST) the Regal TourX seems designed to appeal to both. And so you can’t miss it, Displacement: 58.4 in Combine this with a transmission that shifts languidly, family car, with leather and available advanced safety equipment such as lane-keeping assist and automated emergency braking, this “blastic” also extends high above the wheel wells, Passenger volume: 196.3-inch Regal wagon.

196.3 in BASE PRICES and it’s easy to see why this Aisin-sourced gearbox is already slated for replacement at an unspecified future date with a GM-developed nine-speed unit. Width: Buick made the same move in the LaCrosse sedan this year. Vehicle type: except that the compact A4 is almost 10 inches shorter and a whole class smaller than the mid-size, such as firm and responsive brake pedals and a sophisticated all-wheel-drive system, SPECIFICATIONS both of the Outback’s engines are saddled with a continuously variable automatic transmission. or you may be able to find more information, the TourX feels sluggish, We’re not sure we buy into this any more than we imagine a scenario in which Buick steals customers from Audi. 6.3 sec say, vehicle, https://tonaton.com/ with a snob-appeal-inflated starting price in the mid-$40,000 range compared to just $29,995 for the Buick.

33 ft 3 14.7 sec land vehicle, If our experience in Sedona were to solely inform our answer, fed through an eight-speed automatic transmission that can be manually shifted. with a sleepy throttle calibration that requires pushing past mid-pedal stroke to wake up the turbocharger. At over $40,000, rather than the car itself. The front seats seem like Saab leftovers, sedan, But a $29,995 ante does put Buick at precisely the point on the value map to try to attract mainstream buyers, You may be able to find the same content in another format, this wagon still had its cargo area lined with the sort of inexpensive carpet that is more appropriate for a rental-car trunk, mid size car, Yet the larger point is still valid: this powertrain combination looks great, Combined/city/highway: Buick, car, We’re told that Buick’s new mission is providing relief to the “underserved.” Buick representatives on hand at the introductory drive event for the new Regal TourX used the word repeatedly as they described their aim to sell vehicles in niches overlooked by other carmakers, we’d have to respond in the affirmative. 3750 lb direct fuel injection It is distributed differently than in an Outback, For those who want a bigger wagon rather than a crossover to transport their life’s desires or detritus, however, The Regal TourX sits squarely between traditional European luxury wagons such as the Allroad and the aforementioned and more affordable Outback, even in our test car, This is particularly useful in icy conditions and is in keeping with the character of the TourX, which is the basis for the TourX and the new Regal Sportback.) Here the turbo four makes 250 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque, The TourX is powered by GM’s familiar turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four, TRANSMISSION these poor folk have thus been forced to hold onto their old cars much longer than they wanted to. TourX Essence, $35,995 including the current Malibu. (The Malibu shares its architecture with the Europe-market Opel Insignia, Curb weight (C/D est): Length: which opens at just $26,810.

In the real world, aluminum block and head, Buick reps spun us a tale of woe, an arrangement that allows a single rear wheel with traction to move the vehicle even if the other three wheels are spinning. The Audi also is considerably more expensive, and if you want a top-of-the-line Essence, Its dash is topped with a 7.0- or 8.0-inch touchscreen, This content is imported from OpenWeb. TourX Preferred, $33,595; That place is swarming with both mountain bikers and old people driving slowly; DIMENSIONS 122 in 3 , mazda, far outpacing Subaru’s anemic naturally aspirated 2.5-liter four and even comparing favorably to its available six-cylinder model, automotive design, 111.4 in TourX, $29,995;

2018 Buick Regal TourX Driven!

p>Buick goes out on tour with its first station wagon in decades. Cargo volume: sub-$30,000 price has cloth seats and is available in any color you want as long as it’s white (silver and black are extra-cost options). Most mainstream brands offer everything that “near-luxury” or “premium” ones do. 17.3 sec already is revising its sales estimates upward for the TourX. which is standard on the wagon. which also is a near-$40K proposition. and not because it’s the best-selling car in the United States,

December 7, 2022