Buick Regal TourX The test drive Oppo Review

"KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time" (kngt) 06/12/2018 at 19:10 • Filed to: Buick Regal Tourx, buick regal, wagons, wagon, Oppo review, Car Review, test drive

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I drove a Buick Regal TourX Essence trim (one level less than fully loaded). Listed at 38K, selling for 32.5K *conditions apply of course

Exterior:

First impressions is that this is a very elegant design. Not a fan of the cladding obviously but there’s no way around it. Long, low sweeping roof - I can’t think of a bad angle on this car. This also looks and is longer than expected but I like it a lot and love the space as a result of it. Do I wish it were like the Opel Insignia Sports Tourer? Hell yes.

Dark blue is my favorite color on the TourX but I like the maroon and white as well. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! It didn’t bother me personally that much after the initial few minutes.

Wish the wheels were better though, I love the ones on the Opel Insignia

Interior:

SO MUCH SPACE! This longboye is looong! This rivals or beats most crossovers seats up or folded down. I cannot imagine anyone complaining about not having space for their family. 2 kids, their strollers ans stuff, and a dog? No problem! With its rear seats up, the Outback has 35.5 cubic feet of space, while the TourX offers 32.7. Folding the rear seats flat opens the Outback’s trunk up to 73.3 cubic feet, and the TourX’s to 73.5. Those are impressive numbers, on par with the cargo space in top-rated small SUVs such as the Honda CR-V.

Rear seat headroom and legroom is fantastic! There is a tunnel through the middle but it’s not bad. This one had the panoramic roof and it made the cabin feel airy and light.

Front space is also very good. Seats are comfortable. Only minor complaint is that sit a little low but it’s good for driving dynamics and stance but I had to make sure my head didn’t hit the roof when I got in and out of the rear. I imagine you have to bend over more when putting kids in and out of car seats in the back. 2 inches taller ground clearance would be good but then we’ll complain that they make wagons all “Crossover-ified” with lift cladding.

Interior trim and quality shows typical GM cost cutting. Sorry but this doesn’t feel like some of the more premium looking and feeling Buick Crossover interiors. I mean it’s OK but felt there was too much black plastic and then chrome which I personally hate. The fake wood didn’t look like it was good quality but everything was put together very well. Standard GM infotainment was fast and not fussy. Climate control buttons and knobs alone did feel high quality not matched by rest of the switch gear. 6/10

It looks better in pictures than in real life

A note on features. This was the Essence trim (Above the Preferred and base) almost $38K but no ventilated seats although it had heated seats and steering wheel. Also all the safety tech had to be purchased in a separate package , It didn’t even have Blind Spot Monitoring; and if this is meant to be a family vehicle all that should be standard IMO. BUT, they have huge discounts on these anywhere from 2 to 5K off this was discounted to 32.5K so it is a good deal. Many others on Autotrader are the same way.

The drive:

First off what I absolutely love about the TourX and wagons in general obviously is that despite the size it drives exactly like a car. Never once did I feel this was too long despite the outside appearance. The car doesn’t feel heavy (3700 Lbs) or too big/wide. Visibility is good. There is a thick D pillar at but if you have a blind spot mirror or BLIS it should be no problem. It’s better than most new cars to be honest.

The engine is…competent. Not my favorite 2.0Turbo out there. Has some lag but is very very good 2000 to 4000 RPM which means it is excellent on city roads. 250HP is not much but my issue is that 295Lb/ft doesn’t feel like 295 lb/ft maybe because it peaks at @ 3000-4000 RPM. Overall though the engine is fine and doesn’t make you hate this car. This car sorely needs the GS 3.6V6 motor in it. It would be simply perfect! Some magazines tested the 0-60 is about 6.5 seconds. AWD system I assume works seamlessly as I didn’t see any drama. I have heard it is a good system so…

The bigger problem is the transmission. No sport mode, manual mode is best left untouched. It is tuned for efficiency and is holding back the car more than the engine and it needs to be fixed ASAP. I read that the new 9 speed will come to it next year. Hope that includes a sport mode.

Handling is the same…competent. In normal driving it is quiet and composed but not luxury car quiet. Steering is typical electric numbness. There is body roll and I felt it lumbering when I took a sharp 90 degree right turn from a 20mph road into a 45mph one and had to accelerate while doing that. Having said that, overall I would definitely take this over the Outback 3.6R because more low end torque and zero CVT and handles better. I expected more because this was a German Opel. “European feel” and all that. Oh well….Wish there was a Regal GS TourX with better transmission and suspension tuning. Or a Mazda6 2.5T AWD Wagon, one can dream right?…

Anyway, I love the idea of the TourX but wish the execution was much better, especially once you start driving it spiritedly. The issues I had with the vehicle might not be issues for the rest of you so I encourage you to check it out especially given GM incentives. There are some crazy discounts going on if you look around:

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In conclusion, I think this is a very good family vehicle. It seems to be designed around Smoothness over Sportiness, Pragmatism over Performance . I personally would go for a used 328i/330i xdrive wagon instead, but that doesn’t have the space and looks more staid. However this gives me a taste of how a wagon would fit for me. So now I am waiting eagerly for the new V60 because I think it will do everything the TourX does but better (But for more money) and I think its 316HP 295 Ft/Lb T6 turbo should satisfy my performance needs as well. It is a strong front runner for my next vehicle.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 06/12/2018 at 18:02

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Allroad too small?

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 06/12/2018 at 18:04

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It’s not encouraging (from a sales perspective) that an essentially brand new model released this month-ish is already selling for $10k off MSRP.

AestheticsInMotion > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 06/12/2018 at 18:09

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This vs a current model Outback?

This vs a current model Outback (if the Outback was still a wagon and not a longish crossover)

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 06/12/2018 at 18:13

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The Holden version of this comes only with the V6 and in two full of fruit packages only...for roughly Outback 3.6 money.

Spanfeller is a twat > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 06/12/2018 at 18:20

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“YOU’LL NEVER BE MY REAL DAD!”

-Australian market.

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 06/12/2018 at 18:27

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https://www.autoblog.com/2018/01/31/2018-buick-regal-tourx-vs-wagon-competitors-how-it-compares-o/

check the specs here. Allroad might have passenger space more or less same but cargo volume and lenght will be more for Buick.

Outside of that Allroads are fucking expensive and dealers rarely budge on price form what I have read on forums. They know what they have.

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media 06/12/2018 at 18:28

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Damn you Buick/GM!

404 - User No Longer Available > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 06/12/2018 at 18:28

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Allroad is a full size smaller, Insignia/Regal is almost E-Class sized.

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > AestheticsInMotion 06/12/2018 at 18:32

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for Absolute usability and practicality, established reliability and Resale value- Outback.

Ash78, voting early and often > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 06/12/2018 at 18:43

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Great review, thanks for sharing. You hit all the most important stuff with no extra fluff.

It’s promising and the price actually seems decent.

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 06/12/2018 at 18:44

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You could buy a used Allroad for around the same price as a top trim TourX.New ones are $45 to $55K easy. They are still very expensive. And I would personally choose 2017+ with the updated interior and more powerful 252Hp/272Tq engine

M.T. Blake > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 06/12/2018 at 18:48

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Who, other than a Grand National owner, admits they own a Buick? I can’t do it. This brand needs to solely stay in China or go away altogether. Visions of blue hairs, Kleenex boxes, and doilys flood my vision when I hear... Buick. It is even a shitty name like:

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 06/12/2018 at 18:54

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And remember - “Used all road” is still the most fear inducing pair of words ever said out loud to the used car shopper. If an outback has proven reliability then the allroad name has proven UNreliability.

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > Ash78, voting early and often 06/12/2018 at 19:15

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Thanks! It’s no 3 series wagon or Allroad or an outback either but right in the middle somewhere

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 06/12/2018 at 19:22

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Not at all true with this latest model, That was with the mid-2000s 2.7L Biturbo engine models especially the ones with air suspension. It appears to be as reliable as a newer 3 series or C class. I’m not saying it will have Toyota reliability.

The A4 which this is based on has been steadily climbing in the charts, even Consumer Reports which values reliability over everything else recommends the new A4, and their past year surveys show it’s better than the other 2 Germans (I subscribe to them). A 2017 used A4 Allroad will not be the nightmare that the 2000s Allroads were.

DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish! > AestheticsInMotion 06/12/2018 at 19:33

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The Outback is still a wagon. It’s a Legacy wagon that’s been lifted a little bit, just as it’s always been.

DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish! > M.T. Blake 06/12/2018 at 19:34

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It’s very easy to do once you get over yourself.

M.T. Blake > DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish! 06/12/2018 at 19:39

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You shut your mouth when you talk to me!

AestheticsInMotion > DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish! 06/12/2018 at 20:03

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Dictionary definition, sure. But it no longer looks or feels like a wagon. I think the connotation is much more important than the denotation here. This is coming from an owner of multiple outback generations

dogisbadob > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 06/12/2018 at 20:51

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so in other words, GM still half-assing as always :(

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 06/12/2018 at 23:01

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Does it help to say that Holden also supplies the wagon in a lowered format without cladding and with either the 4 or V6 engine?

camarov6rs > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 06/12/2018 at 23:17

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So sportback GS for the better dynamics or TourX for the practicality? I think cost wise they are fairly similar, although the GS seems like the better deal since it comes standard with some comfort certified seats and the upgraded drivetrain for top end TourX money.

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > camarov6rs 06/12/2018 at 23:29

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I can’t justify paying over 40K for a Sportback GS, outside the V6 and 9 speed, the awd system is the same as the TourX plus I like wagons. I’d rather get a Stinger GT at that price if I wanted a fast liftback. But, I would choose the GS over an Acura TLX SH-AWD.

There are for more deeper discount deals on the TourX. The Essence trim which starts at around $35K with the all the packages added (Driver Safety 1+2+Sights and Sounds tech pack)is around $40K and will still have almost everything inside that the GS that would have to be optioned out to $44K to match it, and be cheaper than the GS because I am seeing $2.5 to $5K discounts on the wagon across the board.

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media 06/12/2018 at 23:31

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camarov6rs > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 06/12/2018 at 23:37

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Aww yeah with discounts to the TourX I can see the value of the GS not quite being there. I see the Stinger GTbeing a close shop at the GS price. I have a hard time with the MPG on the stinger GT in AWD form and it requires premium so a half step back in performance seems to be the GS which gets better economy and can use regular. But I am a bit weird being concerned about fuel usage in a car with sporty pretentious.

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > dogisbadob 06/12/2018 at 23:38

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I would say three-quarters-assing it on this one.

SgtHop > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 06/12/2018 at 23:41

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These are basically the same as the new Commodores, right?

EDIT: Yeah, looks like. I should test drive one to annoy my Australian friend who hates them with a passion.

Chariotoflove > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 06/13/2018 at 00:25

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Good review of a good dadmobile in time for Father’s Day.

Danangme > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 06/13/2018 at 13:07

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At 6' 2" in order to sit in it you have to fall in it first. Sorry not going to sell to baby boomers and the 30-40 somethings with kids have too many better choices to fit their needs.

I do like the idea of a Tour GSX though I might even buy one and pay the chiropractor bills.

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > Danangme 06/13/2018 at 13:15

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Yeah it’s low. They should have made the wagon version at least 2 inches taller. It is a trend I am seeing more and more. Cars are becoming lower to be more sporty, because those who want ease of ingres/egress, ride height and not bending down to use car seats are going to crossovers anyway.

I own dead car brands only > Danangme 06/13/2018 at 22:51

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I’m 6'5" and drove Saabs for years, talk about LOW. I bought a Durango because I’m 31 and I wanted my midlife crisis car now. I honestly can’t go back to a low car even though I love the TourX and several other cars. The ability to just get in the Durango without having to climb up or fall in but just glide in is....priceless to me.

Danangme > I own dead car brands only 06/22/2018 at 19:22

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Try it at 67. It’s a shame I do like wagons,owned a Volvo 265 wagon when my kids were small.

philipilihp > Danangme 12/11/2018 at 16:37

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Tour GSX, you say? I made my own! LOL

gokstate > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 12/11/2018 at 18:35

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Nice write up!

NormGTO > 404 - User No Longer Available 03/10/2019 at 22:01

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The TourX is about 10 inches shorter than a S-class...