2018 Buick Regal TourX Essence AWD Car Review
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- čas přidán 26. 08. 2024
- Want all the practicality of a crossover with the handling of a sedan? Then station wagons are the way to go. Tom Voelk takes a look at the new Buick Regal TourX, which offers up a fetching way to deliver the cargo and kids.
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About Tom:
Tom Voelk is an award-winning automotive contributor to The New York Times. His podcast was the first to win an Emmy Award. He also married way out of his league. Now, stop reading this promotional copy bragging about Tom's photography and editing skills and watch a couple episodes. It's much more interesting.
That wagon is beautiful! With some nice wheels and some lowering coilovers I think it would be perfect!
The upbeat tone of the review is welcome and the more wagons that come to market the better. That cargo hold is huge.
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I was dumb forgot the account password. I would appreciate any tricks you can give me.
@Jefferson Lyle instablaster =)
@Fletcher Layton I really appreciate your reply. I found the site on google and I'm in the hacking process atm.
Takes a while so I will reply here later with my results.
@Fletcher Layton it worked and I actually got access to my account again. I am so happy!
Thank you so much, you saved my ass :D
@Jefferson Lyle no problem :)
We bought one in 2019 and at the time there was a 10K discount available, it made this an outstanding value and has been a great car. Fast & comfortable and I tow my small boat with it!.
Just ordered mine today. I have wanted a wagon forever and I’m finally getting a pretty good one, I think.
The best!
Great choice!
I'd like to see a GS version of the wagon but the more wagons the better.
I recently purchased a 2015 Buick LaCrosse with every option for a great price. First Buick I have ever owned and love it. It’s quiet , powerful and drives great. Plus it’s comfortable. Buick hitting it out of the park right now.
Hoder Harris We have a 2016 Envision 2.0T and really enjoy driving and riding in it it is so quiet and smooth.
Great review! Disappointed the auto stop/start cannot be turned off, I hate that stupid feature. The cargo space is great which wagon owners want and need. Pricing is great.
I went and test drove this car today and really liked it. It was more refined than I had expected and the performance was good. It was very quiet inside and loved the large interior space. It is now on my short list for a wagon.
@@fleuger99
www.carelectronic-webshop.de/car-memory-module/deaktivierung-start-stopp-automatik/opel-start-stopp-automatik-ssa-deaktivierung-memory-modul/a-19/
You're welcome!
This is one underrated car Great review
This car should look terrific in burgundy or some olive green because of it`s size, sooooooo good looking, thanks Tom, greetings from Nicaragua!
Mario Torrez Quant Agree !
2:07, ugh. Why do manufacturers continue to do fake exhaust outlets? Either hide them away, or display them proudly. This mix of hiding and displaying fake exhausts boggles my mind.
Russell C IDK why they do that crap.. Everything is beginning to be so cookie cutter these days.
Russell C the only thing i know is when the exhaust is not completly connected to the outlets, in that case the outlets are fixed in the bumper, and as you might know, an exhaustsystem isnt fixed under the car, but hangs in a sort of rubber...
I agree. It's fake and stupid. Where did old fashioned round tailpipes go? They were even fashionable when arranged well and trimmed in black or chrome.
Guuuuuy I saw that and replayed the video to make sure that was what I was seeing!!!! Stop it automakers!!!! Nobody wants this!!!! .... Or do they? Idk, all I know is I don't appreciate it. If they want to hide the muffler tips then just hide them!!!! Don't put any fake exhaust there!!!! Geeeeeez.... Rant over.
...(better get used to it) it's done because buyers are impressed by shiney things and they are easier to design into the car's styling plus a byproduct is no sooty pipes/bumper. The fake tips elude to performance w/o having to make performance...Lexus does so why not buick...sign of the times
I find wagons to be sexy. Wish there were more wagons of popular cars like Camry, Accord, etc.
Wagons need to comeback. I never was a fan of crossovers. The low roofline, car like ride, and space of a Wagon are hard to beat!
I really like this car. I hope I can find a nice used one now that it's mid-2019. I'm still so surprised that it doesn't have cooled seats, but honestly since I live in Michigan, what I really need is heated seats lol. If anyone has this vehicle and has driven it for awhile, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
It's an ideal car and I would recommend going high end with almost all options.
Did you ever find one? I really like this one too. Also my name is Justin! Just concerned that it's discontinued.
@@justynjonn I ended up buying a 2012 Mercedes E350 Wagon for about $13k. Heated seats, heated wheel, massage, auto inflating bolsters for turns, paddle shifters, and a fold up third row with a genuine spare tire underneath. Real work horse of a car too, I've loaded it up with people, lumber, pets, and even a metal working lathe. If you can find one in good shape, I can recommend it. I only wish it had the infotainment system that the Tour X has. You can still find plenty of the Tour X online used with low miles....but yeah, no clue if you can find one new. It's the blessing/curse of the wagon. Great car, but since it's a wagon, nobody is really looking for them.
In Germany we call ist the Opel Insignia Country Tourer
wow, a good looking buick... who knew they could pull off a good looking car, and a wagon no less..
In Auatralia it is marketed as a Holden Commoldore and it is also available with a 3.6 liter V6!
That's it. I'm moving to Australia.
Paul is the Holden Commodore wagon popular 'down under' ?
Great Review Tom. GM should have made the 3.6 from the Regal GS at least an option on this top line trim.
Yea, 4:18 thanks. It's a great car. I just got the windows tinted with nanoflex ceramic 50 percent and thirty five on the back window. Got it for 22k with the VW buyback. I like this car a lot. No I don't favor the fake exhaust, but I think I'll live. The plastic whatever majiggers around the wheel well look fine in the Roja red. Just treat them with 303 aerospace every couple of months, sport a dad bod, and with a chick magnet car like this you'll be styling.
The starting price of $29,999 for a 2.0T and torque vectoring AWD wagon is a good deal today. Even before the 20% off sale.
Norm T that 20% off sale will do wonders for resale value.....
@@swanblake now over 30% off until the end of the year.
One of the best family vehicles out there that rarely anyone knows about.
If GM had the brains to sell this in Canada, it would be their top selling Buick.
This really is a handsome looking wagon.. I agree if they work on the details of the interior and offer many color options this baby is going to be a hit PROVIDING GM advertise it.... GM has a history of having good products but don't promote it enough, they always do that I just hope they wake up with this one!
And correct...GM hasn't marketed it well. Upshot is you can get a leftover, new '18 right now with big discounts. That's what I did and I love this wagon.
Really they do look great. In pics and videos they are handsome. In real life you see one drive by and it's actually stunning.
I have owned my 18 TourX since Sep 19. Tons of comments on its beauty and style. Most ask if it's a MB. Mine is the Essence, only missing option is the massaging seats. I wish it had more storage for the little things. It is in the gorgeous metallic maroon with black interior. I like the flat floor that my GMC Terrain doesn't have. I have got 34 mpg on the hwy with required premium fuel. That's in CA, where our fuel mixtures tend to depress might frugality.
spitting image of the V90...no wonder it's beautiful
I wish they made a GS version and GM need to make all safety features standard. That why I bought a Nissan Murano SL over this and Buick Evison. The Evision cost over 45k and no standard feature standard. Crazy. Also in order to get the option for safety you need to order top of the line. Crazy.
Maserati? Hahaha. I love this dude
I just told that story to the Buick rep yesterday. She laughed and laughed... then said "seriously?"
Excellent review sir thank you once again
Lets hope to God that this is the start of a "new" trend - station wagons. A thank you to Subaru for holding the fort down, and to the late great AMC for making the eagle AWD back in the 80's; these companies laid the groundwork for a new (hopefully) chapter in station wagon history.
I share your sentiment. They are so practical and drive well. I also like the all wheel drive in a wagon. I hate to disappoint you. I have a feeling there is no trend beyond the Outback other than a few German luxury models (expensive to buy and maintain). One reason I say this is that I hear VW will discontinue their Sportwagon and Alltrack in 2020. I hope I'm wrong. Nice as this TourX is, and moving in the right direction, I haven't seen one on the road yet and kind of doubt we'll see many. Meanwhile, new models of medium sized crossovers are coming and will probably sell (Honda Passport, Chevy Blazer, etc.).
@@PaoloFrancesco99 Well it would be nice if Buick(GM) actually advertised the fact that this station wagon actually existed. I was talking to some guys at work a few weeks ago and mentioned the TourX and none of them had even heard of it. One guy got on his phone and looked it up, he was amazed and thought it was real cool and he was going to try and find one on a car lot. More moves of brilliance from the world of GM, the legacy of Roger Smith continues....... If the TourX follows the historical tack of the last 30 years of GM "managment". Buick division will pour some money into the platform for 3-5 more years with VERY little fanfare or notice, the car will finally "find its groove" and start to get a following, GM will never push the car or really advertise it and then will just up and cancel the platform because of "low sales volumes". 10 years later the car will have a cult following and people will scratch their heads in wonder as to why GM didn't let try to sell this car to the public.
This did not age well, discontinued now
Remove the dumb looking "cladding" and it would be even better looking. But it's a wagon and that's a good thing!
67tomcat that cladding will add some protection, in places like mild trails to parking lots.
67tomcat here in Europe you can get it in “normal “ estate form. Check out the Vauxhall.co.uk page and look for the insignia.
Hello Ben- yes, and it looks much nicer. We have very few wagons available here, so this is still a "win"! Take care
@@benartee9493 yes, but that's because a larger percentage Europeans are a bit more... sensible... about wagons/estate cars. Here in the US, people want their wagons jacked up because they think it's safer for some ridiculous reason. I know moms who think the Ford Escape is safer than the Focus just because it's taller, which is a batshit insane thing to believe. Remember, though, this is the country that brings the world monster trucks & Pontiac Firebirds on 4x4 pickup chassis. Oh, and handegg. Can't forget handegg.
There sure are a lot of blank button switches around the console shifter for this to be the highest trim Essence Tour-X. You'd think the highest trim would include all available options. On a side note, Evil Twin deserves a shout out for rocking those Chuck Taylors. Who says you can't have swag....and an AARP card?
Agree the blank buttons are a pet peeve of mine also and I bought TourX Essence knowing that. They are filled up in Euro and Oz versions. GM chose not to add a Sport mode and a few other fun things stateside. Grrr. That said, I'd buy it again. It is that good. It will likely die early though b/c GM hasn't marketed it well, what a tragedy for all of us wagon lovers. So get yours while you can.
Tom, your are heads and tail better in the reviews you do. A+
It's technically an Opel Insignia, made in Germany. This car has something too.
Buick Outback. Kind of wish they made the cladding optional, especially since the clearance isn’t much higher than any other car. Still, pretty nice. (Which could kind of be a Buick tag line).
Thumbs up for the SAAB 9-5 in the background at Costco @7:16 in the video 👍
I prefer the non-claddeed European one. There Opel insignia Grand sport I believe. Sexy.
Jamaican Me Crazy I hope they make a GS trim or Avenir trim without it
I love the way this looks!
Awesome review
If I needed a capacious vehicle, I would definitely give this TourX a look; or two! Beautifully designed and well-equipped. I can't believe some of the prices I've seen on Cars.com; what a steal!
Wagons are awesome!
A design of a car is best to look at in white (to see any design flaws). I don't see any. Buick's making progress. What they need is to heavily market their brand in Southern California & Florida; where comparable Lexus models are seen 10:1
Tully3674 Buick competes with Lexus and wind comparisons especially with the Lacrosse. But Cadillac also competes with Lexus too.
Nice wagon.
Nice looking car...surprised on the start stop technology with a Turbo. Yes...the engine shuts off. But the turbo is still spinning with no oil pressure. Would be nice to be able to turn off completely.
I don't believe the turbo is spinning
as there is no exhaust to move it. So going full throttle wont be very quick.
Nice.
Long live the wagon/estate/kombi.
Thanks, TV.
Avant as well.
Great review! As an owner, it is surprising the amount of people who ask..."that's a Buick?" Which is a slightly more complicated answer, but I usually just stick with "YES!"
Wagon. I love
I had an Olds Intrigue that had no mention of "Oldsmobile" anywhere on the car -- interior or exterior -- and I thought it was a good move. Good review, btw. (And thanks for the tip on how to defeat the auto-stop/start. I'm going to buy a TourX, and it's an issue for me.) Cheers!
It was fun to meet you the other day. My boss just bought a Regal TourX a couple weeks ago and he said your video helped him make the purchase. If your in the area again, you'll be able to see it.
Does he live down in the Tacoma/Olympia area? I saw a TourX on I5 when I was testing the Mach-E. Pretty rare car. Looks great.
@@DrivenCarReviews Hello, he lives in Ballard.
i have a 94 roadmaster wagon. i will buy one of these some day.
A new wagon comes out in North America and they don’t sell it in Canada!
I was mildly disappointed with the interior, but it's soft where it counts and, let's be honest, for the price that you'll ultimately buy it at, it's actually not bad at all.
"a round of applause for General Motors" great way to open a review my friend, then again what else should one expect, then of course what else (again) would you ask for?? The 'General' is morte just ask Cadillac, anyway, excellent review (especially the frequent mentions of my beloved Volvo!!!) and yeah I know Cadillac is still somewhat 'relevant' - long live the 'slade' -
Its actually a round of applause for Opel. That thing Was designed, engineered and manufactured in germany and rebadged before shipping. Its so sad they claim it ro be "all american" because its "none american"
Our kiwi version has a 3.6litre 235kw v6 engine (caddy i think), tv screen dash not dials, ventilated seats front, heated only rear, HUD, radar cruise, matrix lights, all standard. Didn’t take off here which is a shame…very underrated cars
👍 I was waiting for your review on this Buick. Love wagons
Wow - you guys get a wagon made in Germany with a us label. Pity GM sold their European operations. But enjoy whilst it lasts.
Love wagons and I'm currently shopping for one! This is a slick looking car. Can you review the Volvo V60?
Magnum 2.0. The recessed hatch on wagons makes it easier to load cargo as well.
Great video -- I'd been missing your video reviews in the New York Times, so I'm glad to find you on CZcams 🙃
wow , good looking small wagon , nicely priced , and equipped , bravo
Great advice to Buick, Tom. I agree...keep the brand name on.
I'm sure they're hanging on every word I say....
For some, they wouldn't mind if their Buick is mistaken for a Maserati
I love all the wagons lately! Sorry about the flat, I had one in my ND and the kit did the same for me, just shot out the side. Those kits rarely work. Keep up the great reviews!
so its a european opel insignia :)
As mentioned in the video
and the sky is blue.
Yes, the "Country Tourer" to be exact. I'm seriously considering getting one.
Stfu
But GM used to own opel so its basically a GM
Also has a steel plate protects the oil pan and transmission ! .
They've done such a great job of the design. Maserati lite! - I don't think it looks great in white though and it'd be great if they could get rid of the cladding or at least an option to have it the same colour as the body like on the V90CC. It's such a shame as all the reviewers seem to love this car but I'd bet good money no one will buy one :(
I would buy this if I was in the market.
I sat in one of those at the car show and when you sit in it you feel claustrophobic the front is just so crunched, it just doesn't have the space that I love in my Outback you can really just kind of sprawl out in this, and that I felt scrunched I'm not a very big dude 6-foot 230 lb. the ground clearance just isn't there for me the step in height on my Outback is just absolutely perfect at 8 1/2 in when you getting this thing you feel like you're just sitting in a big sedan. Not to mention my Outback is 7 years old and I still get 22 to 23 Mile in the city and 28 to 31 Highway
The latest Motor Trend comparison has the Buick TourX winning over OB 3.6R and VW Alltrack. The OB has received updates but is really old tech vs newer cars today.
Thanks for the video Tom.! Up next, the Buick Cascada😁 Keep the Buicks comin
No Cascada. Sorry. Love the look but it sells in too small of numbers.And the interior is definitely old school GM.
I agree, drop the Regal. A station wagon with an 80s name. Brilliant idea.
Nice wagon. I'd consider one for myself but I have three issues with it. It should offer a spare tire. Secondly, it needs 1-2 inches more of ground clearance for the snow. Other than plastic cladding there isn't much to differentiate this from their normal wagon because the ground clearance is almost the same. Lastly, not being able to defeat the start/stop might be a deal breaker. I can't stand them. Although I haven't tried one in a GM/Opel car yet so who knows.
Didn't he state you could drive in manual or hit the max. ac control to defeat the start/stop? Too late to go re-read.
Reconsider it, you'd be crazy not to especially with current incentives. You can get a spare donut for about $75 and it and tire tools fit in the under-storage area. Snow clearance: I've driven it in 5-7" of fresh powder and it did great - I couldn't shake the AWD system. Start/Stop is done well in this ride, I thought it might bother me too but it rarely does, and is easy to defeat with autostick or just tap brake. Or if you hate it, just get a module to permanently defeat it.
Nice review as always, Thank you! 👌👍
So the guy didn't know the tri-shield emblem, nor that Maserati's emblem is the trident. Not a car guy obviously.
I hope this car succeeds. I'm not a big fan of SUVs and always have loved station wagons, at least the more stylish ones.
Your videos make me miss Seattle where I lived for 16 years.
Oooooooohhh... so, so pretty. If and when I'm in the market for my next long-roof, I will definitely have to test-drive this one. As usual, I wish it had a stick, I wish it had a little more vim, but... sooooo pretty.
I love what Buick has down with the Regal. The sport back is a lot more spacious than the old sedan which was a bit cramped. The wagon is great for those who want more space.
Unless it's a Mustang, which has no "blue oval" Ford logo anywhere, Buick should keep it's long heritage displayed proudly. I miss the Cadillac CTS wagon too.
Not technically true about the Mustang. it does have a Ford oval (no blue, though) on the windshield on the flip side of the rear-view mirror. But yeah, nowhere else, including the key fob.
This is a Vauxhall with Buick badging , rented on in England last year, great car! Ours was a turbo diesel
OK an American wagon is back!!!!
There's virtually nothing American about this car. It's designed and made in Germany.
...it is built on the worldwide GM parts kit and platform. It is a truly international product.
US motor, Japanese transmission, assembled in Germany
@@williamw9120 yeah, that Aisin is untuneable with HPTuners ecu tuning software has me enjoying my 2016 Envision 2.0T 6-speed even more.
Bravo - we drive a Mercedes E Class Wagon & this TourX has caught our attention !
Will test drive as soon as we locate one
Buick surprises me, they are really trying to make good cars. Forget Cadillac, get a buick and save your money.
seen one today for first time, very nice wagon. Only drawback to me is the 4cylinder. throw in a turbo six 350hp and im sold
you always truefull Tom that what I like about your videos very educated...thanks att Hector.
6:08, strange, the Opel Insignia has rear heated seats...
Please GM! Please make a 2wd version without that dumb looking cladding! Great video!
Great video! Thanks. One of these with a 2" Lift kit and Mudder tires would make sense in the country!
Nice to see the Insignia gets some love in the US. Sad its discontinued there after opel was sold.
Yes, very sad. Took too long to get here, didn't stay long enough.
I love heated steering wheels too.
A Gs wagon would be the ultimate car for me
Gorgeous!
GM Should’ve dropped a grand national engine with turbo! With 350 hp now You have my attention!!!
Yeah, Dude, it's the Maserati Family Truckster. Oh, and for the record, Opel or no Opel, this platform underpins the Malibu and pretty much every GM intermediate worldwide, and has since the early 2000s.
Was that a slam on Maserati at the end?
Man I really like the look of this car, a little worried that next year they will add the 310 hp motor from the GS which I think would make a killer combo.
I love Plastic fairings: Opel: I got you fam.
This car is practically the new Holden Commodore in Australia ever since the Aussie plants shut down...
Nice Maserati.
Tom, I have a Chevy Sonic, and the word Chevrolet is not placed on it. I'm with you, Buick should still have the name because nobody knows the tri-shield logo except for experts. I think everyone knows the bowtie logo.
I couldn't believe a guy mixed up the trident logo of Maserati for the tri-shield logo of Buick.
Billy Sou "Nobody knows the tri-shield logo except for experts."
...and people in nursing homes.
David G -- True, Buick and Lincoln has been considered to be grandma and grandpa brand.
Should have told him, "Yes, it's a Maser! It costs $120k." And watch the guy ooh and aah.
I'm not a fan of GM, but this is a great looking wagon and it might convince some Americans that they don't need an SUV to do the soccer run. Wonder about the reliability if it has any Peugeot in it though..
GM sold Opel to Peugeot, the Insignia was designed by The General. There's little to no Peugeot in it.
Peugeot is making very reliable cars lately
That story at the end of the person thinking the car was a Masaratti.... kind of indicates that the tri-shield while known by the car enthusiast, is not so well known in the general population. Buick may have some problem in the future if people don't know what the car is.
Good lookin car.
No spare and no run flats? Hmmm... Did I catch that right- are you no longer working with the NYT? Not that comparisons matter a great deal but I do watch more car reviews on youtube than is probably healthy. You really are several steps above just about everyone else in quality, meaningful content, and general "watch-a-bility"- and to think you do this without a massive production crew. Hats off (and I still have my original Driven hat) to you Tom.
I write for them still but don't do videos.
Yup, it's just me and Martin who doesn't just drive, he also takes the nice thumbnail stills for the reviews. Our friend Rob joins us occasionally. Couldn't do these vids without them.
You can get a donut, it fits under the rear storage.
Wow. This is actually really awesome.
Another great review Tom...
This must have been in Seattle.
Pretty good looking wagon lol