I don’t care how Buick wants to market the Regal TourX…it’s a station wagon. A turbocharged, all-wheel-drive station wagon, but a wagon nonetheless. And that’s ok…the station wagon has been, for all intents and purposes, dead in the United States market for decades. Yes, stalwarts like Subaru, BMW and Mercedes have managed to move longroofs off of their lots, but nowadays it’s the crossover, or the small sport-utility, or the pickup truck that is the darling of the buying world. So why on Earth would I be paying attention to a car-based station wagon, something that, by popular logic, isn’t supposed to sell? Because there is hope that the crossover phase of the buying public can be brought back to some kind of reason, if nothing else. Because the Buick Regal TourX is more than just a marketing gimmick to move more rebadged Opels, it’s a barometer to test out a brand that isn’t normally on our radar unless the words Gran Sport or Grand National are included, and it’s a chance to see if a reasonably-priced station wagon can handle what most people automatically pick a crossover for.

What you are looking at is a 2018 Buick Regal TourX AWD in the “Preferred” trim level, a mid-grade setup that for anybody who is reading this blog, is more than enough to keep you happy. It has a base price of $32,670 and this Smoked Pearl Metallic example, one of at least two at the dealership that seems to be in rotation of drivers, has an out the door price of $38,340. There wasn’t much in the way of options: The $1,870 Sights and Sounds package brought on remote start, the upgraded infotainment setup with navigation, satellite and HD radio with Bose speakers, and an integrated rear antenna. The Driver Confidence Package, a $1,240 option, procured LED headlights, cornering lamps, automatic leveling headlights, rear park assist and rear cross traffic alert, and lane change alert with blind zone monitoring. The paint was a $395 special order, the gigantic moonroof added $1,200 to the cost, and then there was the $40 front plate bracket and a $925 destination charge. That’s the options…the all-wheel-drive, the 2.0L Ecotec turbo four and things like the solar absorbing glass and active noise cancellation were standard.

Why bring up the price first? Because that’s usually the first thing that someone asks about a new car. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, what’s the Regal TourX like to drive? It’s solid and quiet, no doubt. The interior is a pleasant place to be and I like the cloth seats instead of leather, but the Regal’s European origins come into play once I sat my American-sized hind quarters into the seat: it’s comfortable enough, but the bolstering reminds you that it’s an Opel first, a Buick second. Around town, the Ecotec is more than happy to play along up until you encounter a stop light. That’s where my only true pet peeve with the TourX pops up: it has a stop/start system, and even though I hunted, I could not figure out how to defeat it. Outside of that annoyance, however, the Buick was proving to be the perfect daily driver…it scooted along in traffic in quiet but confident strides, with only just a hint of engine noise coming into the cabin. The road-holding is to behold, but what really caught me out is this car’s acceleration. The LTG 2.0L four is rated for 250 horsepower and 295 ft/lbs of torque, but it’s performance is punching well above what you’d expect. Other reviews have put the car down the quarter mile to the tune of about 14.7 seconds…which is right about the neighborhood my 2001 Buick Regal GS, supercharged 3800 V6 and all, would bracket-race at all day long. Onramps were the showcase, with 80 mph coming up much faster than they should in a wagon that weighs north of 3,700 pounds.

With NCM Motorsports Park’s massive asphalt apron covered in 55-gallon drum barrels, I couldn’t resist a quick slalom run just to feel what the Regal would do if it was actually being pushed. The all-wheel-drive system, which to this point hadn’t shown itself in any form, didn’t intrude much here. The Regal would turn in tightly and move out of a hairpin turn with ease, and three barrels later I hadn’t so much as elicited a chirp from a tire, which is surprising since one of Buick’s highlights about the TourX is it’s raised ride height over the five-door Sportback version. From a dead-stop, there’s just a quick moment of lag before the turbo wakes up and the car rolls. It’s not a pin-to-the-seat kind of acceleration, but it’s no embarrassment by any stretch of the imagination. Once playtime was over and I reverted back into a mature adult, it was time to look over the Regal to see how it’d work out for daily use. With the driver’s seat jammed as far back as I could tolerate as a driver, I found that my large frame fit just fine in the backseat without compromise. Four adults should fit just fine with plenty of comfort. The rear cargo area has a cover and the rear seats fold flat for large cargo hauling. In the inner panel of the hatch are places for a road safety kit and a first-aid kit, both of which are optional for small amounts.

It’s priced well, seats four nicely, has utility, has performance, and doesn’t look half bad. So what does the TourX have going against it? Part of it might be the badge on the grille: Buick sells well in China, but in the States, that just isn’t the case. The “That’s Not A Buick” ad campaign didn’t help matters. What did help matters was a pair of concept cars over the last couple of years, the Avenir and Avista, cars that were enough to get journalists typing in fever pitch and the masses drooling. It’s not farfetched to see Avista cues on the Regal, especially up front. Compared to where Buick was ten years ago, that’s a step in the right direction. To make a product that few make today is another. And to keep the price within reason is best of all. That out-the-door price doesn’t have any rebate or sale markdown to it…that’s what’s on the Maroney sticker. That’s full-price for a pretty stout rebuttal to the crossover argument. Someone show me how to shut of that damned stop/start system and paint it any other color (I’d pick Rioja Red Metallic, myself) and you’d have my undivided attention for a station wagon that I’d drive the nuts off of across the country as a daily driver. 

Thanks to Jim Walters and the team at Leachman Buick-GMC in Bowling Green, Kentucky for their assistance in providing the test car!