mmarshall

QUICK VERDICT: Impressive, solid, and well-built, but it has one serious (for me) deal-breaker.











I was up at my Chevy/Buick/GMC dealer today (time to pick up those free auto show tickets), and they had a nice dark gray 2018 Tour-X-Wagon sitting outside the showroom in the front lot...first one to arrive at that dealership, and possibly (?) the first one delivered in the D.C. area. It was an Essence version, listing for over 41K. So, while I was there (though I had not planned on it), I did a more or less thorough static review, inside and out. OMG, what a nice car....beats the pants off of its Subaru Outback competition in general hardware/materials and fit/finish (once again, its Opel heritage shows), though it's a safe bet to say that the Outback probably has a better (Symmetrical) AWD system, which is something that Subaru has excelled in for decades. The Outback also has more ground clearance for deep snow than the Tour-X Wagon. My salesman (the guy I bought both my Verano and Lacrosse from) told me he's got another one on order that a guy is actually going to trade an Outback for when it arrives. He tossed me the ignition fob for the one sitting on the lot and said "Take it out for a spin if you want"...but I declined a test-drive today, for two reasons. First, I had other things to do after my static-review (I can do a test-drive later), and, second, my own personal policy is that I often don't like to take the only sample of a vehicle that a dealership has in stock out on the road if I am not actually buying it. I myself am a careful driver, but the traffic level in the D.C. area is horrendous, and heaven forbid, if some other Bozo plows into it, I don't want to have the only one in stock damaged or wrecked on my watch. I'll have plenty of time later for a test-drive..in fact, I'll be back at the dealership next week when some more show tickets come in.

OK...now to the car. This, and the upcoming 2018 Regal Sportback (essentially a sedan-styled liftback version of the wagon), sad to say, may (?) be the last of the Opel-derived/Opel-rebadged Buicks in the American market. Rebadged Opel products gave us a line of very well-built, solid, reliable vehicles sold under the Buick name, such as the Verano, Cascada, Regal, and Encore. They were (primarily) the reason for Buick's well-above-average reliability reputation in recent surveys. But, GM, in their ever-so-wise marketing practices (NOT) decided to sell off the Opel Euro-division that has done so much for them...just like the cutting off of the also-impressive GM Australian Holden products. So, one can probably say good-bye to any more Opel/Buicks.

But, while it lasts, this is going to be once nice product. I won't go into all the details right now (I plan a full-review of a Tour-X later, and will do a full write-up then)...but I'll do a brief description. Outside, same solid construction we saw on the last Opel-based Regal, with even better fit-and-finish. I especially liked the way they integrated the big red/white/blue Buick tri-shield emblem on the front grille...the emblem is actually part of, and set behind, a very tough, clear circle of plexiglass, smoothly-polished to perfection, and integrated with the trim-wing in the grille....makes it much easier to wash and clean than the contour-ridges ones on the Lacrosse. The relatively heavy doors also close very solidly.....but not quite as solid as on the bank-vault-like Kia Stinger I sampled recently. Paint, trim, and chrome work are all done to a very high level of fit/finish. Inside, the same nice-quality hardware and fit/finish found on the last Regal, with an even better level of fit/finish, although headroom in the rear seat, under the sunroof housing, was marginal for people my size. I liked most of the dash and gauges, although the circular speedometer was a little small for my taste, and crowded the numbers together a little. I didn't care much for the look of the gray wood-tone trim (with the black interior). The shifter, due to the Opel design, was a nice conventional fore/aft lever, not the quirky, BMW-type E-shifter found in some other GM vehicles.

But there was one major problem inside for people my size.....and, for me, it would be a deal-breaker. The flat part of the front seat cushions, between the two side-bolsters, is firm, only about 13 inches wide or so (I'm estimating......didn't actually measure it), and the side-bolsters are actually sharper than they look in pictures. Buick, with this car, clearly did not do what they did with the (former) Verano and the Lacrosse.....put in a real seat for big Americans. I'm not making excuses for the fact that I am 6' 2" and somewhat overweight, but, if one is going to sell a car in America to people like this, one has to plan for it in the design stage. I saw the same problem, to a lesser extent, in the Chinese-built Buick Envision SUV that debuted here last year......seats that were simply too small for me, though not to the same extent as with the new wagon. No matter how I adjusted the seats in this car, squirmed up, down, sideways....you name it., I could not get comfortable, and the narrow side bolsters pressed into my butt and lower-back. The height of the seat back and headrests was also a little too low, overall, for me. Several hundred miles of that, on a long trip, would probably drive me batty. So, no question I did the right thing by getting a Lacrosse and not waiting for the new Regal....but small-to-medium size adults shouldn't have any problem.

But, a great job on almost everything else...just toss out those butt-achers and put the last-generation Verano's seats in (maybe they will do that in the mid-cycle update?), and we'll be all set.

tecman

Big fail on the fenders.

mmarshall

LexBob2

You can get the cladding on the Audi Allroad painted in the body color from the factory but it's a pricey option ($1k).

Toys4RJill

LeX2K

Can't help but see Volvo in the design.

mmarshall

I think what they are trying to do (which is basically what Subaru did with the Outback and Forester) is to use the cladding to get people into more conventional wagon-type body styles who were (or are) used to it on SUVs.

ryanSC300lover

iTrader: (1)

I have a TSX Wagon. I was thinking of replacing it with the Buick Tour X. Saw it at my dealer, and the interior isn't what I want. My next stops are Jag and Benz for their wagons, next month.

mmarshall

It's actually a re-badge of the Opel Insignia Sports-Tourer Wagon. I agree, though...there's a hint of Volvo in the grille.

mmarshall

Your TSX wagon, of course, lacked AWD....which I thought was a significant error on Acura's part by not offering it. If it's strictly AWD you want (though in some parts of CA where you are, you may not need it), the Subaru Outback probably does it better than anybody.....but I have a feeling that its interior may not be quite what you're looking for, either.

Toys4RJill

ryanSC300lover

iTrader: (1)

AWD isn't an issue for me. We have a Land Cruiser. I use AWD two times a year. When I lived 8 years in boston, I DD'd a mid engine RWD sports car or a Lexus LS both RWD

I had an Outback in 2001, and the HG issues ran me away from the brand. Still bought a WRX in 2015 when the new body came out. The quality just isn't there in the subaru products, the older I get, the more I desire to have a quality product. Fun of driving just isn't enough anymore.

Yup, saw it in person, took it off my list, for that exact reason.

mmarshall

Yes, that's been one of Subie's problems.....they do the Symmetrical AWD systems probably better than anyone else in the book, but the long-term durability of their Boxer engines is not up with some of the other Japanese manufacturers.

You say that you will be looking at Jags. Keep in mind, of course, that Jaguar products are generally not known for their reliability.

theory816

Saw it in person. Its extremely nice for a wagon. Not a wagon guy though.

ryanSC300lover

iTrader: (1)

Yup been a wagon owner (always one in the stable) since 1987. Sadly there isn't anything like the TSX reliability wise, thats out in the market. The XF Sportbrake or the E400, likely will be both as unreliable If not, I will have to keep the TSX for a little while longer, till something better comes out. Sadly USA isn't a wagon market, and our selections are rather poor.