On Tour - 2019 Buick Regal TourX

[regfootball]

Had to get something to replace the Malibu lease end?

[G. David Felt]

That is an AWESOME Station wagon. Love the looks.

Another lease or purchase?

[regfootball]

Purchase this time!  Leasing not a very good deal these days...!

[Drew Dowdell]

Very nice! Glad to see them sell.

[regfootball]

12 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

Very nice! Glad to see them sell.

To like 6 people. Maybe if they packaged and priced them well.....but I’ve already shown this thing to a few people today after I picked it up, and apart from asking what it is, they think its kick ass!

i saved a little bit of extra dough because this had some demo miles. And actually then due to discounts this was a good deal compared to many of the crossovers out there. This is just about one of the cheapest all wheel drive ‘nice’ car options out there these days. 

New car pricing is going to hit a huge wall soon I think. Shopping used cars is even difficult these days.   Getting new with warranty at this time seemed to be a good move  

 

Edited September 21, 2019 by regfootball

[Drew Dowdell]

What did you end up paying?

[regfootball]

13 hours ago, Drew Dowdell said:

What did you end up paying?

Some of the 18’s are going for more than 10 grand off sticker, but I was fortunate to find this 19 at about 10k off, so about 31,600.  Plus my GM card dollars !. The demo discount helped. But here is the caveat. You basically will find almost none with adaptive cruise, or with all the packages in one car. There is a preferred 18 with blind spot package, moonroof, and Bose that they have almost 14 grand off list right now which is the one I should have bought, it’s at 24,600 right now.  But that doesn’t have dual zone climate or heated seats or an armrest in the back seat. Maybe if they put heated seats in an all wheel drive car being marketed in a northern state maybe it wouldn’t sit on a lot for 2 years waiting to get sold. 

Im not sure why GM loves to introduce new models, roll them out slow with no advertising or incentives, then they sit for 1, 2, even more years in bunches on the lots. It is amazing how many blazers and xt4’s have been sitting on lots for a year or so now, I have no idea when they are ever going to get sold which sucks because they are nice rides. There are a shit ton of Made in Mexico blazers out there with stickers north of 50k and I struggle to understand where those are all going to go. 

Edited September 21, 2019 by regfootball

[Drew Dowdell]

GM Packaging really is odd.

[regfootball]

3 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

GM Packaging really is odd.

I think it’s worth throwing a question out there if people think heated seats, remote start and dual zone climate control ought to be standard in a Buick. I think too that Buick’s by now might benefit from the blind spot monitor and adaptive cruise being standard as well too. 

[daves87rs]

Nice ride!!!

[ykX]

Awesome ride, I really liked it at auto show.  It is a real shame how GM packages and not promoting some of the cars because this one is really nice one.

Hope it serves you well.

[2QuickZ's]

Congrats on the purchase!

I really wanted one of these instead of my CTS but it was right around they were coming out and dealer inventories were still pretty low so no deals to be had.  They weren't even offering GM employee discount!  It was easy to predict that in a matter of months there would be great deals out there on them but I got antsy and went with the CTS instead of waiting.  While I like my CTS a lot, I think I probably would have liked one of these even more.  It certainly would have been much better in the snow.

[Robert Hall]

Sharp..I really like these, seen a few around..esp. like the dark red and brown ones.  

[Robert Hall]

On 9/21/2019 at 10:15 AM, regfootball said:

I think it’s worth throwing a question out there if people think heated seats, remote start and dual zone climate control ought to be standard in a Buick.  

Yeah,  I couldn't imagine not having heated seats, heated steering wheel, heated mirrors here in NE Ohio in the winter.  I like the dual zone climate control, though I have only used remote start once in my Jeep. 

[regfootball]

loving the new rig, although having some buyers remorse on not getting the Blazer instead for higher ingress and egress.  Either way, nice GM rides.

The 2.0 in the car (older 2.0) is quiet but doesn't really have any personality to speak of.  But since the car is quiet that's ok for a wagon lol

funny story.  a coworker and i coincidentally got our leased Malibu on the same day 3 years ago.  I thought he was going to buy his out but he ended up buying a new car instead.  Scary coincidence, he bought a 3k miles Regal Sportback in the same color as mine, the smoked pearl just a few days before.  I was wondering who had gotten the other Buick in the work lot and so it turns out my coworker and i think almost alike.  

Edited September 27, 2019 by regfootball

[Drew Dowdell]

Glad that you're liking it so much. I had the Encore in to get state inspection and I took an Envision Essence 2.0T out for a spin. Didn't care for it so much. I like the Terrain better.

[regfootball]

On 9/27/2019 at 8:02 PM, Drew Dowdell said:

Glad that you're liking it so much. I had the Encore in to get state inspection and I took an Envision Essence 2.0T out for a spin. Didn't care for it so much. I like the Terrain better.

I can see where the Terrain vs Envision choice really is preference.  I didn't mind the Envision but the hideous PLOOD is a deal breaker.  Sad really, because the rest of the interior is bangup.  I don't like the button gearshifter on the Terrain myself.

Truth is i like so much about the TourX but am having crossover disease and buyers remorse for not getting something that sits higher.  Over time I will probably hate myself for not getting the Blazer or even a Traverse.  The old is finally getting to me.  I would say look at the XT4 and Blazer and XT5, even if they are more $$$.  By that I mean, see what kind of deals are on the horizon.  Like maybe early CPO's or with all the unsold Blazers they really have to be breaking out the money on the hood.  The 19 Blazers will have greater v6 availability than the 2020's will.  The Enspire or whatever is down the road as well.  

And all that said, I still don't find a crossover to be something you ever 'want' as much as practicality directs you to it. 

[caddycruiser]

Awesome car, and color. It is a shame the features packaging is so horrendously poor, with scratchy black cloth and plastic steering wheel on most, but it's a mix of Euro, etc.

See these on road in certain markets, and love them. It's a tough sell, as it's one of those you can't lease it cars due to the lack of any program, so you either know to find a buy deal like you did, or skip it all together.

Great choice. Low seating position aside...

I just switched from a 2019 Forester to a 2020 Outback, and am enjoying the lower seating position, even though I never do typically. All depends on the car, the armrests, the floor, the seats, etc. But it's bizarre at first to not see over as much stuff, traffic lights, etc. Adjustment. And the TourX and Outback have so much MORE space than certain small utes, it's also nice to open the back tailgate and not wonder what will fit.

Cool choice!

So...

How is yours equipped? Cloth? Leather? What options? What was the original sticker?

Edited October 5, 2019 by caddycruiser

[surreal1272]

Congrats on the car. They are nice rides, especially in AWD trims but I agree about the packaging and pricing. They make no sense, which has been par for the course with most GM models. I one year old models for around $27-29 with less than 20K miles on them so it sounds like you got a solid deal for yours.

[frogger]

Looked at the Terrain briefly but my eyes started to water when I saw how many options I would have to include to get what I would like.

[regfootball]

Chevy has build and price on the 2020 Blazer now.  So, for 2020 you can actually get the moonroof and nice 20" wheels on the LT trim (3 LT).  In 2019 you couldn't get the moonroof unless you stepped up to the RS trim.  So at least you can save some dough that way.  Also, the 2.0 AWD LT is also a nice option.  It helps keep the price for a cloth LT under say, 38 grand sticker.  Still there are tons of unsold 2019 Blazers out there. GM will really have to put the cash on the hood to get those into circulation.  Just more proof they pad the MSRP's like crazy.  They pad the MSRP and hang on to their inventory as long as they can before they sell them at more of what the market says they should be.

[regfootball]

On 10/5/2019 at 11:42 AM, caddycruiser said:

Awesome car, and color. It is a shame the features packaging is so horrendously poor, with scratchy black cloth and plastic steering wheel on most, but it's a mix of Euro, etc.

See these on road in certain markets, and love them. It's a tough sell, as it's one of those you can't lease it cars due to the lack of any program, so you either know to find a buy deal like you did, or skip it all together.

Great choice. Low seating position aside...

I just switched from a 2019 Forester to a 2020 Outback, and am enjoying the lower seating position, even though I never do typically. All depends on the car, the armrests, the floor, the seats, etc. But it's bizarre at first to not see over as much stuff, traffic lights, etc. Adjustment. And the TourX and Outback have so much MORE space than certain small utes, it's also nice to open the back tailgate and not wonder what will fit.

Cool choice!

So...

How is yours equipped? Cloth? Leather? What options? What was the original sticker?

So a young coworker who is a bright red recent GLI driver the other day, saw my wagon and couldn't stop raving.  He thought it was so Euro cool.  I can't tell you how many people thing the car is sleek looking.  I told him i wanted a red one like his red GLI but the dealer wouldn't cut me a deal on it.  He likes my smoked pearl one just fine.  THen i asked him if his Jetta was a stick or an auto.  He said he has a dual clutch auto and he hates it.  He said never again on the dual clutch.

Mine is an Essence with package 1 and 2, Bose/NAv and moonroof.  All the big package options you can get.  But still, its a GM, it doesn't have rainsense wipers or the whole surround view camera.  I think too the car should have heated rear seats.  I might have sprung for cooled seats in front as well.

I am impressed with the interior though.  The Regal has taken flack for having a cheap interior by some accounts, but honestly everyone who has been in it says it is very nice.  I agree.  The plastics are nicer than the Malibu i last had.  It's not as noticeable at first but after a while you see the dash top is nicer, the doors are nicer.  It's not Audi nice, sure but honestly I think the interior is pretty ok for the price, and matches the character of the car.  I am very fine with the plastics.  I am glad i got the new 2019 with the new infotainment 3 system instead of the old system.  The graphics and ease of use of the new system and gauges are well worth it to get vs a used one without if you have to make that choice.  The simple gauge faces and the crisp legibility of the info screens and the simplicity of the system is amazing.  It's about as easy to use as our chrysler van uconnect.  But imagine if you had an old cadillac CUE system and came into this.  It would be so much easier to use. The GM navigation still i think not quite as easy to use as carplay but it is nice to have the real choice now.  Sometimes you don't want to plug in your phone.  This is where this new system excels also.  You can leave your phone hooked up without cable via bluetooth but use 'Hey Siri' with the steering wheel command button to dial up music on Apple Music, if you don't want to keep plugging and unplugging the phone.  It has a wirless charger under the armrest but like before the slot is not wide enough for a larger phone and its case to slide into so that is a waste of money.

The biggest issue i have so far is the seat bolstering is over aggressive and the seats are too narrow.  That said, i am getting old and could lose a few but the seats would still feel tight.  The real isssue is once you wedge yourself into place between the bolsters perfectly, the support of the seats is very good.  The backrest support is so much better than my Malibu.  Learning how to crawl in and out over the side bolsters is the annoyance and is truly a first world problem.  I could have alleviated that by settling for the Preferred with the cloth non bolstered seats.  But then those would not have been heated seats.

I have my leftover snows from my Maliibu last year but they are 17 inch.  The buick is 18".  I may have to buy some wheels soon. I'm looking at some OEM Malibu wheels from 2019 on Ebay to possibly use.

 

I want to learn how that marketplace feature works on the infotainment.  I want to order a latte over my car screen soon.......

 

Edited October 7, 2019 by regfootball

[caddycruiser]

Great review. Good to know they've improved the infotainment further, as previous iterations have been clunky, and CUE (great reference) was horrendous.

Lovin' the wagon. You may see this too. On Friday, I was still in my Forester. Then switched to the preproduction 2020 Outback...much more refined, and more space. Went to buy furniture this morning, and 2 tables, a new chair, and other items, no sweat. Just a bit lower ingress...but that length makes much difference.

Happy wagon'ing;)

We work with a store that is Subaru and Buick/GMC...good reference point. Used to endlessly lease last gen Regals, etc.

Now, "the new one. No. We never have many, and there's no programs. A lease on a Sportback can be $600-650+...no kidding". All the more reason find a heavily depreciated CPO, exec car, etc. and check the buy options like you did.

Edited October 6, 2019 by caddycruiser

[Drew Dowdell]

I don't know what GM is doing these days, there are no deals on anything except trucks.  

[trinacriabob]

@regfootball

I wasn't around when you posted this.  Congrats.  This is one American car that definitely looks European, especially when I see one coming at me from my rear view mirror.

Interesting color (is it a shade of silver or bronze?  Can't tell).  That character line toward the rear wheel well works well.

Mostly, I wanted to say that it's great you were able to use your GM Card earnings on a low mileage demo.  I figured you could, but wasn't sure.

For my purposes, I wish they'd have also rolled out this model as a regular sedan, keeping those styling cues I mentioned.  I once drove an Opel Insignia in Europe as a rental and loved it, especially the "Americanness" of the automatic transmission.

[regfootball]

On 10/8/2019 at 7:27 PM, Drew Dowdell said:

I don't know what GM is doing these days, there are no deals on anything except trucks.  

Model year changeover. Plus a strike.  Maybe they feel their 19’s don’t need to go any lower because they are enough savings vs a same 2020. And then maybe they figure they need to preserve inventory.  I dunno GM does silly things. 

13 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

@regfootball

I wasn't around when you posted this.  Congrats.  This is one American car that definitely looks European, especially when I see one coming at me from my rear view mirror.

Interesting color (is it a shade of silver or bronze?  Can't tell).  That character line toward the rear wheel well works well.

Mostly, I wanted to say that it's great you were able to use your GM Card earnings on a low mileage demo.  I figured you could, but wasn't sure.

For my purposes, I wish they'd have also rolled out this model as a regular sedan, keeping those styling cues I mentioned.  I once drove an Opel Insignia in Europe as a rental and loved it, especially the "Americanness" of the automatic transmission.

Smoked pearl is a grey green and wth they discontinued it for 2020. Problems with the mix of the paint I guess. 

The sportback actually is just as useful as the wagon but call me lazy.  I wanted a power hatch and really the sportback should have an optional power hatch for such a big lid. The sportback load floor is lower so the usable space is actually really close  

This would be hot with the extra spoiler and the nicer wheels than the US GS version. And, if they put the 2.7t in it or the 3.0t v6?  Then we’d have a serious sleeper  

 

 

To date, my biggest regret on the car so far is the overbolstered, narrow, kind of hard seats. The support is nice but it’s hard rolling in and out of them for ingress and egress. With the car being so low and all.  . And the boosters are just too close together.

Edited October 13, 2019 by regfootball

[caddycruiser]

The seats in this new gen are so flat and narrow...I never expected the word "bolsters" to even make an appearance, outside of the GS seats. They never impressed me vs. something like the complete wrap around bolsters on bolsters of my 2012 GS that I loved.

Seats are most important though. Hope you adjust.

[G. David Felt]

On 10/12/2019 at 9:27 PM, regfootball said:

Model year changeover. Plus a strike.  Maybe they feel their 19’s don’t need to go any lower because they are enough savings vs a same 2020. And then maybe they figure they need to preserve inventory.  I dunno GM does silly things. 

Smoked pearl is a grey green and wth they discontinued it for 2020. Problems with the mix of the paint I guess. 

The sportback actually is just as useful as the wagon but call me lazy.  I wanted a power hatch and really the sportback should have an optional power hatch for such a big lid. The sportback load floor is lower so the usable space is actually really close  

This would be hot with the extra spoiler and the nicer wheels than the US GS version. And, if they put the 2.7t in it or the 3.0t v6?  Then we’d have a serious sleeper  

 

 

To date, my biggest regret on the car so far is the overbolstered, narrow, kind of hard seats. The support is nice but it’s hard rolling in and out of them for ingress and egress. With the car being so low and all.  . And the boosters are just too close together.

So they pinch the thighs?

[trinacriabob]

On 10/13/2019 at 12:27 AM, regfootball said:

To date, my biggest regret on the car so far is the overbolstered, narrow, kind of hard seats. The support is nice but it’s hard rolling in and out of them for ingress and egress. 

Haha.  Am I reading the words ingress and egress?  Good one!  I was at the dealership today for a LOF.  I went into showroom and saw the wagon version.  I like the fact that the rear view camera screen is "contained" under the cowl of the dash.  I wish more new cars would integrate it into the dash that way (the correct way, for me).  I did notice the console sits high.  Does that feel okay or make it seem more like a sports/sporty car for you?

I told the salesman it would be nice as a sedan, with a defined backlite and identifiable rear trunk lid.  He said he will miss sedans and once had a Park Avenue Ultra.  And that this model, as most of us know, will be the only Buick passenger car next year. The times are a changin.'

[regfootball]

On 10/14/2019 at 10:50 AM, dfelt said:

So they pinch the thighs?

Quite a bit!

3 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

Haha.  Am I reading the words ingress and egress?  Good one!  I was at the dealership today for a LOF.  I went into showroom and saw the wagon version.  I like the fact that the rear view camera screen is "contained" under the cowl of the dash.  I wish more new cars would integrate it into the dash that way (the correct way, for me).  I did notice the console sits high.  Does that feel okay or make it seem more like a sports/sporty car for you?

I told the salesman it would be nice as a sedan, with a defined backlite and identifiable rear trunk lid.  He said he will miss sedans and once had a Park Avenue Ultra.  And that this model, as most of us know, will be the only Buick passenger car next year. The times are a changin.'

I thought the word egress might connect with you. Lol what is the occupant load. ?

I don’t mind the high console actually but the getting in and out of the car requires gymnastics to do gracefully as I get older 

Love this car!

But i should have gotten a crossover ?

[daves87rs]

On 10/13/2019 at 12:27 AM, regfootball said:

Model year changeover. Plus a strike.  Maybe they feel their 19’s don’t need to go any lower because they are enough savings vs a same 2020. And then maybe they figure they need to preserve inventory.  I dunno GM does silly things. 

Smoked pearl is a grey green and wth they discontinued it for 2020. Problems with the mix of the paint I guess. 

The sportback actually is just as useful as the wagon but call me lazy.  I wanted a power hatch and really the sportback should have an optional power hatch for such a big lid. The sportback load floor is lower so the usable space is actually really close  

This would be hot with the extra spoiler and the nicer wheels than the US GS version. And, if they put the 2.7t in it or the 3.0t v6?  Then we’d have a serious sleeper  

 

 

To date, my biggest regret on the car so far is the overbolstered, narrow, kind of hard seats. The support is nice but it’s hard rolling in and out of them for ingress and egress. With the car being so low and all.  . And the boosters are just too close together.

I'll take that in red please......

[Robert Hall]

I like the Tour X in this dark red.

[ccap41]

19 minutes ago, Robert Hall said:

I like the Tour X in this dark red.

I like that color A LOT! 

If they could reduce the cladding around the wheel wells it would look so much better. 

[Robert Hall]

4 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

I like that color A LOT! 

If they could reduce the cladding around the wheel wells it would look so much better. 

Yeah, it looks better w/o the obligatory crossover cladding..

Edited October 17, 2019 by Robert Hall

[balthazar]

15 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

If they could reduce the cladding around the wheel wells it would look so much better. 

I have no problem with it- so many of the same segment/niche have cladding also. For some reason- only Buick seems to get banged for it. [audi allroad]

[frogger]

But then they would have to call it a station wagon and sell 1000 instead of 5000 a year.

 

 

[ccap41]

6 minutes ago, balthazar said:

I have no problem with it- so many of the same segment/niche have cladding also. For some reason- only Buick seems to get banged for it. [audi allroad]

Some look better than others with it. None look great with it but some it fits a little better than others. 

But, I think it looks terrible on the Allroad as well. 

It isn't the cladding itself that I don't like it is how thick and tall it is(Tour X and Allroad).

I think this is an appropriate amount for a luxury or premium branded vehicle.  

[Robert Hall]

I don't mind the cladding, would look better without it, IMO.  The odd thing about the Buick cladding is the pointless tab at the top center (some other makers do that also).  It's very color dependent also...on a dark colored vehicle it's not so noticeable.  (My black Jeep GC has black cladding around the arches and on the sills and is unnoticeable...black cladding on a light colored vehicle would stand out more).

Edited October 17, 2019 by Robert Hall

[frogger]

The Outback probably has about 1000% more cladding when measured by depth (yeah some owners probably use a little more as a softroader than TourX owners).  I can live with the TourX cladding.

 

 

[ccap41]

24 minutes ago, frogger said:

The Outback probably has about 1000% more cladding when measured by depth (yeah some owners probably use a little more as a softroader than TourX owners).  I can live with the TourX cladding.

Brand and marketing make the difference acceptable there, imo. One is a premium/luxury brand making commercials in cities and suburbs and the other markets to being capable anywhere you want to go. 

 

 

[trinacriabob]

10 hours ago, Robert Hall said:

I like the Tour X in this dark red.

Dark red, or that dark red, does work well on this vehicle.  With a little maneuvering of the pencil here and there, that could make for a fine looking Buick sport sedan.  But that won't be happening.  

Edited October 18, 2019 by trinacriabob

[regfootball]

On 10/17/2019 at 10:30 AM, Robert Hall said:

I don't mind the cladding, would look better without it, IMO.  The odd thing about the Buick cladding is the pointless tab at the top center (some other makers do that also).  It's very color dependent also...on a dark colored vehicle it's not so noticeable.  (My black Jeep GC has black cladding around the arches and on the sills and is unnoticeable...black cladding on a light colored vehicle would stand out more).

100% spot on. 

The white frost tourx also should have grey cladding. Not black. 

Edited October 19, 2019 by regfootball

[regfootball]

On 10/17/2019 at 10:26 AM, frogger said:

But then they would have to call it a station wagon and sell 1000 instead of 5000 a year.

 

 

Absolute truth. 

Two things, if GM hadn’t sold Opel (by doing so they created a situation where they are only selling enough on purpose to meet the contract) they might actually want to sell this vehicle. If they did want to sell more maybe they could also sell the decladded versions.  The second thing is GM overprices things and messes up the option packaging. Buick’s should have items like heated seats seats and rear armrests standard. 

 

Admittedly at the end of the day nowadays anything that is not a crossover is destined to be a niche offering.  

Edited October 19, 2019 by regfootball

[riviera74]

15 minutes ago, regfootball said:

Absolute truth. 

Two things, if GM hadn’t sold Opel (by doing so they created a situation where they are only selling enough on purpose to meet the contract) they might actually want to sell this vehicle. If they did want to sell more maybe they could also sell the decladded versions.  The second thing is GM overprices things and messes up the option packaging. Buick’s should have items like heated seats seats and rear armrests standard. 

 

Admittedly at the end of the day nowadays anything that is not a crossover is destined to be a niche offering.  

Selling Opel was the right thing to do, especially given the situation in the European market these days.

In terms of the CAR itself, sure it would be better if there were decladded cars to sell since cladding usually looks bad on almost any car.  As for GM overpricing, spot on.  There needs to be a serious rethinking on GM's part when it comes to options.  What GM should do is make the top of the line standard and make a couple option packages on each vehicle (that's it!).

[regfootball]

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 20, 2019 by regfootball

[balthazar]

Standing in a parking lot rightnow: see an MB, honda, nissan, toyoter, GMC... they ALL have black plastic wheelwell trim (“cladding”).

Except its just trim; cladding is applied OVER the vehicle’s panels, like subaru does. Or the old Grand Ams, or the feature’s ‘trendsetter’: Mercedes.

[regfootball]

this 'tourx' idea.....i wonder if it wouldn't be better on a full size RWD/AWD chassis, and larger size like the Avenir concept.  They could have the Avenir sedan and a full size TourX ; i know it would still be a low volume product but the vison of a grand touring wagon i think would be even better if the car were larger, 2-4 inches wider, a few inches taller (seat H point 2 inches taller), and 6-8 inches more on the wheelbase.  Like CT6 sized....

Edited October 20, 2019 by regfootball

[regfootball]

Secured wheels for my snows from another donor Buick  

Edited November 3, 2019 by regfootball

[balthazar]

24”? Kidding; camera angle makes them look huge.

[regfootball]

18”. Someone upgraded their lacrosse to the GM factory 20’s and so these 18’s became available.