On Tour - 2019 Buick Regal TourX

[G. David Felt]

Lots of rubber on those tires for spring and summer.

[regfootball]

Yeah where am I going to store that third set of tires ?

[regfootball]

Whoa. I just realized.  I picked those up in LaCrosse WI and they were originally off a Buick LaCrosse ??  And then what.  Just glad I didn’t lacrosse myself 

http://languagehat.com/no-lacrosse-for-canada/

Edited November 4, 2019 by regfootball

[balthazar]

?  La Crosse WI; birthplace of Edward Gein. 612 Gould St, 11:30 PM.  ?

[regfootball]

These wheels make the wagon look more ‘estate’ like whereby the stock wheels try to look ‘crossover’. Both end up looking good and these look better than I thought they would on the tourx.  

Edited November 4, 2019 by regfootball

[Drew Dowdell]

Such a good looking vehicle. 

[ocnblu]

15 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

Such a good looking vehicle. 

Makes the Envision look like a Chinese knock-off "Buick".  I mean I know it's an Opel, but... yes, very handsome car.

[regfootball]

Sorry. Had to take another photo. 

[regfootball]

me thinks this Opel branded roof cargo box would be a neat accessory....

 

Edited November 22, 2019 by regfootball

[caddycruiser]

Those look GREAT on there...way better than the base/silver/etc. normal Regal wheels on the hatch.

Wagon is a looker.

[regfootball]

11 minutes ago, caddycruiser said:

Those look GREAT on there...way better than the base/silver/etc. normal Regal wheels on the hatch.

Wagon is a looker.

Too bad it has all the cladding!

used car price watch. For anyone looking, some of the 2018 sportbacks with 25k or less miles around here are seriously on the market for around 16 grand.  That would be for one with cloth / no heated seats and say no blind spot. 

[regfootball]

On 11/20/2019 at 9:14 PM, regfootball said:

Sorry. Had to take another photo. 

curious, does it really look better w/o cladding?

  

[balthazar]

Nope.
But it actually doesn't have cladding with either version, so...

[ykX]

It does look much better without cladding IMO.

But even with the cladding it is a great looking car.

[frogger]

12 hours ago, regfootball said:

Too bad it has all the cladding!

used car price watch. For anyone looking, some of the 2018 sportbacks with 25k or less miles around here are seriously on the market for around 16 grand.  That would be for one with cloth / no heated seats and say no blind spot. 

Former daily rentals?  Seems like 90% of the used 2018's up here are.  As for the cladding I don't mind it, though that bit at the top of the wheel wells is a bit odd.

 

 

 

Edited November 25, 2019 by frogger

[regfootball]

Liking the ride.  The 2.0 is quite nasal-ly but it seems to be getting broke in / smoother.  MPG is down now with winter and shit winter blend although I still most often go to costco and put top tier premium in it.  Defintely justifies the costco membership to save 20-40 cents a gallon on the premium.  I'll probably take it for an oil change in the next couple weeks.

Wife and I stole a lunch hour recently and went to the local BBQ joint.  Parked right next to a red hot 2019 Blazer.  Wife (without prompting) commented on how 'cute' the Blazer was. 

She generally doesn't comment on cars, so she must have really saw something she liked.

I then informed her that if we hadnt gotten the TourX, the Blazer in exactly that color was the runner up but that the numbers worked out better on the TourX for more stuff, too.

Recently there has been statements like, we don't need a van next time, and 'the van's too big'.  And so methinks that depending on what happens with less than year left on the Pacfica lease now, she may just fine with the red hot Blazer I never got instead of the TourX.

In the meantime, whenever i drive something like our van and get back in the TourX, i just think that despite my wanting to capitulate to the modern way of an SUV for better ingress and egress, I just enjoy driving the TourX so much.  It's not a luxury vehicle, and it's not perfect... but the interior design and the driving position and the console lend a sporty intimate (but not too much so) feel that so many vehicles....particularly CUV's and SUV's....do not have.  Even sedans.  Someday, and maybe sooner rather than later I will hop on the CUV bandwagon.  But for now, the nice handling and ride, good reflexes of a sedan like vehicle with AWD for the winter and nice pulses of turbo torque make for a nice ride.  It's been enjoyable so far and it's cool how it's unique in the sea of the mind numbing automotive landscape.

[regfootball]

coming up on one year.  Love this ride.  Yes, it's not an SUV..... this rogue little ride has not been getting the use due to COVID and as such, when i purchased almost a year ago to the day as new demo with around 4,000 miles...I am now at only about 12,000 on the odometer.  Lots less family travel with father in law passing away and not taking many trips to see mom.  But did just get the oil changed at a Buick dealer last week and then drove about 500 miles with it.  The gas mileage really took a jump, post oil change.  I averaged about 33 mpg over two long legs of the trip and even in town its been pulling higher in the twenties.  This may just be an anomoly as it mostly has returned 24 mpg over the vehicle life so far (trending towards 25).  For a fuel sucking turbo AWD this is not bad.  I've fed it premium fuel exclusively since i have had it...most fill ups at Costco with their top tier fuel, including one at about a 1.50 a gallon earlier this summer.  This 2.0 is being retired on many GM vehicle lines now....but I will enjoy the 250hp and 295-lb ft of torque while i have it.  It's not a burner but is still perhaps the quickest vehicle I have owned (except for my v-6 89 Taurus SHO...its faster than my v8 SHO).  Still yet I would always enjoy more speed....

Everyone who sees this car for the first time thinks its really cool, and then they ask what the hell it is.  Then i get the 'I didn't know Buick made that car'.  Or the 'that's a wagon...a good looking wagon!'.  Even the service manager who assisted me the last week said, 'I've only ever seen 1 other one', shaking his head as if to imply, that is a good looking car why didn't they sell more?  I explained to him that i felt they overpriced the car and that the option packaging was terrible.  I said trying to find one with all options or at least the way you would accept it was near impossible.  I could have gotten into it more that the whole Regal line was botched from a price and marketing / packages perspective....but its a waste of time since the model was cancelled here.  Such a shame, because the enthusiasm people get when they see it tells me greatly that if promoted and packaged correctly, it would have seen many more buyers in the market.

I visited a completed job site a couple weeks ago to view an apartment tower our company completed.  One of my fellow team leader coworkers whose project it was also has a Regal...a Sportback in the same Smoked Pearl Metallic.  As we both pulled out of the parking lot at the end of the tour, with some of our other coworkers looking on they made the remark that managers drive gray Buick Regals apparently.  Clearly they were making jokes but they all thought our cars were cool.  Sometimes its fun having something unique in a market flooded with the usual compact CUV suspects.

I just read on another site about the 2021 Regal refresh in China.  A 1.5 is standard on the Regal there but the new LSY 2.0 motor is now available on their Regal.  It's the same 2.0 with 237hp and 258 Lb ft that is available on many North America GM vehicles.  I would be interested in seeing how that compares to the 2.0 in mine.  I do know the LSY gets better mpg, and although it is for sure slower, I imagine its a very good match for the Regal, and it should be put in the Malibu here as well.

Here's some pictures of over the last few months.....

 

 

Edited September 12, 2020 by regfootball

[regfootball]

One year CARVERSARY today.  WOOT.

[2QuickZ's]

I still want one of these.  My problem is there are too many cars I want and not enough time or money for them all!  I have another year on my CTS lease and a used one of these (or possibly even the hatchback) may be its replacement.  I have time to figure out what my commute is going to look like, I guess.  I was 3k miles ahead of my lease back in March when I started WFH but now I am about 1.5k behind.  If it looks like the work from home is going to stick around for a while, even if it changes to 2-3 days per week, it will probably make more sense to get something new to replace our van and buy a cheap, used car to replace my CTS.  Maybe a Cruze or a Sonic.

[daves87rs]

1 hour ago, 2QuickZ's said:

I still want one of these.  My problem is there are too many cars I want and not enough time or money for them all!  I have another year on my CTS lease and a used one of these (or possibly even the hatchback) may be its replacement.  I have time to figure out what my commute is going to look like, I guess.  I was 3k miles ahead of my lease back in March when I started WFH but now I am about 1.5k behind.  If it looks like the work from home is going to stick around for a while, even if it changes to 2-3 days per week, it will probably make more sense to get something new to replace our van and buy a cheap, used car to replace my CTS.  Maybe a Cruze or a Sonic.

Well, these used are nicely priced...spotted a 18 with 28k for 16500....not too bad for a wagon.... ? 

[regfootball]

Changed back to the all seasons a couple weeks ago. Out about 4,000 miles on last year. Just about at 15,000 on the odo. Despite the strong 2.0, I think it would have been nice to have a v6 option in this car. 
 

still agree with one of my own earlier comments. This car on a larger chassis would really more fully  realize the concept. Still, enjoying the ride. Another young German car fan gave me the cool car chat when I was getting the tires changed over. ‘Cool wagon, I love those!’

Edited April 18, 2021 by regfootball

[balthazar]

It is a looker.
I would be interested to see some shots in the open hatch, with the rear seat up & down.

[regfootball]

13 hours ago, balthazar said:

It is a looker.
I would be interested to see some shots in the open hatch, with the rear seat up & down.

sure thing, i'll get some soon.

One huge downfall to the wagon is the load floor is up higher than it is on the sportback.  This is where my ire is with GM here.  The sportback may actually have more of a useful cargo area when the seats are folder due to the lower floor.  PLus i have already had several instances where the cargo falls out of the trunk when you open the hatch.  I need to figure out a barrier solution, as the load floor slopes lower towards the hatch opening.  Already had shampoo fly out of the hatch, rool down the driveway and all the way across the street.

The problem with the Sportback is that is doesn't have the power hatch like the wagon, and the sunroof on the Sportback is way too small to be anything enjoyable.  So the wagon, can't get the v6 and has the higher load floor, but you get power hatch and huge moonroof.  The Sportback has lower load floor, and V6 option, but a fairly unimpressive sunroof and no power hatch.

If the wagon had the same low load floor of the Sportback that would have made for a lot more cargo area and the most useful load floor.  The actual cargo area height of the wagon is not that impressive, actually.

[balthazar]

In my wife's Malibu, we have a couple of those heavy cardboard 'flats'; around 18" x 24", helps when you go shopping to keep things from a-rollin' / shopping where they have no bags (Costco).

Or, you could fashion a 'U' shaped barrier the width of the interior, to retain items from rolling out. Only needs to be about 3" high at the rear.

[surreal1272]

On 4/18/2021 at 4:17 AM, regfootball said:

Changed back to the all seasons a couple weeks ago. Out about 4,000 miles on last year. Just about at 15,000 on the odo. Despite the strong 2.0, I think it would have been nice to have a v6 option in this car. 
 

still agree with one of my own earlier comments. This car on a larger chassis would really more fully  realize the concept. Still, enjoying the ride. Another young German car fan gave me the cool car chat when I was getting the tires changed over. ‘Cool wagon, I love those!’

That is still one sharp looking ride. Hopefully it has served you well.

[regfootball]

5 hours ago, balthazar said:

In my wife's Malibu, we have a couple of those heavy cardboard 'flats'; around 18" x 24", helps when you go shopping to keep things from a-rollin' / shopping where they have no bags (Costco).

Or, you could fashion a 'U' shaped barrier the width of the interior, to retain items from rolling out. Only needs to be about 3" high at the rear.

yeah we have a few of those in the garage come to think of it.  they are handy.

[regfootball]

Met mom and her DTS as she drove part way to our place for the weekend.  Her first long trip with the 11 DTS she got last summer.  I drove it.  Firmer ride than the 2002 or 3 which was it, she finally sold recently.

Took an opportunity to get some pics of hers and my TourX together.  She says hers is fast because it has 8 cylinders.  I keep telling her, "mine is faster" because it is, despite less than half the displacement...mine has tUrBo?

the evening sunlight was hitting the cars just right. 

Edited June 24, 2021 by regfootball

[G. David Felt]

@regfootball Looking good, Awesome rides!

[regfootball]

coming up on two years of ownership in a month or so.  have only put about 13,500 miles on the car myself so far.

been driving more recently, and actually the gas mileage has now been consistently in the 25-26 range with the nice summer weather and the steady diet of Costco top tier premium gas.  The mpg has noticeable improved over last year as the car is apparently breaking in more and more.

it's too bad the stereo sucks so bad, and that the radio / head unit / software is so temperamental.  If I get rid of the car anytime down the road (and I hope to keep it a long time), it will be a shame that is it due to the stereo sucking....or wanting to 'sit higher up'.  Or both.

If the Blazer's interior wasn't so cheesy, and if GM hadn't packaged their options so poorly and ridiculously expensive, that would have been what I had ended up in instead.

[G. David Felt]

2 hours ago, regfootball said:

coming up on two years of ownership in a month or so.  have only put about 13,500 miles on the car myself so far.

been driving more recently, and actually the gas mileage has now been consistently in the 25-26 range with the nice summer weather and the steady diet of Costco top tier premium gas.  The mpg has noticeable improved over last year as the car is apparently breaking in more and more.

it's too bad the stereo sucks so bad, and that the radio / head unit / software is so temperamental.  If I get rid of the car anytime down the road (and I hope to keep it a long time), it will be a shame that is it due to the stereo sucking....or wanting to 'sit higher up'.  Or both.

If the Blazer's interior wasn't so cheesy, and if GM hadn't packaged their options so poorly and ridiculously expensive, that would have been what I had ended up in instead.

I strongly suggest a 3rd party head unit that supports Android/Apple. I love my Pioneer Head unit I put in my 2008 Trailblazer SS as a replacement to the GM OEM unit. When the OEM unit died, I could not see myself spending $1,500 on a refurbished head unit that was dated to 2008 rather than a modern 2019 unit when I had it done. 

Still Loving it, planning to replace the Head Unit in my Escalade next year.

[regfootball]

3 hours ago, David said:

I strongly suggest a 3rd party head unit that supports Android/Apple. I love my Pioneer Head unit I put in my 2008 Trailblazer SS as a replacement to the GM OEM unit. When the OEM unit died, I could not see myself spending $1,500 on a refurbished head unit that was dated to 2008 rather than a modern 2019 unit when I had it done. 

Still Loving it, planning to replace the Head Unit in my Escalade next year.

Makes sense but the Regal is a 2019 and I am unsure any products out there that can replace the factory unit since it controls all the climate and settings for the car as well. Software updates haven’t solved anything. 

[G. David Felt]

7 hours ago, regfootball said:

Makes sense but the Regal is a 2019 and I am unsure any products out there that can replace the factory unit since it controls all the climate and settings for the car as well. Software updates haven’t solved anything. 

WOW, Did not know that they had combined everything into one head unit. I see it is apple and Android compatible according to this PDF I found online.

GTK_2019_Buick_Regal_TourX_84414198_B.pdf

Interesting, but a good FAQ on your head unit here: Frequently Asked Questions | Buick Infotainment System

Is your system the 7" system or the upgraded 8" system. If 7" sounds like some of the issues that have ended up in the class action law suite against GM. General Motors Faces Class Action Over Infotainment System | GM Authority

Seems your auto is on the update that S22.9 update should fix some issues. TSB 19-NA-249 GM Infotainment Update Fixes Grayed-Out Favorite Issue | GM Authority

Not sure if you have the standard or Upgraded Navigation HD Radio unit. But you can buy the upgraded radio unit to update your auto.

2019-2020 Buick Regal IntelliLink® IOU GPS Navigation HD Radio Upgrade - Infotainment.com

[ccap41]

3rd party head units look like complete garbage in  modern vehicle. 

[G. David Felt]

3 hours ago, ccap41 said:

3rd party head units look like complete garbage in  modern vehicle. 

I have to totally disagree with you as the one in my Trailblazer looks great and fits right into the original place, but way better.

[ccap41]

Just now, David said:

I have to totally disagree with you as the one in my Trailblazer looks great and fits right into the original place, but way better.

I guess when I say "modern" I mean within the last ten years. Any 2019 with an aftermarket head unit will look worse than factory, regardless of the improvement in functionality and/or sound quality. 

[G. David Felt]

6 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

I guess when I say "modern" I mean within the last ten years. Any 2019 with an aftermarket head unit will look worse than factory, regardless of the improvement in functionality and/or sound quality. 

OK, so your saying if it flows with the dash, an aftermarket unit will not flow then. Seems the 2019 unit is a plug n play upgrade unit under the dash as you do not replace the screen in regards to what I posted. Very interesting as I have noticed that the screens tend to stay on the last few years auto's compared to my 2008 Trailblazer SS where they replaced everything including the screen.

[regfootball]

how the heck often does THIS HAPPEN?

 

 

[Robert Hall]

^ happens to me often...if I see an empty parking space next to another GC, I take it..and I often find other people doing the same with me.  

Though probably less common with Tour Xes because they were so low volume. 

Edited August 5, 2021 by Robert Hall

[oldshurst442]

1 hour ago, regfootball said:

 

 

Is it me and the way the angle of the photograph is taken, but I see this how both Buicks are parked

 

...although still within the lines... 

Are Buick owners slightly drifting in the "what is the difference between porcupines and BMW owners" level?  

Maybe?   

 

Edited August 5, 2021 by oldshurst442

[ccap41]

37 minutes ago, oldshurst442 said:

Is it me and the way the angle of the photograph is taken, but I see this how both Buicks are parked

I thought the same thing but I think it is just the angle of the picture, after looking at the distance to the line of the front tire. 

Edited August 5, 2021 by ccap41

[surreal1272]

4 hours ago, ccap41 said:

I guess when I say "modern" I mean within the last ten years. Any 2019 with an aftermarket head unit will look worse than factory, regardless of the improvement in functionality and/or sound quality. 

Not if you know what you’re doing and assuming the dash can actually accommodate an aftermarket head unit. Alpine makes several models that resemble the floating tablets in most cars today. 

16 hours ago, regfootball said:

Makes sense but the Regal is a 2019 and I am unsure any products out there that can replace the factory unit since it controls all the climate and settings for the car as well. Software updates haven’t solved anything. 

Metris makes data link harnesses that will fit most new cars with HVAC controls built in but you have to do your research on them and they may not be available with all models. I know they make some for my Flex but I have to urge to swap out currently and it wouldn’t be cheap to do it anyway. 

[regfootball]

I thought when I brought the car to the dealer for the control arm fix that I got the .9 version upgrade but for the life of me I can’t find in the menus what version it is. It does have factory nav and hd radio. It is a terrible sounding system. 

8 hours ago, oldshurst442 said:

 

Is it me and the way the angle of the photograph is taken, but I see this how both Buicks are parked

 

...although still within the lines... 

Are Buick owners slightly drifting in the "what is the difference between porcupines and BMW owners" level?  

Maybe?   

 

Since these Regals are ‘German cars’ I guess now we get to join the ranks of the German car douchebags club that is mostly comprised of Bmw / merc / audi drivers 

[oldshurst442]

8 hours ago, regfootball said:

Since these Regals are ‘German cars’ I guess now we get to join the ranks of the German car douchebags club that is mostly comprised of Bmw / merc / audi drivers 

[ccap41]

13 hours ago, surreal1272 said:

Not if you know what you’re doing and assuming the dash can actually accommodate an aftermarket head unit. Alpine makes several models that resemble the floating tablets in most cars today. 

Do you have an example? I legitimately have not seen an aftermarket head unit in modern vehicles that flows and looks like it belongs there. 

[Drew Dowdell]

3 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

Do you have an example? I legitimately have not seen an aftermarket head unit in modern vehicles that flows and looks like it belongs there. 

There are a few, but they are make/model/year specific.  Like you can get an Apple Carplay capable unit.

This is a replacement head unit for a 2007 - 2021 Camry

This is a unit that I could put into my Avalanche.

 

[surreal1272]

27 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

Do you have an example? I legitimately have not seen an aftermarket head unit in modern vehicles that flows and looks like it belongs there. 

Drew showed some good examples but look on places like Crutchfield. The big issue now though, is cost because it no longer involves just swapping out a head unit and harness. There are more steps, more parts, and more money involved now. There are also exceptions to this rule as some models just can’t be done like that at all but they are more common then you realize. 

[Drew Dowdell]

7 minutes ago, surreal1272 said:

Drew showed some good examples but look on places like Crutchfield. The big issue now though, is cost because it no longer involves just swapping out a head unit and harness. There are more steps, more parts, and more money involved now. There are also exceptions to this rule as some models just can’t be done like that at all but they are more common then you realize. 

I like crutchfield, but honestly, they don't seem to carry a lot of these model specific units.  Unless you have something SUPER common like a Camry or Accord, they won't have it.

[surreal1272]

20 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

I like crutchfield, but honestly, they don't seem to carry a lot of these model specific units.  Unless you have something SUPER common like a Camry or Accord, they won't have it.

True but I was just trying to provide one quick example. There are other sources out there, I'm sure. 

Edited August 6, 2021 by surreal1272

[surreal1272]

It is true that the 3rd party car stereo market is shrinking quickly because of these new models with integrated controls for HVAC and such.  Then there is the design aspect of these newer models cars. There are options, of course, but they are getting far fewer by the year. It's even worse for these models that have just one big ass screen (like the new Escalade and the Benz hypersreens) stretching across the dashboard.

[riviera74]

53 minutes ago, surreal1272 said:

It is true that the 3rd party car stereo market is shrinking quickly because of these new models with integrated controls for HVAC and such.  Then there is the design aspect of these newer models cars. There are options, of course, but they are getting far fewer by the year. It's even worse for these models that have just one big ass screen (like the new Escalade and the Benz hypersreens) stretching across the dashboard.

Too bad really.  I could easily replace my stock GM radio in my Buick Lucerne.  Sometimes, I wonder if we are better off buying a base model which has far less stuff for the infotainment.  Or is that now too hard on newer cars?