2018 BUICK REGAL TOURX VS. SUBARU OUTBACK 3.6R VS. VOLKSWAGEN GOLF ALLTRACK

Comparing America’s mainstream wagons

Station wagons have come a long way since their mid-20th century heyday. Back then, wagons were just longer sedans, no more, no less. These days, whether we like it or not, most wagons justify their place in the U.S. by having all-wheel drive and riding higher than their sedan counterparts, blurring the line between car and crossover.

The newcomer to the station wagon game is the Buick Regal TourX. The 2018 Regal TourX is Buick’s first wagon since the cult-classic Roadmaster went out of production in 1996. Designed, engineered, and built by former GM subsidiary Opel in Germany, the Regal TourX serves as a bridge of sorts between high-riding American-style wagons and sporty European-style “estates.” Based on the Opel Insignia Tourer, the Regal TourX gets (you guessed it) body cladding, a minor suspension increase (giving it 5.7 inches of sunshine under the car), and standard all-wheel drive. The only available powertrain is a 2.0-liter turbo-four that makes 250 hp and 295 lb-ft mated to an eight-speed auto. The upside is that its $35,995 start price is lower than the others and includes niceties such as Apple CarPlay, heated seats, and a heated steering wheel.

Although all three manufacturers take a similar approach to executing their wagons, they all drive differently. The Buick Regal TourX artfully splits the difference between the German and Japanese wagon. Its 2.0-liter engine and eight-speed auto combination is a good one; the turbocharged four-cylinder is gutsy and powerful while still managing to be smooth and quiet. The Regal’s transmission doesn’t make any pretense of being sporty, but it shifts smartly and isn’t afraid to kick down a gear or two if need be. “Even at high speeds, the engine never felt taxed, and the eight-speed was smooth with no hunting,” Priddle said.

The Regal TourX rides and handles well, too. The American wagon’s suspension is soft and compliant like the Subaru’s but without the Outback’s body roll through corners. Steering is nice, too-light yet responsive.

At the test track the Buick leads our group in just about all of our instrumented tests. The Regal TourX hits 60 mph from a standstill in 6.3 seconds and blows through the quarter mile in 14.7 seconds at 94.7 mph. Its 60-0 result of 118 feet is just a foot longer than the Volkswagen, but the Regal makes things up on the figure eight with a test-best lap of 26.2 seconds at 0.69 g average. The Regal’s EPA rating of 21/29/24 mpg is impressive, too, considering the numbers it put down at the track, but it might be a touch optimistic; in our testing we achieved 18.2/32.3/22.6 Real MPG. 

The Buick Regal TourX earned the gold medal. It’s close, but the Regal provides most of the capability of the Outback, in a more attractive and more efficient package, and it’s nicer to drive. 

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