Car_and_Driver_USA_July_2017

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Reveal of the Month
ROAD MASTER
DON’T CALL THE TOURX A CROSSOVER. BUT YOU MIGHT CALL IT A SUBARUICK. by David Beard
THE STATION WAGON has long faced extinction, but a
counterpoint to the rise of the crossover and the decline
of the sedan can be found in the current wobbly resuscitation
of the wagon. Subaru has done its part to preserve an otherwise
unfashionable style, recasting the wagon as an outdoorsy
hiking shoe that isn’t an SUV. It sold nearly 183,000 Outbacks in
2016. The Audi A4 Allroad and Volkswagen Golf Alltrack, among
others, now mimic that template. Latest to the party is Buick,
which is getting in on the wagon-conservation effort with its new
Regal TourX, the first wagon to wear the tri-shield badge in the
22 years since the Buick Roadmaster Estate wagon expired.
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Both the TourX and
its Sportback sibling
boast active hoods for
pedestrian safety.
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For added toughness,
the TourX’s blastic
cladding incorporates
little mud-flap–like flares
at the trailing edges of
the rear wheel wells.
EXTERIOR
It could be said that the Germany-built Buick Regal TourX is spun
from Europe’s Opel Insignia Country Tourer (Opel having
recently been sold by GM to France’s PSA Group, maker of Peugeot
and Citroën), but let’s be honest; the TourX is the Country
Tourer. The only differences are the badges on the grille and liftgate
and on the center wheel caps. The Subaru Outback–like proportions
are made beautiful by Mazda-esque styling. Hockeystick-shaped
LED running lights accent
the slim headlights—which can be
upgraded to LEDs themselves—visually
widening the stance. The roof rails sit atop
a sleek roofline, highlighted by exceedingly
long chrome arches that seem to stretch
from the TourX’s A-pillars to the A-pillars
of the car following it. To give the Regal
wagon a fighting chance against Encores
and Enclaves in showrooms, molded black
plastic trim houses dual chrome exhaust
exits in the rear and encompasses the
lower fascia, wheel arches, and rocker panels.
This “blastic,” starkly at odds with the
body’s fluid lines, provides the desired rugged
look and protects the paint for the few
who may actually take the TourX off the
beaten path. The 18-inch wheels wrapped
in Continental rubber are the only wheeland-tire
package available.
photography by JOHN ROE
JUL/2017 . CAR AND DRIVER . 019