Buick Hunting Whole New Audience with the Regal TourX

Know anyone who would strap a canoe to the roof of a raised wagon?

Well apparently there are folks out there with this attitude and Buick wants cater to this crowd with the newly revealed Regal TourX, a crossover variant of the brand’s mid-sized model that offers the driveability of a car with the practicality of a SUV.

Doug Osterhoff, a Marketing Manager at Buick, explained that the vehicle is not only going after those adventurous kinds of buyers, but also filling a white space within the automaker’s lineup. It seems to be the choice for when buyers come in and want a crossover, but aren’t satisfied with the size of the small Encore, but think the Enclave is too big and intimidating. Granted, the Envision also fills this midsize niche already, but its height (almost 8 inches taller) can cause problems using the roof for large items, and this more wagon-like crossover makes for a nice statement competitor to the Audi A4 Allroad and Volvo V60 Cross Country, two luxury offerings Buick has firmly in its sights. Featuring a roof rack with crossbars, the Regal TourX will be easier to load up with a canoe, for example, whereas the taller Envision would require the use of a ladder to mount something on the roof.

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Additionally, the TourX will be offered with a number of cargo accessories that will help make the trunk area more versatile and manageable.

However, you may have noticed there’s a distinct lack of other wagon-like vehicles out there. Many vehicles with a similar body style, like the Acura TSX Sport Wagon or Cadillac CTS Wagon were discontinued and dismissed quickly with unimpressive sales. However, according to Osterhoff, those vehicles are highly sought after, and car owners maintain a lot of loyalty to these aging products. Obviously these are car owners who could use a new set of wheels and Buick seems more than happy to have something for them.

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But of course, there’s already a few competitive vehicles out there – the Audi A4 Allroad comes to mind, as does the new Volvo V60 Cross Country and VW Golf Alltrack. Osterhoff says the Regal TourX will succeed where those old wagons couldn’t by being a more affordable and accessible entry in the world of premium wagons, undercutting the price of the Audi and Volvo significantly.

While he was quiet about the official price, it seems like the price tags of the Audi and Volvo – over $40,000 – is much too high, and the Regal TourX could fit in somewhere between that number and the VW Golf Alltrack’s price.

Buick’s convinced that these cost-conscious but adventurous buyers are out there, but maybe not in the Great White North, as Buick will not sell the TourX model in Canada. Could Buick be missing the mark in this market, which sees serious winter conditions and puts an emphasis on all-wheel drive vehicles? Time will tell.