{"id":3677,"date":"2018-08-16T18:36:30","date_gmt":"2018-08-16T18:36:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.leithcars.com\/blogs\/1421\/?p=3677"},"modified":"2018-08-16T18:36:30","modified_gmt":"2018-08-16T18:36:30","slug":"move-over-grampa-im-taking-the-buick","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blog.leithcars.com\/?p=3677","title":{"rendered":"Move Over Grandpa, I&#8217;m Taking the Buick"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/EnoUoeySbAc?rel=0\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/h1>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">You remember station wagons,\u00a0right?\u00a0 They used to be everywhere.\u00a0 Family haulers of various capabilities, usually 2-wheel drive with lots of room for you and the family and all your stuff.\u00a0 These wagons were also, with very few exceptions &#8211; boring &#8211; at least the domestic variety.\u00a0 The European &#8220;shooting brake,&#8221; as they call them across the pond, was a bit more sporting in most cases.\u00a0 The ones\u00a0that made it across to our shores were snapped up by savvy\u00a0sport wagon enthusiasts.\u00a0 Now there is a new player on the field, or to paraphrase fictional movie secret agent Austin Powers, &#8220;the wagon is back, baby.&#8221;\u00a0 Just don&#8217;t call it a wagon, it&#8217;s the all-new, first ever <span style=\"color: #333399;\"><a style=\"color: #333399;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.leithbuick.com\/VehicleSearchResults?make=Buick&amp;year=2018&amp;model=Regal%20TourX\"><strong>2018 Buick Regal\u00a0TourX<\/strong><\/a><\/span>.\u00a0 \u00a0As a former Buick owner, I&#8217;m here to let you know why you really ought to consider this new American breed of shooting brake as your next ride.\u00a0 Move over grandpa, I&#8217;m taking the Buick.<!--more--><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\">Buick Has Come a Long Way Since the &#8217;80&#8217;s<\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3679\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3679\" style=\"width: 604px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3679\" src=\"#BLOGPATH#\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/1986-Buick-Regal-T-Type.jpg\" alt=\"My first and only Buick. The 1986 Buick Regal T-Type\" width=\"604\" height=\"394\" srcset=\"http:\/\/blog.leithcars.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/1986-Buick-Regal-T-Type.jpg 604w, http:\/\/blog.leithcars.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/1986-Buick-Regal-T-Type-300x196.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 604px) 100vw, 604px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3679\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">My first and only Buick. The 1986 Buick Regal T-Type<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>My previous experience with Buick was at the end of the rear-wheel drive era, the mid-1980s.\u00a0 I special ordered what was considered a &#8220;sleeper&#8221; muscle car back then, the 1986\u00a0Buick Regal T-Type, the &#8220;T&#8221; standing for <em>turbocharged<\/em>.\u00a0 My Buick\u00a0was a beautiful deep blue metallic car and she was<em>\u00a0FAST, push-you-back-in-your-seat fast<\/em>.\u00a0 In fact, in 1986 the Buick\u00a0Regal T-Type and her better recognized Grand National cousin could tout that they possessed the most powerful engine in a factory domestic brand car &#8211; 235 horses and 330 pound-feet\u00a0of torque.\u00a0 That kind of grunt would propel you from <span style=\"color: #333399;\"><a style=\"color: #333399;\" href=\"#WEBSITEURL#\/zero-to-60-tv.html\"><strong>zero to 60<\/strong><\/a><\/span> mph in about 6 seconds.\u00a0 All that performance came from a sequential fuel injected 3.8 liter Buick V6 with an inter-cooled turbocharger bolted to it from the factory.\u00a0 I&#8217;m giving you all these basic performance\u00a0stats from back in the day because they help tell the\u00a0story about today&#8217;s Buick and how far the brand has come since the long-ago Reagan years.\u00a0 Enter now, the all-new, first-of-its-kind Buick, Regal TourX all-wheel-drive sport wagon, or as Buick prefers it to be called &#8211; SUV.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3683\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3683\" style=\"width: 576px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3683\" src=\"#BLOGPATH#\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Untitled-design.jpg\" alt=\"Downtown Raleigh to Centennial Campus was my Regal's test Route.\" width=\"576\" height=\"384\" srcset=\"http:\/\/blog.leithcars.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Untitled-design.jpg 576w, http:\/\/blog.leithcars.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Untitled-design-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 576px) 100vw, 576px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3683\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Downtown Raleigh to Centennial Campus was my Regal&#8217;s test route.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>The Buick Regal TourX Packs a Heck of a Punch.<\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #333399;\"><a style=\"color: #333399;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.leithbuick.com\/\"><strong>Leith Buick\u00a0GMC<\/strong><\/a> <\/span>in the <span style=\"color: #000080;\"><a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leithwendell.com\/\"><strong>Leith Autopark Wendell<\/strong><\/a><\/span> provided us with a gleaming red 2018 Buick Regal\u00a0TourX.\u00a0 This time the letter in its name that means the most is &#8220;X,&#8221; as in all-wheel-drive.\u00a0 But I&#8217;m also happy to report that Buick&#8217;s mastery of turbocharged performance is at play here too, but now comes in the form of a 2.0-liter inline-four, transverse-mounted, direct fuel injected engine that&#8217;s good for an impressive 250 horsepower and 290 pound-feet of torque.\u00a0 That&#8217;s a heck of a punch from a tiny, fuel-efficient engine that I can attest\u00a0<em>will<\/em>\u00a0push you back a bit in your seat when the turbo kicks in.\u00a0 My test route from our downtown office in the warehouse district over to North Carolina State University&#8217;s Centennial Campus gave me plenty of opportunities to let the Buick&#8217;s turbo spool up.\u00a0 Just as importantly, my drive allowed me to get a feel for this new all-wheel-drive setup, in the rain no less and around several curves, on exit and on ramps, and lane changes.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3684\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3684\" style=\"width: 576px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3684\" src=\"#BLOGPATH#\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Untitled-design.png\" alt=\"Yes, this Buick is built to take you off the beaten path.\" width=\"576\" height=\"384\" srcset=\"http:\/\/blog.leithcars.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Untitled-design.png 576w, http:\/\/blog.leithcars.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Untitled-design-300x200.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 576px) 100vw, 576px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3684\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Yes, this Buick is built to take you off the beaten path.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Fun to Drive, and Spacious, to Boot.<\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>So what did I\u00a0discover on this grey, damp day in Raleigh during an unseasonably wet August?\u00a0 I discovered that the best of Europe, thanks to the German craftspeople at Opel who designed and build the TourX for General Motors, has given Buick, and now you and I, the opportunity to drive an honest-to-goodness European style shooting break, but with all the comforts of home that you&#8217;d expect in a Buick.\u00a0 Sumptuous creamy leather interior?\u00a0 Check.\u00a0 A clean, modern, and handsomely built dash and instrument cluster?\u00a0 Check.\u00a0 Gobs of storage bins, cup holders and enough room for you to stow a weekend&#8217;s worth of camping or beach gear, (73.5 cubic inches behind the front row seats)?\u00a0 Check.\u00a0 That&#8217;s more cargo area than some popular mid-size CUVs on the market today, by the way.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3685\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3685\" style=\"width: 576px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-3685 size-full\" src=\"#BLOGPATH#\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/BUICK-REGAL-TOURX-RALEIGH-NC.png\" alt=\"Adventure is wherever you want to take it in the 2018 Buick Regal TourX.\" width=\"576\" height=\"384\" srcset=\"http:\/\/blog.leithcars.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/BUICK-REGAL-TOURX-RALEIGH-NC.png 576w, http:\/\/blog.leithcars.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/BUICK-REGAL-TOURX-RALEIGH-NC-300x200.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 576px) 100vw, 576px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3685\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Adventure is wherever you want to find it in the 2018 Buick Regal TourX.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>All of the above-mentioned capability comes in a 5-passenger &#8220;SUV&#8221; that is a) long and sleek, b) handles like a well-tuned performance car, c) has advanced all-wheel-drive to help you master a variety of road and\/or light off-road driving, d) is beautifully styled, e) efficient at the pump (estimated 21 mpg city\/29 mpg highway), f) is built in Germany and g) is available now at your local Buick dealer, Leith Buick GMC in Wendell.\u00a0 Oh, and the best part, at least for me, a former old-school Buick owner?\u00a0 Remember that 1986 &#8220;sleeper hot rod&#8221; I told you about that was fast as heck?\u00a0 Well, this new Regal TourX actually weighs a few hundred pounds less than the new performance top dog Buick Regal GS (Gran Sport), and has a bit more torque too.\u00a0 That is a recipe for a quick off-the-line\u00a0launch capable of raising a few surprised eyebrows from the lane next to you.\u00a0 It&#8217;s the kind of fun I&#8217;ve been waiting to have in a Buick for a long, long time.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3689\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3689\" style=\"width: 569px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.leithbuick.com\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-3689\" src=\"#BLOGPATH#\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/2018-BUICK-REGAL-collage-LEITHCARS.COM-2-973x1024.jpg\" alt=\"See the new 2018 Buick Regal TourX at Leith Buick GMC in Wendell, N.C.\" width=\"569\" height=\"599\" srcset=\"http:\/\/blog.leithcars.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/2018-BUICK-REGAL-collage-LEITHCARS.COM-2-973x1024.jpg 973w, http:\/\/blog.leithcars.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/2018-BUICK-REGAL-collage-LEITHCARS.COM-2-285x300.jpg 285w, http:\/\/blog.leithcars.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/2018-BUICK-REGAL-collage-LEITHCARS.COM-2-768x808.jpg 768w, http:\/\/blog.leithcars.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/2018-BUICK-REGAL-collage-LEITHCARS.COM-2.jpg 1140w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 569px) 100vw, 569px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3689\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">See the new 2018 Buick Regal TourX at Leith Buick GMC in Wendell, N.C.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>To learn even more about the 2018 Buick Regal TourX, Regal GS, and Regal Sportback, go to <span style=\"color: #000080;\"><a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.leithbuick.com\/showroom\/buick?model=Regal%20Sportback,Regal%20TourX\"><b>LeithBuick.com<\/b><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Written by Mark Arsen for\u00a0<span style=\"color: #000080;\"><strong><a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"#WEBSITEURL#\/\">LeithCars.com<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You remember station wagons,\u00a0right?\u00a0 They used to be everywhere.\u00a0 Family haulers of various capabilities, usually 2-wheel drive with lots of room for you and the family and all your stuff.\u00a0 These wagons were also, with very few exceptions &#8211; boring &#8211; at least the domestic variety.\u00a0 The European &#8220;shooting brake,&#8221; as they call them across [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,4,14,20,23,24,28,31,32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3677","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-automotive","category-cars","category-events","category-lifestyle","category-news","category-reviews","category-suvs","category-videos","category-zero-to-60"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.leithcars.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3677","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.leithcars.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.leithcars.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.leithcars.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.leithcars.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3677"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/blog.leithcars.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3677\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.leithcars.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3677"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.leithcars.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3677"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.leithcars.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3677"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}