Station wagons used to be everywhere. My best friend in high school drove some gigantic, late-'60s station wagon in that peculiar color I thought of as "station wagon green" with a healthy helping of faux wood paneling. Throw in a bit of rust, a few inches of fast food wrappers on the floor of the back seat, and a radio capable of cranking out the latest rock hits from KBPI (rocks the Rockies!) from the sole dashboard speaker, and you had... a common and unremarkable ride for the early 1980s.

How time (and tastes) have changed. Once ubiquitous, the station wagon is something of a rare sight on roads now populated by crossovers, SUVs, and minivans. Three decades ago, if you wanted something that could carry kids and a bunch of gear, your choice was either a station wagon or a van. And not the mini kind of van, either. Yet the station wagon is hanging in there—just about—even when there are so many other options. When given the chance to drive one, the Buick Regal TourX with Smart Driver tech, we jumped at the chance.

A sleeker wagon

Buick

Buick

Buick

Buick

Buick

Buick

If you're reading this in Europe and have seen the Opel Insignia Country Tourer tooling around, you'll know what the TourX looks like, as that's the car it's based on. At first glance, the Regal TourX doesn't astound or amaze. But it's an attractive car, with slim headlights and LED running lights that remind me a little bit of a nine-iron. Buick's iconic trishield sits front and center on the black vertical grille, with chrome accent pieces on either side giving the impression that the logo is about to take flight. There's a bit of cladding to add visual interest to the side, and the overall effect is a sleek, forward-looking station wagon. That's an accomplishment by itself, as "sleek" is not an adjective usually seen in the same sentence as "station wagon."

Mechanically, the TourX uses GM's Epsilon II platform, the same as the Cadillac XTS and Chevy Malibu. Under the hood is a turbocharged 2.0-liter, inline four-cylinder engine. It cranks out 250hp (186kW) and 295ft-lb (400Nm) of torque. Although it doesn't look it, the TourX is long, measuring in at 196.3 inches (498cm). There's an eight-speed automatic transmission with all-wheel drive, with the option for manual shifting using the gear lever. Eighteen-inch aluminum wheels are standard. Buick also includes TeenDriver and its new Smart Driver tech, which assigns you a score for each trip based on acceleration, braking, mileage, and other factors. Getting a scorecard on my phone after each trip was sometimes illuminating—we'll have more on Smart Driver in a separate article.

As configured, with the Essence (high-end) trim paired with Driver Confidence Package I (wireless charging, LED headlights, rear parking camera and cross-traffic alert, blind spot warnings, and a few other features) and the infotainment system, the TourX runs $39,750. Stripped down, the TourX starts at $29,995. If you want all of the driver-assist tech, you'll end up a bit north of $41,000, depending on which options you go with.

On the interior, Buick has gone with a more subtle and classy styling. The TourX has black leather seats, a black dashboard, dark faux-wood accents on the center console, and a beige headliner. It works really well, unlike the large splash of brown on the dashboard of the Buick Enclave Avenir . The driver's seat offers the typical eight-way adjustment, and it's quite comfortable. The backseat is not spacious due to the large cargo area, but normal-sized adults won't have much to complain about when it comes to legroom. Speaking of the cargo area, there's 33 cubic feet of space for your stuff, which expands to 74 cubic feet when the back seats are folded down 40-20-40 style. One evening, I folded down the seats and effortlessly threw my road bike back there so I could take it in for a tuneup. For situations like this, the TourX—and station wagons in general—get the nod over crossovers simply because the lower height makes loading and unloading a bit easier.

The TourX cockpit is pretty basic: four analog indicators (speedometer, coolant temp, fuel, and tachometer) with a small digital display taking up the bottom middle of the instrument panel. Controls on the steering wheel let you cycle through the usual options (i.e., speed, trip statistics, mileage), control the radio, toggle cruise control, and the like. As I mentioned in my review of the Enclave, I'm not a fan of Buick's steering wheels. Button functions aren't always readily apparent, and changing radio stations requires a near-impossible thumb stretch. Buick's IntelliLink infotainment system remains underwhelming, and with the seat and steering wheel adjusted to my liking, the right part of the touchscreen was tantalizingly out of reach. Android Auto and CarPlay are included, and the CarPlay icons are huge, likely due to low pixel density on the eight-inch display.

It’s all Buick, and that’s ok

Buick

Eric Bangeman

Buick

Buick

Eric Bangeman

Eric Bangeman

Eric Bangeman

Eric Bangeman

Eric Bangeman

Eric Bangeman

Eric Bangeman

Eric Bangeman

Eric Bangeman

Eric Bangeman

Eric Bangeman

It's not all low-tech with Buick and the Regal TourX, however. As part of the review, I downloaded the myBuick app (available for iOS and Android). Using the app and the built-in LTE connectivity in the car, you can start the car, lock or unlock the doors, or sound the horn—particularly useful for startling one of your children. Perhaps the most compelling feature is the ability to look up an address in the app and then send directions to the in-car GPS. That beats pressing virtual buttons on the IntelliLink screen or propping your phone up so you can see the turn-by-turn directions in Google Maps. myBuick is also the interface point for Smart Driver.

What the TourX has going for it is a quiet and comfortable ride. Buick loves active noise cancellation, and its QuietTuning tech really does the job when it comes to quieting your ride. I made a couple of phone calls using IntelliLink's hands-free system, and both folks commented on how quiet it was. My wife was confused when I rolled down the window for a second, as she thought I was in a very quiet room. Not only is the ride quiet, it's also smooth and comfortable, as the TourX does a nice job insulating passengers from rough pavement.

Acceleration is decent—nothing to write home about but adequate for usual city/suburban/highway driving. On country roads, the car surprised me in a good way. The TourX is sprung for comfort, not sportiness, so there's a good deal of weight transfer to the outside wheels when cornering. Even so, the wagon managed to feel somewhat flat, even when hitting curves aggressively. Handling was such that I always felt a solid connection to the road. Steering is responsive and effortless even at low speeds.

The car seemed pretty preoccupied with the cold. Temps were in the mid to high 30s one morning when I started up the car. Even though it was bone dry, the display warned me about possible icy conditions. Also, the seat heat sometimes automatically switched on when I started the car—and it seemed completely random and not related to whether the heated seats were active when I last turned off the ignition.

Buick claims 24mpg (21 city, 29 highway) for the TourX. I ended up just shy of 25mpg after a week of driving around Chicagoland.

All in all, this is a very solid effort by Buick. As configured, the TourX I drove for a week was missing some of the driver-assist tech I've become accustomed to, like adaptive cruise control and lane-keep assist. Add the Driver Confidence Package II for an additional $1,190 (on top of the $1,725 DCP I) if you want it. If you don't—and GM's driver-assist tech is middle-of-the-road at best, right now—you're left with a car that lets you focus more on the driving experience. It's a low-tech experience, and I believe there's a segment of the car-buying public comfortable with that.

GM isn't going to single-handedly resuscitate the station wagon segment with the TourX. That ship has sailed, leaving Americans in a sea of SUVs and crossovers (and a few Subaru Outbacks) instead. But Buick is on to something with the TourX. There's certainly room in the American market for a comfortable station wagon that offers a smooth, quiet ride and ample storage room. If you're in the market for something with all of the latest in-car and driver-assistance tech, you will want to drive past the Buick dealership. But if you don't care about that stuff and don't want to climb into an SUV, it's worth checking out.