The Buick Regal TourX is sold as the Opel Insignia Country Tourer in Europe, and as the Holden Commodore SportWagon in Australia. All three brands have had similar relationships to the one between Saab and General Motors.
The Saab community has embraced the 2018 Buick Regal TourX with open arms, as many have noted that it is a stark reminder of previous hot wagons that were affiliated with General Motors, including the Saab 9-3 Turbo X SportCombi and second-gen 9-5 SportCombi.
Interestingly, a talented colleague of mine over at GMAuthority, Sean Szymkowski, has identified the Regal TourX as the vehicle that makes Buick the official new Saab. Sean is also a big fan of Holden, with his own Australian-built V8 saloon. One could argue that Holden, as well as Opel, are very much like Saab as well, though this is a topic of discussion for another time. Now back to the SportCombi and TourX comparison.
The designs are different, but there’s an abundance of similarity between the body language of the 2010+ 9-5 SportCombi and the Regal TourX. One could say that the TourX is a modernized 9-5 SportCombi without sounding completely insane.
Moreover, both vehicles offer sophisticated all-wheel drive systems, a turbocharged four-cylinder engine, and a market-appeal to those who wanted a “premium” wagon with European flare but without the inflated price tag.
Speaking of price tags, at $29,995 the Regal TourX is on par with what a brand new 9-3 SportCombi would have cost. A 9-5 SportCombi, on the other hand, was never priced out in terms of U.S. dollars as it was never made available to the U.S. market.
If we were to look at the MSRP of a front-wheel drive 9-5 SportCombi equipped with a 2.0-liter turbodiesel engine in terms of British pounds, we’d see a base price of £26,495. In the UK the Regal TourX is sold as the Vauxhall Insignia Cross Country, and it has an MSRP of £27,235. That’s a price difference of less than £1,000.
After having a look at the similarities across the design, equipment, and price points, one could say that if you squint hard enough, you’d almost think Saabs were still being built.
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