2003 Buick Lesabre Limited Sedan 4-door 3.8l on 2040-cars

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2018 Buick Regal TourX vs. wagon competitors: How it compares on paper

To the great joy of auto enthusiasts nationwide, wagons are back! Well, at least there's a few more of them. The latest is the 2018 Buick Regal TourX, which we just had our first drive of and found to actually be quite good with pleasant handling, solid power and plenty of space. But, how does the TourX compare to other cladded wagons? Well, let's dive into the specs and fire up the ol' spreadsheet maker for Buick Regal TourX vs Subaru Outback vs Audi A4 Allroad vs VW Alltrack vs Volvo V60 Cross Country. True, some are from mainstream brands and others are from luxury marques, but Buick straddles both realms, so it's appropriate to look at them all. Of course, there's more to these cars than just the numbers, but they're still important, and in the case of this class of crossover-aping wagons, can vary more than you'd expect. So check out the specs in the chart below, which are followed by more analysis and photos of each. Discover and compare other wagons and crossovers with our Car Finder and Compare tools. Engines and Transmissions When comparing powertrains, the Buick is far-and-away the winner as far as torque is concerned, and is in a nearly three-way tie for horsepower. Its 295 pound-feet of torque is 22 lb-ft more twist than the next-most-grunty Audi A4 Allroad. And in regards to power, the Buick's 250-horsepower engine is only down 6 hp to the most-powerful Subaru and its optional naturally aspirated flat-six, and just 2 hp less than the Audi. At the bottom of the pack is the Subaru Outback with the standard naturally aspirated flat-four, which only makes 174 hp and 174 lb-ft of torque. That may not seem too bad compared with the VW Golf Alltrack, which only makes 170 hp and 199 lb-ft of torque, but the VW is much lighter by between 200 and 300 pounds. Transmission-wise, there's quite a bit of variation in the group. The Regal TourX and the Volvo V60 Cross Country rely on eight-speed automatics, all Outbacks use CVTs, and the Alltrack and Allroad have dual-clutch automated manual transmissions with six and seven gears, respectively. But for people that want to shift for themselves, the only option is the Volkswagen, which offers a traditional six-speed manual transmission on the Golf Alltrack. Cargo and Interior Space One of the main reasons to buy a wagon is for the body style's large cargo capacity. And for the most space for things and stuff, you'll want to check out the Subaru and the Buick.

GM veteran Bryan Nesbitt tapped to head Buick design

General Motors styling veteran Bryan Nesbitt (pictured above) took over a new role on Monday as executive director of global Buick design and global architectures. Andrew Smith, who previously did that job and also coordinated the look for Cadillac, has remained in charge of the pen at Caddy with this shift. Nesbitt rose to prominence when he designed the Chrysler PT Cruiser, according to Automotive News. He joined GM in 2001 and has been there ever since in multiple high-level roles. In 2007, he was appointed vice president of design for North America and was later briefly general manager of Cadillac in 2009-2010. Nesbitt took over as the vice president of GM's international operations design in China in 2011. This shuffle also moves Ken Parkinson, currently styling boss for Chevrolet trucks, to China as design vice president there. In addition, John Cafaro becomes the person in charge of the look for Chevy globally, rather than previously splitting that role between cars and trucks with Parkinson. GM Global Design Leadership Changes – effective June 1, 2015. Bryan Nesbitt, Design Vice President, GM China will repatriate to North America and assume the position of Executive Director, Global Buick and Global Architectures. He will be located in Warren, MI. Bryan will be the design Champion for Buick in the US and China. Ken Parkinson, Executive Director, Global Chevrolet Trucks and Global Architecture will assume the position of Design Vice President, GM China. He will be based in Shanghai, China. Andrew Smith, Executive Director, Global Cadillac and Buick Design will assume the position of Executive Director, Global Cadillac. He will continue to be the design Champion for the Cadillac brand. In addition, he will continue to lead the Global Color & Trim team. He will be based in Warren, Michigan. John Cafaro, Executive Director, Global Chevrolet Cars will assume the position of Executive Director, Global Chevrolet. He will be the design Champion for Chevrolet. In addition, John will lead the exterior components and accessories team. He will continue to be based in Warren, MI. The roles and responsibilities of Helen Emsley, Mark Adams, Carlos Barba, Clay Dean, Michael Simcoe, and Teckla Rhoades remain the same. Related Video: The video meant to be presented here is no longer available. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Trademarks indicate Buick Regal wagon could be on the way

American wagon fans have been waiting for General Motors to import a Buick-badged version of the Opel Insignia Sports Tourer since the current Insignia-based Regal hit dealers. If a new patent filing is any indication, that day could be coming soon. Then again, it might not mean anything. AutoGuide reports that Buick has filed two trademarks with the US Patent and Trademark Office for "Motor land vehicles, namely automobiles." You can see the trademarks for "Tourx" and "Regal Tourx" here and here. "Tour" smacks of wagon models, while the "x" – for all-wheel drive – makes us wonder if maybe we'll be seeing a rebadged version of the high-riding Opel Insignia Country Tourer (shown above). This isn't the first time Buick has stoked the hopes of US wagon fans, though. Earlier this year, trademarks were filed for the "Regal Sport Touring," a name that's very close to the Euro-market wagon's title. In fact, that trademark had the same description as the Tourx/Regal Tourx filings. As we've established before, automakers file trademarks all the time. It's far from a guarantee that anything will come of such trademarked names. Still, two wagon-ish filings with the USPTO from Buick in under a year makes it seem like there's at least someone at the Trishield brand that's campaigning for a long-roof Regal. Fight the good fight, friend. Related Video: