OK, let’s compare MSRPs:
The base 2018 TourX has the same 250hp/295 lb-ft engine and starts at $29,070.

The black plastic wheel arches come right off, it’s been done by several people on various Buick forums. The front bumper cover would need to be replaced with a Regal GS unit for a totally clean look IIRC. But that’s been done too, pics should show up in a Google search. And the TourX is a ridiculous bargain right…

I just don’t get how a $39k Cadillac CT4 gets a 2.0T with 237 hp and 238 lb-ft while my $28k (selling price) Buick TourX gets a 2.0T with 250 hp and 295 lb-ft.
Not that I’m complaining...

It was revised for the 2009 model year - audio and climate controls, new grille, headlights, seats, the PRO4X model came out, etc.

That should read “no improvement to the aging interior”. Goddamn, I hate Kinja...

Here’s the thing though - the Frontier is still good at doing truck things. Towing, hauling, off road. And the price is right, as long as you stay away from top trim levels. The basic bones are good: Alpha platform, decently strong 4 liter V6, stout boxed ladder frame, Dana axle, can tow 6300 lbs, decent ride quality,…

Christ, that new face is hideous. And with improvement to the aging interior for 2021, I’d expect to see sales fall even more than they otherwise would have, with the US new car market looking like it’s headed for a sustained downturn. Bravo, GM management - another dumb move in the wrong direction taken at just the…

As a former dealership service manager - NYC, L.A., Bay Area - and 25 year ASE master tech, I was paid to be a TSB and warranty wonk. As such, I recommend avoiding first year cars (and first year powertrains, too - because bad transmissions like the PowerShift and the 9 speed in the Cherokee can ruin your ownership…

Side note: the 1956 Cadillac two door I did a bunch of restoration work on a few years ago had a power antenna with a crazy long mast. Like 6 feet long, or close to it. It was apparently a one year only antenna and was pretty hard to find. Seriously strange looking when fully extended once I found a good one and…

Thank you. Seriously. Saved me from typing that out.

Anyone who is interested in using one of these types of vans on US roads and highways should spend a week long road trip driving one first. I drove a new, similarly designed 2016 3.o turbodiesel HiAce camper van (just the van body with a mattress, small fridge and stove inside- not a motorhome) in new Zealand two year…

Honestly, the people who use trucks as trucks every day generally aren’t the ones spending this kind of cash to buy new. If the depreciation curve goes off a cliff like an I3 or Leaf the hot ticket will be to buy one that’s about 3 years old for 1/3 the original MSRP.

Very interesting news, thanks! Let’s hope this goes well. Less noise and diesel fumes in residential city neighborhoods is a good thing.

Our electric utility in San francisco charges us 11 cents per kWh for the electric car home charging rate. Our ‘18 Bolt EV gets about 4.2 miles of range per Kwh, or about 6 bucks for 225 miles of driving. Regular gas runs about $3.80/gal around us here, and my similarly priced, same 0-60 ‘18 TourX wagon averages…

It’s not just old folks - a mid twentysomething woman driving an older SUV pulled into the campground towing a loaded two axle camper trailer that was missing one tire. As in, completely gone, the only thing left were a lot of bead wires around the rim and axle. And she had no idea until I pointed it out. This was…

A 2019 Honda Fit is about 2500 to 2600 lbs and gets a NHTSA 5 star crash rating. Comapre that to the 2326 lb weight of a 1993 Civic Si hatch, which has the same length and width, and has none of that safety equipment and crash test reinforcement required by new cars. Not even a single airbag nor ABS (in the one I…

Alanis - I (and several other enthusiast attendees) raised exactly this question with a Cadillac representative at the national Cadillac club Grand National annual car show a few months ago. Why were these cars not released as Vsports, where they wouldn’t have been huge disappointments with those weak HP numbers that…

My response was adressing the idea that modern diesels are cheaper to operate, maintain and repair than modern gas engines. They aren’t.

These new smaller HPCR diesel V6 engines have higher operating, maintenance and repair costs over competing gas motors in many different ways.
1) diesel fuel is often more expensive than regular gasoline
2) diesel engines typically hold a lot more oil than gasoline ones
3) that motor oil, the oil filters and the fuel…

My senior citizen dad struggles to get into and out of their Sonic because it’s too low, but their tiny city garage won’t fit anything bigger or taller. My knees are beat from 25 years of blue collar trade work, and it’s far easier for me to get into and out of my Dodge 3/4 ton truck than my TourX wagon. Ride height…