Built For Power on 2040-cars

Auto blog

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.

Motor Trend reveals 2016 Chevy Camaro as Car of the Year

The 2016 Chevrolet Camaro beat some very steep competition to earn the Golden Calipers as Motor Trend's Car of the Year. The magazine praised the sixth generation's fantastic engines, great handling, and lighter platform. "Our 2016 Car of the Year, the Chevrolet Camaro, is one of the finest driving vehicles in the world at any price," editor-in-chief Edward Loh said, "though its price is well within reach of the average consumer." The Camaro conquered some high-performance challengers to take the victory, including the Audi TT, Mazda MX-5 Miata, and Mercedes AMG GT S. It also bested technologically cutting-edge vehicles like the BMW 7 Series and Toyota Mirai. The latest Honda Civic rounded out the competition. To earn the prestigious award, nine judges evaluated the finalists in six categories: advancement in design, engineering excellence, safety, efficiency, value, and performance of intended function. The Volkswagen Golf won last year. In an engaging story on Motor Trend's website, it explains what a revelation the new coupe is and that they consider the model the best production pony car ever. The piece is well worth a read. Motor Trend also handed out the Person of the Year honor to Subaru of America President and Chief Operating Officer Thomas Doll. It praised him for the Japanese brand's massive success in the US like tripling deliveries since 2007. "By any measure, the business Tom Doll leads is an outstanding success," editor-at-large Angus MacKenzie said. "And he is the person whose unique vision and quiet leadership made it happen." Related Video: MOTOR TREND Announces 2016 "Of The Year" Winners Car of the Year, Truck of the Year, SUV of the Year, and Person of the Year announced during live ceremony and webcast in Los Angeles LOS ANGELES, Nov. 16, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, for the first time in the brand's 66-year history, MOTOR TREND announced winners of the Golden Calipers for Car of the Year, Truck of the Year, SUV of the Year, and Person of the Year at a red-carpet gala in front of an audience of industry insiders and celebrity guests. The awards show was also streamed live on the MOTOR TREND Channel on YouTube, with 3.5 million subscribers the world's largest automotive video channel, and on MOTOR TREND OnDemand, the brand's new subscription video on demand (SVOD) channel. A replay of the event broadcast is available for free at motortrendondemand.com. "What an amazing evening!

Subaru Infotainment Review | Testing tech in our long-term Forester

Subaru isn’t top of mind when we start talking about the best infotainment systems, and after using the Starlink system in our long-term 2019 Subaru Forester for months, we still think Subaru is mid-pack. The best aspect of the 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system in our Forester is its simplicity. You couldnÂ’t ask for a more basic layout and software experience on this screen, and while thatÂ’s not the case for the upper second screen, most of your core vehicle functions are handled on the lower one. WeÂ’ll note that both the Subaru Outback and Legacy have newer, larger screens available that we'll also go over later in this review. The Impreza, Crosstrek and Ascent offer up a similar experience as this Forester does. All your essential app tiles like Radio, Map and Settings can be found in the customizable home screen. The lack of apps and extra gizmos means there isnÂ’t much to customize, though. Subaru uses a bright variation of colors for its various app tiles. It doesnÂ’t come off as especially professional or classy, but it gets the job done and makes picking them apart from each other easy. Features like navigation, in-car WiFi, basic voice commands, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are all accounted for. Subaru is still using wired CarPlay and Android Auto, as most non-luxury brands do, so youÂ’ll need to bring a plug along to connect.  2019 Subaru Forester infotainment View 14 Photos Our biggest gripe about the screen is its general sluggishness. YouÂ’ll get to where you want to go, but it takes a beat longer than most. Swiping across screens and scrolling through menus is always accompanied by a touch of lag. Even the smartphone connection experience is affected by the screenÂ’s lack of response. On some occasions, a light touch or swipe will do. On others, you really need to put some pressure behind your touch. ItÂ’s nowhere near smartphone standards, but then again, many infotainment systems havenÂ’t caught up to those speeds yet.  The best part of the screen is its ability to take presses and swipes made with winter gloves. You can keep your hands warm and switch the radio station at the same time, which is always a nice convenience.  Now, back to the second screen we mentioned earlier. Subaru puts this second screen in a number of models (Impreza, WRX, Crosstrek, Forester and Ascent), but it depends on the trim you select.