Tourx - the good and the bad

[motoring]

figure it has all been said before though I just feel like making a good/bad list.
Good -
sharp looking wagon
nice turbo 4 engine
smooth 8 speed
lots of storage room
easy roof load height
nice interior (if large discount when purchased)
sights & sounds (accent interior lighting is cool I feel)
Nice speedo/nav display (I cannot speak to how quick or slow it might be) 2018.5 layout
Good Highway mpg
good visibility inside looking out
Hands free rear hatch open (Essence model)
40/20/40 rear folding seat (Essence)

Bad -
low ground clearance
not great gas mileage
its a turbo (maybe long lasting...)
lack of storage areas up front
foam filled tires, must do GM TSB to patch
low tow rating
possible quality control issues
Auto Start/Stop (can put in manual to override, else set a/c to max)

ok, that is all I got

 

[hoys]

A good list.

I will say the gas mileage left me a bit saddened around town. Road trips, its great!

Turbo tech has come a long way. Its also on the front of the engine so easy to replace if and when it fails

Foam filled tires can be patched. There is even a GM TSB explaining how to patch them.

Add to the bad part of the list for some: Auto Stop Start that can't be turned off.

 

[bespinct]

Paraphrased:
Good - Easy Roof Load Height
Bad - Low Ground Clearance

I'm not sure how you can have an easy roof load height without low ground clearances, unless you have no head room!

I definitely dig the interior lighting. I can't believe it wasn't noted in any of the reviews I read or watched on YouTube. Maybe it was mentioned in the Motortrend review where they hit the deer. Either way, it was really cool finding out about it during our first night ride.

And any list of "good' has to include the logo light to identify where to kick your foot to open the rear hatch. I must have something over a 90% success rate with the TourX. I often looked foolish with my hands full and swinging my leg beneath the bumper of my Ford Escape!

 

[lowlight]

Low ground clearance is not bad, IMO.

That's how GM avoided completely turning this beautiful TourX wagon into a Subaru abomination! Though GM did try with the silly plastic cladding...

Sleek, sexy, low (ish) to the ground is the best for handling, fuel economy, aesthetics, etc. Oh, and throwing items on the roof rack.

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[NormT]

Low ground clearance is not bad, IMO.

That's how GM avoided completely turning this beautiful TourX wagon into a Subaru abomination! Though GM did try with the silly plastic cladding...

Sleek, sexy, low (ish) to the ground is the best for handling, fuel economy, aesthetics, etc. Oh, and throwing items on the roof rack.

Range Rover has them too with the raised center.

 

[motoring]

strange seems i cannot edit my own message after a few days yet i seem to be logged in.
yes, low ground clearance is good for driving dynamics though too some taller vechiles handle that well also just not many it seems. Thus maybe a +/- item if i can get in to edit my post. Will try when not on an iPad.

Still for any off road travel overall lower to the ground is not as good as an inch, say, higher it would seem.

 

[Pacer69]

Good stuff. A few thoughts:

Ride is smooth, quiet and IMO outstanding while maintaining good handling, no small feat.

Incredible overall value equation is always a big one for me! TourX delivers bigtime.

I do not mind that it is car height. It does save us from looking like yet another Subaru/SUV. Also helps defeat highway wind buffeting.

Also on a personal note with ride height, I'd rather engage my core muscles getting in and out than not. People have gone soft in this country, but that's a whole other thread LOL!

My understanding is AutoStop can also be defeated with the autostick though I haven't tried it. It does not bother me like it does some of us. It's pretty unobtrusive to me, + sometimes I sit at very long lights and I sure don't mind saving the gas and having less emissions.

+1 on all lighting interior and exterior -- and all the other good stuff that's been mentioned. But yeah fogs are largely vestigial and switch is in poor spot. I haven't thought about either since day one though.

Don't forget included 24/7 roadside assistance for X years/miles helps. I may still buy a spare donut if it'll fit under rear floor in the allotted space without losing sub -- and it sounds like it will.

Not worried about the turbo 4, my turbo 4 '07 Acura never had a single issue in 130k+ miles and it was the first year Acura made it. This being 11 model years later (well over 2 auto technology generations) and second model year, plus every mfr has a turbo 4...I figure GM knows exactly they're doing.

I wish city mpg were a little better too but still beats my RDX in city and completely shames it on highway so I'm ok with it.

I think 3700 lbs is a plus - probably lighter than most CUVs.

With incentives and a simply great vehicle, GM got a Honda/Acura guy who never thought he would buy a new GM to buy a new GM! Now I'm recommending/looking at other GMs for family and friends.

Pano moonroof is cool for those who are into that. Longroof is enough for me, ha. On that note: WAGON = COOL. It's not a tall box, and as such it's unique on the road.

And to expand on your good looking comment, since GM has not marketed TourX well, they are not ubiquitous which is great in my book. I see about 3-5 Subarus on every errand and probably dozens on road trips. I've seen only one other TourX in the past year (though I wouldn't mind seeing a few more just for continued existence dohhh). Not following the crowd is big for me.

 

[Ctrcbob]

Nothing wrong with the ride night.
I don't drive off toad or in the woods. I want a wagon, not a sport ute. BTW, front bumper height is high enough that it clears those curbs in front of many restaurants, unlike my former 2009 Genesis V8 that would scrape every time.

Auto stop is no problem. Thought I would hate it, but now I have no problem with it. When I absolutely don't want it, like when I'm entering my garage, I just shift to manual position until parked. No problem. (I'm easy).

I solved the no spare tire problem. Went to a local Salvage Yard and purchased 17" temp wheel and tire and jack from a 2008 LeXxxxxx. Made sure the holes were 115mm apart. Removed the Styrofoam insert from spare wheelwell. Installed spare UPSIDEDOWN. Then installed Woofer on top. Plenty of room for woofer and jack. Because I don't want to pull spare out to check pressure, I carry the stock inflation pump (and goop) in a seperate box in car. If I ever have a flat or low tire, I'll first try to pump tire up to drive and get it fixed. If that does not work, only then, will I pull the spare out, and pump it up with the stick inflation pump. Don't see that I'll ever use the goop, but carry it anyway. Need to do this because I often travel on lonely NM roads, NM-246 or US-380 (sometimes in the middle of the night) and you know darn well that no truck is going to come out
to help you at that time.

BTW, pne other good thing on my Tour-X that I have not seen mentioned is that it has Cornering Lights. Love them. (This is the Lamps that turn on when you go around a corner, or when you turn into a driveway, - again, love them).

Edit. Lug holes are 115mm apart.
Already corrected in above post.
(Senior Moment).

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[mike69440]

Nothing wrong with the ride night.
I don't drive off toad or in the woods. I want a wagon, not a sport ute. BTW, front bumper height is high enough that it clears those curbs in front of many restaurants, unlike my former 2009 Genesis V8 that would scrape every time.

Auto stop is no problem. Thought I would hate it, but now I have no problem with it. When I absolutely don't want it, like when I'm entering my garage, I just shift to manual position until parked. No problem. (I'm easy).

I solved the no spare tire problem. Went to a local Salvage Yard and purchased 17" temp wheel and tire and jack from a 2008 LeXxxxxx. Made sure the holes were 110mm apart. Removed the Styrofoam insert from spare wheelwell. Installed spare UPSIDEDOWN. Then installed Woofer on top. Plenty of room for woofer and jack. Because I don't want to pull spare out to check pressure, I carry the stock inflation pump (and goop) in a seperate box in car. If I ever have a flat or low tire, I'll first try to pump tire up to drive and get it fixed. If that does not work, only then, will I pull the spare out, and pump it up with the stick inflation pump. Don't see that I'll ever use the goop, but carry it anyway. Need to do this because I often travel on lonely NM roads, NM-246 or US-380 (sometimes in the middle of the night) and you know darn well that no truck is going to come out
to help you at that time.

BTW, pne other good thing on my Tour-X that I have not seen mentioned is that it has Cornering Lights. Love them. (This is the Lamps that turn on when you go around a corner, or when you turn into a driveway, - again, love them).

Rim information: 5 x 115, not 5 x 110

 

[Ctrcbob]

Rim information: 5 x 115, not 5 x 110

You are CORRECT. 115mm
I must have had a Senior Moment.

 

[Ctrcbob]

To those who are not happy with the around town mpg, my two other cars,sedans, both with 2.0Turbo's both get the same mpg as my
Tour-X.

Same around town.
Same on open road.

I'm satisfied.

 

[mike69440]

Tourx - the good
My wife likes the TourX.
Happy Wife, Happy Life.
Tourx - the bad
My wife likes the TourX.
We share.

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[Bimmer]

... low ground clearance is good for driving dynamics, though, too, some taller vechiles handle that well, also just not many it seems.

Please name a taller vehicle that handles well... motorcycles don't count!

 

[ntorch]

Tourx - the good
My wife likes the TourX.
Happy Wife, Happy Life.
Tourx - the bad
My wife likes the TourX.
We share.

Exactly the opposite in my household!

My wife dislikes the TourX--I over ruled her LOL. She dislikes 'station wagons', but really liked her Rav4 SUV which I remind her is a tall 'station wagon'. She has to have AWD for some reason which of course the TourX has so this is my saving grace. Thankfully a happy wife and the car we/she drives doesn't matter in our marriage---what a great gal!!

Aside from the nit picking I've been doing since December on this and that, I really enjoy the driving dynamics, comfort and style of the car. Around town gas mileage is about the same as the RAV 4 which is low/mid 20's. We have our first long trip coming up on mostly Interstates so I'm looking forward to taking the wagon for a spin and checking on highway gas mileage.

 

[mike69440]

Exactly the opposite in my household!

My wife dislikes the TourX--I over ruled her LOL. She dislikes 'station wagons', but really liked her Rav4 SUV which I remind her is a tall 'station wagon'. She has to have AWD for some reason which of course the TourX has so this is my saving grace. Thankfully a happy wife and the car we/she drives doesn't matter in our marriage---what a great gal!!

Aside from the nit picking I've been doing since December on this and that, I really enjoy the driving dynamics, comfort and style of the car. Around town gas mileage is about the same as the RAV 4 which is low/mid 20's. We have our first long trip coming up on mostly Interstates so I'm looking forward to taking the wagon for a spin and checking on highway gas mileage.

I have the TourX today, she took the Subie to keep mileage off the minivan. 800 miles so far, not much in town driving, or short trips, we averaged 27.5mpg in cold weather and we do not drive particularly slow. I think it will do well on highway.

 

[Ctrcbob]

Another good thing that all cold weather drivers SHOULD know.

When starting on ice or very slippery snow, to reduce torque and wheel spin;

Place gear shift lever in manual, then push lever forward to "2" to start off in 2nd gear or again to "3" to start off on 3rd gear.

You knew that, right?

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[benkel579]

Another good thing that all cold weather drivers SHOULD know.

When starting on ice or very slippery snow, to reduce torque and wheel spin;

Place gear shift lever in manual, then push lever forward to "2" to start off in 2nd gear or again to "3" to start off on 3rd gear.

You knew that, right?

Not every car will hold the gear though. Haven't tested it in the TourX, but my old 2010 LaCrosse that I traded for the TourX would drop down to 1st automatically at the first hint of wheelspin. Didn't matter whether I would have it or 2nd or 3rd or try to upshift after a computer downshift.

 

[IanMitch]

Another good thing that all cold weather drivers SHOULD know.

When starting on ice or very slippery snow, to reduce torque and wheel spin;

Place gear shift lever in manual, then push lever forward to "2" to start off in 2nd gear or again to "3" to start off on 3rd gear.

You knew that, right?

Drove a manual in Canada in the Winter that way for years.

 

[JohnMC2010]

I believe that you can still launch the TourX in 3rd gear.

 

[mike69440]

I believe that you can still launch the TourX in 3rd gear.

Post #1
DIC Vs. Owners Manual for 2018.5 TourX & some other stuff.
Not sure about launching in third but in manual mode you can start in second and it will hold 3rd down to where the engine lugs slogging through mud.
Weird how tranny wants I'st gear in snow or mud.