Buick is trying to make a splash with the 2018 Regal lineup and improve its visibility over its little-noticed predecessor.

First, it unveiled in April the rakish Regal Sportback five-door and rugged Regal TourX lifted wagon. Now it seems the TourX is going to be priced aggressively against the king of rugged wagons: the Subaru Outback.

According to CarsDirect, the 2018 Buick Regal TourX will start at $29,995 with destination charge when it goes on sale late this year. The base, newspaper-special TourX 1SV will include the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 250 horsepower, 8-speed automatic transmission, all-wheel drive, as well as a universal home remote and 18-inch wheels.

For $33,575, the Preferred model adds a power driver’s seat and is available with a panoramic moonroof and driver assistance technologies, which CarsDirect believes will make it the model most buyers will gravitate towards on dealer lots. A top-level Essence model with desirable options such as leather upholstery and automatic emergency braking is expected to be priced from $38,860.

All of which is interesting because this means the Regal TourX is priced to be more of a competitor to the Subaru Outback and Volkswagen Golf Alltrack (similarly equipped models are between the $28,000 and $38,000 range), rather than the more upscale Audi A4 Allroad and Volvo V60 Cross Country (at north of $40,000 to start). Consider it’s noticeably larger than the Volvo and VW and about as powerful as the Audi, and Buick is apparently seeking more of a mainstream audience like that of the Subaru.

We’ll have to get a chance to drive the TourX when it shows up later this year to know more, but things look promising for wagon-starved Americans in 2018.

We’ve reached out to Buick to confirm the pricing information.

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