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CT4 is a mistake. Should have stopped at CT5.

20190505_110414-mp4.mp4 Mother’s Day weekend was a busy one. The kids had planned out the whole Sunday for the wife and I had planned the day before to build an area with a raised garden bed for the wife. The raised bed material was bought, the area mapped out and the plan to get up early and rent a truck to pick up cedar chips and black gold compost soil was scheduled. Saturday morning went as I expected, up early, quick breakfast and off to be the first in line at the U-Haul rental place. Figured rather than $75 per delivery, two types of material meant $150, why not spend $19.95 for a single day rental of the truck, pick up the material myself and pocket $130 or so. U-Haul actually has it to mileage and other fees that made the single days truck rental $55 and change, so not as big as I expected but still roughly a $95 savings. Surprise was that the truck I got was a new 2019 F150 with V8 that only had 300 miles on the odometer. Having not been in a new Ford pickup in the last couple years, I was excited to see how it drove, what the fit n finish was like and over all materials. U-Haul trucks are your base trucks with rubberized floors, dash is all hard plastics yet they still had backup camera and the V8 engine. As such the truck had no problem even loaded down with dirt or the cedar chips moving. Over all ride was decent and I actually really loved the seats as they were very supportive to my large size and yet comfy driving from freeway to local roads, never tiring to the body. Radio was a basic am/fm with a base pair of stereo speakers. Decent and functional. Dash being a base truck was hard plastic, as we have seen in many videos about even top of the line Luxury auto’s, the dash did make a big amount of squeak noise. Screen size of the radio system was also very small. Yet as many folks have used the term, the truck was functional. Fit n Finish was very tight, did not find any large panel gapes or errors in the paint job or exterior body. I did find the very simple tie down points with already rusting bolts to be a bit surprising but it still worked and the truck had a bed so I did not have to worry about messing the truck bed up. Interesting observation is that when the truck is locked, so is the tailgate, so with a load, I had to always keep the truck unlocked so the tailgate would open and let me unload my chips and soil. The V8 engine was very smooth and quiet and the only drawback was the weird auto stop / start. If you’re in normal traffic it works just as GMs systems have worked with turning off and on the engine. Yet sit in one place too long and then release the brake pedal and you get a message on the center dash screen saying you have been stationary too long and must put the transmission in park and then back to drive before engine will start back up. Even with following their directions, it seemed the engine did not want to start back up forcing me to put it into park and then manually starting the truck again. Other than that single issue, the truck worked and the backup camera was nice to have to get as close as possible to the wife’s new raised veggie garden. Hit me up with any questions you have about the truck or my project. Yes I did take out the grass the weekend before so my cedar chips are 3-4 inches deep.

No, just a padded leather jacket, padded leather gloves, and motorcycle boots.

You make a good point about trunk space over the years but the current CTS appears to have a much larger trunk than the car replacing it. That’s the type of detail that will keep moving folks away from sedans and into CUVs. Much like date night, what would another six inches in the back hurt?

I'll bring my helmet and leathers just for you.

You should probably include the requirements next time. For reference, I put Cadillac’s below. There are pros and cons to both but the bigger point I was trying to make is that Cadillac are cheaper to maintain once the warranty is gone.

Coupes were a viable alternative when the full-size cars ruled. When the intermediates began to eclipse the full-size cars, it seems the attention to the F/Sers BY THE OEMs waned. Then as each successive model line showed up, increasingly smaller, this is where the disadvantage to a 2-dr became more pronounced, and they waned as a body style. - - - - - This was sitting in a fringe parking lot at a major Lowe's /shopping center, I assume it was a prank :

Driven: 2018 Buick Regal Sportback GS 3.6 AWD and Regal TourX Essence 2.0t AWD Prior review thread worth reading of 2018 Regal Sportback here. So I won't get too deep into here, I'll try to add on what is notably different or of relevance. REGAL GS HIGHS: -sexy look for the GS package -feature laden, the GS package is, heated and cooled seats with memory, heads up display, etc. Lots of content. -v6 for those that don't want a 4 cylinder. -Manual mode with the shifter is delightfully simple, slide to left, tap up / tap down. Explains why no need for paddle shifters, which using the lever is much easier in this car. 9 speed tranny is really good as well. -Love the thick rim flat bottom steering wheel. -All the efficient space and packaging benefits of the sportback. LOWS: -Heavy, heavy. Strangely porky compared to its FWD platform mates. The v6 plus AWD pays the price with extra heft. -V6 has nice specs, and can be quick, but doesn't feel like a great powertrain. Engine is not engaging or super smooth, nor does it have an endearing sound quality. Lack of turbo also means not a big thrust unless you wind it up. Throttle response is ok but it really doesn't like to rev. It's better as a cruiser. -Can't really feel much of anything different when sport mode is turned on. -Nothing really great about the steering and handling. Sure its a bit sportier and quicker and has decent feel. But there's nothing there to suggest sports sedan. It's just an appearance package like the old Bonneville SSE. -Can't turn off autostop -Needs a power hatch, especially with all the extra kit elsewhere in the GS package. Plus the wagon, it's available. -Design your seats for your likely buyers, which is white older men in the midwest. We are large and wide. These seats are too narrow and the bolsters too much for a cornfield state cruiser (you didn't tune your handling and powertrain for a sports sedan, so why the seats?) -heads up display is initially hard to get used to and a bit gimmicky. Maybe it takes an adjustment, but with the gauge displays so fancy nowadays, not sure this has huge benefit. May have to use this feature again more. -interior of the Regal, as has been said in many reviews online, could stand to be better overall. SUMMARY: It's good that Buick doesn't expect to sell a lot of these. It's a nice option to have this car, but the execution is consistent with the online reviews that are out there for this car. It's really a Regal with v6 and AWD and a lot of features. It's not all of a piece, it's not German, it's not a performer (although it does scoot a bit, it just isn't exciting in any way). At the end of the day, it looks cool and has 2 more cylinders than the plain Regals. It's really just a tarted up highway cruiser like the old Pontiac GT's and SSE's. This particular rig was a GM exec car, so what that means is they are not selling, and so a GM lifer gets to drive it for 3 months or whatever and then it hits the used market. Perhaps had GM put a twin turbo six into it and dialed it in for superb chassis and not just good cruiser chassis I think they would have been on to something. I just don't think they are committed to marketing this Regal line so it was far easier to just package it up like they did here. The 3.6 is underwhelming in this application here like it can be in other products. In a Traverse its more of character. Here it's just not suited to the part of performance car. Doesn't stimulate the senses or feel like a great powertrain in any way. Add to it the indifferent chassis and heft and you just don't get awesome for the dollar here. I think if Buick lightened the feature list a bit, kept the sexy body work, and put in the AGR seats of the Euro Regal and the great brakes, flat bottom wheel....on a FWD chassis with some great tuning and a hopped up 2.0t, they'd have something that may sell a few more copies. Simply call it 'Sport Touring'. We don't need an AVENIR. I don't think there is much effort being put into anything on the Buick side for marketing at GM these days. I may be perceived as harsh here but I would give the GS Regal a C+. Mainly just due to styling and feature content. Eventually I'll get my TourX notes up here. I like the TourX, but it's not super different than the Sportback. The extra cargo area is nice, the AWD does add some heft and it feels a bit less quick than the FWD Sportback. The big moonroof is a huge win in my book. I would love to see a FWD Regal wagon with GS style bodywork here in the US, I think that would be the winner of the Regal offerings for me.

short hood / long deck is where it's at. Here's to hoping it, somehow, comes back.

I hope it's the camo, because that front overhang could give a Buick Century a run for its money.

I heard a rumour, that you have a broken heart. Now it seems they're telling me you've changed your wicked ways. Rumour has it. That she is half your age. But Im guessing that's the reason that you stayed. Ive heard, that youve been missing me.... Heard it from a friend, who heard it from a friend, who heard it from another, you've been messin around... I dont believe it. Not for a minute. I know you know we've had some good times. Now they have their own hiding place. Well, I can promise you tomorrow, but I cant buy back yesterday. Ill be there for you, these 5 words I swear to you. When you breathe, I want to be the air for you. Ill be there for you! This post was brought to you by Bananarama, Adele, REO Speedwagon and Bon Jovi. And if you frown upon it because it has nothing to do with the topic at hand, I tied it all up with the "rumour" connection and at least there is a very weak automotive connection to it...so...there!

Looks like more front overhang, similar slope to back window. Will be interesting to see what the C-pillar trim looks like...;) Yep.

The trunk may be small but I don’t know if sales are won or lost on trunk space of a small to mid size sedan. There are other bigger factors that decide where buyers go.

Date night...6 inches in the back...would it hurt? LOL (took me awhile to get it...) I agree with you though! I dont get it either. Or at least keep the damned fastback, low roofline styling but make the trunk opening like a hatchback... The 3rd and 4rth gen F-Bodies had them. The new gen Regal has it. Cadillac itself featured it in the Escala concept. GM know that this could be a viable option. But I think GM and other manufacturers systematically WANT sheeple to flock to CUVs... This is NOT an accident or a lack of foresight on their part for shytty trunk space on sedans...

Why? Why does it matter to you? I just thought the details were important in the context of the entire conversation about quality, reliability, and lease terms that have been discussed here.

I agree. For a car that’s supposed to be E-Class size, it should not look like it has less trunk space than a Camaro. Cadillacs not the only one guilty of this but they should be the last one ever accused of having a small trunk.

By definition...a businessman is a person that takes risks...just sayin...

Any Mercedes or Porsche CPO is unlimited mileage warranty but there is a limit on years. Those could be trades or off lease. I imagine they do that all over the world.

A luxury car should have a real usable trunk, Cadillac especially. Why are they pushing us towards an XT5 or an XT6? Cadillac for YEARS had big trunks so that you could take your clubs to the golf course. And have enough space for five sets of clubs! That tiny trunk belongs to a Smart FourTwo, NOT A CADILLAC.

It is funny about the regional differences...I rarely saw Buicks in Phoenix and Scottsdale, but they are all over the Cleveland area.

Ah, just take me now

GM in general has far too many shades of gray and black in all its vehicles it sells.

what's better red or blue, i think mom might even be on board with one of these too

I never really gave my review for the TourX did i? Let me say that I may have been harsh on the Regals (the four cylinder turbos previously). Check out the recent pics from my lot stalking test drives. YOU SHOULD LOOK AT THESE WHILE YOU HAVE THE CHANCE! You cannot find vehicles this nice at these prices often anymore (by that I mean with the discounts). I am convinced that these are very good rides! Are they the best? No, but nothing is, how long will it be till you can't find a car with 250 horsepower anymore? And the drivetrain is SO smooth compared to available crossovers in comparison. The turbo four is much better in this car than the v6 in the GS. If you want a wagon, this is about as good looking as it gets. Crossovers be damned. Buick missed BADLY by not including heated seats and wheel in the preferred trim on these cars. Blind spot / cross path monitors should be standard on Buicks, too.

This 2500HD was stickered as a 2019- guess I didn't recall the new HDs aren't out yet. Swanky; black, standard bed, Duramax, $65K.