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2008 Buick Enclave CXL AWD Road Test

Buick's new Enclave is three vehicles in one: a luxury car, a minivan and a

The Enclave will be the pillar that future Buicks should be built around. (Photo: Jonathan Yarkony, American Auto Press)

sport utility vehicle, so it shouldn't really come as a big surprise that it's also replacing three existing Buicks in the brand's lineup. This isn't Buick's first attempt at streamlining things, mind you, as in 2005 the LaCrosse replaced the Regal and Century and the Lucerne shortly thereafter in 2006, replaced the LeSabre and Park Avenue. This year the Enclave has been assigned a rather monumental downsizing task, but not by getting smaller. You might think it would have its work cut out for it, however, when those vehicles are the only-slightly-better-looking- than-its-Pontiac-Aztek-sibling (although fairly decent on the sales charts) Rendezvous, the why-did-Buick-need-a-minivan Terraza, and the mediocre-SUV-built-on-a-truck-like-platform Rainier, the bar is set pretty low. Nonetheless, the Enclave clears it and then some.

It's not much of a secret that GM's near luxury division has been on life support for some time now, but efforts to resuscitate the brand are starting to pay off, even though some have called for GM to axe Buick the same as it did Oldsmobile years back. Then again, it's one of the top brands in the emerging Chinese market (China bought more Buicks than the U.S. last year) and the recent announcement that Buick tied Lexus for first place in J.D. Power's Vehicle Dependability Study makes it a sure thing for years to come. That seems fitting as the Lexus RX was the benchmark for Buick engineers when they developed the Enclave, a point that's easy to see as soon as you spot one.

Even though GM's stylists attempted to differentiate them, the Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook are clearly siblings, ones that are based on GM's all new Lambda unibody front- or all-wheel drive architecture. I spent a week behind the wheel of an Acadia back in March and as I expected the Enclave is a lot like the Acadia, only quieter (eerily so) more attractive to my eyes and about the same money as the top of the line Acadia I drove. While more attractive is subjective, it seems like a pleasant shape for the intended adult audience, kind' a like gold-colored jewelry and big diamonds, but not in a blingy way... the shapes and lines are all fluid and pleasing, with enough brightwork to suggest luxury, and especially on the light sandy metallic shade we had,

They're a bit hard to see here, but in natural daylight the blue rings around the standard xenon headlamps are very noticeable. (Photo: Jonathan Yarkony, American Auto Press)

it is not ostentatious. Buick's “trademark” portholes are present and one of the odder details was the blue ringed headlights. I realize blue is a bit of trendy color, but it is a strange touch on a Buick. I can live with the blue rings though, as my Enclave had optional steerable headlights.

There are only three members in my family so I always feel that I underutilize most of the large vehicles I test when I'm just driving around by myself, or even with my family loaded in. I usually scorn people driving by themselves in such vehicles as it is a bit wasteful, of course they might actually use them for other purposes sometimes so who am I to judge. Going with the “there are times when a large vehicle is called for” premise, I decided to load the Enclave up with some friends, a six-year old (mine), a one-year old (not mine) and the assortment of items that go along with a weekend road trip.

The Enclave took to the backroads with superb handling skills; well superb is a relative term as the Enclave shares the Acadia's main fault of being very, very heavy

The improvement that Buick has made with the Enclave's interior is impressive. It could be even better with a few tweaks. (Photo: Jonathan Yarkony, American Auto Press)

and sometimes sluggish. It handles like a very well mannered SUV and a Buick at the same time – the ride is comfortable, but not sloppy, and even borders on firm, gobbling up the miles without transmitting any major thumps and thwacks to the passenger compartment, all while minimizing wind and tire noise. The body rolls a bit in corners, but it is a progressive lean and without any shocking bounce from the suspension like some other sport utes on the market. The steering is friendly, but surprisingly firm at speed, very reassuring for highway cruising especially since it does a good job of offering a fair bit of feedback for a large crossover.

Although 8-cylinder motivation has been rumored for the Enclave since its introduction, GM's global 24-valve DOHC 3.6-liter V6 is it for now. It generates 275 horsepower and 251 lb-ft of torque, impressive on paper but not so much when asked to move such a heavy vehicle. Backed by a smooth yet slow to downshift 6-speed automatic, the powertrain can be taxed when you need a healthy dose of acceleration such as for passing or pulling out in front of someone faster than you. I had to think twice or even several times before attempting such maneuvers. Maybe that V8 would be a good idea, although fuel economy might suffer even more... or maybe not since a V8 would not have to work as hard getting off the line and could be outfitted with cylinder deactivation. I know that GM is promoting E85 Ethanol, but this is an ideal vehicle for diesel power too.

Filling five of the Enclave's seats, two of which had a baby seat/booster seat fitted (eight seats are optional), could potentially mean tight accommodations for some rivals. Add in the overnight bags, stroller, playpen, other assorted items you take when you travel with a baby ... which all fit neatly in the rear of the Enclave with the "60" part of the 60/40 third row seat folded down – many

Six-speed automatic is hesitant to downshift, but it is a very smooth transmission. (Photo: Jonathan Yarkony, American Auto Press)

crossovers, even those that claim seating for seven, would have been screaming for mercy. Not so the Enclave. No one complained about room at all, even my friend Dave who's more than a couple of inches over six feet. Other crossovers in the segment simply don't have this much room. If you do run out of room inside, pack up the trailer because the Enclave can be equipped to tow up to 4,500 pounds.

Inside, there is a mish-mash of colors, textures and materials – some great, others not so great. As with the exterior, the cabin sports a very pleasing blend of lines and shapes, and everything that falls naturally to hand or with which the driver and passengers make regular contact feels luxurious and pampering... start to explore, though, and you can find a lot of hard plastics, cheap fitment and plastic pieces that can be popped off – disappointing to say the least. The wood on the steering wheel is real and therefore

Analog clock is a touch of class. (Photo: Jonathan Yarkony, American Auto Press)

feels very nice to the touch, but elsewhere the wood doesn't match that on the steering wheel and looks about as real as the “wood” in my first car, a 1981 Buick LeSabre. Come to think of it, that LeSabre had a large analog clock in the dash as well. A hand-me-down from my father, it was dependable, seeing more than 200,000 miles on the clock with no problems whatsoever. We'll see if the Enclave can hold up like the Buicks of old, and if the JD Power VDS is anything to go by, they should be a good bet.

Sit behind the wheel of this modern-day Buick and listen to the silence. Thanks to the brand's Quiet Tuning technology, which includes laminated window glass, triple seals around the doors and plenty of sound-deadening that helps isolate noise and vibration at any speed and the Enclave could be your seven- or eight-seat sanctuary on wheels from the outside world.

Blue-green instruments are cool; the wood surrounding them isn't. (Photo: Jonathan Yarkony, American Auto Press)

All of the passenger's chairs are wide and comfortable with soft creamy leather, but the light carpeting in our press vehicle would be a cause for concern for adventurous or just plain dirty families. Black is available as an interior color option if you prefer. The second row pops up and slides forward to provide reasonable access to the adult-friendly third row, but those second row captain seats are very comfortable considering their maneuverability, and with loads of legroom. Second and third row occupants get the full DVD 5.1 surround sound treatment (optional of course) with a pair of wireless headphones on top of all that comfort and space. The Panasonic LCD screen is centrally located and as with most GM vehicles, when the screen was down the driver's vision out the rearview mirror is hindered.

This is the best of GM's three Lambda-based crossovers. (Photo: Jonathan Yarkony, American Auto Press)

With the 2008 Enclave, Buick has gotten the package right, with plenty of amenities, great practicality and many luxurious finishes, but for the price they charge they need to nail the finishing touches like the faux wood finish around the center stack and shifter gate, some plastics on the door and console and alignment of the chrome on the outside of the doors. Positioned as the most luxurious model of the Lambda triplets, the Enclave comes standard with tri-zone climate control, automatic bi-xenon headlamps and a power tailgate. With pricing for the CXL AWD starting at a touch under $37,000, and my fully loaded example (everything but navigation) ringing in at just under $40,000. Value for the money is the Enclave's trump card, as it comes in for a lot less than the Lexus RX 350 or Acura MDX in base guise at just under $33K, but just as Lexus and Acura might want to check the rearview mirror for the encroaching Enclave, so should Buick as the Hyundai Veracruz and Mazda CX-9 offer a lot for less money. While pricing might make the Enclave more exclusive, that doesn't necessarily make it any better. Still, the Enclave is a clear sign that Buick is serious about regaining the kind of prestige it previously enjoyed in North American and now seems to garner in China. Onward and upward.

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