Leftlane recently attended a General Motors press day where we were able to drive a number of GM vehicles. Held at GM’s Milford proving ground, we were able to drive the vehicles on a four mile section of its Ride and Handling Loop. The track simulated several different road surfaces — from freshly paved blacktop to pothole-ridden concrete — and allowed us to evaluate how the vehicles would handle real world driving. We’ll start with driving impressions of the 2008 Buick Enclave but expect to hear about several GM vehicles in the coming weeks.
2008 Buick Enclave
The 2008 Buick Enclave latest crossover to ride on GM’s Lambda platform, which also underpins the GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook. But in an effort to move Buick upscale to compete with luxury brands such as Lexus , the Enclave receives unique styling and more luxurious appointments not found on the other Lambda CUVs.
From the outside, it’s clear that GM wanted the Enclave to have a design theme all its own. While the Acadia and Outlook share similar design cues, the Buick has a much more styled look that’s unique to the Enclave. The front end is highlighted by a bold, waterfall chrome grill and porthole vents along the side of the hood pay homage to the Buicks designed by Harley Earl. Even the headlights give the Enclave a decidedly upscale feel.
The body and rear of the Enclave are much more sculpted than other GM crossovers. The rear fenders are wide — leading into an upward-sloping belt line — and give the CUV a strong character line when viewed from the side. Combined with a sloping roofline, the Enclave has a sportier silhouette than the Acadia and Outlook and is arguably the best looking vehicle in Buick’s lineup.
It’s also clear that GM spent a lot of time and care designing the interior of the Enclave. Fit and finish are light years ahead of past GM vehicles but still comes in just below Lexus quality. The interior — which features arched vents and an analog clock atop the center stack — is finished in rich-looking faux wood with chrome accents. Overall the design is well executed, but the material covering the top of the dash and steering wheel face seems to be of a lesser quality than you would expect to see in a vehicle with such lofty goals. A clear cover on the PRNDL readout on the center console is a very nice touch and gives the Enclave a bit of a show car feel. The front seats are supportive and comfortable and offer plenty of room. While we weren’t able to use the Enclave’s navigation system, HVAC and radio controls are intuitive and right where you’d expect them to be.
The Enclave was also impressive on the four mile section of track. The Enclave offers an excellent ride and its suspension — which is tuned for comfort rather than performance — does a good job of absorbing bumps without feeling “floaty.” The Enclave’s chassis also felt very competent and never got upset, even over the roughest section of the track.
GM says the Enclave is quieter than the Acura MDX , Volvo XC90 , Lexus RX350 and Mercedes-Benz R-Class and we fully support that claim. Even under rough road conditions, the Enclave is one of the quietest cars we have ever driven. In fact, GM went to great lengths to add sound deadening material to the Enclave — including quieter engine mounts and specially designed Michelin tires — not found on other Lambdas. While the interior of the Enclave is about as silent as a car can get, it does come with a downside. The added sound deadening materials inflate the Enclave’s curb weight to nearly 5,000 pounds and makes it the slowest Lambda of the bunch. While hardly noticeable in normal driving conditions, the extra weight can be felt when getting the Enclave up to freeway speeds — taking about 9 seconds to go from 0-60 mph.
But in normal driving, the 275 horsepower and 251 lb-ft of torque produced by the Enclave’s 3.6L VVT V6 is more than adequate for moving the crossover. Adding to the Enclave’s drivetrain is a silky six-speed automatic that features a manual shift control. When in manual mode, the transmission allows you to select and hold a gear, whether for spirited driving or a stretch of uphill road. Overall, the powertrain works very well.
The Enclave comes in CX and CXL trim levels, although it’s difficult to label the CX as a “base” model. The only real difference between the two models — other than badging — is the CX comes standard with cloth seats and 18 inch wheels while the CXL adds leather and 19 inch wheels. Both models come with an impressive list of standard features — including a power rear liftgate –and are available in front or all-wheel drive.
Prices for front-wheel drive models — which are EPA rated at 16/24 city/highway — start at $32,990 for a CX with the up-level CXL coming in at $35,190. The all-wheel drive option — rated at 16/22 city/highway — adds about $2,000 to the price of either model. A fully loaded CXL tops out in the low $40,000 range.
Travel paid for by GM. Editorial written by Drew Johnson.
