2008 Buick Enclave

2008 Buick Enclave - The Enclave is already on sale—Buick has sold at least 500 as it works to fill the 12,000 orders taken prior to launch—hitting the lots six months after its brethren, the Saturn Outlook and GMC Acadia.

The Outlook and the Acadia launched last December as 2007 models, sharing GM’s 3.6-liter V-6, a six-speed automatic transmission, and some sheetmetal, such as the doors, the roof, and the lower part of the liftgate. The Saturn was designed to appease families—the real minivan replacement—whereas the GMC’s liberal use of brushed metals and upright stance and grille are geared to truck buyers who gravitate to the “professional grade” brand.

Jack Folden, exterior design director, said frustrated designers had a eureka moment one night, and a crossover with flowing lines, big wheels, a wide stance, and a tapered upper body was born. The Enclave presents a more soothing design with a continuous line from the trishield badge, warm colors, and 100-percent-unique sheetmetal, including, of course, signature (but nonfunctional) portholes.

The resultant haven has laminated glass for the windshield and front doors; triple-sealed doors; increased acoustical material in the engine compartment, headliner, and other parts of the cabin; and variable engine mounts that switch damping rates at idle versus highway speeds. Even the leather seats are perforated to absorb energy.

GM reports that a test head—by this we mean a dummy from the neck up with digital-recording instrument-laden ears—found the Enclave to be quieter than the Lexus RX350, Acura MDX, and Mercedes R350. The results were verified by an independent third party, but being cynics, we played juror ourselves in an audio test in an acoustically poor ballroom in St. Louis, Missouri, and must admit we came to the same conclusion.

Essentially, the Enclave has wood trim where the Acadia has chrome; a handcrafted versus machined look; a classical analog clock between the center-console air vents instead of the three vertical, industrial-look vents in the GMC—getting a visual? The trucklike GMC has bolder demarcations below the grille, and the proportions of the front are higher, suggesting an off-road athleticism, whereas the face of the Buick is lower to the ground and more carlike. The Saturn is somewhere in the middle, like its intended buyer demographic.

All in all, the Enclave is a solid, well-made vehicle down to the reassuring thud when you shut the door. The ride is surprisingly dynamic, with little body roll even on some winding, shoulderless rural asphalt. The high-performance V-6 with variable valve timing and dual exhaust generates 275 horsepower and 251 pound-feet of torque. EPA fuel economy is 16 city and 24 highway mpg for the front-wheel-drive Enclave and 16/22 with AWD.