2008 Buick Enclave CXL AWD

2008 Buick Enclave CXL AWD - It’s the first Buick in recent memory to report advance orders—some 8000 prior to its official April on-sale date.

The product justifies the advance orders. Buick’s big new wagon delivers excellent all-around utility—comfortably and quietly—and looks good while doing so, inside and out. This last is no mean feat, because utility wagons tend to look like building blocks. The Enclave’s exterior, in contrast, is devoid of straight lines, a sweet confluence of curves that disguise its substantial dimensions (barely smaller than those of the Chevy Tahoe and GMC Yukon). In fact, the Enclave can actually be called stylish.

To review, you will recall that the Enclave, as well as the GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook, use GM’s Lambda architecture, a large (and exceptionally rigid) front-drive unibody platform that represents a major departure from the General’s conventional body-on-frame utes, such as the Yukon, et al. To be fair to the traditionals, there is a downside to the unibody approach. Towing capacity for the Enclave and its kin tops out at 4500 pounds. The Tahoe and the other GMT900 SUVs can handle much bigger loads and also offer V-8 engine options.

Best in class also applies to the Enclave’s interior noise levels, particularly cruising at 70 mph. At 66 dBA, the big Buick is not only quieter than the Acadia but also 2 dBA more serene than the Lexus RX400h we tested in March 2005. Cathedral quiet abets comfort, and so does the Enclave’s handsomely appointed interior. Our top-of-the-line CXL was configured for seven (two-two-three seating), although an eight-passenger edition is available. Space was ample in the rear rows, thanks to fore-and-aft adjustability of the middle row, and our Enclave arrived with all the infotainment features, including a DVD player that keeps sibling rivalries from becoming homicidal during long trips. In a parallel vein, the Enclave has such standard safety features as six airbags and stability control.

Demerits are few. The 3.6-liter DOHC VVT V-6 generates respectable power—275 horsepower, 251 pound-feet of torque—and the six-speed automatic is smooth, but the combo is limited by the Enclave’s 5107-pound mass: 0 to 60 mph in 9.0 seconds, the quarter-mile in 17.0 seconds at 82 mph. Similarly, braking from 70 to standstill in 180 feet is just so-so. Fuel economy—14 mpg in our hands—was also a little disappointing.

Buick Rendezvous Ultra

Buick Rendezvous Ultra - Now, a second engine choice is offered: the 3.6-liter all-aluminum V-6 found in the Cadillac CTS and SRX. This 24-valve double-overhead-cam engine has variable valve timing on both the intake and exhaust cams, along with electronic throttle control and a dual-stage intake manifold. In the Rendezvous, the 3.6 makes 245 horsepower (a 60-hp increase over the pushrod 3.4-liter V-6) and 235 pound-feet of torque (25 more), all the while maintaining nearly the same fuel economy.

With the Ultra, you also get a body-colored grille and fascias, 17-inch wheels and tires, and monochromatic exterior paint instead of the clumsy two-tone paint scheme on base models. Also included are some interior upgrades that add touches of chrome and wood on the instrument panel, center console, and steering wheel. The standard leather seats now get solid headrests (no more doughnut holes) and faux-suede inserts to keep occupants where they belong.

Some minor annoyances in this new powertrain caught our attention. First, there is a slight delay to the driver's foot in the response of the electronic throttle at idle, but then the revs rise as expected. Second, the four-speed automatic is a bit reluctant to give the driver the one- or two-gear kickdown that his right foot is requesting. When piloting this Buick, plan for these flaws by not expecting any increased forward progress until you mash the gas pedal and count to one-one-thousand. We also noticed some low-pitched transmission hum, usually under highway cruising, which is a no-no in a luxury vehicle for this price.

We still think highly of this sport-ute's large cargo capacity; six-passenger, three-row seating; and capable audio system. But we continue to complain that dashboard info is difficult to see in sunlight, and the Rendezvous still has a lack of steering feel, excessive head toss over bumps, and reluctant handling, even with the upgraded wheel-and-tire package.

So, where would a Rendezvous Ultra finish if we held that comparison test again? Well, it wouldn't qualify to be in the test. With a substantial premium over its former competitors, Buick has priced itself right out of that comparo and into the luxury sport-ute market, which includes GM's own Caddy SRX.

Buick Terraza CXL

Buick Terraza CXL - Honda has redesigned the 5Best-winning Odyssey twice, and recently, Toyota overhauled the Sienna. Even worse for the segment, buyers began to forsake minivans in favor of SUVs. Consequently, neither the Montana (no longer using the Trans Sport moniker) nor its GM siblings—the Chevy Venture and the Oldsmobile Silhouette—ever achieved major sales of more than 100,000 per year.

With this lagging track record and a sagging minivan market, GM was hesitant to fund a big-bucks investment for an all-new minivan that would replace this aging gang. Instead, the company decided to perform some major upgrades on its vans for 2005 and offer them to more divisions within the company.

The first difference you see in the Terraza is its stronger, more aggressive nose. There were a number of reasons driving this change. One was to “address the reluctant van buyer who can’t get past the look but desires the functionality,” according to the home office. Buick says a squared-off front end yields an SUV appearance. This is accomplished by a 3.9-inch height increase over the old GM vans, making the Terraza 72.0 inches tall, exactly the same as its width, mimicking the proportions of many SUVs. In our view, the Terraza still looks more like a van than an SUV, but its nose definitely sticks out in a crowd.

The new GM vans all use a chassis similar to the old ones, which means a strut-front suspension. But the Buick has an independent control-arm suspension in the rear, adapted from the Rendezvous, whereas the other GM vans get the independent-rear setup only with all-wheel drive. Dimension changes are subtle: Wheelbase is lengthened slightly to 121.1 inches, front track is widened by less than an inch to 62.4, and rear track is down by almost a half-inch to 62.9.

The 3.4-liter pushrod V-6 used previously has been replaced with a newer, 3.5-liter version of the engine, which is used in the Chevrolet Malibu and Pontiac G6. Horsepower increases by 15 over the 3.4-liter engine to 200, and torque is up 10 pound-feet to 220.

Although all the Japanese competitors have five-speed automatic transmissions, GM soldiers on with a carry-over four-speed. The competitor’s five-speeds supplement acceleration performance while delivering slightly better fuel economy, even with 18 percent more horsepower on average than the Terraza.

The extra weight doesn’t help cornering, either. At 0.71 g, grip is slightly lower than the old GM van’s 0.72 g and worse than all the imported competitors’. Braking, however, is improved, thanks to 11.7-inch front disc brakes (0.8 inch larger), replacing the rear drums with discs, and 17-inch wheels and wider P225/60 Goodyear Integrity tires. Combined with a predictable, linear pedal feel, these brakes yielded a remarkably short 182-foot stop from 70 to 0 mph, a whopping 37 feet better than the last GM minivan we tested. This is better braking than in any of the latest minivans we measured last summer [“Full-Size Minivans,” C/D, June 2004].

Remember that numbers aren’t everything, and all by itself, the Terraza is a satisfactory minivan. It doesn’t feel fast, but that’s not a deal breaker in a minivan. The steering isn’t overboosted, bumps are soaked up in stride, and the cabin is appropriately quiet. But the numbers can’t always be ignored, especially when a Terraza CXL starts at $31,885—a price comparable to that of the Japanese segment leaders. Okay, in its defense, the CXL model is well equipped with standard DVD entertainment, rear climate control, power rear doors, and ABS and stability control.

2006 Buick Lucerne CXS

2006 Buick Lucerne CXS - Given their fame, the reign of the portholes was quite short (probably shorter than this historical digression — Ed.), 1949 through 1957. Buicks for 1958 had so many other chrome furbelows that there was no room for holes. They came back as halfhearted vestiges on a few models in the ’60s and ’70s, but no one was counting by that time. Apparently, even Buick lost the formula, because when the flagship Park Avenue Ultra was launched in 2003, it was a three-holer. Some Ultra.

The Lucerne is big iron by today’s standards, 6.4 inches longer than the hulking Chrysler 300, 2.5 longer than a Ford Five Hundred, but 4.4 shorter than its Cadillac DTS sibling. Apart from the reinterpreted portholes, the wedgy shape seems familiar and tired, a repeat of a ’90s Camry; only the big-eye look in front saves it from being a complete cliché. Inside is a different story, fresh and appealingly minimalist. The shapes are smooth and soft. The details are happily integrated, like a deftly done symphony. No pretentious gestures grab for your glance. The three round dials in the cluster have understated markings. Big knobs with radiused chrome edges work the stereo, HVAC, and lights.

You’re surrounded by a first-rate simulation of quality materials. In fact, the Lucerne interior is a panorama of plastic under soft-touch paints, trimmed in obviously fake wood, but someone worked hard on the details. The shines and sheens look classy, and the stitched seams across the doors, seats, and console are convincingly craftsmanlike. The windshield pillars are smoothly covered in headliner material, eliminating molding lines and distracting glare.

The rear bench is shaped for unexpectedly good thigh support, considering the shortness of the cushion, but the passenger space back there can’t compete with that of other full-sizers. Sasquatch will approve of the Buick’s wide-opening rear doors, but the carpeted walls under the front buckets will block his toes. The Chrysler 300 and the Ford Five Hundred do a better job for big-footed passengers. The fold-down center armrest has the obligatory cup-holder insert, a one-piece plastic molding created by a moonlighting Rubbermaid designer. The console between the front seats has a pair of adjustable-angle HVAC vents but no fan-speed controls.

Although a V-8 driving the front wheels is out of step with today’s trend back to rear drive, the Lucerne makes it seem as right and righteous as God’s plan. What torque steer? More to the point, what torque? For the record, the 4.6-liter Northstar is a twister, not a torquer, delivering 275 horsepower at 5600 rpm, with another 1000 rpm available before the redline, but a torque output of only 290 pound-feet at 4400 rpm. Compared with, say, the 390 pound-feet at 4000 rpm of Chrysler’s Hemi, the Lucerne’s V-8 is only mildly energetic.

From a standing start, you get an initial jump off the torque converter up to 7 or so mph, followed by a sag as you wait for the twister V-8 to take over, which it does at about 28 mph; 60 mph comes up at just a tick under seven seconds (6.9), followed by the quarter-mile mark in 15.3 at 94 mph.

The CXS comes standard with GM’s Magnetic Ride Control adaptive shock absorbers and StabiliTrak stability system. This is a quiet car but not a marshmallow over the bumps, and there’s just enough shake in the steering column and seat to remind that roads are rarely smooth. The system does a good job of limiting large up-and-down suspension motions with­out emphasizing the small stuff.

Braking from 70 mph required 177 feet, within the expected range for a sedan of this intent. Braking feel is less satisfying. The pedal is downright squishy as you wait, motionless, for the light to change. And each stop requires a push through an initial slack zone before braking gets serious.

GM has apparently done a good job of bugling the Lucerne onto the public stage; we encountered an unexpectedly large interest in the test car, all of it admittedly from buyers beyond the fashionable target-market age groups.

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.