Review......2008 Buick Enclave CXL AWD
08-31-07, 07:03 AM
#18
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
I parked in front of it once and I remember saying to myself "what the hell is that?" and saw the Buick symbol and thought they finally figured something out. At a quick glance, it was painted with that deep rich brown paint, I actually really liked the exterior design, and interior looked nice too, so I did what I always do after I got home. Check their website. And I'm glad you mentioned it, b/c their website really is hard to navigate. After 5minutes trying to navigate the stupid thing, I just jumped to conclusions that "its a GM afterall".
Glad I read your review and I wasn't wrong. BUT, I think GM and its brands are getting better recently. Thanks again for a great review. I think you covered the two cars I was really curious as to how they are; this and the Suzuki SX4.
Glad I read your review and I wasn't wrong. BUT, I think GM and its brands are getting better recently. Thanks again for a great review. I think you covered the two cars I was really curious as to how they are; this and the Suzuki SX4.
). It's Buick's feature advertising color for the Enclave, just like Copper was for Nissan a few years ago (remember that?) It's classy for a brown, I agree, but still, IMO, looks like something out of Murphy's Funeral Home. Buick, in general, is not known for bright colors, but the White Pearl and Red Jewel are not bad.....I mentioned that in the review. Maybe (?) Buick's reasoning for the rather difficult web site is that many of their vehicles are bought by older people who don't spend much time on the Internet or don't care about it much. Young people, in general, are much better on the Internet than older ones.
You mention the Suzuki SX-4. I have indeed reviewed it, and it is one whale of a bargain in small, AWD vehicles. For what an Enclave costs, you could have two or three SX-4's....they start at 15-16K, with standard AWD. That undercuts the AWD Subaru Impreza sedan/wagon and Suzuki Aerio sedan (the AWD Aerio wagon, I think, has been dropped) by about 3K or so. And unlike the Impreza and Aerio, you can disconnect the SX-4's AWD with a dash switch when conditions allow and run it just on the front wheels for better gas mileage and acceleration. You can also lock the SX-4's differentials for mild off-road conditions, unlike the Impreza and Aerio.
The SX-4 is an ideal gift for a college student going off to school in a bad-weather area, or just for a cheap, all-weather commuter car. It is noted that this year, Subaru dropped the price a little on the entry-level Imprezas, probably because of the SX-4 competition. But the Impreza still has a lot going for it.......its AWD system has been on the market for years, and is well-proved. The SX-4's though more versatile, is still relatively new and unproved, though Suzuki has an excellent warranty on it.
08-31-07, 07:18 AM
#20
Zombie Slayer
Another excellent review!!! 
Did I read correctly? A VOLTMETER??? You mean there's actually a non-performance vehicle out there that has an actual volt guage in it??
Makes me miss my old cars where there were no idiot lights.
Did I read correctly? A VOLTMETER??? You mean there's actually a non-performance vehicle out there that has an actual volt guage in it??
Makes me miss my old cars where there were no idiot lights.
08-31-07, 07:18 AM
#21
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...lincoln+zephyr
For the AWD version, see my Ford Fusion review. The Fusion and Mercury Milan are the MKZ's corporate twins, but the Fusion, of course, doesn't have the Zephyr/MKZ's luxury and plushness inside, despite being built on the same platform and body shell, and its rear headroom was unfit for tall people.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...ew+ford+fusion
08-31-07, 07:22 AM
#22
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
In this American-market version, it appeared to be a voltmeter. Ran from 9 to 18 volts. Located just to the right of the speedometer...and about half the size of it. Same attractive blue and white markings and chrome ring. Matches the identical-size fuel and coolant-temperature gauges.
12-29-18, 08:52 PM
#23
Lexus Fanatic
Rode in one of these tonight. Definitely changed my opinion of Buick. Very large inside, we used all three rows for the trip. LOTS of rear seat leg room. Stunning to see how rear seat leg room here. Very nice leather seats. Very comfy. Everything seemed to work inside and the materials really held up very well. Very solid interior construction. Very nice center gauge cluster from what I could see. Some sharp gauges. Very, quiet engine, could not hear it at all. Merging power on the highway was excellent with 6 people in the car and around the city blocks there was ample power. The large rear panoramic sunroof was a nice touch. So was the rear seat heat ducts and controls.
Where I don’t think the car shines as well is in the ride and the noise. While the ride was generally good, it was not as plush as I would of preferred. The ride reminded me of my parents 15 ES in that it just seemed a tab to firm. Also body roll is a bit pronounced. Also, I spent my whole time in the second row behind the driver, I did not find the road and wind noise as to be much more quieter than any of my cars. Perhaps the front is more quiet as the front side windows are laminated whereas the back windows are not.
Overall, this experience definitely changed my opinion of this model and design. Never really like the model before but after spending some time in it, I could now come to appreciate it. Can’t bei someone would pick a Lexus RX do the era over this now. Not sure the year, but I did peak at the miles and was at 125K US miles. No navigation or touch screen, but I believe it was fully loaded if that help narrow it down.
Where I don’t think the car shines as well is in the ride and the noise. While the ride was generally good, it was not as plush as I would of preferred. The ride reminded me of my parents 15 ES in that it just seemed a tab to firm. Also body roll is a bit pronounced. Also, I spent my whole time in the second row behind the driver, I did not find the road and wind noise as to be much more quieter than any of my cars. Perhaps the front is more quiet as the front side windows are laminated whereas the back windows are not.
Overall, this experience definitely changed my opinion of this model and design. Never really like the model before but after spending some time in it, I could now come to appreciate it. Can’t bei someone would pick a Lexus RX do the era over this now. Not sure the year, but I did peak at the miles and was at 125K US miles. No navigation or touch screen, but I believe it was fully loaded if that help narrow it down.
Last edited by Toys4RJill; 12-29-18 at 09:12 PM.
12-29-18, 09:09 PM
#24
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
Since you pulled up an 11-year old thread, Jill, was it a 1Gen Enclave you sampled? The first couple of years had those huge expanses of the plasticized orangish, light-shade wood-tone and chrome all over the interior.....I myself liked the look, but not the feel of it. It also had those nice light aqua-blue dash lights (they were also on my Verano).
You mean opinions?
If the vehicle is 11 years old, worn insulation and seals could account for the greater-than-expected noise level. Brand-new Enclaves, back, then, were generally Buick-quiet. True, however, their ride smoothness was not quite that of larger Buick sedans, partially because the suspensions and tires had to be designed to handle more weight, fully-loaded.
You mentioned interior room. This is one of the few vehicles, outside of the full-size body-on-frame class (the Enclave is a crossover) that actually has enough room in the third-row seat for average adult Americans to be comfortable. Even I could sit in it without significant problems....and that's saying something LOL.
Definitely changed my Poppins of Buick.
Where I don’t think the car shines as well is in the ride and the noise. While the ride was generally good, it was not as plush as I would of preferred. The ride reminded me of my parents 15 ES in that it just seemed a tab to firm. Also body roll is a bit pronounced. Also, I spent my whole time in the second row behind the driver, I did not find the road and wind noise as to be much more quieter than any of my cars. Perhaps the front is more quiet as the front side windows are laminated whereas the back windows are not.
You mentioned interior room. This is one of the few vehicles, outside of the full-size body-on-frame class (the Enclave is a crossover) that actually has enough room in the third-row seat for average adult Americans to be comfortable. Even I could sit in it without significant problems....and that's saying something LOL.
Last edited by mmarshall; 12-29-18 at 09:14 PM.
12-30-18, 07:58 AM
#25
Lexus Champion
Rode in one of these tonight. Definitely changed my opinion of Buick. Very large inside, we used all three rows for the trip. LOTS of rear seat leg room. Stunning to see how rear seat leg room here. Very nice leather seats. Very comfy. Everything seemed to work inside and the materials really held up very well. Very solid interior construction. Very nice center gauge cluster from what I could see. Some sharp gauges. Very, quiet engine, could not hear it at all. Merging power on the highway was excellent with 6 people in the car and around the city blocks there was ample power. The large rear panoramic sunroof was a nice touch. So was the rear seat heat ducts and controls.
Where I don’t think the car shines as well is in the ride and the noise. While the ride was generally good, it was not as plush as I would of preferred. The ride reminded me of my parents 15 ES in that it just seemed a tab to firm. Also body roll is a bit pronounced. Also, I spent my whole time in the second row behind the driver, I did not find the road and wind noise as to be much more quieter than any of my cars. Perhaps the front is more quiet as the front side windows are laminated whereas the back windows are not.
Overall, this experience definitely changed my opinion of this model and design. Never really like the model before but after spending some time in it, I could now come to appreciate it. Can’t bei someone would pick a Lexus RX do the era over this now. Not sure the year, but I did peak at the miles and was at 125K US miles. No navigation or touch screen, but I believe it was fully loaded if that help narrow it down.
Where I don’t think the car shines as well is in the ride and the noise. While the ride was generally good, it was not as plush as I would of preferred. The ride reminded me of my parents 15 ES in that it just seemed a tab to firm. Also body roll is a bit pronounced. Also, I spent my whole time in the second row behind the driver, I did not find the road and wind noise as to be much more quieter than any of my cars. Perhaps the front is more quiet as the front side windows are laminated whereas the back windows are not.
Overall, this experience definitely changed my opinion of this model and design. Never really like the model before but after spending some time in it, I could now come to appreciate it. Can’t bei someone would pick a Lexus RX do the era over this now. Not sure the year, but I did peak at the miles and was at 125K US miles. No navigation or touch screen, but I believe it was fully loaded if that help narrow it down.
If a 2008 Enclave changed your opinion of Buick, just imagine what a brand new one would be like.
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