I was not aware of a transmission reflash. Hopefully it does fix the shifting issues. If it does, I’d give it 2 stars instead for performance. Maybe.

Po-tay-to, po-tah-to. I suppose if one sets their standards low enough, every car that is reviewed here is spectacular.

You never mentioned the upcoming Transmission reflash that will dramatically improve shift patterns that’s in the works.

The 2nd row console that you complain about is an optional feature that isn’t even available yet. That means anyone buying an Enclave will have exceptionally easy access to the third row, just like a minivan.

Several people have wished for an AWD model. Since you failed to mention it in your review, I’ll let them know that there is, indeed, an AWD model available for an additional $2000.

Finally, I have to disagree with your 3rd row use assessment. I know that MANY people will shop these Lambdas that have more than 1 child seat. The ability to have both captains chairs occupied with child seats while still having easy access to a usable third row means that you don’t need to haul 7 or 8 passengers for it to be useful. Only three.

It’s true that you do have a lot of good things to say about the Enclave in your review, but the way that you present them comes off as backhanded complements compared to picking the one negative aspect and using that as your head to head comparison. Overall, I was left with a very negative feel from your review, which the facts simply don’t back up. I feel like you really missed an opportunity for a complete review because of a lack of research. I think it’s only fair to point some of these out to your readers so they can make a more accurate judgment on the Enclave.

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to express my opinion along with yours!

For what it’s worth, the 3rd row access on the Enclave STINKS compared to a minivan. With that giant console in between the 2nd row seating, it means you have to move the seats forward to get to the back row. No matter how you cut it, if you’ve got more than one kid in a child seat, it means the seat has to come out in order to get someone into the back. Inconvenient on many levels. Yes, the space back there is very nice, but most won’t even use it. How many times do you haul 7-8 people in a vehicle at a time? Odds are, you’re just like every other minivan/CUV driver I know — 80% of the vehicle’s use consists of the driver alone. So how is that experience for the driver? You may not care, but a lot of people do, since they’re the ones who will be driving it. Which means they care about stuff like performance and handling and acceleration, fuel economy be damned. Is it *fun to drive* compared to other vehicles? Not really. And all the unused third-row space in the world won’t make up for that.

“calling a vehicle of the Enclave’s epic dimensions a crossover forces us to expand the genre’s definition from “cute ute”… ”

A CUV is defined as an automobile with a sport utility vehicle appearance but is built upon a more economical and fuel-efficient unibody construction. Size has NOTHING to do with its description. The Lambdas are indeed classic CUVs by definition.

You’ve been beat to death on acceleration, but by your own admission, you simply collate (or randomly pick and choose) various sources for your comparison. Bottom line, the Enclave has MORE horsepower and torque than the CX-9 and it within a few tenths of a second in both 0-60 and ONE TENTH in the quarter mile, all while having more room & cargo space, a much more usable 3rd row AND better fuel economy! Comparing it to the $10-15 THOUSAND more (and MUCH lighter and smaller) MDX is laughable, and it still comes close. But these are 3 row people haulers. NOBODY CARES! That’s an irrelevant stat to 99% of this vehicle’s target audience.

I guess my main bone to pick with your article is why you would choose acceleration as your big comparison against its rivals rather than cargo/passenger space, 3rd row seating and access, ride comfort and fuel economy – you know, the things that might actually matter to someone trying to decide which 7/8 passenger people hauler to purchase? The Enclave beats all competitors in all of those areas, but not once do you mention that.

Wouldn’t that be exactly the same as me writing a review on a Porsche 911 Turbo and saying “Sure it’s faster, better looking, better handling and costs much less than its competition, but its trunk space is at LEAST a cubic foot less. When will Porsche get it? I’ll pass!”

What if GM told the engineers and stylists that this vehicle could not weigh any more than its predecessor? Just think of how much more economical , how much quicker, how much better-handling this vehicle could have been minus 800-1000 lbs.

Buick has finally produced something that's a cut above, something that plays into a serious automotive "sales" trend, and you call it a "badge enginered bone".

First off, there's nothing badge engineered about the Enclave. If you want badge engineering, go look at the Cobalt and G5. That, and only that, is badge engineering. You know, removing a badge from one make and replacing it with another. Difficult to accept in the Chevy/Pontiac case, acceptable in the case of Opel/Saturn, and clearly not the case here.

Next, the Enclave is a pretty strong statement of Buick's Near Luxury mission. It looks good, even stylish, and will give the Japanese luxury marques something to worry about. IS it a car? No, but what the hell? It nails a particular segment in the Industry and is a fine effort.

Lastly (for this reply), wood and metal finishes are almost de riguer in a luxury/near luxury auto. Would you ake the same "pick one and stick with it" statement in an Acura?

This car/CUV/Thing is a big step in the right direction for Buick, and strikes me as a game changer, proof that Buick can build products that people would want.

Megan,

Thanks for the review but what is the baseline you are using for the Enclave? I like the handling and power of the Acura MDX but at what cost? Its another ten thousand plus. I like the Mazda CX-9 and its cost is competitive but its 3rd row is smaller and the cargo area is lots smaller. Personally I am comparing the Enclave to other baseline comparisons, Denali, Escalade, Lexus LX-470 and Mercedes Benz GL and its kicking butt in a lot of categories especially cost and gas mileage. 

The Enclave is a very capable machine! Certainly not for everyone but better than alot of the competition. Anyone making comments from pictures is nuts!

I was pointing out that the Enclave earned equal or higher EPA freeway ratings than vehicles in its class, including Odyssey, Sienna, MDX, Pilot, Highlander, CX9, Veracruz, and many others. I’m not aware of any getting significantly better fuel economy, but maybe someone will correct me.

You may debate the relevance (or social responsibility) of large vehicles in the marketplace, but that’s an entirely different topic.

Since when was 26 mpg “bad fuel economy?”

Also, The TRUTH is that the Buick brand (damaged as it is) outsells both Acura, and Infiniti….and I am quite sure that most (75% +) of the units Buick moves are retail vs rental.

The truth is that Buick is not a luxury brand. Since Acura outsells Mercedes, does that mean Buick is better than Mercedes too?

Isn’t it, though? I think that Buick’s pearl white is hands down the best I’ve ever seen. Absolutely gorgeous.

The 6 speed in the Enclave shifts like any other automatic when accelerating from a stop. Its shift points are near redline. With the manual-shift feature, you can rev it until it hits redline, where it will hold for just a second then upshift. Downshifting, it similarly holds off if it would over-rev. It will wait to shift down until it would be under redline in the requested gear. It’s not a Porsche (or Ferrari, or Aston) so I’d imagine GM programmed it to be safe rather than extract the ‘nth’ degree of performance.

As mentioned, the fuel economy is actually pretty good for a 5000 pound slug; no worse than its smaller competitors. The front drive 2007 versions of the GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook had 26 mpg EPA freeway ratings. They lose 2 mpg with the ratings changes for 2008.

I drove one recently and was impressed overall, and the pearl white version with chrome wheels was downright sexy for something that hauls seven.

Like I said, I was still very disappointed with the engine’s overall performance. 0-60 is a small portion of overall performance, which included serious throttle lag, very delayed downshifting, and upshifting early, which left the Enclave feeling even slower. I can’t imagine tackling a major uphill grade in it without being forced to downshift several gears — and with 7 passengers? I’m sure it’s even slower. Got a short onramp? Good luck with that. To me, the real world stuff is more important, hence the low score.

Even the magazines can’t get it right — look at the stats someone else posted. It’s the exact same engine in all 3 vehicles — the numbers should be identical, and possibly a hair slower for AWD versions, and another hair slower for the heavier Enclave. But when it’s probably a second behind its competitors, all you can say is that it’s slower. And that’s all I said.