2008 Buick Enclave

Buick is about to become the next comeback kid among U.S. automotive brands. Now the best-selling marque in China (really!), Buick made BIG news here this August by tying for first with Toyota's luxury Lexus brand in J.D. Power's 2007 vehicle dependability study (VDS), which looks at customer-reported problems after three years of ownership.


Much of that performance is due to the high quality of LaCrosse, Buick's perfectly fine midsize sedan, which has drawn marketplace yawns mostly due to unremarkable styling, and the full-size Lucerne, a very good (and better-looking) performer. This sturdy pair has tried hard to fill the once-substantial shoes of four storied Buick models—Century, Regal, LeSabre and Park Avenue—and they have done well in satisfying buyers, yet attracting far too few.


With some assistance from a trio of so-so models—the Ranier SUV, Rendezvous crossover and Terraza minivan—LaCrosse and Lucerne have helped hold the 104-year-old marque's head above water for the last few years, but they are not the sort of exciting new products that can rescue a struggling brand in today's cutthroat competitive market. New, performance-oriented Super versions of both will add visibility but not a lot of incremental sales.


Enter the very fine-looking, fine-driving new Enclave crossover. Arriving half-a-year behind its well-respected Saturn Outlook and GMC Acadia cousins, this most upscale of GM's all-new large CUV (crossover utility vehicle) trio is quieter, more refined and more attractive than most anything else in its segment. And, thanks to its tightly tuned suspension, communicative steering, 275-hp 3.6-liter DOHC 24-valve VVT V-6 and 6-speed automatic transaxle, it loses none of their (for their size) crisp handling and respectable performance.

Styling

In short, this handsome new Enclave is easily the best Buick—and one of the best GM vehicles of any kind—in modern memory. When GM Design Vice President Ed Welburn unveiled the Enclave CUV concept at the January 2006 North American International Auto Show, most agreed that its exterior was stunning and its interior beautifully crafted with first-class fits and premium materials throughout.