Traveling in the Family Way: 2008 Buick Enclave CXL

October 10, 2008

Lovely looks, comfortable ride, family friendly crossover utility.

There is a dilemma in the quest to become the favorite family friendly crossover utility vehicle: how to stand out among the best, without taking the vehicle completely out of its segment?

The 2008 Buick Enclave CXL accomplishes its goal, offering voluptuous comfort for seven or eight, segment-best storage behind the third-row seat, and an elegant ride that coddles passengers with living-room-style luxury, without becoming too barge-like.

The Enclave is the more beautiful of General Motor's CUV trio which also includes the Saturn Outlook and GMC Acadia. The three vehicles are constructed using the same platform and engine, though each is trimmed and packaged differently to suit its specific brand's demographic. The Buick seeks to compete with Acura MDX, Lexus RX350, and Volvo XC90, so it offers more opulence than its sisters, as well as an exceptional list of standard features, including "Quiet Tuning" which includes acoustic laminated windshield and front-door side glass, special damping material on the underbody, as well as triple door seals and engine mounts to make this vehicle nearly as soundproof as an isolation chamber.

Its fluid, curvaceous design features gracefully arched fenders, lovely chrome accents, and Buick's bold waterfall grille; all help to disguise its considerable mass, which tips the scales near 5000 pounds. Powered by a 275-horse/3.6-liter V-6 mated to a six-speed automatic transmission, the Enclave carries its passengers across the roads in a cocoon of comfort thanks to its tightly tuned suspension, precise steering, smooth acceleration, and sensitive braking. Fuel economy promises 16 city/24 highway with front-wheel drive, or 16/22 when equipped (as our tester) with all-wheel drive. It takes an extremely sensitive application of the throttle to achieve these figures, however; our week-long test drive demonstrated best highway economy of about 20 mpg, and about 12 mpg around town, to realize an average of about 15 mpg combined.

Standard comfort features include a power up/down liftgate (which never loses its appeal to my five-year-old co-tester), express up/down power windows, cloth seats on CX models and perforated leather front- and second-row seats (heated in front) on CXL, lovely wood trim accents, tri-zone climate control, and smart sliding second-row bucket seats. Our tester was equipped with Entertainment Package #3, which added touch screen navigation, rear seat audio controls, Bose sound system, rearview backup camera, power sunroof with rear-seat skylight, steerable projector beam high-intensity headlamps (which never lose their appeal on dark twisty roads), 19-inch chromed wheels, and heated, power-folding outside mirrors. A second-row 60/40-split bench seat is also available, bringing possible seating capacity up to eight.

The list of safety items includes four-wheel anti-lock brakes, StabiliTrak electronic stability control system with rollover mitigation technology, tire pressure monitoring system, and traction control. Six standard air bags include two dual-stage frontal air bags, two seat-mounted side-impact air bags in the first row, and two roof rail air bags that cover all three seating rows. In addition to the air bags is GM's rollover sensing system, which activates the roof rail air bags if sensors identify the possibility of a vehicle rollover. And of course, OnStar with turn-by-turn voice-guided navigation.

Both second-row seats offer childseat anchors and tethers, with three more anchors in the backrow. (Heaven help any family with carseat kids buckled into all those possible positions!) Eight bottle and cupholders throughout the cabin allow every passenger to keep their favorite beverage within reach, while ample cubbies and pockets will also keep their stuff conveniently stowed. Both second- and third-row seats flip down and fold away quite easily for access and stowage.

An area where the Enclave really shines is cargo storage, boasting 18.9 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third-row seats when in the upright position (a trunk capacity of some large sedans), and 115.1 cubic feet of cargo room behind the first row when all rear seats are folded. That's 20 to 30 cubic feet more volume than the 2008 Lexus RX350 (84.7 cubic feet), 2008 Volvo XC90 (85.1), 2008 Audi Q7 (71.8), and 2008 Acura MDX (83.5). Those numbers become more meaningful when you think of those "cubes" in terms of shoeboxes and grocery bags.

Competitively priced, the Buick Enclave starts about $33,200 for the front-wheel-drive CX, and stretches up to about $37,000 for an all-wheel-drve CXL. Add in options and destination charges, and our tester maxed out at $44,615, pricing it near the cost of a Mercedes-Benz R-Class or entry-level Audi Q7. Buick's luxury crossover offers style, elegance, features, and performance that stand up to meet these high-end brands, without becoming too big for its own britches.