You may recall my earlier post in which I ruminated over which long-term vehicle I would take to my high school reunion. Nissan GT-R? Audi R8? Cadillac CTS? Pontiac G8? Benz C300?
Would you believe, the 2008 Buick Enclave CX? I know, I know. I can hardly believe it myself. Ever since I graduated I've dreamed of rolling up to the valet at my high school reunion in a fine Buick SUV. Haven't we all? And now my wife and I have lived that dream.
Actually, it went like this: The 2009 Nissan GT-R was (and is) broken and waiting for fuel system parts, so the Audi R8 was my backup plan. But a last minute testing schedule change Friday afternoon left me 120 miles north of the office (and the Audi) in a Ford Flex. Another editor who lives near me needed the Flex for the weekend for a story he was working on. I was the logical choice to trade vehicles with him, and he happened to be rockin' the Enclave.
So my wife and I stepped-out, in fine style, from a minivan-esque SUV. That's about where we are in life anyway, so perhaps karma had something to say about the whole thing.
Besides, for the other things we did this weekend, the Enclave was just great. We checked out a ranch that gives riding lessons and we went to the beach, tracking damp sand onto the floor mats. No bigee. It'll vacuum up.
Dan Edmunds, Director of Vehicle Testing @ 23,492 miles
edubya says:
05:56 PM, 09/ 8/08
That's a pretty funny twist, but driving around in an Enclave is nothing to be ashamed of. It's decent looking and comfortable. I doubt anyone noticed anyway.
lazyhater says:
05:58 PM, 09/ 8/08
How was the reunion itself?
lazyhater says:
06:02 PM, 09/ 8/08
My thought exactly, no one would have noticed anyway, unless you drive a batmobile and park it right up front.
banhugh says:
04:07 AM, 09/ 9/08
both the R8 and the GT-R fall under the batmobile category :)
opfreak says:
05:20 AM, 09/ 9/08
your probably older. So maybe this will help you out...
i'm 28, and when I sat in the enclave at the autoshow, I couldn't stop thinking about how nice of an SUV it was.
The only problem with it is the buick stigma of being for the 70-80 florida grand ma/pa crowd.
Anyone that sits in it, should have their minds changed pretty quickly about buick. If I needed a larger size SUV, this one would be on my short list.
brn says:
05:53 AM, 09/ 9/08
Karl wouldn't give up the keys to the Ford, eh?
sgude says:
06:09 AM, 09/ 9/08
Dan, you cheesed out. Just admit it. You were thinking about other people's perceptions if you stepped out of an R8 or GT-R, weren't you? Uh huh. "Last minute testing schedule change." Sure. Yeah.
That said, the Buick is okay, but jeez, what about the CTS? Or the G8 (which is really growing on me, the same way German cars always do)? Or the Benz?
zjev says:
07:09 AM, 09/ 9/08
Ha ha! You went conservative. Oh well.
sm42 says:
08:28 AM, 09/ 9/08
That makes sense, the Buick is the perfect choice for your 50-year reunion
Reunion rundown by year:
5: Ford Focus (broke)
10: Pontiac G8 (Got a job, on the prowl)
15: Caravan (holy kids batman)
20: Prius (hey, I'm a yuppy who drives slow to save the planet)
25: Audi R8 (Can 500 bhp get me back over that hill?)
30: Accord (how much to retire? oh, crap)
40: Cadillac SRX (it's the salt-n-pepper of cars)
50: Buick
hondacura4 says:
08:50 AM, 09/ 9/08
An older (shes in her late 60's) neighbor of purchased a Buick Enclave (looks to be the top model) a few months ago. She traded her last generation Chevy Suburban in.
Although the exterior is a bit on the feminine side, its a very nicely excuted design, although a bit too chromey for my tastes. It even has a nice exhuast note! A good exhaust note coming from a modern Buick....whats the world coming to?
lazyhater says:
09:18 AM, 09/ 9/08
"A good exhaust note coming from a modern Buick....whats the world coming to?"
A Hyundai is challenging Lexus and seems to be almost on par with it.........get used to the new world order!
pg_13 says:
01:36 PM, 09/ 9/08
Can someone please explain to me why the automotive press is always gushing about the Enclave? I drove it as a rental car on vacation and found it to be an underpowered, understeering, uncomfortable gas-guzzler.
If it really is the best American car in years, which is the gist of what I've read in a number of places, than the American car industry is in more trouble than I thought.
hondacura4 says:
03:08 PM, 09/ 9/08
"Can someone please explain to me why the automotive press is always gushing about the Enclave? I drove it as a rental car on vacation and found it to be an underpowered, understeering, uncomfortable gas-guzzler."
I dont think its because the Enclave is about being the best in its segment. I think it has to do with Buick finally producing a modern stylish, somewhat luxurious(?) crossover that people will actually buy and not be ashamed to drive. The Enclave is a much better executed vehicle than the Rendezvous ever was.
mustang5507 says:
11:26 PM, 09/ 9/08
Maybe PG13 drives an ML320 Bluetec every day. Which would explain why the Enclave felt underpowered, with bad steering and horrible mileage =)
That's as far as SUV's go...
rlg86 says:
10:30 AM, 09/12/08
I know this may be hard for all of you honda, toyota & bmw fanboys to accept, but there is a segment of the population that *LIKE* Buicks, adn Buick SUV's in particular.
Case in point my wife, who loves her Rendezvous. I do not see the attraction, but hey, it's her car. We've had it for 2 years and it doesn't rattle, gets 20 mpg in suburban driving, and has never seen the dealer except for oil changes & tire rotation. This vehicle suffers enormous interior abuse from 2 boys who think the floor is just a place to toss empty food wrappers and a driver who never has enough 1/2 filled water bottles ;-) It pains me to even look inside it.....
BTW, when I showed her the Enclave and told her it was the Rendezvous replacement, her reply was that it was too big, and ugly besides. *SIGH*