2009 Buick Enclave CX

The first company to come under the GM banner 101 years ago, and now one of the four brands the company has retained following its bankruptcy, Buick is poised to finally overcome its identity crisis. And if any single vehicle marked the turning point, it probably has to be the Enclave.

Introduced for 2008, Enclave replaced the Rendezvous, a model based on the Aztek whose only saving grace was that the Pontiac made it to market first: the Buick's butt-ugliness was softened considerably by the fact that no matter what, the Aztek was worse.

The Enclave eclipses any of Buick's previous offerings, and although it's one of three "sister" crossovers that share all but trim – the Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Acadia, plus the now-discontinued Saturn Outlook – its styling and appointments give it a look and feel that set it apart from the others.

All Enclave models come with three rows of seats, with seven-passenger the default configuration, and an optional third-row bench for eight. My tester was the base CX trim line, in front-wheel-drive, starting at $42,805; the upper-line CXL is $50,145. An all-wheel-drive system adds $3,000 to either trim line.

There's one engine choice, a 3.6 L V6 with a six-speed automatic making 288 horsepower. Despite Enclave's formidable curb weight of 2,168 kg, acceleration is brisk. The shifts are generally seamless, although the odd steep hill can leave it hunting for a gear.

Among its V6-powered three-row competition, only the 300-horsepower Acura MDX tops it in power, but at an extra $10,000 when matching base models.

Its supple ride might suggest sloppy steering, but the opposite is true: road feel is a bit numb, but it responds quickly to wheel input, takes corners without wallowing and it comes quickly to a halt. Anti-lock brakes and electronic stability control are standard, as are six airbags.

Published fuel economy sits about the middle of the pack but this new breed of three-row vehicles based on cars, rather than the V8-powered truck-based ones, makes everything a little easier at the pumps.

The truck-based ones still excel at towing, of course. On the other hand, Enclave's rated 2,041 kg ability should do for just about anything else.

Buick's focus has generally been on "affordable luxury," and Enclave generally looks and feels the part: real mahogany on the steering wheel, faux tree elsewhere, eerily quiet interior, super-comfortable first- and second-row seats, and firm cushions but spacious legroom in the third row, curvy design, and a big chrome clock in the middle of the dash.

Whether you find it sumptuous or saccharin will probably depend on your birthdate: Buick's demographic has traditionally been one of the oldest in the industry, and this is old-style luxury.

Either way, though, the fit-and-finish is excellent, and there are some nice touches, including blue electroluminescent gauges, satellite radio, and second-row climate controls.

The OnStar system includes Turn-by-Turn Navigation System: tell the operator your destination and the directions will be sent to your vehicle, read out to you through the car's stereo. It sounds great in theory, but in practice, I've found it can be hit-and-miss, with operators sometimes unable to find destinations, or downloading inaccurate directions.

The second-row seats tumble forward to make it easier to access the third row; both rows fold to form a flat floor that's 50 cm long with all seats up, 123 cm long with the third row folded, and 205 cm long with the second row down.

Lift the cargo floor, and there's a big storage compartment hidden under it. At its maximum, Enclave's 3,290 litres of cargo space outranks all of its competitors.

Its three-row competitors are all over the map: as low as $26,998 to get into a base Mitsubishi Outlander, and up to $60,550 to start in a Lexus GX 470. Of the three GM models, the Enclave's starting price tops that of Traverse and Acadia.

Among the rivals closest to the Buick Enclave are the upcoming 2010 Lincoln MKT, which will start at $53,350 with the company's impressive and powerful Ecoboost V6 engine; the Mazda CX-9, which starts at $37,995; and Hyundai Veracruz, which isn't as powerful or as quiet as the Enclave, but which still dishes up considerable luxury for a starting price of $36,995.

I'm still not sure whether Enclave is primarily getting younger drivers into Buicks, or older drivers into SUVs, but I certainly see enough of them on the road. If this is the reinvention of Buick, it's a fine start.