2008 Buick Enclave CX

Buick claims that its Enclave is "the finest luxury crossover ever."

Now, the Buick may be a fine-looking thing – heck, the brand's past is filled with fine-looking vehicles – but the finest ever? Surely, this was marketing hyperbole.

But the more time I spent in the Enclave, the more my cynicism started to fade. While a week behind its wheel isn't really enough to decide if it's the finest luxury crossover ever, it was enough to convince me that it was a fine one. And one whose beauty was far more than skin-deep.

Case in point: I thought, until driving the $61,000 fully loaded Enclave, that Buick's "quietuning" was simply a load of bull. Not so: thanks to special sound-deadening materials as well as fine aerodynamics and a carefully designed interior, the Enclave really is remarkably quiet. Around town, you can barely hear the hum of the 3.6 L V6 as it goes about its work, but what's impressive is that this huge vehicle also exhibits very low levels of wind and road noise. At highway speeds with the stereo turned off, the Enclave may just be one of the quietest vehicles I've ever driven, the suspension thumping mutedly away below, the wind a gentle whoosh that seems very far away.

It adds up to a level of refinement that is genuinely surprising – the Enclave not only is a lot quieter than its platform-mates, the GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook, but also quieter than a BMW X5 or Acura MDX.

All of this is especially impressive given just how large the Enclave's interior is. Large cabins – particularly large cabins of vehicles with rear hatches – often end up acting as echo chambers and are uncomfortable over longer hauls.

Not so the Enclave, which is as serene and as calming as can be. The bucket seats, with their ridged leather, are squishy-comfortable but also quite supportive around corners. The dashboard, despite being artfully designed, has clean, easy-to-use displays and controls.

You can, of course, interrupt that silence with the Enclave's thundering Bose sound system. One of the audio company's better efforts, it produces clean, clear sound that doesn't hurt even when it's cranked.

In addition to the typical AM, FM and CD choices, you also get a handy auxiliary input for your iPod and XM satellite radio, all accessible through a bright, clear touch screen on models equipped with a navigation system. The interface for operating all of this gadgetry is far easier to use than the systems installed in vehicles like the BMW X5 and Audi Q7, and better to look at as well.

With two second-row bucket seats, my Enclave was set up for seven, but order a bench and you can seat eight in genuine comfort; there's plenty of room in all three rows for real adults to sit on even extended drives.

The power liftgate conceals a cargo area that, like even the largest eight-passenger SUVs, is too small for eight should you have all the seats in use, but is big enough, if you're only using the first two rows.

The good news is that the Enclave, like all the recent big GM crossovers, doesn't drive nearly as big as it actually is. Its controls are light, easy and precise, with none of the slop you'd associate with a big truck. The steering guides the front end accurately and easily around bends; the brakes have plenty of stopping power and pedal feel; the suspension handles high- and low-speed corners with confidence and stability no matter what the weather or road surface.

Power from the 3.6 L V6 is rated lower than, say, the MDX, but the Enclave moves along just fine, with a gentle thrum from the engine room and quick, snappy shifts from its six-speed automatic.

In hilly terrain, however, even the best efforts of the six speed aren't enough to camouflage the Enclave's substantial size and weight; going up steep grades, it can feel winded where competitors like the Q7 and X5 – both available with optional V8s – keep on snarling along. Perhaps an optional small-block GM V8 is in order; it probably wouldn't be much worse, fuel-economy wise, than the 15.0 L/100 km I averaged in a week of mixed driving.

It's only when you're driving around in tighter quarters that the Enclave seems unwieldy. Spots that a two-row SUV would slip into with no problem become multi-point turn exercises that require a lot of neck-craning and mirror-checking.

It's a good thing that the Enclave comes with a backup camera, because the view to the rear is constricted by a small, dim window. Even the A-pillars are so thick that they can sometimes obscure traffic turning in from the left. For someone (myself) who's held Buicks in contempt since the brakes on my uncle's Century gave out many years ago, the Enclave seems glitzier and more luxurious – and genuinely more refined and better to drive than the Acadia or Outlook.

To put it succinctly, even in fully-loaded form and costing more than $60,000, the Enclave feels entirely worth its price.

Given the competition that price pits the Enclave against, that's a major achievement for GM.

Wasn't it just yesterday when the prognosis for GM was so grim it seemed the only humane response was to take the old General out behind the barn and shoot it? Well, you can put away the shotgun, Clem. Seems there's life in the old horse yet.

Four class wins at this years' AJAC TestFest signal something is afoot with the North American arm of General Motors. A once sketchy and fractured product lineup is starting to look pretty healthy.

The subject of this test is the 2008 Buick Enclave CXL AWD, which took top honours in the Best New SUV/CUV above $60,000, beating out such luminaries as the BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz M-Class.

This top-of-the-line Enclave model carries a base price of $51,295, but with a few options, my tester squeaked over the line at $60,045.

The Enclave shares its mechanicals with the GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook, but it doesn't share the chunky broad-shouldered look of those two. This Buick is all about languid, flowing lines and elegant detailing. GM has done a wonderful job of incorporating classic Buick styling cues – the waterfall grille and "portholes" on the hood – without looking corny or patronizing.

But my gawd, these things are big – as long and wide as a GMC Yukon. Which is good news if you have a lot of people or stuff to haul around.

Since Enclave is built on the long-wheelbase unibody Lambda platform, its XXL exterior translates to an equally XXL interior. An available second-row bench will give a bum count of eight, but this tester was configured for seven passengers, with twin second-row captain's chairs that accordion forward, giving easy access to the third-row flip up bench, And yes, three adults can sit back there without (too much) complaint.

Like the exterior, the interior design is elegant and curvaceous. There's plenty of low-gloss faux-wood (real mahogany on the steering wheel), supple leather and chrome, and some chic details like a round analogue clock above the stack and a stylish shift lever that sprouts from a very art-deco centre console.

At night, the soft blue ambient lighting makes you want to head straight for the opera.

But most importantly, the execution and quality of materials is very good. Using "craftsmanship" and "GM interior" in the same sentence? Hath hell frozen over?

The base Enclave luxury count is comprehensive, with such niceties as tri-zone climate control, powered lift-gate and bi-xenon headlamps. To this, the CXL adds a premium10-speaker, six-CD in-dash Bose system, 19-inch aluminum wheels, two rear headphone jacks, power tilt/telescope steering column, eight-way driver's seat, and power fold mirror with driver's side memory.

Perched up high in the comfy chairs, you get a lofty view of your surroundings, but rear-ward visibility is sketchy due to the tapered rear windows and the fact the back of the Enclave is essentially in another time zone.

Thankfully, rear park assist is standard on the CXL, but my tester also sported a rear-view camera, which came in very handy when negotiating a tight parking garage. The camera is part of the $4,720 Touch Screen DVD Navigation system, which also includes rear seat DVD and a very good sounding Bose 5.1 surround sound upgrade.

GM is making a lot of noise about Enclave's lack of it. To keep the interior hushed, Buick's QuietTuning covers all the bases: tire tread pattern, damped engine mounts, triple-sealed doors, acoustic laminated windshield and interior acoustic absorbers. It really is tomb-like inside – as long as the kids stay at home.

So GM has bestowed upon this luxury crossover a suitably upscale countenance and ambience. Does it drive like a Buick?

If you mean wallowy and numb, then the answer is "no."

Like its GMC Acadia sibling, this large CUV drives much smaller than it looks, exhibiting surprising body control, decently communicative steering and a composed and compliant ride. That said, it doesn't feel quite as "crisp" as the Acadia, probably due to its extra few kilos.

The Enclave's only available engine is a St. Catharines-built 3.6 L DOHC Vortec V6 that features variable valve timing and puts out 275 hp and 252 lb.-ft. of torque, available from 1600 to 5800 rpm. Working in conjunction with a decently smooth GM Hydra-Matic six-speed auto, it makes for refined and adequately brisk progress. There's no big V8 grunt, but I didn't really miss it, and the observed 13 L/100km (regular gas) is pretty good for a luxurious 7/8-passenger all-wheel-drive hulk that tips the scales at 2261 kg.

In traffic between 80 and 100 km/h was the only time I noticed the transmission "hunting" around the top gears. Highway passing requires advanced planning, and although it is tow-rated for 2041 kg, I could see how the limits of this powertrain could be reached.

Under normal conditions, the Enclave operates with a front to rear torque split of 90/10. A computer-controlled clutch pack in the rear differential will send more juice to the rear wheels if needed. The rest of the traction issues are handled by the standard StabiliTrak electronic stability/traction control.

What most impressed me about the 2008 Buick Enclave is the fact this well executed and fine driving CUV isn't trying to be something it's not. No pretenses of Euro-bahn-bashing or Japanese-high-tech-chic here.

It is resolutely American, and more important, brings back some of the old order in GM's lineup. Like when owning a Buick was something special.

General Motors has so much confidence in the Enclave, its first workable luxury crossover, it's asking it to do the job of three other Buick vehicles – the Rainier, Rendezvous and Terraza, all of which have been given their walking papers for 2008.

Built off a new, large-crossover front-wheel-drive unibody platform, the five-door, seven- or eight-passenger Enclave shares most of its engineering DNA with the Saturn Outlook and GMC Acadia (and a Chevrolet tentatively dubbed Traverse coming in '09).

A base Enclave CX FWD starts at $40,885.

I drove a $51,295, top-of-the-line, seven-passenger CXL with optional all-wheel-drive. With every major option added (trailer towing packages, chrome wheels, power moonroof, killer audio, video and navigation systems, etc.), a loaded Enclave will run you no more than about $61,000.

With Buick sitting above the other GM crossovers in brand hierarchy, across the board, an Enclave is about $5,000-7,000 more than an almost-as-nice Outlook.

If you need the room of a minivan, or one of those monster SUVs, the Enclave (like the Outlook and Acadia) excels.

Its cabin is extremely wide and long. The standard second-row captain's chairs fold flat and slide forward with a single lever, leaving an easy alleyway back to the 60/40-split, fold-flat third row.

As long as they're not wearing shoulder pads, the third row can handle adult-size passengers with plenty of legroom. The area behind offers a generous 535 litres of cargo space. With the second and third rows down, there is 3,300 litres or 3.3 cubic metres of cargo capacity – more than your Vegas-loving neighbour's Cadillac Escalade.

Under the hood, the Buick has the same 3.6-litre V6 (rated at 275 hp, 251 lb.-ft. of torque in the Enclave) and six-speed automatic transmission as its Saturn and GMC siblings.

Flatly put: when compared to GM's conventional, body-on-frame big SUVs – such as the Chevrolet Tahoe or Suburban – these new crossovers are lighter, roomier inside, deliver better fuel economy, and ride and handle more like cars than trucks.

Keep in mind, maxing out at about 2,000 kg they also can't tow as much as truck-based SUVs with more powerful V8s.

GM's platform-sharing strategy begs the age-old question: Why pay the Buick's Enclave premium pricing over, say, a less expensive GMC Acadia or Saturn Outlook?

Styling, for one.

Between the three GM crossovers, the Buick definitely has the most distinctive sheetmetal. Unlike the boxier-looking Outlook and Acadia, Enclave designers disguised its fortified-minivan looks by drawing in the vehicle's head- and taillights toward its midsection along opposing metal swooshes. All the Buick's exterior curves are nicely framed, with added slices of chrome and those vaunted Buick "ventaports" on the hood (which, in the Enclave's case, are neither vented, nor ported).

Arguably less successful is the upgrade done to the Buick's cockpit over lesser Saturns and GMCs.

I can understand the compulsion to add the cliché bits of American luxury trim, such as mismatched brushed metal and chrome plastic trim, an impossible-to-read analogue clock stuck in the dash, and wood appliqués that look about as real as Burt Reynolds's hair. (Hey, you gotta show the extra Buick money went somewhere.)

But where the Outlook presents driver instrumentation in a clear, straightforward manner, Buick has created tunnels that limit your angle of sight and incoming light – not very good for the geriatric vision of the average Buick customer.

The flashiest of the GM crossover triplets may or may not float your boat, but as the most luxurious of the trio, its engineers have delivered the quietest cabin by virtue of using laminated front-door window glass, acoustical windshield glass with sound-absorbing material, foam structural fillers and special engine mounts. As such, the inside of the Enclave is Sunday mass quiet.

Based on a scenario that doesn't involve transporting half of your child's screaming soccer squad at the time, Buick claims the Enclave CXL AWD is quieter than established crossovers, such as a similarly equipped $63,675 Acura MDX Elite, $73,095 BMW X5 3.0si, $82,500 Mercedes-Benz GL450 or $69,345 Volvo XC90 3.2.

With a wheelbase that's more than 500 cm long, the softly sprung Enclave only hints at road irregularities – yet doesn't just float along like some lithium-filled marshmallow.

Unfortunately, its helm does feel distant. Steering is quick and light, but not up to the sensual standards of a similarly equipped (though, admittedly smaller) $51,989 Mazda CX-9 GT AWD.

Neither is the Buick's straggling straightline performance, which, at almost 9 seconds for 0-to-100 km/h, is more than a second slower than the Mazda's.

Despite Buick's ambitions, with its commodious cabin, value pricing and luxury car ride, the new Enclave will more than likely find favour with former minivan or traditional SUV owners than the Bimmer and Merc crowds.

Surely no one's shedding a tear for the departed Rainier, Rendezvous or Terraza, but now with only the Allure and Lucerne sedans alongside in Buick showrooms this fall, only time will tell if the rookie Enclave will be able to live up to its advance billing.

St. Louis, MO.–For 2008, the Buick brand is fielding its first-ever crossover – the 2008 Enclave, based on the same architecture as the GMC Acadia and the Saturn Outlook.

This is a prime example of platform sharing, and it's also a breakout effort for what can only be called the stodgiest of the GM brands.

Cadillac has successfully reinvigorated itself and is now pulling in a somewhat younger buyer, but Buick remains a favourite of the blue-hair set.

Will a luxury crossover with three rows of seats bring in buyers at least under retirement age? (Seating for seven is standard, optional for eight.)

Or will it be seen as gramp's golf club hauler or as a disguised minivan with all the capability that entails but with a look that men won't hate?

I saw the latter in the Enclave. If that doesn't bother you, then be aware that the cost of this self-deception starts at $40,000, reflecting Buick's intention to hold onto its association with luxury.

The Enclave uses a bit more chrome than other brands: around the windows, lights, door handles and exhaust tips, for example. You also get a nice traditional balance of Buick styling cues like a waterfall blacked-out chrome grille centred by the tri-shield emblem – and, of course, the portholes.

Add 18-inch (or optional 19-inch) tires on bright aluminum wheels and the effect is pleasing.

The body design is very Japanese/European, so it came as no surprise that the Buick team at this introduction offered continual comparisons to vehicles like the Acura MDX, Lexus RX 350 and the Mercedes-Benz R350. Staffers Enclave's greater cargo capability, but failed to point out how similar the body shapes are.

It's a good-looking design, but it's missing individuality at 100 metres.

Platform sharing is the future for car manufacturers, but it's not the reprehensible rebadging of old. The common frame gives the Buick a great new suspension design that includes a front coil-over strut and stabilizer bar.

The set-up translates to a low step-in height, a stiff but commanding road posture and surprisingly flat cornering for a truck that weights more than 2,000 kg.

Despite its size, I never had to muscle the Enclave through the curves, thanks to hydraulic, rack-and-pinion steering.

At speed, over various road surfaces, the big crossover has one of the quietest cabins I've been in. What ambient noise there is low and easy on the ears, thanks to a new system Buick calls QuietTuning.

Take the windshield for example. It's been redesigned as a "sandwich" of glass panels with a soft, transparent middle layer that dampens road and traffic noise, slowing it down and lowering its tone.

All Enclaves have been QuietTuned, regardless of trim levels, of which there are two: CX and CXL. Each offers front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive.

The only engine is a new 3.6-litre V6 with variable valve timing (VVT), dual overhead camshafts and a torque-based engine management computer that is said to add power and stretch fuel.

It makes 275 hp and 251 lb.-ft. of torque and is married to Buick's first six-speed automatic transmission.

Claimed fuel consumption: city 14.6 L/100 km, highway 9.8.

On the highway, the rig fairly lopes along, the top gear ratio being just 0.74, but this also results in the Enclave noticeably downshifting on even slight grades. Sometimes once, but often twice, which might be an issue when towing.

Buick pegs the SUVs tow capability at 2,045 kg, which is not shabby; and it has an engine that is more than capable of pulling that weight. So why not include a top-gear lockout feature or a tow-haul mode?

The answer, I'm guessing, is that this box was jointly developed with Ford (it's in the new Edge) and is probably a compromise between the two firms.

Enclave third-row seat has a minivan virtue. It folds flat, as in many SUVs, but offers a proper footwell when up – something lacking in many like vehicles that claim seven- and eight-passenger seating.

Buick can also be proud of the relatively easy passage into this third row, thanks to wide rear doors and a "Smart Slide" second-row feature that shifts the folded seat forward.

In the seven-seat configuration, four captain's chairs ride ahead of the third-row bench. Access from between the seats is reasonable.

As for cargo room, as in a minivan, folded seats make for a positive cavern in there.

Reflecting Buick's image, which has considerable cachet worldwide (did you know that Buick is the second-best-selling brand in China), interior appointments are plush.

Elegant touches include a leather-wrapped, real mahogany steering wheel that tilts and telescopes and reading lights in all three rows.

The three interior colour offerings show how far GM has come in improving its cabins.

My wife Tracie insists I mention (yes, I noticed it on my own) the pull-out tray in the front centre console armrest that's big enough to hold a purse.

Enclave doesn't skimp on safety assets, either. It won the top five-star rating in U.S. government crash testing.

Features include side-curtain airbags, StabiliTrak chassis electronics to help keep you heading where you want to go and four-wheel ABS disc brakes.

GM is intent on returning where necessary to the "core values" of its brands.

If comfort, quiet and upscale appeal are what's meant for Buick, the auto giant has pulled it off with Enclave, now on dealer lots.