Buick's 2008 Enclave crossover is targeted at Acura MDX and Lexus RX 330 buyers.

While the Enclave will be larger, Buick's crossover will carry a "lower price than those vehicles," said Steve Shannon, Buick general manager. The Enclave will debut this week at the Los Angeles auto show.

The Enclave is one of three new mid-sized crossovers General Motors is developing on the automaker's new front-drive Lambda vehicle architecture. All-wheel drive is available. The vehicles can seat seven or eight, depending on seat configuration.

The 2007 Saturn Outlook and 2007 GMC Acadia precede the Buick version. Enclave sales are to begin in late spring. It has unique styling and does not share its greenhouse and exterior panels with the Saturn and GMC models.

"This class of vehicles, these Lambdas, are the biggest car-based (crossovers) out there. So to that extent, it is a little bit uncharted waters," said Shannon. "We will probably get more people out of vans than come out of mid-sized utes."

Shannon was interviewed at an Enclave preview earlier this month at GM's proving grounds in Milford, Mich.

The Lambda-based crossovers have a long wheelbase for a mid-sized crossover - 118.9 inches. The wheelbase enhances second-row legroom. Power comes from GM's 3.6-liter V-6 engine, mated to the automaker's new six-speed automatic.

Shannon said the Lucerne and the Enclave are re-establishing Buick around several key fundamentals. Among them: quality, interior refinement and craftsmanship, technology that is powerful yet simple to use, and what Shannon says is an interior with "a library kind of quietness. Intense engineering is done to get us quiet tuning."

Shannon said the Enclave "has a gorgeous outside shape, is elegant, has a lot of jewelry. This is basically a luxury car that just happens to seat seven or eight."

Buick says its new Enclave crossover vehicle will capture luxury-seeking buyers looking for sleek style in an eight-passenger package.

Buick calls the Enclave its first luxury crossover SUV. Before it, the brand offered a truck-based Rainier sport-ute, which shared its underpinnings with the Chevrolet TrailBlazer, and a Rendezvous crossover that shared underpinnings with the Pontiac Aztek. The new Enclave shares its mechanicals with the upcoming Saturn Outlook and GMC Acadia.

When it arrives in showrooms in the summer the Enclave will be offered in two editions, CX and CXL. Both will be powered by GM's 3.6-liter V-6, a dual overhead-cam engine with variable valve timing, 275 horsepower, and 251 pound-feet of torque. A six-speed automatic transmission will be the only gearbox offered, while buyers will get a choice of front- or all-wheel drive.

The Enclave's chassis consists of a unibody structure with independent suspension at all four corners. Steering is through a variable-effort, power rack-and-pinion setup, and the standard anti-lock brakes are assisted by stock 18-inch wheels and tires; 19-inchers and 20-inchers are available. With the proper equipment the Enclave can tow 4500 pounds.

Other standard safety features are stability control with rollover mitigation, tire pressure monitors, traction control, and six airbags including three-row curtain airbags.

Buick promises that the Enclave will offer world-class interior refinement and refinements, in a package larger than vehicles like the Lexus RX350, Audi Q7, and Acura MDX. With all but its front two seats folded down the Enclave has 116.2 cubic feet of cargo space -- more than any of those competitors, which all have less than 85 cubic feet of cargo space.

The traditional GM brand also says the Enclave's flexibility will be attractive to shoppers conditioned to upscale Acura and Lexus utes. The second-row seats in particular have been adapted for all sorts of people- and cargo-carrying duties. They flip and fold flat for cargo, and slide far forward to allow easier access to the adult-sized third-row seat, Buick claims. The second-row captain's chairs can be swapped for a bench seat for eight-passenger capacity; the seven-passenger version has a console between the second-row seats. All Enclaves have more than two-dozen storage cubbies throughout the vehicle for secure stowage.

Standard and optional features will include a rear backup camera; a power liftgate; touch-screen DVD navigation; Ultrasonic Rear Parking Assist; power tilt and telescoping steering wheel; a Bose 5.1 ten-speaker surround sound system; a rear-seat DVD entertainment system; a sunroof; XM satellite radio; and OnStar with Turn-By-Turn voice-activated navigation.

The Enclave goes on sale in the summer of 2007 as a 2008 model.

2008 Buick Enclave

Base price: $28,500 (est.)
Engine: 3.6-liter V-6, 275 hp/251 lb-ft

Transmission: Six-speed automatic, front- or all-wheel drive

Length x width x height: 201.8 x 79.0 x 72.2 in
Wheelbase: 118.9 in
Curb weight: 4780-4985 lb
Fuel economy (EPA city/hwy): N/A

Major standard features: 18-inch wheels, high-intensity discharge headlamps; tire pressure monitors; OnStar

Safety features: Anti-lock brakes, stability and traction control; dual front, side, and curtain airbags

Warranty: Four years/50,000 miles