By Stuart Fowle
At a recent preview look at the new Enclave, Buick boss Steve Shannon was overheard whispering that the new crossover was "the closest thing we've ever had to no excuses" and he's probably right. When the Enclave goes on sale in mid-May, it will be priced "significantly lower than the Acura MDX" with a sticker that we estimate will be near $34,000. For that, you get standard eighteen-inch wheels, bi-xenon headlights (with articulation costing extra), six air bags, and a number of other fine features. Buick also had a team of thirteen working to make sure the Enclave is the quietest vehicle in its class.

The Enclave's 275-horsepower 3.5-liter V-6 won't make it the quickest crossover around, but variable valve timing helps raise performance and efficiency figures. We've been quite impressed by the engine, which is found in a number of other GM vehicles, including both of Buick's sedans. Those two cars, though, won't tow 4500 pounds like the Enclave can.

The production Enclave keeps the same swoopy sheetmetal as the concept from last year's Detroit show, a big improvement over the outgoing Rainer and Terraza, Buick's current people-movers. Unlike the concept, which featured functional fender-mounted portholes, the production model's nonfunctional holes serve no purpose other than getting faithful retirees to reminisce about their old '63 Electra 225. "Now that was a real car," they'll tell you. "Not one of these new-fangled things with all the computers." But we digress.

The Enclave's interior is similar to that of the concept, too. Like many GM products, though, it's nice to look at but disappointing when you get a little closer and realize that the plastics could be softer and the wood could be a little more, well, real. (Excepting, of course, the actual mahogany that adorns the steering wheel of uplevel models.) Still, we're excited to see if this leader of the Buick new school can help propel the stodgy brand into the twenty-first century.

Buick Announces Pricing For All-New Enclave Luxury Crossover SUV

DETROIT – When the all-new 2008 Buick Enclave luxury crossover sport utility vehicle arrives in dealerships early this summer, it will come equipped with a long list of standard equipment, a suite of owner services and a price unmatched in the segment.

The front-wheel-drive Enclave CX starts at $32,790, while the all-wheel-drive model starts at $34,790. The front-wheel-drive Enclave CXL begins at $34,990, while the all-wheel-drive version starts at $36,990. Prices include a $735 destination charge.

“Enclave is a segment-busting luxury crossover that best defines the new face of Buick,” said Steve Shannon, Buick general manager. “Its gorgeous design, high-tech features, functionality and roominess, coupled with a quiet and refined ride, put us in a great position to attract new customers.”

Loaded with standard equipment

Buick’s first luxury crossover SUV is equipped with a long list of standard equipment and technologies that are uncommon for vehicles at Enclave’s introductory price.

A new, 275-horsepower 3.6L V-6 powertrain featuring variable valve timing (VVT) powers the Enclave. The sophisticated dual-overhead camshaft engine is mated to Buick’s first six-speed automatic transmission.

Enclave offers a spacious cabin, with a standard seven-passenger seating configuration, second-row Smart Slide captain’s chairs and a third-row seat that can accommodate three adults. With Smart Slide, occupants have quick and effortless access to Enclave’s third row.

Other standard features include:

Xenon high-intensity discharge headlamps with automatic headlamp control
Heated, power outside mirrors with integrated turn signals
Power rear liftgate with remote
Leather-wrapped, genuine Mahogany wood steering wheel with tilt and telescoping steering column
Variable-assist power steering
AM/FM stereo with single-CD player, Radio Data System display, MP3 capability, six speakers and speed-compensated radio volume
Tiffany-style analog clock
Tri-zone automatic climate control
Remote keyless entry
XM Satellite Radio (includes three-month subscription)
Dual chrome exhaust
Reading lamps in all three rows
GM engineered the Enclave to be the quietest crossover on the road. Buick’s standard QuietTuning initiative, an engineering approach to reduce, block and absorb unwanted noise from entering the interior cabin, yields a library-quiet drive experience for all passengers whether they are seated in the front or third row.

All Enclave models come equipped with six standard air bags, including dual-stage frontal air bags, roof rail head curtain air bags for all three seating rows, and thorax side air bags for first-row seats. Other standard safety features include four-wheel disc brakes with ABS, StabiliTrak electronic stability control system with rollover mitigation technology, tire pressure monitoring system and traction control.

For added confidence and convenience, all Enclave models come standard with the industry’s best coverage and a suite of owner services, including a four-year/50,000-mile vehicle warranty, a five-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty, and OnStar with Turn-By-Turn voice-activated navigation and one-year Directions & Connections Plan.

Comprehensive features

A host of innovative features adds to the Enclave’s standout position, including an adjustable front-row center console armrest with multiple storage capabilities, an optional second-row center storage console that unfolds to contribute to a flat load floor when the seats are folded (available late summer), a large storage area with an integrated well behind the third row, and third-row seat bolsters for added comfort. The seat bolsters deflate when folded to allow a flat load floor.

Optional equipment includes a second-row 60/40 split-folding bench seat for eight-passenger configuration, 18-inch machine-finish aluminum wheels on CX models and 19-inch chrome aluminum wheels on CXL models. A rear-seat DVD system, an in-dash voice activated navigation system with back-up camera; a large, power-operated sunroof with second-row skylight; a rear cargo net and shade; and a heavy-duty trailering package (up to 4,500 pounds maximum towing capacity) are available on all models.

A Driver Confidence Package is also available on all models and includes rear parking assist, remote starting capability and heated windshield washer fluid. Enclave CXL buyers can select the Luxury Package, which adds articulating front headlamps, power tilt and telescoping steering wheel and power folding outside mirrors. Four optional audio and entertainment packages, eight exterior and three interior colors are also available.

The 2008 Buick Enclave will be built at GM’s new Lansing Delta Township assembly in Lansing, Mich.

third-row seat bolsters for added comfort. The seat bolsters deflate when folded to allow a flat load floor.

Platinum’s rarity has long made it the metal of choice for nobility and the affluent – more so than gold. Black, meanwhile, has traditionally been associated with refinement … a confident elegance, demonstrated by the black tuxedo, black dress or color-of-choice for luxury vehicles. Black and platinum merge seamlessly in the Buick Enclave Black Platinum Edition. Created by Mitek Corporation of Phoenix, Ariz., Buick Enclave Black Platinum Edition is being introduced at the 2007 Specialty Equipment Market Association Show in Las Vegas.

This custom Enclave is a head-turner. Its House of Kolor Black Diamond custom paint glimmers and appears to change hue depending on the viewer’s angle: black, blue or purple. Your eyes run effortlessly down the vehicle’s profile, which is accentuated by darkened windows and doors without handles. Custom 20-inch TIS chrome wheels equipped with 20-inch Toyo Proxes tires and custom springs – which lower the vehicle height by two inches – combine to create a pavement-hugging, ready-to-pounce appearance. Up front, Buick Enclave Black Platinum Edition wears the new face of production Enclaves, a vertical chrome waterfall grille.

One press of the Enclave Black Platinum Edition’s key fob opens the doors, revealing an interior swathed in Deep Blue leather. The seat inserts in all four captains chairs and the third-row bench – as well as the headliner and the visors – feature this luxurious leather. The exterior paint theme is duplicated in the interior trim panels, and polished custom billet aluminum inserts have been added to the door panels to complement the famous Buick fender trim. All of the speakers feature polished custom billet aluminum trim rings to further accentuate the chrome trim package. The result is a harmonious balance between the vehicle’s interior and exterior.

While understated elegance embodies the interior and exterior designs of the Buick Enclave Platinum Edition, its sound system is not afraid to pump out wattage. Crank up the volume of the custom MTX audio system to experience 4,900 watts of peak power delivered through 13 speakers, including three 12-inch subwoofers that are housed within custom-made and custom-painted fiberglass enclosures. Enclave Black Platinum Edition also features three-way speakers in the front doors, two-way speakers in the rear doors and two amplifiers.

Naturally, a sound system this great can best be appreciated while listening to favorite music, such as that stored on an iPod. Enclave Black Platinum Edition has you covered there, too, thanks to the Avstarr integration device from Civita Technologies. It allows drivers and front passengers to control the iPod’s song list through the vehicle’s audio controls, for safer and more convenient listening pleasure.

Buick is General Motors’ premium international brand anchored by North America and China regions. A storied, 104-year-old brand in North America, Buick is also one of the most well-known automobile brands in China with more than 1.3 million Buick owners. Last year, Buick sold more than 300,000 units there and more than 567,000 worldwide, a 17,000-unit increase over 2006. Buick nameplates in North America include the Enclave luxury crossover, Lucerne and LaCrosse entry-luxury sedans. The Buick lineup in China include the LaCrosse and Park Avenue premium sedans, Regal upper-medium sedan, Excelle family and GL8 and FirstLand executive wagons.

If you watch the Connecticut-based CBS affiliate WFSB you might recognize Dennis House as an Eyewitness News anchor and moderator of Face the State, but you can also easily spot him on the road behind the wheel of a Buick Enclave with a custom body wrap that makes the modern crossover look like an old-school, wood-paneled station wagon.

House acquired his current faux-wood-wrapped Enclave in April, but it wasn't his first. On his blog, House shows images of his earlier 2013 Enclave where he used wood-patterned contact paper to give his crossover this vintage look temporarily.

"It does get tons of attention. Just today a 20 something went nuts over it and asked if he could photograph it," House told Motor1.com.

In addition to the obvious woodgrain wrap, House's Enclave has another special touch. Look below the rear fender badge to spot the "Estate Wagon" from a Buick Roadmaster. It's a clever detail that adds one more element to the crossover's vintage-inspired aesthetic.

In a 2017 blog post, House writes that he thinks it's time for wood-paneled trim to make a return – at least as an option. "The first automaker to bring back a woody will get a wagon full of media attention that could have people across the country saying 'want.' The second to do it will look like a copycat."

The popularity of the wood-paneled look dwindled in the 1980s as the cultural aesthetic began looking more towards the future than having nostalgia for the past. Today, things have reversed again, and people have started looking back fondly on their perceived "good old days." We can imagine at least a few modern buyers preferring this old-school, more natural look over the gray palette that's so common for new vehicles.

Here is the 2022 Buick Enclave! That's all now. Move along. At least, that’s according to Buick, which offered no information beyond these two photos. We know it’s for the 2022 model year, and we know it will go on sale “later this year.”

The visual changes are obvious enough on their own. It amounts to what we’d expect a mid-cycle refresh would look like. Buick gave it a totally new front and rear. We’re most taken by the new look up front, though. That grille gives it the presence it was lacking before, and the horizontal slashes meeting in the middle at the Buick logo are a nice touch. New LED headlights are slimmed way down and tuck in neatly under the hood. Even the lower bumper adds some pizazz with swooping lines and a handsome, verging on sporty, finish.

Nothing much changes in the middle, but sharp LED taillights steal the show in back. They’re still connected by a central trim piece, but it’s been darkened and massaged to a cleaner look. Buick also looks like it has gone for a concealed exhaust design — it had a visible dual exhaust pipe exit before. The last obvious change is a new set of dark-painted wheels.

There are certainly a number of tech updates to be found on the interior, but Buick isn’t talking about (or showing) those yet. We’ll have to wait for a later date to know every last detail of the refreshed Enclave. For now, the styling changes are a nice change of pace and make it look far more appealing.