[Flybrian]

Cheers and Gears Exclusive
2008 Buick Enclave (GMT-967)







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The above are some of the best photos of the production Enclave we've seen so far and we're happy to report that its not that exciting. Why? Because it looks quite identical to the stunning concept vehicle first shown seven months ago at Detroit. The instrument panel consists of a five-pack of round gauges like the concept along with the cabin-wide swath of wood trim nestled atop metallic accent of equal length. Chrome bezeling encircles the round outer air vents and console cupholders and its clear by the abundance of the chrome and wood that this is a more luxurious vehicle.

Outside, this Enclave rides signature Buick multispoke alloy wheels with telltale center caps removed. High-intensity discharge xenon headlamps in carefully jeweled housings grace the rounded front fascia. Our sources indicated this Buick will feature the adaptive headlamp technology now on several Cadillac models. Though you can't see the rear, we can tell you it retains the jeweled taillamps of the concept as well as their shape. One noticable difference with the Enclave is the window pillar on the rear side glass.

Underneath, Enclave will ride on MacPherson struts up front and a multi-link setup in the rear. As with its sister Lambdas, it will feature GM's High Feature 3.6l V6 engines at rollout with a UV8 option in a likely 'Reserve' or 'Super' trim for MY2009. Also like the Outlook and Acadia, it will feature GM's 6-speed automatic transmission in all trims and have available AWD. Production starts in March or April of 2007 for a 2008 model year introduction.

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[regfootball]

a little chunkier than the show car? interior looks like cheap plastic even tho design is nice

[Croc]

loves it

[Oldsmoboi]

a little chunkier than the show car?  interior looks like cheap plastic even tho design is nice

well it took all of 25 minutes for the bashing to start.....

[wildcat]

Buick "signature" wheels? Aren't those the wheels shown on the production Saturn Aura and elsewhere?

CD/BP: Thank you for capturing these.

And thanks to C&G for sharing them

[regfootball]

Haha, might I suggest a trip to the eye doctor. While in person, it does look like the material isnt quite of the quality of the concept car (which is to be expected) it looked really good.

I'll go with your take, in this case.

was the plastic at least better than the Lucerne?

[Paolino]

Well, I'm happy--it appears to be staying close to the concept. I'll be happier when I can see some high-res shots. I'm hoping the dash is leather-wrapped as promised... it appears to be if you look closely.

[AAS]

Looks great! I love these Lambdas!

What's that strip of "things" below the right-most gauge? Gear-shift indicator?

[Paolino]

Looks great!  I love these Lambdas!

What's that strip of "things" below the right-most gauge?  Gear-shift indicator?

I doubt that... probably just trip computer buttons.

[MrRogers]

Just stunning. Absolutely stunning. I am so glad that it stayed true to the concept. I especially like those adaptive xenon headlights!

[wildcat]

So perhaps anyone who feels the production interior is less than the concept should wait 'til the '09 "Reserve" or "Super" trim?

Not to go off topic, but I think C&G should make people register. All the "visitors" viewing this C&G exclusive should at least have to register.

[Northstar]

Can anyone tell if the leather is still around the center stack and on the dash? I don't see any stiching if it is. The rest looks almost exactly the same.

[Cubical-aka-Moltar]

a little chunkier than the show car?  interior looks like cheap plastic even tho design is nice

I can't really judge the quality of interior plastics considering it's a photo taken through a closed window of a prototype...wait until you see it in person and can see and feel the trim..

[pow]

I'm sure the Enclave will be a great truck, but it will also be the eighth or ninth 7-8 passenger, 5000-6000 lb GM SUV released this year. With gas prices rising (I paid $3.79/gal for premium yesterday), it seems like such poor product planning. GM has proven that they can execute competent products; now they need to make wiser business decisions.

A lighter, cheaper Epsilon-based (Malibu on stilts?) crossover or stretched Theta would probably serve the same purpose as the Lambdas, if not attract even more buyers (those conscious about fuel prices) without cannabilizing GMT900 sales. I've always been baffled by the sales of Lexus's $45,000 RX, when considering its cheap, Camry underpinnings.

[pow]

Pacifica, Part II

[Northstar]

I'm sure the Enclave will be a great truck, but it will also be the eighth or ninth 7-8 passenger, 5000-6000 lb GM SUV released this year. With gas prices rising (I paid $3.79/gal for premium yesterday), it seems like such poor product planning. GM has proven that they can execute competent products; now they need to make wiser business decisions.

A lighter, cheaper Epsilon-based (Malibu on stilts?) crossover or stretched Theta would probably serve the same purpose as the Lambdas, if not attract even more buyers (those conscious about fuel prices) without cannabilizing GMT900 sales. I've always been baffled by the sales of Lexus's $45,000 RX, when considering its cheap, Camry underpinnings.

Agreed about needing more small crossovers, but you can't fault GM for being unlucky. Gas was fine and SUV and crossover sales were booming when these products were being developed. If GM knew that gas was going to be so much, I doubt they would have planned as many and planned some smaller X-overs.

However, there still is a market for vehicles that can seat 7-8 passengers, and I have no problem with GM dominating it

[Paolino]

Pacifica, Part II

I'm sure it'll look tremendously different after the camo is removed. I wouldn't call the concept a Pacifica.

[pow]

Agreed about needing more small crossovers, but you can't fault GM for being unlucky. Gas was fine and SUV and crossover sales were booming when these products were being developed. If GM knew that gas was going to be so much, I doubt they would have planned as many and planned some smaller X-overs.

However, there still is a market for vehicles that can seat 7-8 passengers, and I have no problem with GM dominating it 

But you can fault GM for releasing two similar SUVs consecutively. Why go through all the trouble of developing a new platform only to divert attention from their existing 7-8 passenger SUV? Even if you ignore gas prices, it doesn't make much sense.

And besides, even if the Lambdas were a bit smaller, what's taking them so long? GM seems awfully slow in reacting to product trends. They let midsize crossovers, minivans, and hybrids completely slip by.

[Flybrian]

And besides, even if the Lambdas were a bit smaller, what's taking them so long? GM seems awfully slow in reacting to product trends. They let midsize crossovers, minivans, and hybrids completely slip by.

Disagree. Saturn VUE and Buick Rendezvous were both out pretty early and were among the first mainstream CUVs that weren't too small (RAV4) or too expensive (M-Class).

[Oldsmoboi]

well they haven't exactly been rolling in cash for the past few years.....