Buick has launched a cruise missile into the hot and highly competitive crossover SUV wars. Arriving half a year behind its well-reviewed Saturn Outlook and GMC Acadia cousins, this most upscale of GM’s new large crossover trio is quieter, more refined, and more attractive, than most anything else in its segment. And, thanks to its tightly tuned suspension, communicative steering, 275-hp 3.6-liter DOHC 24-valve VVT V-6, and six-speed automatic transaxle, it loses none of their (for their size) crisp handling and respectable performance.

The Enclave will join a wave of new crossover utility vehicles, or CUVs, that combine the smooth ride and responsive handling of a car with the cargo capability and high seating position of a traditional, truck-based sport utility vehicle.

The exterior design is contemporary, with bulging front and rear fenders and organic shapes. Buick added its trademark portholes and strips of chrome surround the glasshouse and tail lamps and brighten the bumpers, roof rails and door handles. The rear roof tapers down toward the rear.

The Enclave features six bucket seats in three rows. Measuring 202 inches, the Enclave is longer overall than the upcoming seven-seat Mercedes-Benz GL 460.

But Enclave is more about style and ride than simple raw numbers. Of the three GM crossovers built on this chassis, Enclave offers the most appealing—“sensual,” the company calls them—bodylines and quietest ride. Showing off Buick’s luxury outside are curved fender creases in the front and rear, plus a waterfall grille. Refined “ventaports” on the hood recall Buicks of past.

Inside the cabin, the theme remains high style, with wood grain trim highlighted by bright metal borders—not to mention a real wood and leather steering wheel. Oh, and don’t overlook the wood-chrome-leather shift lever that completes a luxury message.

Enclave’s seats accommodate eight passengers in a two-three-three arrangement from front to back. Second- and third-row seats are 60/40 bench types that fold down for added stowage space. Or, order captain’s seats for the second row, and you get a walk-through passage to accommodate rear-seat passengers.

The Rendezvous’s styling suffered from having to use as much of the donor minivan’s structure as possible. This time around, GM started with a clean sheet of paper, and it shows. Not only does the ovular Enclave look totally different from the much more square GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook, but all three vehicles look so good that people who usually wouldn’t consider a GM vehicle are giving them serious consideration.

The proportions are pretty much perfect, with a long wheelbase and tight overhangs. (You can’t say the same about most competitors, which have shorter wheelbases.) The hood is very short, but this isn’t evident because of how the front fender arches extend well past the touch down of the A-pillar–the automotive equivalent of French-cut panties. The boldly arched fenders and tall streamlined front end give the Enclave an appearance that is at once aggressive, upscale, and pretty. As a result of this styling, the buzz surrounding the Enclave has been tremendous, especially considering that this is a domestic people mover, not a sports car.

2008 Buick Enclave Models:
2008 Buick Enclave CX FWD
2008 Buick Enclave CX AWD
2008 Buick Enclave CXL FWD
2008 Buick Enclave CXL AWD