The vehicle looks big.  It is big.  But it appears to be larger than its dimensions.  This is because, I think, we are used to seeing minivan-sized vehicles that are predominantly slabs or SUVs that are, with few exceptions, not particularly inspired from a sheet metal point of view.  Simply stated: Rectangles rule.  But the Enclave has form.  Bulges.  The hood (and the “portholes,” which no longer resemble anything nautical) provide an appearance of power.  This is generally not the case for an SUV.  Take, say, a Tahoe.  A fresh, contemporary, big SUV in the GM corral.  Yes, it looks powerful enough, but that is primarily a case of mass, not muscular lines.  Yet I don’t want to get carried away here about the Enclave’s shoulders and such lest you start thinking that this is some sort of Arnold Schwarzenegger-like Hummer (also, of course, a GM brand), because the Enclave has a certain sophistication, as well.  After all, this is a Buick.

The Enclave—which is in the “crossover” category, which means, I guess, that it sort of looks like an SUV (and why that continues to be some sort of desirable feature sought by essentially all vehicle manufacturers is mystifying)—has a 3.6-liter V6 with variable valve timing under the hood.  It provides 275 hp and 251 lb-ft of torque, which is certainly adequate for a vehicle that is not going to find itself tearing through switchbacks or taking on comers in straight-line pink-slip undertakings.  That said, one of the things that I found a bit troubling is that the six-speed automatic shifts early.  Or plainly stated: It seems to lack the kind of oomph! that you might like for such a sizable structure, especially in cases when, say, passing on a freeway or even moving away from a traffic light.  I think that the reason for this is that it helps improve fuel efficiency.  Which is something that you certainly want on a big vehicle.  The Enclave is available either as a front-wheel-drive or an all-wheel-drive vehicle.  The one Driven was a FWD crossover.  While I am confident that the FWD would be just fine for most uses and most conditions, after a storm left roads in the Detroit metro area snow- and/or ice-covered—and mind you, I am not talking about some sort of semi-Arctic conditions—I found the vehicle a bit big as regards dealing with those conditions, standard traction control notwithstanding: Given then fact that most of the vehicle’s weight is in the front and that the front wheels are the ones being driven, the back was a bit light when the surface was slippery.   The AWD would be the way to go for those where the weather changes.

The Enclave has three rows of seats.  There are an increasing number of vehicles with three rows of seats.  And in the vast majority of them the third row is effectively a bad joke.  While it is often stated by vehicle manufacturers that you can put you kids back there, you probably wouldn’t want to do that in most of those vehicles because your kids might think that they’re being unjustly penalized for some infraction that they’re not aware of, which might lead them to become unruly, and then they’d be too far away for you to, um, deal with the situation.  But you can actually put grown ups in the third row of the Enclave without having some sort of mutiny on your hands.  It is roomy inside.  There is 18.9-ft³ behind the third-row seat, which provides adequate grocery space.  If you fold down the second and third rows you get 115.1-ft³ to work with, which would probably allow you to move your kids to a college dorm without too much left behind.  The folks at Buick proudly note that this is more cargo volume than is available in the ’08 Lexus RX350, the Volvo XC90, Audi Q7, and Acura MDX, which is the competitive set for the Enclave.

Buick has received plenty of accolades for the Enclave.  It deserves them.

Vehicle as Driven

Engine:3.6 -liter V6.  Described as “aluminum-intensive.”

Horsepower: 275 @ 6,600 rpm

Torque: 251 lb-ft @ 3,200 rpm

Transmission: Six-speed automatic

Wheelbase: 119 in.

Overall length: 201.5 in.

Height: 72.5 in.

Width: 79 in.

Curb weight: 4,780 lb. (FWD version)

Fuel economy: 16 city; 24 highway—FWD version (I averaged ~19 mpg while trying to get really good gas mileage)

MSRP: $32,790