The Enclave Has Landed

[zete]

Well, after a long 10 week wait the Enclave arrived this week. And as many of you asked, here are pics of the new family ride. It's a big hit with the family and with friends and neighbours. They first don't know what it is and then want one. Best comment was from my import loving neighbour: "My Honda looks like crap next to that! I want one!"

So, Buick definitely has a winner.

There is one problem with the car. It has fingerprints all over it. Seems everyone comes over to touch and peer inside. It'll be a bitch to keep clean until such time as they become less rare. It is the first one in my neighbourhood. And it is funny watching people crane their necks to get a look.

Onto the pictures.

[TaHoE]

What a gorgeous car...but the wood on the steering wheel looks like Zebrano, whereas the wood on the dash looks like burled walnut. Why does it look so different?

[mgescuro]

What a really beautiful neighborhood. Fitting for the Enclave.

[SirRaven]

The interior looks really classy, I love the analog clock.

Hope you have fun with the new ride.

[SuchANiceGirl06]

Originally Posted by TaHoE

What a gorgeous car...but the wood on the steering wheel looks like Zebrano, whereas the wood on the dash looks like burled walnut. Why does it look so different?

Yeah. It looks kind of wierd in the pictures. The difference between the steering wheel and dashboard wood is very noticable in these shots.

[likearock00]

Nice choice, Zete!! I love those plastic seat backs. My wife has them on her car and I wish my truck had them! It's so much easier to clean than the fabric!

[zete]

I'm still getting used to it but it handles MUCH better than I expected. It really handles about the same as my old 04 CTS. I could live with the DI 3.6 but it does have adequate power. It's comfortable and easy to handle and park. That last is a bit of a surprise. I thought it would be harder to park than it is. It really feels like a much smaller vehicle when you're driving it. I remain suitably impressed. Even though I had a looong test drive back in the summer, I truly didn't appreciate how easy this car handles day-to-day chores and yet does it in luxury and comfort. My wife is thinking this one might be a keeper.

Onto some comments.

Originally Posted by SuchANiceGirl06

Yeah. It looks kind of wierd in the pictures. The difference between the steering wheel and dashboard wood is very noticable in these shots.

I'd blame the photographer, who would be me . Anyway, here are some corrected shots. I'm not a genius with a camera -- I'm a software guy. So I've done my best to get the blacks to look right which brings the rest of the interior closer to where it should be.

Originally Posted by mgescuro

What a really beautiful neighborhood. Fitting for the Enclave.

Thanks. We truly like it here and the neighbours are great, too. A very family friendly neighbourhood and about 10 minutes to everywhere in Ottawa -- be it Scotiabank Place for a Sens game or downtown for some theatre.

Originally Posted by SirRaven

The interior looks really classy, I love the analog clock.

My kids picked out the interior colour. They figured black with all that chrome would be the best selection. I have to agree.

Something else that is classy is the lighting; it is sweet. The dash and clock is obviously electroluminescent but when the car comes on or turns off it doesn't simply go "off", everything brightens and then slowly dims while the clock stays lit for a bit longer before going out. When night falls it slowly increases in ambience. Plus, there is an LED that shines a soft yellow hue onto the console where the gear shift is. Overall, quite nice. They call the light dimming method "parade lighting".

[zete]

Originally Posted by likearock00

Nice choice, Zete!! I love those plastic seat backs. My wife has them on her car and I wish my truck had them! It's so much easier to clean than the fabric!

Thanks.

I had hoped for leather or pleather but after the kids took their friends out -- my daughter drives -- and they scrambled through the car as kids are apt to do, I'm now VERY happy that it's plastic! All those boots and shoes and buckles would ruin a soft material in no time at all! Obviously GM was a bit more up on that fact than was I.

One of the biggest thrills is that we no longer have to ration the number of friends at 2 or 3 when taking one of the kids to the movies. Now they can take along 5 friends, or for my daughter 6 -- she drives.

Which reminds me of a funny story. My daughter went shopping with the Enclave yesterday and took six friends with her. It was a thrill for her -- and her friends. So off they went. When she parked another car parked a spot over and a woman got out and stared at the Enclave. My daughter smiled and answered her questions as all of my daughter's friends piled out. At which point the lady asked: "How many kids do you have in there?" It must've been like watching clowns get out of a car at a circus . "Six, plus me" is what my daughter said she responded. The lady simply said: "And they all fit comfortably?" My daughter's friends answered that with a chorus of "yeses". It seems she figures it's the perfect car for her daughter who's looking for a nice family hauler. I couldn't agree more. It's perfect. It truly seats 7 in comfort, even 7 my size and I'm 6'3"!

edit: Oh yeah. Another "great" feature my daughter discovered is that it holds a LOT of shopping bags. A necessity when seven girls go shopping.

[Hitman1970]

Congratulations. I am definately green with envy. Nice ride. I hope to get my wife in an Enclave or Acadia to replace her Freestyle in a few years.

[BusyBody]

Wow, wow, wow!! Great car. Congrats!

[TuffG929]

It must feel great to own the finest luxury crossover ever.

[FoMoCo Fan]

Nice ride.

[mbukukanyau]

Zete, congrats. Please keep us updated on how your ride is, when you take it for service or stuff like that.
Its a great looking ride. You live in a good neighborhood too.

[chad4835]

Very sharp! Looks like the color combination of the original show Enclave which is neat to have. I have read great things about the Enclave and it sounds like they are smooth and quiet. I am starting to see more of them on the road. I hope it brings Buick the attention they deserve and helps keep them as GM brand.

[AndrewGS]

Nice choice! What I like most about the Lambdas is the precision of the controls. The accelerator, brakes, steering and suspension all respond smoothly and precisely, making the most of the stiff chassis, while all the buttons and knobs are tactile and smartly placed.