The Enclave Has Landed

[ChevroletRevived]

Congratulations, zete! Thanks for posting pictures, what a beautiful CUV.

[91 s-10baja]

You old dirty bast. That is the Hawt

[zete]

Thanks to everyone for the congrats, for comments on the neighbourhood and the Enclave.

BTW, after comments re: the colour of the steering wheel vs. the dash wood I can say that it look exactly right a bit darker when you're in the driver's seat. The wheel stands out from the dash and complements the wood perfectly. I can see that it was done on purpose. The two wood tones contrast and complement at the same time. If they were the same I could see the wheel blending into the background, which would be wrong.

Originally Posted by 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.

The overall feel of the vehicle is simply awesome. The switchgear is superb and various friends of mine have commented that the interior fit and finish and the switchgear feel impressive. The thumbwheels for the vents feels very very upscale. Rubberized grips within chromed wheels is very nice.

We've put 200kms on it since we picked it up mid-week. The quiet of the interior and the handling are truly impressive. It drives and feels like a much smaller vehicle. And as I mentioned earlier, so easy to park!

And boy is it ever comfortable. I took some of my inlaws out for dinner the other day and they couldn't believe the room, comfort, or how easy it was to get in/out of, especially the third row. Those jack-knifing seats are pure genius. The inlaws couldn't believe how perfect the ride dynamics were. They're used to a more jarring ride in their Honda and they much preferred the ride of the Enclave. Another one of my inlaws popped over today and again he was won over -- by the style, fit-and-finish, and the overall presence of the vehicle. He was beside himself when he sat in it. So comfortable. He's a BMW guy but he really liked the Enclave. I'm sure if Buick had a baby Enclave he'd be looking at one. He likes the AWD capability.

And everyone loves the colour combo. Truly I think the black with the chrome is the way GM should show the car. It looks even more expensive than in cashmere.

BTW, I especially like the fold away mirrors. Nice touch so getting into the garage is that much easier.

I'll post in the future when I have to go in for maintenance, etc.

[BrickTamland]

Originally Posted by zete

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.

Tell your daughter's friends they better watch their feet! I get pissed when the feet of people in my car touch anything but the floormats.

Congratulations on the Enclave. It is beautiful!

[Randiglio]

WOW WOW WOW WOW, Did I mention WOW? Hell I'll even say backwards WOW! What a nice looking vehicle. Amazing!

[paul8488]

Ah I didn't know that you lived in Ottawa! Do you know Cobden, about an hour and 15 minutes up Highway 17, bychance?

Beautiful vehicle man! Still haven't seen one in person... can't wait to at Christmas! Enjoy it, and good luck keeping those fingerprints off! Tell people to go buy their own!

[edgar187]

I cant believe how beautiful that damn car is. WOW

[atomicshark]

Wow, wow, WOW!

Beautiful! Congrats!

I absolute love that black interior. As Mgescuro mentioned, beautiful neighborhood too. The Enclave fits in perfectly.

[zete]

Originally Posted by paul8488

Ah I didn't know that you lived in Ottawa! Do you know Cobden, about an hour and 15 minutes up Highway 17, bychance?

Beautiful vehicle man! Still haven't seen one in person... can't wait to at Christmas! Enjoy it, and good luck keeping those fingerprints off! Tell people to go buy their own!

Yes, I know Cobden, but not that well. I've probably stopped in Cobden a few times headed way up north but most of my trips on the 17 head me up towards Golden Lake, which I've seen numerous times -- to say nothing of Renfrew and all sites in between. Beautiful parts of the country. Great cheese country, too .

I have family up in Noranda and at times I've come back down the Ontario side instead of the Quebec side -- though La Veradrie is gorgeous. But there's something nice coming down the highway from the vicinity of North Bay. And there's always that place, that I always forget, that overlooks the Ottawa River and has awesome pies .

BTW, the NCR part of my sig is for "National Capital Region". For the curious.

ps: I figure it a compliment that there are so many folks gawking at the Enclave. It being from GM is only gravy. Pure gravy.

[KIDDIESEL79]

Looks awesome and good luck with it. If I were to buy one, I'd take the same color but with the Cashmere leather. I never thought I would ever like a brown vehicle.

[paul8488]

Originally Posted by zete

Yes, I know Cobden, but not that well. I've probably stopped in Cobden a few times headed way up north but most of my trips on the 17 head me up towards Golden Lake, which I've seen numerous times -- to say nothing of Renfrew and all sites in between. Beautiful parts of the country. Great cheese country, too .

Too cool! I grew up in Cobden, and some of my family still lives there. That's beautiful country... the drive this time of year from Kanata to North Bay and beyond is amazing. It's rare to find someone who knows my old stomping grounds!

Okay, the Enclave deserves a road trip up that way, I think! As you pass Cobden and are leaving town, look to your left... there's a big old garage. That's my dad's old body shop! Give it a honk.

[powervette]

for god's sake GM, build a Buick car as good looking as this crossover. You don't have to think too much, there is a Lacrosse concept from a few years ago!

[Aerodynamix]

Originally Posted by zete

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 zete

Yes, I know Cobden, but not that well. I've probably stopped in Cobden a few times headed way up north but most of my trips on the 17 head me up towards Golden Lake, which I've seen numerous times -- to say nothing of Renfrew and all sites in between. Beautiful parts of the country. Great cheese country, too .

I have family up in Noranda and at times I've come back down the Ontario side instead of the Quebec side -- though La Veradrie is gorgeous. But there's something nice coming down the highway from the vicinity of North Bay. And there's always that place, that I always forget, that overlooks the Ottawa River and has awesome pies .

BTW, the NCR part of my sig is for "National Capital Region". For the curious.

ps: I figure it a compliment that there are so many folks gawking at the Enclave. It being from GM is only gravy. Pure gravy.

Originally Posted by paul8488

Too cool! I grew up in Cobden, and some of my family still lives there. That's beautiful country... the drive this time of year from Kanata to North Bay and beyond is amazing. It's rare to find someone who knows my old stomping grounds!

zete: Awesome ride. Truly a great vehicle and the fact that it's a GM product, as you said, is gravy. Speaking of gravy, I really like that colour. Definately one of GM's best vehicles - ever. I drove the Outlook a few times earlier this year & was really impressed but I'm sure the Enclave is many times better. My neighbours a few houses down have a white Enclave but IMHO, that colour doesn't do it justice.

paul: I forgot to tell ya, I'm back in Pembroke now. I was through Cobden yesterday but it was dark so I didn't get a chance to look for the 'ol shop. Next time you're over from France you oughta drop me a line.

[AndrewGS]

Let me know if you feel any erratic shifting, especially uphill. The Acadia likes to double downshift on the slightest inclines and it kills the highway economy, I'm wondering if they fixed that for '08. I'm also curious as to what kind of economy you get out of it over the next several thousand miles as the Acadia was kind of a dissapointment on our last trip, but great when it was breaking-in on our Colorado trip.

[zete]

paul8488, I probably won't be up that way until next spring. At the moment, with dusk's onset around 4pm it's really not worth it. I won't see much. It's beautiful in the summer and fall. I always love the drive up there. Bonnechere area is quite pretty, too. And I'll ensure I keep a lookout for your dad's old garage.

Originally Posted by AndrewGS

Let me know if you feel any erratic shifting, especially uphill. The Acadia likes to double downshift on the slightest inclines and it kills the highway economy, I'm wondering if they fixed that for '08. I'm also curious as to what kind of economy you get out of it over the next several thousand miles as the Acadia was kind of a dissapointment on our last trip, but great when it was breaking-in on our Colorado trip.

I've only had it a few days but one thing I've noticed is that it pulls smoother now than the first couple of days. There's much less hesitation. Now, when I drive it, it just pulls strongly all the way up to the speed limit. Unfortunately, if I'm not paying attention, it keeps going well past. The car's so quiet it's very easy to go well over the limit -- not something you want to do in Ontario!

I figure the mileage will suck for the near term and get better. I haven't noticed any hunting for gears on inclines. The Enclave I have is AWD, so I'm expecting mildly worse mileage.

But I will provide a fuller accounting once I get a reasonable number of klicks on the car.