Saturn Outlook, GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave

dmathews3

the front wheel drive should be great in snow and the AWD should be near stopable. Just remember it will depend on the tires that come on it. Of course I usually go to my local discount tire dealer and trade them off on something better. Get about 3/4 of what they cost new and I get the opional warranty on the replacements that cover anything, plus I get free balance and rotation whenever I want. Plus they fix the flats for free or replace, mount and balance for free if they can't be fixed. Only way to go.

wlbrown9

You need to check out the Nissan Quest forums about tires. Nissan Quest is the ONLY vehicle using that particular size and the one Goodyear made is not liked by most folks. About the only option is to go with a slightly wider tire, but the diameter is not exact...so, there is not always a choice in tires for a particular vehicle.

Looked at Tire Rack and they only show one tire in the 255/65/18 size.

allmet33

And how many times have you gone into a dealership with a price you've worked up online and found the price to be the same in the dealership???

When I bought my 06 Azera, I priced it out online at just under $28K, without me saying a word about price...they showed me a price of $26,081.

Online pricing is a good measuring stick to start with, but it's not the rule to follow.

zman3

I have never been more than about $100 off from the invoice price. Sticker has been even closer, unless there was a mid-year price bump and the vehicle was old enough to be made before the bump. Close enough for me. The only variable, if there ever is one, has been advertising fees.

Are you talking about MSRP, invoice, or actual selling price on the Azera?

allmet33

Well, the price I paid on my Azera wasn't the sticker price, but even the on-line price was higher than what was on the sticker.

readerreader

62vetteefp

Well I could be wrong about the secondary color on the Enclave. per the above photos of the Acadia is quite obvious there is a secondary color. In looking at the GM dealerworld site they do not list the secondary color for the Acadia, which it should. So I am not sure about the Enclave now. BUT I will say that the concept was supposed to be just like the production vehicle (it was a pilot vehicle they used) and it was monotone.

readerreader

Too many years of conservative "I'll take the Camry in beige, please. It'll increase resale value." mentality.

I hope we get some more spice in our cars again.

Here goes:







And here is an exterior in a nice gray:

62vetteefp

What is amazing is this is in a conservative SUV. Not a "cool" mini. Not a Porsche. Not a vette. An old fashioned truck.

kjnorman

What do I mean by that? Well Ford have killed the Freestyle and replaced it with the Taurus X. Yep they're reintroducing the Taurus with the ex-Freestyle being classified as the wagon/crossover version of it.

Press link here



But seriously! Ford have somehow managed to take the Freestyle and make it even more ugly. When you compare this against the beautiful (yes I called a 5000lb 8 person people mover beautiful ) Acadia there really is no competition.

One thing I think that the Taurus X will beat the lambdas on though is ease of getting into the third row. It is ridiculously easy in my Freestyle, and I have yet to find a smooth working seat in an Acadia or Outlook (interestingly a review of the Outlook on Motorweek this past week also complained of a slicking second row seat - my complaint - though they did comment that their's was a pre-production model). It looks like the Taurus X makes it easier still by only having to push a button.

Anyway, I own a Freestyle. Seeing the Taurus X I would have no desire to buy one. I do have a desire to get an Acadia AWD SLT2 though....

kjnorman

I'm not sure about that interior. It looks too orange. I thought it was supposed to be more tan.

I do like the grey though!

62vetteefp

Ford keeps going after a pretty conservative look. 500/Taurus

hardhawk

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Personally, I think the new look is a VAST improvement over the tired old Explorer clone that the Freestyle was. With the new look and engine/transmission update, I'll look at this Ford offering where before I would never have considered it. It still does not look as nice as the Acadia, but still a nice improvement over what it was.

1487

The new highlander is being shown today. It looks just like the RAv4 for better or worse. The engine is the 3.5L V6 with 270hp and 249 lb-ft but it only has a 5 speed auto. The interior is nice, although I wouldnt say its much better than the Acadia. Features seem to be consistent with the Lamdas but I doubt Toyota will offer 19" wheels or remote start.

loach

New 2008 Highlander dimensions:

L188.4 x W75.2 x H69.3 in
Wheelbase 109.8 in

Quite a bit smaller than Lambdas/CX-9. Eliminates it from my consideration.

loach

My wife is intrigued by the blue-gold crystal metallic color, but I haven't seen any Acadias in local dealer inventories in this color. It seems like most of the Acadias in inventory right now are in silver, white, red and carbon. Does anyone know if GM has this blue-gold color on any vehicles other than the Acadia? I'd like to see it in person.

sunshadw

I saw it on a Pontiac G6. Changes colors with the light. Looked good.

loach

Thanks! We will check it out.

readerreader

I like the Taurus X:









Here is the Toyota:

whitjeeptj

Acadia > Taurus X

Acadia >> Highlander

62vetteefp

Can anybody tell us how the Highlander and Lamdas compare for interior dimensions? I have been getting the feeling that the Highlander is smaller than the Lamdas.

celica8

OMG the new Highlander is ugly!

readerreader

It will sell well.
What else will Toyota owners buy?

zman3

I wouldn't say that it is ground breaking from a styling standpoint but I consider it far from ugly. I would call it safe before calling it ugly. Just my $0.02.

62vetteefp

No, the cut line up the side at the rear is pretty unattactive. Whoops, I guess I did not say ugly!

zman3

Ok, I'll give you that one. I think the front is quite acceptable.

62vetteefp

Acceptable? that is high praise indeed! :P

Actually I need to see it in person. The front end in the picture looks to wobbly/tortured but it may be the pics.

zman3

Maybe I could have chosen my words better. I am not passionate about vehicle aesthetics/styling. It has to meet a certain minimum threshold and then I am happy. The Highlander definitely meets that requirement for me. The Subaru B9 Tribeca on the other hand (I own an Outback).......

hondaford

I have read so many comments about ugly and poorly styled SUV/CUVs and always have the same reaction. Oops, here goes my age. I have not seen an ATTRACTIVE vehicle since the 50's. I ahve an 05 Pilot that is functional and not bad looking. Will likely buy an Enclave this summer, but not for looks!
(most beautiful car ever? '58 chevy Impala! Ugliest ever? '59 chevy Impala)
Iknow that has nothing to do with this discussion, but could not resist.

readerreader

Maybe I could have chosen my words better. I am not passionate about vehicle aesthetics/styling. It has to meet a certain minimum threshold and then I am happy. The Highlander definitely meets that requirement for me. The Subaru B9 Tribeca on the other hand (I own an Outback).......
=========================================

What a sad state of affairs.
If I am going to spend upward of $5000 on something, it had better call out to me in the night (with beauty).

readerreader

zman3

Wow. $5000. You're a big spender. :P

I actually put much more value on the internal materials. After all, that is where I spend all my time. I don't spend it sitting in the garage staring at my ride. And I don't really care if others like the way it looks or not.

jd14

I can't quite figure out why people are going for the Outlook and Acadia, especially since they cost MORE than the Enclave. I just priced out all three of them with basically equal equipment (the Enclave had slightly more than the other two) and the Enclave came out the cheapest. I doubt that the Edmunds pricing sheet is wrong since they get it directly from the manufacturers. I mean, I guess that someone might not get the Enclave because they can't get over the Buick logo on the hood and trunk, but that's it! Styling definitely is the best on the Enclave and it has higher quality materials inside (perforated leather seating, higher quality wood inlays) and outside (more abundant chrome). Maybe it's just me, but I don't see many Acadias or Outlooks selling in the future if others actually take the time to compare the three.

Then again, brand perception really ruins things a lot of the time (VW Phaeton, anyone?)

rush1169

Personally, I think the Enclave is too "over the top". Too much faux bling. Too much pretend luxury (plasic pretending to be wood). Too much sparkle, shine, chrome, and flash. The Acadia is truckish with a masculine streak - not too much flash, but not too little.

loach

Very nice. Is that last picture the Cocoa or the Gold mist?

loach

Oops - should have said medium brown. Cocoa is an Outlook color.

zman3

I'm going to reserve judgment until I see an Enclave. If the interior materials are better I would probably go for it. I priced an Enclave as I would want it and it came to about $41,500. The Acadia equipped how I would want was about $40,500. The Enclave had some things that I do not really want, like 19" wheels that I would be forced to upgrade since the base CXL wheels look so ugly. All in all they seem like they are quite comparable in price when optioned out as close as possible. In the end I think it will come down to preference. I don't think the price difference will be enough to really be a factor.

62vetteefp

I can't quite figure out why people are going for the Outlook and Acadia,

maybe because the Enclave is ont available yet :P

javelin208

I did not see the Head Up Display option on the Enclave. Does anyone if its avalible on the Buick

zman3

I had missed that. I don't see any mention of it on any of the web pages I have visited.

sanman4

The look is a matter of taste. I prefer the GMC look. If you prefer the Enclave look, don't expect to pay less for it. Not sure how you did your comparison, but I can promise you the Enclave will be a little bit more when they're available this Summer.

junglejim

Acadia exterior styling....

It looks like an ugly version of the Touareg from the rear. Just plain unattractive from the front. At least GM is trying something different...hopefully they'll keep trying.

The GM interiors are definately getting better....but it wasn't difficult to improve upon some of the worst interiors in the industry.

But it does warm my heart to see GM actually making an effort!

carnutpa

I asked the Buick rep about this at the Philadelphia Auto Show. The Head Up Display is not avaialble on the Enclave because of the QuietTuned interior. The Acadia does not have the QuietTuned interior. The rep said there is a laminate in the windshield to reduce noise and the Head Up Display will not work properly with that laminate.

texases

I just tried out the Acadia and Outlook (dealers 1/2 mile apart, hope it helps me deal), and I was extremely impressed with the front and 2nd row room. I'm 6'5", with most of it in my torso, and I had a great amount of headroom and legroom both in the front seat and in the second row sitting behind the front when set up for me (when the second row is slid back). Room is better in all dimensions than my Suburban. Two problems-the tracks for the second row seats are unsightly dirt traps, and the view out the back is limited.

newz54

Drivers Choice Awards from motorweek.org.

http://www.mpt.org/motorweek/dc2007/10.shtml

zman3

Wow. That's a heck of a dead pedal. I didn't notice it was that large when I drove an Acadia, but it was dark outside.

readerreader

Here is the link:

http://www.mpt.org/motorweek/video/roadtests.shtml

Click on "Flash Video".

lakerunner4h

Just saw the Enclave over the weekend at Chicago. Best looking CUV / SUV in the show. The interior is spectacular, actually nicer than the revised 2007 SRX. Going to get one when my lease runs out on our 2005 Ranier this Fall.

Has anyone seen one in a color other than Cocoa Metallic? I like it in that color, just wondering what it looks like in one of the others available.

horta

Did anyone take pictures of the Enclave? I have a deposit on one but am dying to get more pictures of it. If you have any you took from a show or know of a link of pics from a show could you please send them to my email? I would truly appriciate it.

jerry.horta@motorola.com

Thank you in advance!!

horta

Just wondering if you learned anything else about the Enclave from the rep that we may find interesting?