By accessing this website, you acknowledge that Edmunds and its third party business partners may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to collect information about you and your interactions with the website as described in our
Privacy Statement, and you agree that your use of the website is subject to our
Visitor Agreement.
Comments
Booster seats do not come with harness straps but are used with the lap and shoulder seat belts in your vehicle, the same way
Belt-positioning booster seat
an adult rides. Your child should stay in a car safety seat with a harness as long as possible before being allowed to ride in a booster seat. You can tell when your child is ready for a booster seat when one of the following is true:
She reaches the top weight or height allowed for her seat with a harness. (These measurements are listed on labels on the seat and are also included in the instruction booklet that is provided with the car safety seat.)
Her shoulders are above the harness slots.
Her ears have reached the top of the seat.
Booster seats are designed to raise your child so that the lap and shoulder seat belts fit properly. This means the lap belt lies low across your child's thighs and the shoulder belt crosses the middle of your child's chest and shoulder. Correct belt fit helps protect the stomach, spine, and head from injury in case of a crash. Both high-back and backless booster seats are available. Booster seats should be used until your child can correctly fit in lap and shoulder seat belts.
Seat belts
Your child is ready to use lap and shoulder seat belts when the belts fit properly.
This means
The shoulder belt lies across the middle of the chest and shoulder, not the neck or throat.
The lap belt is low and snug across the thighs, not the stomach.
The child is tall enough to sit against the vehicle seat back with her legs bent without slouching and can stay in this position comfortably throughout the trip.
Remember, seat belts are made for adults. If the seat belt does not fit your child correctly, he should stay in a booster seat until the adult seat belts fit him correctly. This is usually when the child reaches about 4' 9" in height and is between 8 and 12 years of age.
Child Car Seats That Fit
More here: Enclave Pics
One of the pics shows the Enclave near a Rendezvous. Wow. No comparison there! Its very substantial-looking, but still looks more 'athletic' than the other Lambdas IMO. This is really one seriously classy-looking vehicle. I've seen several Acadias already and those look great as well.
I would bet that it is similar for the triplets, BTW I got captains because of the boosters. The sliders are slick, but must be done forcefully. Not for the timid. We are happy so far, except for the extra costs.
Wife liked white and the white diamond pearl tri-coat (Cadillac white) looked so much better than cream in our opinion. Then it looked much better with the polished wheels. ($745 + $895 = too much ) I did not want the 19" Eagle RS-A's because they have been known to last only 20K miles. The Buick will come with 19" Michelin's that are not a performance car, but a truck tire.
Only if she would have liked the Silver or Charcoal!!!!!
Rob
Have been looking at the MDX, RX 350 and Lincoln MKX.
My #1 requirement is QUIET. The roads up here in Seattle are terrible and my current car is so loud I can't use my cell. The Acadia was quiter than all the rest and I was very excited.
#2 requirement is COMFORT. I am not a small person and the Japanese car makers make their seats for very small, skinny people. The seats were wonderfully comfortable and there was plenty of room inside the cabin.
Salesman mentioned the Enclave and gave me a brochure. (must be charging extra in advertising fees to pay for that thing) He said it s/b even quieter than the GMC and that he would give me a call when they come in.
Will this be MY first non European/Japanese car since the 70's as well? I'm just not sure it will fit in my garage. Can't wait to drive the Enclave...
On the plus side, the interior executions were very nice in all the models and they compared favorably with direct competitors like the Mazda CX-9, Acura MDX, & Ford Freestyle.
I have to say though that I was really surprised by how nice the Hyundai Veracruz interior was. Other than some broken storage hatches (which was probably due to the hordes of carshow goers and their kids), the interior showed very high quality and had loads of features. e.g. power tilt & telescoping steering wheel, moodlighting. Until now, I had barely considered the Hyundai a contender.
It may all be moot anyhow because I may not be able to convince the family to downsize from the Suburban. Supposedly there is a 2008 hybrid model coming that gets about 21 city/26 hw'y. That sounds very appealing.
ordered an enclave today... everything except the sunroof and 20 inch wheels. i believe the sunroof will rear it's ugly "uncovered head" this summer. too much area to radiate heat in the cabin with nothing but a cloth to block it.
As a side note it is much bigger on the inside than a Mountaineer.
...............Acadia Yukon XL 1500
Standard Seating 7 7
Front Headroom (in.) 40.4 41.1
Rear Headroom (in.) 39.3 38.5
Front Legroom (in.) 41.3 41.3
Rear Legroom (in.) 36.9 39.5
Front Shoulder Room (in.) 61.9 65.3
Rear Shoulder Room (in.) 61.1 65.2
Front Hip Room (in.) 57.8 64.4
Rear Hip Room (in.) 57.9 61.8
/EnclaveOwners
Does anyone else have info on rebates for canadian buyers?
Would be great info, before i sign on the line.
Suggestions?
See Mr_Shiftright, "Teflon Paint Sealants Revisited" #7, 10 Jul 2003 10:33 am
If you must wax, check out the Store Bought Waxes Part II (No Zaino Posts) discussion.
If you really, really want to wax, then visit Zaino Car Polishes/Products--Your Experiences (Part 2). But consider yourself warned. :shades:
Ok, if I had a new Acadia I'd have difficulty resisting waxing it ... for the first year or so anyway. Enjoy the new ride!
Edmunds invoice is 34,322 all with dest incl....what gives? :confuse:
Thanks
The car is better than I ever imagined. It drives great and the amenities are better that most cars we looked at. We have looked at cars for about 1 year and waited for the Acadia to arrive and test drove it. The interior room is by far the best I have seen. I almost settled for a Tahoe boy am I glade we waited. I have heard about the transmission TCM issues but have not experienced it with my car. The six speed transmission takes some getting use to. So far the best vehicle I have owner. Home run GMC...
A few years ago I lived in Evansville, IN. Toyota built a huge truck plant (Tundra, Sequoia, etc) near there, which employed well over 1000 workers. This created a nice economic boom for the region, since suppliers also built there, as well as food chains, etc. etc.
So you see, in this case buying a Toyota truck actually help support the american worker in Southern Indiana.
Everyone from the plant managers to the UAW reps to the lineworkers recognize that Lansing has been manufacturing automobiles for near 100 years and they are the latest in that long heritage. Many transferred over from the old Oldsmobile plant in Lansing that was built before the second world war, so they're aware to the legacy they have to maintain. Lansing = cars and that reflects in what they produce today.
But more to what people in this discussion are interested in, I can say without a doubt that - outside of the lowest-volume handbuilds - these are probably the highest-quality GM vehicles being produced today. The quality audit procedure is pretty amazing to see.
Also, for those interested, there were some beautiful Enclaves in the parking lot. Here's one pic of a Crimson Tricoat CXL.
Check out the rest here:
/EnclaveOwners
I'm sure working at a Toyota plant is a different experience than a legacy GM plant; for one, I don't believe the Toyota plant in Indiana is unionized. But since so many japanese "imports" are actually built here by american workers, I feel it's a silly statement to say "Buy American". Heck, all it would take is for Ford to tank and be sold to a non-american consortium, which means a majority of car plants in the US would be actually foreign-owned (remember that Chrysler is not really american-owned anymore).
I was planning to wait for the Buick Enclave because of its available options over the Acadia, and was happy to think I could pay about $10,000 less than a Denali, get better mileage, and not give up much.
However, today I risked test-driving a 2007 Denali right after I drove an Acadia. The Denali was so impressive after the Acadia: awesome luxurious ride, great acceleration, and handling, and better passenger comfort. (My husband is 6'7" so the hip-to-knee room in the Acadia is scarcely adequate). I also just can't learn to like the front-wheel drive handling such as oversteer during acceleration and turning. (The Denali's AWD is RWD based).
I'm not knocking the Lambdas; I think they are a great design and a lot of bang for the buck. I just wonder whether they can really convert us SUV drivers ($4 gasoline might, though
Just my two cents...
Keep in mind many crossovers keep a little bit of the plastic lower cladding as shielding against rock strikes, etc. My car ('96 Aurora) has this, too, and while at first glance it doesn't seem appropriate, I've grown to appreciate not having innumerable rock chips on the rocker panels. Plus, its not that noticable.
I would still prefer the Enclave to 'lower' the two-tone and keep it on like-colors (i.e. gray with Silver, light brown with Mocha, etc.) while leaving brighter colors like the Tintcoat more monotone. But hey, I would doubt this changes in the future; it has before.
The current engine is okay, but the way the transmission is tuned to that engine is disappointing (i.e. meant for fuel economy). There is a reflash though, which should make a difference--did you test drive a "reflashed" version?--but you're not going to get the smoothness of a V8 no matter what.
The current engine is okay, but the way the transmission is tuned to that engine is disappointing (i.e. meant for fuel economy). There is a reflash though, which should make a difference--did you test drive a "reflashed" version?--but you're not going to get the smoothness of a V8 no matter what.
Good point, and I would consider waiting to at least look at the Acadia Denali, but I will have over 200,000 miles on my current Denali by the end of this year so I can't wait forever.
Again, I don't discourage anyone from these vehicles unless you have a really tall person: note the head and leg room for the Acadia is similar to the Yukon or Denali, but the hip room is 7" less. This means a tall guys knees are against the dash.
The FWD platform is also something I don't appreciate; handles like a upscale minivan and not like an SUV. But it IS an excellent COMPROMISE, which really is exactly what it claims to be.
I'm going back to Yukon Denali, but may be crying in my beer if fuel prices skyrocket....
The Exped/Navigator is a good tip. I must admit to being WAY MORE impressed with the Navigator than I was 8 yrs ago but it's on the back burner. (Just a practical consideration for me; the Lincoln dealer is so far from my office it would be difficult to get any service done. I also have $4500 in GM Card and personal coupon that makes GM continue to look attractive.)
By the way, that's something for everyone to consider WHERE they buy a car. Some dealers will agree to pick up your car ANYTIME you want service if you buy from them; my Denali was picked up even for an oil change and then brought back by lunchtime. (esp important if you have kids to drop off in the morning or just need to be to work early). I am the revenue producer in my office, so this is worth a lot of money to me. Ask your local dealers about it when you are shopping...
I definitely enjoy all of the opinions on this forum as many of us are looking for the same things. I keep a car for so long that I really anguish over the decision of which to buy :confuse:
Yes, that's a good point... and I would be happy to save money if I could still convince myself to prefer the Enclave over the Denali.
What happened was when I put my husband in the Acadia, he said he fit OK, but he had no extra room to move (reminded me more of when we all try to ride in his S10 crew cab as compared to the comfort we have in the family Denali. This was also comparable to the Chrysler Aspen).
Then, we jumped in the new Denali, and we were awestruck! The seats felt like something you could comfortably sit in all day (there is a little passenger width given up compared to my 2000 as they have made the center console wider). We took it on the interstate and accidentally got up to 98mph in about 10 seconds. (not that I want to go that fast). In contrast, when we accelerated the Acadia, it was doggy and got that FWD oversteer.
I suggested to my husband that maybe we are old farts who just need to get used to FWD, but he pointed out that FWD has never been used successfully in a sports car. Soooo... I'll rest my case as I think I have put enough "denali" opinion in what is supposed to be a crossover forum but I just keep feeling like this CUV is really just a minivan in disguise.
I am going to try it one more time and see if I can convince myself to be happy with it before I fork out the Denali bucks.
One thing I noted. The manual seats and the high-end power seats give more headroom than the middle-tier power seats in the Outlook. It has to do with how much down/back motion the seat allows.
I really couldn't be happier with the room for someone my size.
They give you 2 1/2 monitor that you can hardwire or plug into the power outlet. I plugged it into the outlet inside the center console...in fact I bought a duplex outlet so I could charge my cellphone too . I think it looks neater not having a power plug going to the power outlet on the dash. You attach the camera using your existing bolts on the license plate. Since my dealer didn't use the bottom holes of the plate....I snaked the power from the camera behind the plate and down to one of the lower holes....pushed it into the door cavity. The hardest part was figuring how to open the tailgate inside panel. You remove two push in plugs and the door handle....when you try to peel off the plastic panel you will feel several areas where is won't give....using a large flat screwdriver wedge it between the white buttons that are holding it. They are the typical type for cars....wedges into a hole to secure plastic parts. With the panel partly free I was able to reach the wires that go to the backup lights (top white lights that go on when you reverse). There were three wires but I guessed correctly the black and green wires are the ones I wanted to splice into. The camera maker gives you connectors you can squeeze onto the wires to make the connection but I felt it would be more secure by soldering them. I used liquid tape to cover my joints and buttoned everything back up.
The moement of truth ...I put the tranny into reverse ,the lcd took about a second, flashed once and bingo....rear view. Most of the time it gives me a perfect picture but if you have a lot of wireless devices in the nieghborhood it may get alittle noisey. When I went into forward the screen turned to snow (camera no longer transmitting) and then turned black.
Am I happy with the unit. I am more than pleased. For only a hundred bucks I have a functioning backup camera. It is not perfect, it is hard to judge distance but it does the job of telling me if anything low is behind me. Sometimes I will be driving around and the lcd will pick up a signal from someones house or it will turn to snow and I will have to turn off the lcd.
Hope this was informative.
Also, any thoughts on buying a 2008 Buick vs 2007 Saturn in terms of medium term residual value holding up?
Lastly, if I'm willing to work hard can anyone comment on liklihood of purchasing an Enclave at or below invoice?
Thanks!!!
bradesp
raleigh, nc
My understanding is that factory orders for a specific customer are not part of the dealers vehicle allocation. They are effectively extra vehicles that they would not receive normally, so they are willing to let them go for less $$.
We looked at the Acadia. We wanted an SLT-2, no additional options.
1 - There are NO SLT-2's in stock with no options. ALL of them are optioned into the $42k+ range (at least in our area).
2 - Therefore, we would have had to order it and waited a few weeks.
3 - And try to get it for invoice.
4 - Which is equivalent to the MSRP we paid for the Outlook.
So, I swallowed my pride, paid MSRP, but was able to reasonably justify it.
Mark
We've had our Outlook since 3/21. We've seen 6-8 Acadia's on the road since then, but only one other Outlook.
Another site mentions that on April 1st, there was a 40-something day supply of Acadias, and a 120-something day supply of Outlooks.
When looking, the GMC dealers we went to had only 2-3 in stock, while the Saturn dealers had 8+ in stock.
Possible that lots of people are having a hard time justifying an MSRP purchase, when they can push hard at GMC to come off of MSRP, even though the prices end up being similar?
Or, people are simply leery paying so much for a Saturn?
Granted, there are minor styling/content differences, but I find it hard to believe these are resulting in the differences in quanitites.
Mark
Usually there is one guy at a dealership that handles orders. Regular salesman don't even know how to do it.
If you don't mind waiting 6 to 8 weeks.....order it.
While I liked the colors of the outlook better, even in a huge city like Los Angeles there are very few saturn dealers. I didn't want to drive 30 miles to service my car so I went with the gmc.
Thanks!
bradesp