I remember a simular experience with my Avalance but on one of the forums someone suggested to grind down the slots on the headrest arms so they could not catch when reinstalled. This made it so they would pull in and out easly. See if it is possible to do with yours.
Our child started using a booster seat with no back at about 40# and 5 years old. There is no seatback. As long as the vehicles seatbelt fits properly it is safe.
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.
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.
Since it is a notch it would need to be filled in, or one could possibly remove the c-clip. It is so tight in there I would be afraid to have to reinsert it back on. It does hold it in tightly, probably useful in rollover or when seat folded flat in order to not contact the front seats.
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!!!!!
Went to a GMC dealer today to test drive the Acadia. (Had my shades on- first time in an american car dealer since purchasing a Vega in 1973) 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...
I went to the Ny Auto show yesterday largely because I wanted to check out the Acadia, Outlook and Enclave. I have to say, I am a little disappointed with their interior space; I really thought they would be larger. Admittedly, I would be going from a Suburban to (probably) an Acadia but I didn't think there would be so much less passenger and storage space.
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.
new enclave brochure shows 22 for awd and 24 for fwd not 26.
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.
The Acadia is actually almost 2' shorter than the Suburban and about the same width on the outside. Below dimensions show they are very similar. The only significant difference seems to be interior width and that is about 3" and I wonder why that is. Perhaps because there is no frame the structure was put into the body.
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
Is the Enclave a 2008 model? If so, I think that it means it was measured using the new EPA mileage standard which might account for the lower figures than the 2007 Acadia and Outlook.
Folks on an Acadia enthusiast site are confirming that $1,000 Conquest offer is still being honored on the Acadia. One Canadian dealer is saying it's good until July. Haven't heard any confirmation regarding Outlook.
Does anyone else have info on rebates for canadian buyers?
Does gmc recommend a brand or type of wax or polish? I notice that consumer reports recommends a spray on wax for new finishes because they are not abrasive. The advantage they have is they can be safely applied to plastic trim and don't leave white residue. The disadvantage is they don't last that long.
I use Adams Butter Wax plus many of his other products for all of my car care needs.I use them on my 06 Corvette,03 Dakota and will use them on our new Acadia as well.His website is www.adamspolishes.com
I just priced out SLT1-4A on the GMC site and it comes back with MSRP including dest of 36,745 supplier price of 34,887. Edmunds invoice is 34,322 all with dest incl....what gives? :confuse:
I think that supplier pricing is not as good a deal as it used to be. I have stated a couple of times that walking in and buying a GM for invoice seems to be a better deal than supplier pricing.
Does anyone know where I can rent a GMC Acadia or Saturn Outlook? I've found the Acadia at Alamo but does anyone know of others? I'm in Atlanta so all the companies should be represented.
Is it realistic to think an Acadia can be had for invoice given it's apparent popularity and seeming limited supply at this point? Remember, we're not talking about an Envoy here
Depends on your definition of "invoice". If you mean the invoice price as shown on edmunds, kbb, etc. then it could be tough to get (although I've seen some folks claiming to get pretty close). If you mean the actual dealer invoice, which usually includes local advertising charges not shown by edmunds (because they vary by region), then the answer is yes, you can get invoice pricing. Advertising fees usually range around 1-2% of MSRP depending on where your dealer is located.
I have been reading this forum since I ordered my Acadia back on March 7th. Well, on April 12th the car arrived. A silver w/ blk leather SLT2 with sky roof, DVD, trailer pkg and 8 pass seating. The experience was fine because I have purchased a car from them already. I was going to use my GMS price but I was not eligible for the 1k conquest if you use the GMS program. So the dealer made a deal to sell me the car for 36700 and then give me the rebate ($35700). 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...
I don't know about another CUV for GM but I did read somewhere that they are getting rid of the 3 minivans, chevy, saturn and there is one more but I cant think of the dealer and making one minivan that will be sold by Chevy. So, perhaps that is what they will be building in Springhill. As long as the people have a job they can build a bike. That is one reason I am trying to support my American workers. Blessings All and buy American/USA
The Volvo XC-90 is too small. Only a small child or a Dog can fit in that 3rd row. The M Series is ugly and wayyyyyy over priced. I'm 5'5 and I hit my head getting in/out of the Mazda CX7....Acadia, Enclave or Outlook are the way to go.
Yes, this is what I was told by GM that the HUD doesn't reflect off the windshield due to the laminations. Also, they are working on it for the 09 model. If you can wait that long.
That is one reason I am trying to support my American workers. Blessings All and buy American/USA
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.
After visiting Delta Township in Lansing this past week, you come away with a newfound appreciation and sense of pride for these vehicles. I can't speak about the spirit of those who work at these newer Toyota plants (and I'm sure they are proud of what they do), but I can't see how it can come close to the feeling you get at the Lambda plant.
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
The Enclaves lookg slick...although I would expected a solid color, not two-tone (i.e. the bottom section is black, not in the same color) since the Enclave is the "premium" brand.
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).
For several months, I have been researching these vehicles. I am the target audience... Denali-driving mom looking for lots of space and better fuel economy. (my Denali is a 2000 model with 185,000 miles)
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 )
The Enclaves lookg slick...although I would expected a solid color, not two-tone (i.e. the bottom section is black, not in the same color) since the Enclave is the "premium" brand.
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.
Don't forget there should be a Denali version of the Acadia for 2009 (some people think 2008, but I think it's too early). Likely a V8, so you'll have all the smoothness and acceleration you are looking for, and I would bet a better ride. Not sure about comfort, though, unless they put in more padding or different seats.
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.
Don't forget there should be a Denali version of the Acadia for 2009 (some people think 2008, but I think it's too early). Likely a V8, so you'll have all the smoothness and acceleration you are looking for, and I would bet a better ride. Not sure about comfort, though, unless they put in more padding or different seats.
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....
Hip room refers to the width of the seats, so it would have no bearing on knees being against the dash. Maybe against the door or the side of the console, but not the dash. Also, the 3rd row seat in the Acadia is FAR more useable than the 3rd row seat in the standard Yukon or Denali because of the independent rear suspension in the Acadia. The 3rd row seat in the standard Yukon/Denali sits on the rear cargo floor and is unusable for anyone except small children. The Ford Expedition has a much better 3rd row than the Yukon/Denali, and the Expedition Limited will be almost as nice inside as the Denali. Better gas mileage too. You should check out the Expedition or the Navigator before you buy the Denali.
i'm 6' 5" and just ordered an enclave based off of testing an acadia. there was plenty of leg room and the steering wheel telescopes (electric on the enclave ) i test drove an acadia after driving the denali and found just the opposite in the comfort of the seats. i thought the acadia was more comfortable. i did not like the seats in the tahoe or denali. i did order an enclave without the sunroof to make sure i had the height but mainly because i do not like the black cloth that covers the window roof. the ceiling in these cars will be warm and hard to cool this summer.
Hip room refers to the width of the seats Well, that's good to know for future reference, and the Acadia certainly is narrower than the Denali (not the same "armchair comfort" for us, and perhaps more significant issue for a wider person), but nonetheless something about the build of the Acadia didn't give the same thigh-length leg room in the front.
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:
Another thing for the Denali person. You have a 175K on the clock so my guess is you have had this for a number of years so a 5 min. or even a 1/2 hour test drive isn't going to get it. I took in my STS for warranty work and am driving a DTS (full Size) and have had it almost a week and am finally getting used to it. My point, no matter what you buy unless it is another Denali which I'm guessing by the post is pretty close to what you have now whatever you drive is going to fell funny for a few days.
My point, no matter what you buy unless it is another Denali which I'm guessing by the post is pretty close to what you have now whatever you drive is going to fell funny for a few days.
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.
I'm 6' 10" and have an Outlook with Sunroof. Excellent room.
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.
You are right on about considering what dealer to buy from. We live in a small town in KS with no new car dealers. My Dodge/Chrysler/Ford/Mercury/Lincoln dealer is in the town 20 miles away, but my salesman lives here and when I need work I e-mail him, he sets it up, picks up my car, leaves me his demo, and returns my car at the end of the day. You can't beat that! My brother has a Mercedes that he has to take 100 miles for service. What a pain. I am 6'4" and although I like the Denali XL, if I was going to buy a large SUV I would get the Expedition due to the service convenience alone. We have had great service from our now almost 6 year old 2002 GMC Envoy, but that dealer is 35 miles away and far less convenient. The fact that the closer dealer with the local salesman sells me what I want at the price I want is icing on the cake. If your GMC dealer is close and easy and you have those GM card dollars, I say go for the Denali. They are beautiful machines and the XL has much better 3rd row leg room than the regular Denali.
In my last message a few weeks ago I mentioned I was attempting to install a wireless backup camera. Because of the Acadia's big body, high windows and headrests I have a little difficulty seeing what is behind me when I back up. I purchased a roadmaster wireless backup camera from Pep Boys for $99. 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.
Any tips out there on how to work the best deal for an Enclave or Acadia? Since Saturn is a no haggle price, can anyone comment on how the pricing stacks up for reasonably equiv packaing?
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?
I have ordered an Enclave at invoice pricing. The policy at my dealership is that if you are willing to order an Enclave and wait for delivery (8-12 weeks) they will sell at invoice. If you want one that is on order as part of their allocation, they will not sell it that low.
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'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.
This is good information to know especially since I am leaning more towards the enclave basically because of the articulating lights. The only thing is I would prefer to see these car colors in person so, I am waiting on them to actually hit the dealaerships. I am sure I will have to order mine because of the options I want on it or at least I will insis on ordering it. I went to the dealership and looked in this super size dealer book and saw that they have added a dark grey interior color of which I am very happy about. There were actual interior color swatches that you could feel in this book.
I think you can find a dealer to sell at invoice, but not every dealer. Also, if you are a Costco member, use their auto-buying link. If there is a participating dealer in your area, they agree to sell at a pre-negotiated price which is usually close to invoice.
As some have mentioned, most of the Acadia's on dealer lots are packed with extras making them over 40k. I decided to order an slt-1 so I got exactly what I wanted. Leather seats, heated six way seats, bose cd player, etc. Because I wasn't getting it from the limited supply on the lot I was given dealer invoice plus the $1000 conquest rebate. Came out to about 31k plus tax.
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.
If I buy the Saturn Outlook for cash and intend to sell in 4 years, which do you think will offer better residual value (as a percentage of orig. price). Also, do you think resale buyers will view the AWD as significantly more desirable than the FWD?
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