No, the Buick is no longer your grandparents

Germain Goyer

Thursday, march 22, 2018 10:48

UPDATE
Thursday, march 22, 2018 10:48

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There is not a place in the world where it sells more Buick’s in China. And this is why the brand survives to each of the restructuring of General Motors.

Even if it sells tons of copies in the Middle empire, in North America, it is a different story. In fact, there a couple of years, the brand that can be recognized by its logo with three shields realized that she was the victim of its image as a vehicle of grand-dad. And nobody wants to be associated with it.

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To remedy this, Buick has taken the bull by the horns by establishing a marketing campaign. The purpose of the latter was to persuade the general public of the following idea : the current line-up of Buick vehicles has nothing to do with the big sedans of your grand-father.

And it includes the Enclave, the biggest SUV of the brand.

Buick Enclave Future 2018

Buick

Wanting to appeal to more young people

Although baby boomers still buy a lot of vehicles, they don’t represent the future, and that, the manufacturers have realized.

And one does not sell a vehicle to millénariaux in the same way that we sold a vehicle to the members of the previous generations.

Leave aside the engines with a lot of inch-cube and the horse steam which could fill a stable full. Talk to them instead of consumption, payment bi-weekly, but especially technology. Although I sometimes find it difficult to identify myself with the generation of millénariaux of which I am yet part, I must admit, I am literally glued to my cell phone.

Of course, the highway safety code prohibits the use while driving. Fortunately, some manufacturers, such as General Motors, now offer connectivity to systems, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Grosso modo, the interface of your cell is transposed on the central screen of your vehicle and you then have access to the main functions of your mobile phone while driving. All of this is paired with the built-in WiFi on-board the vehicle, and it is frankly awesome. This technology appeared in it a few years and has quickly taken a liking.

There are good and bad technology. The Buick Enclave Future tried a lot of emphasis on the safety of the driver and its passengers. Maybe a little too much. In effect, when an obstacle is detected and that the sensors think that there is a risk of hitting such an obstacle, an indicator that could make jealous the Jacques-Cartier bridge last summer glows on the top of the dashboard. If it was not for it, I wouldn’t have done the event. The problem is that the seat started to vibrate.

When driving on St-Denis in Montreal and we are trying to avoid the parked vehicles to the right, bicycles, buses, etc, the sensors never end respond. And it’s the same when we try to park in parallel and that the sensors think that it is too close to the vehicle in front of or behind us. After a week, I was far away from me to be used, and I found that it was frankly irritating.

Buick Enclave Future 2018

Buick

Comfort

On the scale of luxury within the range of marks of General Motors, Buick is still located in the centre, between Chevrolet and Cadillac. While Lincoln and Cadillac are fighting for the same wedges of pie, and Chrysler has almost nothing to offer, Buick and Enclave Future are kind of alone on the american side. Fortunately, the Acura MDX and Infiniti QX60 are in the arena to give him a little challenge.

On the 1000 kilometres travelled at the wheel of the Enclave in Future, I retained one word: comfort. It is soft, it is spacious and it is comfortable. Without having the impression of sitting in a La-Z-Boy, this vehicle provides well-being to its driver and to its passengers on the road.

Under the hood

What one finds under the hood of the Buick Enclave Future, this is nothing exotic. In fact, we are on familiar ground with the V6 3.6 L which is used in all the sauces at GM.

The latter generates a power output of 302 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque, which allows this behemoth of nearly 2000 kg to move properly, but no more. A little extra torque would do him no harm. It is equipped with technology stop / start system, which I am afraid I will never get used to it. Unfortunately, there is no button to turn it off.

Buick Enclave Future 2018

Buick

Consumption

When it comes time to move to the pump, the Enclave’s Future is not a model student. Even that he deserves to stay a bit after class… While the QX60 and MDX announce respectively a combined fuel consumption of 10.9 and 10.7 L/100 km, the Enclave has nothing better to offer than 11.8 L/100 km. It is also noteworthy that during the trial, it was even closer to the 13 than the 12…

Very convenient

If, when you think Buick, you are still thinking the Roadmaster or Park Avenue, you should know that this era is over. However, even if we appreciate the coffers cavernous of these sedans, you should know that the Enclave in Future lodge a lot too. Behind the third-row seat, it can accommodate up to 668 L, while the same space of its two rivals japanese is limited to 447 L.

Not only the volume is more than the competition, but the whole thing is cleverly landscaped. Once the two rows back turned, you get a flat floor. During the trial period, I was called to carry the same goods as I had to transport a few weeks earlier aboard a Volkswagen Atlas. Force is to admit that the design of the rear part of the Enclave’s Future is much more user friendly than that of the Atlas.

Brief

In closing, it is imperative to speak of the invoice. The Buick Encalve and the Infiniti QX60 were almost equal at the finish line, showing respectively a base price of 48 000 and 48 to$ 195. As for the MDX, it would have to pay 54 090$ to gain its entry-level version.

With the Enclave and its new variant Future, Buick prove words with actions. The american brand has nothing to do with your grandparents.

Buick Enclave Future 2018

Buick

Technical data sheet

Name: Buick Enclave-Future, 2018
Basic price : 48 000$
Price of model tested: 66 770$
Configuration : four-wheel drive Vehicle with front engine at the front
Mechanical : Engine V6, 3.6 L
Power/torque: 302 hp/ 260 lb-ft
Transmission : Automatic nine reports
Fuel consumption announced: 13,8 L/100 km (city), 9.4 L/100 km (highway)
Warranty basic : 4 years or 80 000 km
Competition: Acura MDX, Infiniti QX60, Mazda CX-9