The Buick Enclave is a three-row
luxury
Luxury may refer to:
*Luxury goods, an economic good or service for which demand increases more than proportionally as income rises
*Luxury tax, tax on products not considered essential, such as expensive cars
**Luxury tax (sports), surcharge put ...
crossover SUV
A crossover, crossover SUV, or crossover utility vehicle (CUV) is a type of automobile with an increased ride height that is built on unibody chassis construction shared with passenger cars, as opposed to traditional sport utility vehicles ( ...
produced by
General Motors
The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...
since 2007. It was previewed at the
2006 North American International Auto Show, officially as a
concept car
A concept car (also known as a concept vehicle, show vehicle or prototype) is a car made to showcase new styling and/or new technology. They are often exhibited at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or ...
, making it the first Lambda vehicle to be displayed. The Enclave is partially based on the
Buick Centieme concept shown at the 2003
Detroit Auto Show
The North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), also known as the Detroit Auto Show as of 2022 and prior to NAIAS, is an annual auto show held in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., at Huntington Place. The show was held in January from 1989 to 2019 ...
.
The first-generation Enclave, the
Saturn Outlook
The Saturn Outlook is a full-size crossover SUV that debuted at the New York International Auto Show, and was based on the GM Lambda platform, which it shared with the Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Acadia. The Outlook went on sale ...
, the original
GMC Acadia, and the first-generation
Chevrolet Traverse
The Chevrolet Traverse is a full-size crossover SUV with three-row seating built by General Motors. It is built on the same platform as the GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave, known as the Lambda platform for first generation, and the C1XX for se ...
all shared the
GM Lambda platform.
The Enclave replaced both of Buick's SUVs, the minivan-based
Rendezvous and the truck-based
Rainier, as well as the
Terraza minivan
Minivan (sometimes called simply as van) is a North American car classification for vehicles designed to transport passengers in the rear seating row(s), with reconfigurable seats in two or three rows. The equivalent classification in Europe is ...
. In 2014, the Enclave was the top-ranked "Affordable Midsize SUV" in ''
U.S. News & World Report''. The second-generation Enclave was officially revealed at the
2017 New York International Auto Show.
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First generation (2008)
Features
![Buick Enclave (Lambda) IMG 6176](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/Buick_Enclave_%28Lambda%29_IMG_6176.jpg)
The Enclave has seating for seven passengers, with an optional second row bench seat instead of the standard two captain chairs which increases the seating to eight. It comes standard with
front-wheel drive
Front-wheel drive (FWD) is a form of engine and transmission layout used in motor vehicles, where the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel drive vehicles feature a transverse engine, rather than the conventional longitu ...
with an option of
all-wheel drive
An all-wheel drive vehicle (AWD vehicle) is one with a powertrain capable of providing power to all its wheels, whether full-time or on-demand.
The most common forms of all-wheel drive are:
;1x1 : All unicycles Reflecting one axle with one ...
.
The Enclave shares powertrains with its Lambda siblings. For its first year of production, the Enclave was powered by a 3.6 L
High Feature V6 engine
A V6 engine is a six-cylinder piston engine where the cylinders share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a V configuration.
The first V6 engines were designed and produced independently by Marmon Motor Car Company, Deutz Gasmotoren Fabr ...
mated to a six-speed
automatic transmission
An automatic transmission (sometimes abbreviated to auto or AT) is a multi-speed transmission used in internal combustion engine-based motor vehicles that does not require any input from the driver to change forward gears under normal driving ...
.
For the 2009 model, an upgraded power boost for the 3.6 L V6
Spark Ignition Direct Injection
Gasoline direct injection (GDI), also known as petrol direct injection (PDI), is a mixture formation system for internal combustion engines that run on gasoline (petrol), where fuel injection, fuel is injected into the combustion chamber. This ...
VVT is now at and of torque standard (also standard on other 2009 Lambdas). The latter direct-injection engine offers a broader torque curve, and brings fuel economy to / for FWD models and / for AWD models, according to the new
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it be ...
estimates. The Lambda vehicles are built at
GM's new
Delta Township Assembly plant near
Lansing, Michigan
Lansing () is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is mostly in Ingham County, although portions of the city extend west into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. The 2020 census placed the city's population at 112,644, making ...
, and production of the Enclave commenced on April 11, 2007,
with the first vehicles reaching certain dealers by the end of the month. The Enclave debuted with a starting price of $32,790.
In its first year of production, the Enclave was often criticized for its 6-speed transmission, which was "hesitant to downshift."
The powertrain was improved for 2009. For its entire production, it has been regarded as overly heavy, weighing nearly with all-wheel-drive. Buick's
VentiPorts have reappeared at the Enclave's introduction, a styling feature unique to Buick dating back to 1949.
Initial sales of the Enclave far exceeded production capacity, forcing GM to add a third shift to the Delta Township plant.
With the arrival of the
Buick Envision
The Buick Envision is a compact crossover SUV manufactured by General Motors. It is exclusively manufactured in China by the SAIC-GM joint venture, supplying the domestic market and the North American market.
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Concept
The Buick Envision ...
(which is slotted between the Enclave and
Buick Encore
The Buick Encore is a subcompact crossover SUV built by General Motors since 2012. It is subcompact crossover SUV marketed by Buick and its fourth SUV overall after the Rendezvous, Rainier, and Enclave.
The "Encore" designation was previ ...
) to North America in 2016 (for the 2017 model year), the Enclave will be bigger after Envision's debut, and the 2017 model year Enclave will be the last under the first generation platform.
2013 refresh
![2013 Buick Enclave -- 2012 NYIAS 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/2013_Buick_Enclave_--_2012_NYIAS_1.JPG)
GM unveiled the 2013 Buick Enclave on April 3, 2012, one day before its official debut at the
New York Auto Show
The New York International Auto Show is an annual auto show that is held in Manhattan in late March or early April. It is held at the Jacob Javits Convention Center. It usually opens on or just before Easter weekend and closes on the first S ...
.
The 2013 model features revised exterior styling including a new chrome waterfall grille, xenon headlights with
LED
A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor Electronics, device that Light#Light sources, emits light when Electric current, current flows through it. Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, releasing energy i ...
running lights, LED Foglights, and LED taillights.
Interior updates include a redesigned dashboard with more soft-touch materials, wood and chrome accents, blue ambient lighting, and touchscreen
IntelliLink infotainment display. Among safety features are seven standard airbags, including an industry-first front center airbag, and available
blind spot monitoring.
Markets
Sales in the United States and Canada began in 2007 during the 2008 model year. In 2008, General Motors began exporting the Enclave to
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, to be sold through
Shanghai GM
SAIC General Motors Corporation Limited (More commonly known as SAIC-GM; ; formerly known as "Shanghai General Motors Company Ltd", "Shanghai GM"; ) is a joint venture between General Motors Company and SAIC Motor that manufactures and sells Chev ...
's Buick network.
The Buick brand has been relaunched in Mexico for the 2010 model year, bringing the Enclave to that market.
Second generation
North America (2018)
On April 11, 2017, exactly ten years after the first Enclave was produced, Buick unveiled the second generation Enclave at the Pier 59 Studios during the 2017 New York International Auto Show. With the introduction of the compact
Buick Envision
The Buick Envision is a compact crossover SUV manufactured by General Motors. It is exclusively manufactured in China by the SAIC-GM joint venture, supplying the domestic market and the North American market.
__TOC__
Concept
The Buick Envision ...
in 2016 and the launching of the
Opel Insignia
The Opel Insignia is a large family car (D-segment in Europe) developed and produced by the German car manufacturer Opel since 2008. Taking its name from a 2003 concept car, the model line serves as the flagship Opel car line, slotted above the ...
-badged
Buick Regal TourX wagon, the next generation Enclave moved upmarket, competing with the
Volvo XC90
The Volvo XC90 is a mid-size luxury SUV manufactured and marketed by Volvo Cars since 2002 and now in its second generation.
The first generation was introduced at the 2002 North American International Auto Show and used the Volvo P2 platform ...
,
Infiniti QX60, and
Acura MDX
The Acura MDX is a mid-size luxury crossover SUV with three-row seating produced by the Japanese automaker Honda under its luxury Acura division since 2000. The alphanumeric moniker stands for "Multi-Dimensional" luxury. It has ranked as the seco ...
in the premium crossover SUV market. The second generation Enclave went on sale in the Fall of 2017 as a 2018 model.
The long-wheelbase version of GM’s C1XX chassis sharing the same platform with the
Chevrolet Traverse
The Chevrolet Traverse is a full-size crossover SUV with three-row seating built by General Motors. It is built on the same platform as the GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave, known as the Lambda platform for first generation, and the C1XX for se ...
, the second generation Enclave moved away from the egg-shaped design but retains some elements of the previous generation, displaying a sleeker aerodynamic appearance, a lower roofline, and the introduction of the Evonik Acrylite exterior forward lighting flanking Buick's new three-dimensional mesh grille with chrome wings.
Powered by a 3.6-liter V-6 mated to a new nine-speed automatic transmission, it produces with torque. The second generation Enclave comes in standard Front-drive or available with Intelligent AWD with an active twin-clutch rear differential, which complements its first switchable all-wheel-drive system. There are three level trims, including a new top-of-the-line premium Avenir sub-brand.
File:2018 Buick Enclave Avenir AWD (white), front left.jpg, 2018 Buick Enclave Avenir AWD
File:2019 Buick Enclave 3.6L, rear 8.25.19.jpg, 2019 Buick Enclave
2022 refresh
Buick initially planned to launch an updated version of the Enclave in mid- to late 2020 as a 2021 model year vehicle. However, GM delayed launch and production of the updated Enclave to 2021 as 2022 model year vehicle. The mid-cycle refresh adopts many design elements and features along with new LED headlights and taillights already seen on the Chinese version of the Buick Enclave.
The 2022 Enclave adds as standard a
driver assistance safety suite previously only available in the Avenir trim. Features include front pedestrian braking, automatic emergency braking, lane keep assist, blind spot monitor, rear cross traffic alert, and rear parking sensor. Other new features include a push-button transmission, optional head-up display, optional rear pedestrian alert, and wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
File:2022 Buick Enclave Premium AWD in Quicksilver Metallic, Front Left, 12-25-2021.jpg, 2022 Buick Enclave Premium AWD
File:2022 Buick Enclave Premium AWD in Quicksilver Metallic, Rear Right, 12-25-2021.jpg, 2022 Buick Enclave Premium AWD
File:2022 Buick Enclave interior.jpg, Interior
China (2020)
On October 22, 2019, Buick unveiled the
Chinese-market Enclave. It is a "mid-size plus" version of the Enclave which utilizes GM's C1 short wheelbase platform. It went on sale in that region in late 2019. While it has the similar features as the full-size North American Enclave, the Chinese version is shorter with a design different from its counterpart; there are no plans to make it available in North America. Buick planned to name the Chinese version "Envoy" (a name previously used on
a GMC midsize SUV in North America from 1998 to 2007) but elected to use the Enclave name instead.
File:Buick Enlave Chinese version 002.jpg, Rear view
File:Buick Enlave Avenir 001.jpg, Buick Enclave Avenir
File:Buick Enlave Avenir 003.jpg, Interior
The Chinese Enclave features GM's Electronic Precision Shift technology, and is equipped exclusively with a turbocharged 2.0L LSY engine that makes , mated to the new GM nine-speed automatic transmission.
"This Is The All New Buick Enclave Crossover For China"
from GM Authority (October 22, 2019)
Sales
Awards
The Enclave received the ''Best New SUV/CUV (over C$60,000)'' from the AJAC in 2008.
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Enclave
An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...
Cars introduced in 2007
2010s cars
2020s cars
Full-size sport utility vehicles
Mid-size sport utility vehicles
Crossover sport utility vehicles
Luxury sport utility vehicles
Front-wheel-drive vehicles
All-wheel-drive vehicles
Vehicles built in Lansing, Michigan
Motor vehicles manufactured in the United States
Flagship vehicles