observation on Eclave

I was reading the review in Car & Driver about the Eclave. I think the CUV is a great looking vehicle and have read it is on the same platform as the Outlook and Acadia. When I see the Eclave on the road, it really looks to be close to the CX-9 body more than the Outlook and Acadia.

Has anyone had a chance to drive one? I do really like it and almost would have considered it over the CX-9. The only thing I didn't like was the amount of wood accents in the interior.

sbmrinaldi said:

I was reading the review in Car & Driver about the Eclave. I think the CUV is a great looking vehicle and have read it is on the same platform as the Outlook and Acadia. When I see the Eclave on the road, it really looks to be close to the CX-9 body more than the Outlook and Acadia.

Has anyone had a chance to drive one? I do really like it and almost would have considered it over the CX-9. The only thing I didn't like was the amount of wood accents in the interior.

Click to expand...

I also like the Acadia, in looks and features. But to compare a Mazda to a GM? You couldnt give me a GM, but I'm seriously considering a CX-9. Has GM ever even made into the top 20 or so in initial quality?

Drove the Outlook, Acadia, Enclave, XC90 and SRX. I had access to both the GM and Ford Employee discounts and went with the CX-9. I think it gave you the most for the $$$...

Enclave does resemble a CX-9 atleast from the rear. Just yesterday, I went to a dept store, came out and at first glance, I saw my car and thought, "Man! that Enclave looks like my CX-9"...3 seconds later, man it is indeed my CX-9!!

Buick...with the exception of Lucerne, they're the worst resale values, period!

I drove the Enclave. It is a big vehicle and to me, it drove like one. I did not care for the seats. I don't think they had enough support. Also on the highway the transmission does do a lot of hunting between 5th & 6th gear (something the all of the car magazines have noted with the Enclave, Outlook, & Arcadia). For me the CX-9 is hands down a better handling vehicle and that is why I ordered one. The Buick dealership I was at wasn't willing to really deal on the Enclave (not that it would have changed my decision anyway). They also told me to order the Enclave the way I wanted it, it would be 3-4 months, about the same amount of time it will take to get my 08 CX-9.

Yeah GM still doesnt know how to make seats

....oh whoa!!!! ...sranger (the fellow with the seat problem) should be listening to this,not that it will solve his problem but maybe he won't feel so bad....

svofan1 said:

....oh whoa!!!! ...sranger (the fellow with the seat problem) should be listening to this,not that it will solve his problem but maybe he won't feel so bad....

Click to expand...

On another CX-9 thread Sranger had his seats worked on:


http://www.mazdaforum.com/m_46034/tm.htm

Well,
Here is what they found wrong.
1st, there was not enough padding in the rear portion of the drivers seat. It was about 3/4 thinner than the passenger's seat bottom? They added about 1" of foam under the rear section of the seat bottom.
2nd, the seat cover was not centered in the seat. It bunched up on the side tword the console. To be honest, I never really notice this. The guy managed to get it more or less centered when they put it back together. Again the passenger's seat did not have this problem. It looked like it was shifted about 1/2" off center when compared to the passenger's seat.
3rd, there was a little too much leather left on both seams where the two different color peices were sewen together. This was bunching up and was probably causing most of my discomfort. You could see the indention of this wad of leather in the foam pad. I am fairly sure that this is what was actually poking into my hip.
As near as I can tell, I can tolerate the seat now. It was more or less comfortable on the 1.5hr drive home. The seat bottom is a little harder where the padding was added. The upolstry guy said the leather would streatch a little and should soften up over time. He did say to keep the leather well conditioned for a few weeks.
It is my opinion that most of the discomfort I felt was due to poor workmanship on the seat bottom and the fact that the foam was too thin. I am not sure why the foam on the drivers side seat was so much thinner than the foam on the passenger's. I think it cause me to sink deeper into the seat than I should have. This cause the sides to fold in more and put more pressure on my hips.
For the heck of it, I sat in the Passengers seat for a little over an hour listening to the stereo system ( one of the reasons why I bought the car to start with ) It did not seem to bother me like the drivers seat did.
I hope this solves the issue and thought you guys might want to hear what I found...

2008 Enclave CXL vs. 2008 CX-9 Grand Touring

Recently my wife and I had a baby daughter; She is 4 months old now. I am beginning to feel uncomfortable driving for such long distances in Houston TX. It seems like everyone has a full size SUV and trucks. The drivers here seldom use turning signals and most of them drive 15 miles over the speed limit. I thought the end of the year would be a perfect time to get in the market for a good sized SUV.

I began my research by compiling a list of candidates that fit my family's needs. I want an SUV that is:
- Flexible enough to accommodate three children in car seats
- Agile and nimble enough for my transition from the 2002 VW GTI and 2001 VW Passat. I am very particular about driving position and how my vehicles handle themselves on the road.
- Enough cargo room for the baby stroller (I have a full size Peg Perrego Uno) and other things that we often buy for our church.
- Good reliability and low maintenance
- Price range in the low $30,000

my immediate candidates are:
- 2008 Buick Enclave
- 2008 Mazda CX-9

I went in the Buick dealership to test drive the Enclave.
Plus:
+ the interior was very graceful. Wood trim, analog clock on the center console.
+ Good looking exterior styling
+ HUGE interior room. I am 6' 190 lb and have no problem going into the 2nd and third row. The third row was very VERY comfortable.
+ Easy access to the third row.
+ Lots of feature comes standard (power liftgate, xenon headlights, etc).
+ I hate the steering feel of American cars. They are always too light for my taste causing the vehicle to handle like a boat especially on the freeway. However, GM got it right for this vehicle. I was surprised by how solid the steering feels.
+ The test drive was so impressive that I pondered about switching brand from VW (one of the brand for enthusiast) with a Buick?????
+ Good enough power even though it seemed sluggish at times (read my minus point on transmission).
+ The fit and finish were much better than its siblings the Acadia and Outlook.
+ I really think the Enclave can save Buick if they can get enough people to test drive it.

Minus:
- The braking seemed mushy
- The transmission did not seem smart enough to select the right gears.
- The seats were not supportive enough.
- I couldn't get a good driving position in this vehicle. I found the tiny space between the brake pedal and the foot rest to be the most comfortable spot for my left foot. The foot rest was too small for my taste.

I finally decide to get the CX-9 because:
Even though:
- It had smaller cargo space and third row than the Enclave, it is still a big enough car to accommodate our family's needs.
- Consumer Reports rated the braking to be inadequate, it has the best performance compared to other SUVs that I tested.
- CR rated the predicted reliability to be worse than average, the 2008 engine is made in Japan. It should bring more reliability to the table than the engine that was shared with the Edge and MKX.

Plus:
+ Its steering has a "German" feel to it. Solid, perfectly weighted, and provides good feedback.
+ The suspension is tuned perfectly for comfort and agility. I think it's the most balanced of all the SUVs that I test drove.
+ Reasonably priced at 2% below invoice and 0% APR for 36 months (About $2200 difference vs. the Buick).
+ Keyless Access feature is a handy feature to have
+ The Blind Spot Monitoring System is a GOOD feature to have for a vehicle that size.
+ The interior suits our taste better (it's more sporty than the Buick). Fit and finish is as good as the Buick.
+ The driving position is very VERY GOOD. I feel really comfortable after 10 seconds of setting up the front seat.
+ The test drive convinced me to take it instead of the Buick.

I hope this LONG review provides some information for people in the same situation as we were.

Enjoy.

CR rated the predicted reliability to be worse than average, the 2008 engine is made in Japan. It should bring more reliability to the table than the engine that was shared with the Edge and MKX.

If you look at the CR ratings for the CX-9, it actually gets many more full red (good) circle than the Acadia/Outlook/Enclave. The only black (bad) circle is the audio system. All engine ratings get full red circles, so I wouldn't expect any engine issues with the CX-9.

>> - CR rated the predicted reliability to be worse than average <<
Well, CR was wrong. All other magazines found CX-9 to have outstanding braking. CR is in the minority. Who do you believe? MotorTrend or CR?
In Fact, MT tested CX-9 braking from 60-0 at 129ft, while CR tested it at 159ft.
Great job, CR! You do know how to brake!
With 17" ventilated disk brakes at all four corners, the CX-9's brake is very good in its class.

CX9 much better than Buick Enclave

I test drove both, bought the Mazda. Some observations

Buick
-trunk floor material cheap and it covers the backs of the third row seats. It felt awful and separated from the seat back very easily. mazda carpets appear better.
-dash plastic felt like the surface of a basketball, i had flashbacks to my dads buick from 20 years ago. mazda is not great, but at least you dont have negative reactions
-buick cockpit appears more refined and less confining
-cx9 steering wheel feels better and more tight.
-much more plastic in the buick in the rear seating area. plastic on the backs of the seats is particularly cheap feeling/looking. Its like GM ran out of steam on the front seats and dash and went cheap in the back.
-seats in buick and cx9 are both on rails. You absolutely notice that in the buick. the cx9 seat rails look more refined. You could lose a cheeseburger in the rails "well" in the buick.
-exterior more daring in the buick.
-buick has an option for folding siding mirrors which is nice as american garage door makers have not apparently noticed that cars have grown since the 80's.

-buick claims they focused on a quiet ride. I disagree and noticed a ton of wind noise from the two large sunroofs(which dont come with hard interior covers. Additionally, you notice the engine noise immediately when accelerating. Like a lot of American cars, you can feel every shift.
-I was told I would have to wait two months if I did not find the exact fit from the cars on the lot. which is ridiculous
-Leather in both cars is not totally satisfying. Hate that plastic stripe on the Mazda's seats.
-I had fears over quality and longevity. Hope i'm wrong about that.
-The buick did offer a four year warranty, one year more than the Mazda

and the biggest reason? Cost, a loaded CX9 will set you back maybe 38K after MSRP discounts. A fully loaded buick can easily go for 45K after discounts. That 7K is not justified yet. They can't approach the 50k mark w/o being able to take on the BMW/Mercedes/Cadillac/Lexus more squarely.

Good show by Buick and it's nice to see some actual excitement from their lineup.

Bob Lutz has done GM some good, for sure. Have you noticed how GM vehicles are a lot cleaner looking now? Smoother, better lines, a LOT less plastic to create styling. Compare the Enclave to the Ranier and Rendevous, etc. Still need more work, but what an improvement.

I heard that one of the first things Lutz did after he took over was make Chevy get rid of all the ugly plastic on the Avalanche. Bravo

Hey Guys, we dont have Buicks over here or Chevy's, so how about some pics so I can see what you are trying to compare our Glorious CX9 to.

Ford and Holden(GM) over here make some damn good cars, but still dont have the build quality of the Jap cars.

Here is the Enclave