Three GM crossovers are a cut above
Thursday, May 24, 2007
By Don Hammonds, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Three of this year's most attractive new crossovers come from General Motors -- the Saturn Outlook, GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave.
Equipped with plenty of standard equipment and more cargo room than just about any other crossover -- a mix between a station wagon and sport utility vehicle -- these three have arrived at a perfect time for GM.
Exterior and interior views of the Buick Enclave, targeted at customers of the Lexus RX350, Acura MDX and other luxury crossovers.
In the already hot crossover segment, three rows of seats are "in," and these three have the most roomy arrangement around. Also, with solid construction, beautiful, well-appointed interiors and plenty of the latest technology, they completely turn old stereotypes about GM on their heads.
I'll just say it now : Do not buy a crossover or SUV without looking at these three. They are that good.
But how do you distinguish among them?
The Acadia, which I reviewed a few weeks ago, is all about sophisticated, understated elegance . The Outlook, aimed especially at import buyers, has more expressive styling and a definite sporty flair . Meanwhile, the Enclave is targeted squarely at the Lexus RX350, Acura MDX and similar luxury crossovers and SUVS. It's considered by many to be the best looking Buick in some time. I'll have more to say on the Enclave next month after a test drive.
Our test model Outlook was the top of the line XR model. Standard equipment included full power accessories, traction and stability control, side curtain air bags, cruise control, air conditioning and several other items. By the time options were added, the price was just under $37,000. Outlooks start at $27,990 for the FWD XE, $29,990 for the AWD XE, $30,290 for the FWD XR, and $32,290 for the AWD XR.
The Outlook has a more casual feel than the low-key elegance of the Acadia. For instance, Acadia's dash and door panels have lots of chrome and aluminum accents. The Outlook has lots of warm wood trim and matte black and gray finishes.
Like its crossover siblings, the Outlook has a sense of solid comfort on the road, lots of space and plenty of standard features.
Inside, I especially appreciated the three rows of spotlights in the Outlook -- much better than the more boring and poorly placed square light units you get in other cars. There's also a handy console between the driver and front passenger seats that easily slides forward or back for comfortable positioning as you drive.
Power comes from two sources. If you order the Outlook XE, you'll get a 3.6-liter V-6 with 270 horsepower, which is rated at 18 mpg in the city and 26 on the highway in the FWD version or 17/25 in the AWD version. The XR model gets 275 horsepower with identical fuel economy in both AWD and FWD versions. There's a six-speed automatic transmission to back up the engine in each case.
There have been some complaints that the transmission feels as though it searches a bit for gears, but I did not experience it with the Outlook. I did experience it when I test drove the Acadia, but I suspect that car was built prior to some adjustments and recalibrations that have since been made for this otherwise good transmission.
Parking the Outlook was easy -- it comes with a rear parking camera. And the Outlook feels much lighter behind the wheel than you might think for its size, thanks to steering that is well-balanced and not over-assisted and cornering that is flat and predictable.
I had no problems at all with the Outlook and heartily recommend it to families looking for a terrific way to get around.
www.post-gazette.com/pg/07144/788526-97.stm
Thursday, May 24, 2007
By Don Hammonds, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Three of this year's most attractive new crossovers come from General Motors -- the Saturn Outlook, GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave.
Equipped with plenty of standard equipment and more cargo room than just about any other crossover -- a mix between a station wagon and sport utility vehicle -- these three have arrived at a perfect time for GM.
Exterior and interior views of the Buick Enclave, targeted at customers of the Lexus RX350, Acura MDX and other luxury crossovers.
In the already hot crossover segment, three rows of seats are "in," and these three have the most roomy arrangement around. Also, with solid construction, beautiful, well-appointed interiors and plenty of the latest technology, they completely turn old stereotypes about GM on their heads.
I'll just say it now : Do not buy a crossover or SUV without looking at these three. They are that good.
But how do you distinguish among them?
The Acadia, which I reviewed a few weeks ago, is all about sophisticated, understated elegance . The Outlook, aimed especially at import buyers, has more expressive styling and a definite sporty flair . Meanwhile, the Enclave is targeted squarely at the Lexus RX350, Acura MDX and similar luxury crossovers and SUVS. It's considered by many to be the best looking Buick in some time. I'll have more to say on the Enclave next month after a test drive.
Our test model Outlook was the top of the line XR model. Standard equipment included full power accessories, traction and stability control, side curtain air bags, cruise control, air conditioning and several other items. By the time options were added, the price was just under $37,000. Outlooks start at $27,990 for the FWD XE, $29,990 for the AWD XE, $30,290 for the FWD XR, and $32,290 for the AWD XR.
The Outlook has a more casual feel than the low-key elegance of the Acadia. For instance, Acadia's dash and door panels have lots of chrome and aluminum accents. The Outlook has lots of warm wood trim and matte black and gray finishes.
Like its crossover siblings, the Outlook has a sense of solid comfort on the road, lots of space and plenty of standard features.
Inside, I especially appreciated the three rows of spotlights in the Outlook -- much better than the more boring and poorly placed square light units you get in other cars. There's also a handy console between the driver and front passenger seats that easily slides forward or back for comfortable positioning as you drive.
Power comes from two sources. If you order the Outlook XE, you'll get a 3.6-liter V-6 with 270 horsepower, which is rated at 18 mpg in the city and 26 on the highway in the FWD version or 17/25 in the AWD version. The XR model gets 275 horsepower with identical fuel economy in both AWD and FWD versions. There's a six-speed automatic transmission to back up the engine in each case.
There have been some complaints that the transmission feels as though it searches a bit for gears, but I did not experience it with the Outlook. I did experience it when I test drove the Acadia, but I suspect that car was built prior to some adjustments and recalibrations that have since been made for this otherwise good transmission.
Parking the Outlook was easy -- it comes with a rear parking camera. And the Outlook feels much lighter behind the wheel than you might think for its size, thanks to steering that is well-balanced and not over-assisted and cornering that is flat and predictable.
I had no problems at all with the Outlook and heartily recommend it to families looking for a terrific way to get around.
www.post-gazette.com/pg/07144/788526-97.stm
