I have been following the Lambda's since December. My wife and I went to a dealership to give a hard look at the Enclave and the Acadia.
We have an 18 month old and twins on the way
so we are looking for a vehicle that can handle the task. We drove a fully loaded CXL with AWD on the highway with the AC on. My wife did 98% of the driving because its going to be her primary vehicle. I'll test drive a lambda by myself in the near future.
Concerns before test driving:
1) Wife was worried that the vehicle would be too big for her.
2) I read somebody post on edmunds that they were getting rid of their Acadia due to poor visibility in lane changing, nearly causing two accidents.
The test drive
We took it for a short test drive comprising of getting onto a highway lane changing and some parking lot manuvers to test out turning radius, rear visibility and parking. My wife said that that the vehicle was not too big for her. I noted that acceleration was fine. We are going to purchase a FWD model so performance will be better with 210 lbs less weight. So our two big issues before the test drive have been addressed to our satisfaction. ;D
The Enclave is quiet and handles very well for a vehicle its size. The only nitpicky thing my wife and I noticed is that the steering wheel is thin and small for the size of the vehicle. My CTS has a large and thick wheel which some people have complained about go figure. I think it is a "get used to it" item
cargo capacity,seat access inspection
When my wife looked at the cargo capacity behind the 3rd row she was concerned that a double stroller might not fit back there. I was concerned as well. We will also have to carry a stroller for our 18th month old on family outings. My wife is the person who is reluctant to get a minivan. I'm more of the practical one, yet she claims that she is not into cars. She is the first to comment openly on ugly cars i.e. Scion xB, element.
My wife wanted to look at the back of the Odyssey for comparisons.
Fast forward 24 hrs
A neighbor of ours that has a new ody let us look at theirs. The ody has a little well to give some more space but it is nothing dramatic. I was not impressed with the quality or look of the leather on the Ody it is low grade leather IMHO. I did not like the dash from seeing it at the DC auto show either.
Further analysis
We feel if the double stroller does not fit in the back we can lower the 40% side 3rd row and put the stroller there and the single stroller can either go between the captain chairs and the front seats or between second and 3rd row, or lie longitudinal between 2nd and 3rd row.
Our family is local so we will not be taking many long trips with the vehicle. If the need arises for more space I think I'll get a rooftop box.
If anyone has double stroller experience with either the Acadia or Enclave please chime in.
