Hey all, long time I don't post. Well since I found out I am getting laid off June 29th I lost the passion to post on the Enclave. I still lust after the car like crazy. Well today I got a call from a local Buick dealer and they had two CXL's in. So I decided to torture myself and go for a test drive. Just so you understand what cars I have and what I am comparing the Enclave to I have had three Lexus cars and love them for their luxury and smooth quit rides.
So on the way to the Buick dealer I took a long route and turn of the stereo. I just wanted to hear the cars sounds, tires, road, wind, engine and what not. My 1998 Lexus LS400 is very quite I have to say. Its also very very smooth on the road. Well to get to the point quickly the Enclave was substantially quieter than my LS in all aspects except you could Enclave engine a little more than in my LS400, BUT you only noticed the engine because every other sound was basically non-exsistant. The Enclave is by far the quietest car I have ever driven. Today in South Florida its very windy so I had lots of crosswinds. Still I heard zero wind noise of any kind. I also jumped on the highway (Sawgrass Expressway) and hit 85mph, still whisper quite. Many people are going to get tickets when they first get this car. You can not hear a difference in wind noise between 40mph and say 70mph, its that quite. Once I hit 80 or so now I could get a small since of speed from sound but again only because at the slower speeds the car is soooo quite. My wife's drove until this last Christmas when I got her a new car a 1999 Lexus RX300. The Enclave it night and day quieter that the RX300 and even drastically quieter that the newer RX330. So I guess I made my point on this matter.
Ride smoothness also a winner here. The Enclave drove, again on the same path I just took in my LS400, much smooth. My LS400 has all new struts, shock, bushing and all that brand new. So my car rides like new. So me thinking a SUV is smooth is saying allot. I also get all the Lexus SUV's as loaner cars and none of the feel as smooth and non truck like as the Enclave.
Radio/Stereo the CXL I took for a drive had the basic stereo. Now my cars have always had the basic stereo but the basic in a Lexus is still much better than most brand top stereo. Now I was very impressed with the sound clarity, quality, and the amount of bass. The basic stereo if you listen to jazz, pop, rock, and hip-hop at moderate levels you will be more than pleased. Now if you have a custom system that can be felt down the street, then no you wont be impressed. The second CXL I looked at had the package 3 system with Nav/Bose. That stereo was even better sounding with just that much more impact and volume range. You could easily turn this one up more with out feeling/sounding like the system is being stressed.
Over all I left the dealership very impressed. I felt like me buying this Buick would be an upgrade as far as luxury and features from my Lexus. Now I also kept in mind that Lexus does not offer any car this size and their largest SUV which is not as smooth or quite cost $30,000 MORE than the Enclave. So by far the Enclave is best deal on the street today for a full size, luxury, people mover. :thumb:
Jerry
So on the way to the Buick dealer I took a long route and turn of the stereo. I just wanted to hear the cars sounds, tires, road, wind, engine and what not. My 1998 Lexus LS400 is very quite I have to say. Its also very very smooth on the road. Well to get to the point quickly the Enclave was substantially quieter than my LS in all aspects except you could Enclave engine a little more than in my LS400, BUT you only noticed the engine because every other sound was basically non-exsistant. The Enclave is by far the quietest car I have ever driven. Today in South Florida its very windy so I had lots of crosswinds. Still I heard zero wind noise of any kind. I also jumped on the highway (Sawgrass Expressway) and hit 85mph, still whisper quite. Many people are going to get tickets when they first get this car. You can not hear a difference in wind noise between 40mph and say 70mph, its that quite. Once I hit 80 or so now I could get a small since of speed from sound but again only because at the slower speeds the car is soooo quite. My wife's drove until this last Christmas when I got her a new car a 1999 Lexus RX300. The Enclave it night and day quieter that the RX300 and even drastically quieter that the newer RX330. So I guess I made my point on this matter.
Ride smoothness also a winner here. The Enclave drove, again on the same path I just took in my LS400, much smooth. My LS400 has all new struts, shock, bushing and all that brand new. So my car rides like new. So me thinking a SUV is smooth is saying allot. I also get all the Lexus SUV's as loaner cars and none of the feel as smooth and non truck like as the Enclave.
Radio/Stereo the CXL I took for a drive had the basic stereo. Now my cars have always had the basic stereo but the basic in a Lexus is still much better than most brand top stereo. Now I was very impressed with the sound clarity, quality, and the amount of bass. The basic stereo if you listen to jazz, pop, rock, and hip-hop at moderate levels you will be more than pleased. Now if you have a custom system that can be felt down the street, then no you wont be impressed. The second CXL I looked at had the package 3 system with Nav/Bose. That stereo was even better sounding with just that much more impact and volume range. You could easily turn this one up more with out feeling/sounding like the system is being stressed.
Over all I left the dealership very impressed. I felt like me buying this Buick would be an upgrade as far as luxury and features from my Lexus. Now I also kept in mind that Lexus does not offer any car this size and their largest SUV which is not as smooth or quite cost $30,000 MORE than the Enclave. So by far the Enclave is best deal on the street today for a full size, luxury, people mover. :thumb:
Jerry
