This is MILES ahead of acura & Infiniti. The technology & interior is glamorous. And if you're bias on car brands, you shouldn't be a car review guy. Guys that review cars. Review cars individually. Not a company as a whole.

The Buick Enclave made our top cars of 2018 list when we wrapped up our season back in December. I'm seeing quite a few of these on the road here, especially in the Avenir trim. There's a lot going for it!

Hey Nile how tall are you? I'm tall too and would like to know how tall you are as you mentioned you had more head room for you in this Enclave. Using your height I can use that as a point of reference for my size to see if I might be able to fit comfortably too. Thanks mate.

I'm 183cm/6ft tall, depending on your measurement of choice. Most of these mid-size crossovers are tall enough for taller folks, we've got a friend out here who's easily 6'7 and was able to fit in this without too much issue. Hope that helps!

Is the Chevy Traverse High Country a better deal? Very similar vehicle with almost all of the same features.

That's a good question. We had hoped to do a Showdown episode on GM's mid-to-full size crossovers like the Traverse and GMC Acadia, however we haven't been able to find a dealership out here that we can work with. The basic engineering will be about the same, but the interior trim would be the biggest difference. We do have the GMC Acadia Denali booked in September, we'll see if there's a chance we can line up the Enclave and Traverse at the same time and film something!

Biggest crossover in the segment. Not many with 3rd row for adults unlike the Japanese kiddie jump seats.

That's very true! We mentioned at the start how it's strange the Enclave went down from a full-size segment yet got larger. Either way, we think the Enclave is a vehicle more people should consider. We've started seeing more 2018 models on the road over the past couple months.

Wish women women would review bcz vehicle feels much different for them. Why doesnt review point out the much larger overbearing center console that doesnt move forward or back and provides much less usuable storage. Also makes the driver feel more enclosed...especially if smaller or female. Cannot reach purse due to huge console! I was waiting to upgrade my 2013 enclave but bummed at the limited front row space now and less cup holders in 2nd row.

We'd certainly love to have a female host to provide their thoughts on these vehicles, but the reality is 95% of the viewers of this channel are male between ages 24 and 45. I suspect that's a very similar trend for a lot of other automotive channels out there.

Does it have LED fog lights? And auto high beams?

No fog lights at all, which is rather strange from GM. The high beams are automatic and worked quite well to turn off when oncoming traffic was approaching.

Which SUV is softer riding than the Enclave?

The Mazda CX-9 has a pretty smooth ride overall, along with their G-Vectoring Control.

Now I have to buy one. What a great vehicle. Makes me forget the Volvo.

We thoroughly enjoyed this Buick, and really changed our opinion about the brand itself. We're looking forward to get the chance to try out their other refreshed vehicles, they seem to be really focused on making Buick relevant again.

To be honest' I seen one the other day' the only way I knew it was a Buick is because of the emblem on the front grille' the one looked like a Jewel " A BUICK" This one looks like OK' I can wear the same suit your wearing.... and please GM? This thing doesn't even have a HUD/Heads Up Display. Excuse me just stating my opinion as I shall respect yours even if we don't agree on the same topic.

That's very true! I think they're working hard to improve the image of the brand, we're looking forward to see what the future holds for Buick. They're on our radar for the first time!

+Perpetual Radio Networks Hopefully 2019" they need to stop this not your grandpa car anymore' My 05 Buick Park Avenue even has HUD/rain sensor wipers' etc....even grandpa's want a Buick with some chrome and old school flare with a soft and comfortable ride..take care and Thanks for the info'

We were disappointed it didn't have a HUD either, and unfortunately this was the first GM product we got directly from them, so we hadn't experienced their excellent HUD yet. I imagine we'll see it come for the 2019 or 2020 models, often manufacturers will omit some features on a new generation in order to add them a few years later, call it cost recovery for the launch of a new vehicle.

Is it true that the it doesn’t have rain sensing wipers!? Please say it ain’t so. For such a top tier car not to have that is insane.
I'm also hearing that panoramic moonroof shade is manual?? That would be a downer also!

It's also missing GM's excellent heads up display. We figure it might be due to it being a launch model, perhaps for the 2019 MY they'll add those features in.

The Enclave isnt midsize. They dropped the weight. Not the size of the thing. Compared to a Chevy Trialblazer. No way this is a midsize suv

We take the information we get from the manufacturer, and they claim it's been dropped down to the mid-size segment. We did mention it got larger in the video so we agree that it's confusing. We're actually not sure what the requirements are for each segment, so it might be more than just overall length.

Good car

We think this one is pretty great, and think with a few improvements could be fantastic.

How is the AWD on this SUV? I don’t really trust these AWD on vechicles these days, I just don’t think it’s as robust as the old 4x4 of the vechivles of yesteryear.

We did have the chance to drive this in some rougher weather, including a snow storm. The AWD system performed beautifully, we had very little trouble with the snow and the traction control might have kicked in once or twice during our week with it.

This is the second review I've seen on this vehicle where it's noted that there is no interior ambient lighting option. I thought that was interesting for a top trim 2018 Buick model, since I drove a 2015 Traverse that included that feature.

We thought so too, the only always-on lighting was in the storage nook under the centre console. We'd like to see more options in cars for ambient lighting, there's so much potential for it with the way interior design has come along, not to mention low-power options with LED.

No heads up display would be the reason I won't be buying this 2018 Buick Enclave' My 05 Buick Park Avenue has a heads up display' very best and safe.... maybe the 2019 will be the year because I really was planning on buying a new Enclave' I'm very disappointed...😣😕😟😤

We're expecting it to come for 2019, considering the tech is there on a lot of other GM vehicles, and especially at this price point it's something that should be available.

+Perpetual Radio Networks Maybe so' hopefully next year' Very Nice SUV. maybe buying a after market HUD would help and Thanks👍

I was disappointed too, considering we’ve driven a couple other GM vehicles after this one and they use an excellent HUD. I’m not sure if they left it out on purpose, in order to add it for 2019, or there’s a legitimate reason for its absence.

Do the 2018 Buick Enclave has heads up display??

No HUD - no fog lights. Also no light in Glove box or console. Interior brady wine & chestnut available

Mazda does the same with the Signature, only making it available in one interior colour. Definitely a problem if you aren't a fan of brown leather!

Another crazy thing is interior comes in only Chesnut color no other options. Thats a big no no for me.

+Perpetual Radio Networks That's really bad News! what was Buick thinking? I'm pretty sure so many people feel the same way'

I believe you did get your answer, but just in case anyone else is wondering, the Enclave does not have a heads up display on this model year, even as an option.

Hey thanks for reviewing this crossover! Some critiques if you want some are to please give us some better / more varied exterior shots. I don't think there was a single good shot of the rear from head-on, and I would have liked way more profile shots. Also it felt really awkward to hear you explain your bias' in the beginning; everyone knows that every reviewer on earth is going to have some bias', conscious or not, talking about it felt useless to me. Keep up the great work!

We appreciate that, thanks! We wanted to make a quick mention of it since the only other GM vehicle we featured was one we disliked, and wanted to show that our bias was very quickly extinguished by giving the vehicle a chance. Before driving this we pretty much ignored Buick, but now we're seriously considering this to be one of the best vehicles we've driven on TestDrive.

Thank you for explaining the auto start/stop feature being permanently on! I would have never known if it wasn’t for you!

So far the only GM vehicle we've driven that allows you to override it is the Cadillac CT6. I think it's important to have the option to turn it off if you don't want it, like if you're in stop/go traffic on the highway and need to keep the engine running.

Do you feel this is worth spending the extra $ over the Mazda CX9?

That's pretty typical across the board for any of these vehicles. The CX-9 needs GT or higher for it, the Infiniti basically needs every package, and I believe the MDX is also up there in price just to get the adaptive cruise.

Perpetual Radio Networks Just got to know that Adaptive Cruise Control is not even an option unless you go for the Avenier Trim. What a dumb move. That's a deal breaker.

We're going to be answering that question in about a week and a bit with our Showdown on the Enclave, Infiniti QX60, and Mazda CX-9 Signature. The Mazda has a lot going for it, especially at it's price point, but there are some things about the Buick you just can't get on the Mazda, and vice versa. I think both models will help push each other to improve their offerings with each model year revision.

I've always loved the Enclave! And I really love this model year! I hope they keep it up :)

We're not shy to admit the first gen Enclave wasn't something that got us excited, but I think this new generation is a great way to get Buick on the radar for car buyers who might not have considered them before. There's still a few things we'd like to see with it, but I think it's a great start for this generation.

Awesome review Keyless entry with no key ports is such a dumb idea to me what if the battery dies how do you get in the car or pop the hood? At least easily big problem across most of modern cars And another problem is what's up with the shift pattern lol it's not a manual. Interior is decent looks cheap though? Looks decent overall though

The front door caps pop off and there's a key in the fob. To start it just put the key in the centre armrest.

That's certainly a good point. We've got another GM SUV this week, we'll see what the options are to get into the vehicle if the fob's battery runs out!

You can buy those rear view camera mirrors off amazon eBay for £10

I don't doubt that, but I don't think they'd work as well. It's not easy to convey through the video, but the video quality was superb on this, especially with night driving. You could still see out of the back camera even in the dark. I'm sure other cheap options work, but probably wont work as well.

is the mazda adaptive cruise controll realy bad?
or is bad only on cx 9 or even in the other mazda like 3 or cx 5?

It's not bad at all, it just operates in a different way than we found on the Buick.

Tony x adaptive cruise control is the same across their vehicle lineup I believe that how all car Makers are they wouldn't make different versions of adaptive cruise control in the same company

It looks nice, great job. Thanks

Thanks! We really liked this crossover.

Surprised by how good it is. You might have to try some buick sedans too.

The Regal Sportback looks like a pretty nice car too, we're definitely going to get their other vehicles featured on here!

Buick Lacross was awarded as Best New Premium Car of 2017 by AJAC.

We're hoping too! Right now this was the only Buick available, and we had requested it specifically for our Showdown episode later this month. But we're really looking forward to see what else Buick has to offer.

Don’t say flappy paddles it’s weird, it’s not AMURRICAN. We say paddle shifters

Flappy paddles! It's also a Canadian thing ;)

flappy paddles is british english but this is a murica car because there's no replacement for displacement cit.

Thanks for such an amazing review!
You really didn't miss anything!

Thanks! We know the runtime on this was significantly longer than most of our episodes, but we really wanted to make sure we didn't miss anything.

Love it and I agree with you this is not a grandpa car.

ok, i expected such a answer

Tony x not sure about all women but I personally love SUV’s and trucks. I do feel more in control and secure. I am not a very tall women so it’s great to be taller than the others 🙂

does all women like suv?

AMERICAN LUXURY ONCE AGAIN

We definitely felt this car puts the US/GM back on the radar for the premium market. It'll be interesting to see how this segment grows, and what Buick decides to do with the rest of their vehicle lineup.

Terrence Banton I know, Vauxhall Opel now owned by Peugeot

Louis James General Motors has stake in Vauxhall/Opel also

Terrence Banton we have this euro box in uk too badged as a Vauxhall. Nothing American about it

Hey Nile another great video. The production just keeps getting better and better. It's nice to see they didn't just badge engineer this car. Looks a lot nicer than its competition. Keep up the great work.

Thanks! We're really impressed with it too, especially thinking about GM's past with badge engineering. We have a 2018 Escalade right now and the exterior is very similar to the GMC Yukon/Chevrolet Tahoe, but this Buick really felt unique.