It takes a while for things to change — and sometimes, not for the better. One of the things that hasn't changed yet is the Buick Enclave.
Which is good — because it still comes standard with what's becoming hard to find.
What It Is
The Enclave is a full-size, three-row (seven-passenger) crossover sold by Buick, which is the last not-quite-luxury brand on the market. There used to be in-the-middle brands like Mercury, which sold models that were nicer than Fords but not as expensive as Lincolns.
Today, Buick is the only surviving brand like that. Nicer than a Chevy, but not as pricey as a Cadillac.
And the Enclave is also one of a dwindling number of crossovers — including those sold by luxury brands — that still comes standard with a six-cylinder engine because the current (2024) model is essentially the same as the 2018 model. Six years ago, it was expected that when you paid $44,000 for a full-size, three-row crossover, a V6 would come standard.
Today, you can still pick up a new V6-powered Enclave for $43,900 to start. In addition to the standard 3.6-liter V6, the Enclave Essence trim comes with heated leather seats and steering wheel, three-zone climate control and a hands-free rear liftgate.
A top-of-the-line Avenir trim, which comes with a 10-speaker Bose premium sound system, head-up display, surround-view camera, sunroof, digital rearview mirror, a 20-inch wheel/tire package and interior/exterior trim upgrades, stickers for $57,100 with front-wheel drive and $59,100 with all-wheel drive.
What's New For 2024
This will be the last year for the current model. The Enclave will be updated for the 2025 model year, and this update is all but certain to mean no more standard V6 — probably in favor of a turbo four and possibly a turbo-hybrid plug-in four.
This may increase the MPGs slightly.
But it is also likely to increase the MSRP (and not so slightly).
What's Good
Standard V6 is becoming a luxury item even for luxury-brand models. (The Lexus RX350, for instance, is no longer available with a V6.)
A huge, iPod-like tablet screen does not dominate the dashboard.
Rides soft and plush — as luxury vehicles used to do.
What's Not So Good
All trims come standard with nannying "driver assistance technology," including seats that vibrate if the vehicle thinks your driving needs parenting.
Only the passenger-side second-row seat slides forward, making it harder to get into or out of the third row from the driver's side.
This is likely to be the last new Buick you'll ever be able to buy with anything more than a four.
Under The Hood
Regardless of trim, every Enclave comes standard with GM's well-regarded 3.6-liter DOHC V6. In this application, it produces 310 horsepower and 266 foot-pounds of torque, sufficient to get this Buick to 60 in about 6.4 seconds.
As per above, the '24 Enclave is the last new Buick that comes standard with a V6, and it's the only current Buick model that even offers one.
Its siblings all have no more than fours, and one of them — the Encore GX — comes standard with a three.
A nine-speed automatic is standard, and this Buick can pull up to 5,000 pounds when optioned with the available towing package ($650) that adds a heavy-duty cooling system, hitch, and backup camera system.
On The Road
This Buick doesn't have the becoming-common enormous LCD touch screen erupting like a Pop-Tart from the dashboard that makes driving both an aggravation and a paradox in that you're not supposed to tap and swipe at a screen while you're trying to drive. Yet most new cars practically require it because that's the only way to control many of the car's systems. It's legal to do this, but it's arguably just as distracting as fiddling with a cellphone while you're driving.
You can just drive this Buick because it doesn't have that oversized tablet Pop-Tarting out of the dashboard. It doesn't even offer one. It does have a small (8-inch) screen for the audio system, but you don't have to use it to control the audio system. There are still knobs for that, and for the climate control, including the temperature controls — left for cooler, right for warmer. Buttons for the airflow control.
Ahead of you — if you're behind the wheel — is an instrument cluster, not a display. Speedometer, tachometer, oil pressure, temperature and fuel. This is almost as unusual today as the V6 that's under the hood.
At The Curb
Stretching 204.8 inches long and riding on a 121-inch wheelbase, the Enclave is the largest new Buick.
It is a few inches longer than new rivals such as the just-introduced 2024 Mazda CX-90, which is one of the remaining few in this price range that also comes standard with a six (paired with a mild-hybrid system to bump up the MPGs to 24 city, 28 highway). But while the Mazda has seats for up to eight, it comes at the cost of space for cargo versus the Enclave.
The Buick has 23.6 cubic feet of capacity behind its third row, while the Mazda has only 14.9 cubic feet. This can be expanded to 74.2 cubic feet, but it's still significantly less space than the Buick's cavernous-in-comparison 97.4 cubic feet of space.
The Rest
You can get many desirable Enclave features such as the available panorama sunroof, the upgraded 10-speaker Bose premium audio system, adaptive cruise control and a high definition "surround vision" camera system without first having to buy one of the more expensive trims.
All of the above can be ordered with the base version of the Enclave.
The Bottom Line
The Enclave is the closest thing Buick still sells to a '70 Electra 225 — and that's exactly the appeal.
While it lasts.
Eric's latest book, "Doomed: Good Cars Gone Wrong!" will be available soon. To find out more about Eric and read his past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.
View the Buick Enclave this week.
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