In the next 12 months, GM says we’ll see four new trucks for GMC—and presumably Chevy, too—and two new

sedans for Buick. Later, GMC will get a new Canyon mid-size pickup truck, based on the all-new Chevy
Colorado. Here’s what you can expect of the new models.

Buick LaCrosse

For the 2014 model year, the LaCrosse will move into its third generation and onto the latest iteration of
GM’s front-wheel-drive Epsilon architecture. It’ll be mechanically similar to the new Cadillac XTS and
introduced-but-not-on-sale-yet Chevy Impala, offering a hybrid four and a 3.6-liter direct-injected V-6 and
either front- or all-wheel drive. Once fairly suave, the current LaCrosse’s interior hasn’t aged well; for 2014
it’ll be all new, and judging from the XTS and Impala, modern and high-quality.

 

Buick Regal

Unlike the LaCrosse, which will be all new, the Regal just gets a big face lift next year. Figure on some shuffling
of the powertrain lineup, which is now out of sync with the rest of GM’s fleet. The Regal eAssist with a 2.4-liter
four and small hybrid system probably will remain the base car, but don’t be shocked if a naturally aspirated
2.5-liter four shows up beneath it.

The real changes could happen in turbo territory. Where the current Regal Turbo is rated at 220 hp, a
newer version of that car’s engine—different turbocharger, altered intake and exhaust—delivers 259
ponies in the Malibu Turbo and 250 in the Verano Turbo. Sure, Buick has a 270-hp Regal GS, but why
set up the middle child of this premium brand get trounced at stoplights by Mom’s Chevy?

If the Regal Turbo does hop to 250-ish hp, the GS still could carry over its powerplant. The horsepower
advantage would be small, but beyond that the Regal GS is supposed to be a full-on performance car,
with a sportier suspension and extroverted styling compared to the Regal Turbo. In fantasyland, the
2014 Regal GS would get the drivetrain from its European twin, the Insignia OPC: all-wheel drive and
a twin-turbo V-6 currently rated at 321 hp, rumored to be climbing even more when this refresh goes global.

GMC Sierra, Yukon, and Canyon

GMC still is the money factory for GM, selling similar cars to Chevy at higher—or in the case of Denali
models, much higher—prices. But the new Sierra and Yukon won’t just be pricier clones of their bow-tied
brethren.

Last January, GM’s North America president Mark Reuss promised that the next big trucks and SUVs
will be more cosmetically distinct from each other.  The Yukon may have some significant interior upgrades,
not just in aesthetic and materials but in functionality, too, Reuss told us then, which we’ve read to mean
better packaging for folding seats and better passenger space.

GM also quietly, suddenly confirmed that, yes, GMC will get a new Canyon mid-size pickup spun off of
the all-new global Chevy Colorado that’s also coming to the U.S. Both mid-size trucks will target both
fuel-conscious truck buyers and also the Toyota Tacoma’s substantial audience for lifestyle sport trucks.
Figure on V-6 engines for the Canyon and Colorado, but there’s an outside shot that the diesel four being
prepped for our Cruze also could be slotted into the trucks. Don’t get your hopes up yet.
Too late? Yeah, us too. Be prepared to be disappointed, though.

The mid-size truck news is significant unto itself but also for the rest of the brand’s lineup. Mr. Reuss has
said it’s far easier to design a mid-size truck to be efficient from the start than to try to “lightweight” a
Silverado or Sierra. GM doesn’t want to risk durability for its big trucks by bringing in expensive,
lighter-weight materials or using lighter components. With that in mind, don’t expect more than
incremental fuel-economy improvements for the Sierra and Yukon (or Chevy equivalents).
In fact, GM may not need to offer a V-6 in the Sierra or Silverado, as Ford and Chrysler have done with
their full-sizers.

 

Naturally, every new GMC will be available in fully loaded Denali trim, from the Sierra HD to the
4-by-8-sheet-of-plywood-hauling Yukon XL.

June 26, 2012

By Edward A. Sanchez

By Zeid Nasser on Saturday, June 09, 2012 5:29 PM330 views

Comfort, space, and a buttery ride have been frequently used descriptors of Buicks, historically.

Add to the list: convenience, quiet, and safety based on our weekend affair driving Buick’s 2012 Enclave.  Buick began its revitalization in the late 2000s with the Enclave, the first of three other lambda-based crossovers replacing General Motor’s then outdated minivan lineup.

Unlike the Warner Brothers edition and child-catering minivans of bygone days, the 2012 Buick Enclave is absolutely classy and appealing to anyone seeking quality space and comfort minus a boxy outward appearance.

We had the opportunity to test drive the Enclave throughout Southern California in a variety of situational settings: crawling bumper-to-bumper on nightmarish gridlocked freeways, cruising leisurely along the Pacific Coast Highway through Malibu and other glorious towns, climbing steep terrain on both highway and residential oceanview precipitous roads, as well as pulling up to the valet at the gorgeous Pelican Hill coastal resort for an oceanside wedding – all while carrying five passengers who could easily have passed the Grey Poupon. Not many vehicles could have pulled off such a whirlwind weekend with such comfort, luxury, style, and grace.

Design

The Enclave has been in production since 2007 and was born from GM arranging the marriage of stylish luxury with comfort, value, and space.

The front end wears Buick’s signature waterfall grille with the monochrome tri-shield badge, while chrome lines in various areas of the upper and lower fascia add to the premium appearance.

 

Articulating high-intensity discharge (HID) projector headlights appear to be wearing baby blue contact lenses, and serve as the roving eyes of its handsome face, embedded in a personified eyeball socket. The three V-shaped portholes on the hood are a retro touch that we were glad to see Buick designers revive.

Considering its length of over 200 inches, Buick’s 2012 Enclave is beautifully aerodynamic, with sculpted curves and lines flowing from front to back creating a tight and cohesive look. Its two-tone body creates a suave contrast, like a complementary shirt and slacks.

 

Chrome continues to outline the side windows and door handles, progressing to the rear where it frames the taillights and exhaust outlets. We were glad to see the shape of the rear glass retain a similar shape to the concept vehicle, which conjures up an image of a sporty pair of RayBans, with a “nasal cutout” bridging above the Buick emblem. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts; these many small touches by the Buick designer’s brush collectively tally into the creation of a beautiful work of art and rallies the competition.

FtD

The 2012 Enclave is powered by a direct-injected, 3.6-liter V6 engine that churns out 288 horsepower and 270 lb-ft of torque, transferring it to the wheels via a six-speed automatic transmission.

Enclave’s powertrain was well suited for this large crossover, with more than enough low-end torque to keep up with the flow in city driving, and enough power to ensure total confidence when passing. Even with five on-board, at no point did we wish for more power.

Braking performance was strong; pedal feel was solid and linear, with improvements being limited to what we believe is a need for larger rotors. With a loaded cabin, including cargo, braking had to be performed sooner and with greater force in order to get the Enclave down to a complete stop.

2012 Enclave impressed us with its fuel economy.  Three days of driving a loaded vehicle in a balanced blend of city and highway settings yielded us 25.4 MPG according to Enclave’s on-board computer. More careful driving might have brought us to the high 20s, greatly surpassing the 22 MPG EPA highway rating for which our all-wheel-drive tester was rated.

We recommend Buick focus on the improvement of Enclave’s suspension tuning for future generations. While we understand the goal for such a family-oriented vehicle being that of a soft and luxurious ride, it should be engineered so that the driver feels in control and the passengers not jostled.  Maneuvering the 2012 Enclave was at times akin to a rocky boat, with turns, lane changes, acceleration, and braking causing abrupt body movement within the cabin. Even during slow driving, the Enclave likes to dance quite a bit, causing people and cargo to shift around.

Interior

Heated and cooled buttery leather seats, power adjustments in every direction, and the space of a California King made the Enclave experience one where we could sit back, stretch out, relax, and enjoy the ride.

Our seven passenger tester welcomed us aboard with three rows of seating, Smart Slide bucket seats in the second row and a flat folding third row bench.  Enclave’s innovative bucket seats flip the bottom cushion vertically as the whole unit slides forward, providing the maximum space allowable for accessing the rear seat. For those who desire one more seat, a 60/40-split second row bench is optional.

Thanks to Buick’s Quiet Tuning, road noise was well muted, enabling conversations to be conducted easily between front and third row passengers.

 

Head, leg, shoulder, and breathing room are superb in each seat; behind the third row is enough room for a few small suitcases or bags. Folding all of the rear seats down expands cabin volume to 115.9 cubic feet.

One of the many delightful features of the 2012 Buick Enclave is the front sunroof and ginormous fixed rear skylight. In other vehicles, rear passengers feel like they’re in an upholstered cave, particularly at the third row. Enclave’s clear glass panel above greatly reduces the potential for any such claustrophobic sensation.

Convenience features abound on this $50K vehicle. The exterior mirrors are technical wonders in and of themselves, offering: heated glass, automatic dimming, power folding, automatic aimed-down curb viewing while in reverse gear, and LED turn signals alerting others of the Enclave’s intentions to change lanes or turn. A power adjustable steering wheel was also standard on our Premium Group Enclave.

Tech

Since its introduction, much in the world of technology has changed, while the Enclave’s has not. However, we find most contemporary systems to be overly complex, counter-intuitive, highly annoying, and distracting user interfaces anyway, so it was refreshing to quickly settle into the operational systems of the Enclave with extreme ease.

Steering wheel audio controls with Bluetooth are standard on the nicely wrapped leather and wood wheel. Controls for the navigation system are on the small side, but screen operation was straightforward and easy. HVAC and radio operation were easy as well, though we’d like to see Buick use less ambiguous random text and more international and universally-accepted visual pictogram symbols to consistently caption switchgear.

Two incredibly handy features were the 120V outlet on the back end of the center console and remote start. Just like the outlets at home, we plugged in and were on our way. When it came to cooling the cabin down from the hot California sun, the remote starting system worked flawlessly and was much appreciated’

The optional touch-screen navigation system on our tester came with XM traffic, along with a DVD rear seat entertainment system. The touch-screen looked dated in the beautifully crafted interior, a bit of a disappointment for this era of newer, crisper displays arriving annually. No harm done, however, because to the rescue comes the superior system of OnStar Turn-by-Turn directions, which we used almost all of the time, anyway. Communicating with a live specialist who sends directions directly to our vehicle was infinitely faster, more civil, and far less frustrating than dealing with an on-screen keyboard.

We especially appreciated the OnStar advisor’s ability to assist us in avoiding Southern California’s traffic snarls, and providing directions to local stores and restaurants as needed, reducing our stress levels significantly. When faced with dozens of options and alternative routes, OnStar’s professional advisors quickly gave us mileage and time differences, helping us make smart decisions, fast and efficiently. The entire team at OnStar is a well-oiled machine, with each component operating superbly, available to us while our vehicle is in motion, saving enormous amounts of time, energy, and stress.

OnStar is like the good old fashioned “Reference Librarian” at the entrance to an overwhelming maze of a library; no computer, regardless of how intuitive its interface, can take the place of a live, knowledgeable, experienced human being with resource tools at his/her fingertips: nothing.

At night, the articulating HID headlights were absolutely phenomenal along the dark roads of coastal California, illuminating curves into the distance ensuring uncompromised visibility.  TheCD puts Enclave’s headlights on our list of the top 5 best performing automotive headlamps. Superior headlights lead to enhanced safety because of increased awareness of what is ahead, allowing additional reaction time.

Safety

On the safety front, the 2012 Buick Enclave has its occupants covered.  Active safety systems include electronic stability control, traction control, anti-lock brakes, brake assist, and hill start assistance to hold the brakes momentarily while on an incline.

Passive restraints include dual front, side thorax, and side curtain airbags spanning all three rows, making Enclave a very safe vehicle, earning top ratings from NHTSA and the IIHS.

And of course, there’s OnStar for after that unfortunate accident, or whenever an emergency presents itself. A live highly trained professional person is available 24/7/365 to help contact emergency personnel if need be, with the Enclave automatically calling OnStar in the event of airbag deployment.

The goal of OnStar is to save lives and serve people, which is why OnStar is now also available for just about any vehicle, sold as OnStar For My Vehicle (FMV). We thoroughly tested FMV and definitely recommend it most highly. Additionally, voice calls can be made through OnStar with the quality & clarity one hears only with a landline, allowing the “not-so-smartphone” to rest comfortably in its charger where it belongs, while safely making a crystal clear call through FMV. Once you experience and use OnStar for making voice calls, you will reserve your cell for what it does best: emailing & texting, not walkie-talkie grade voice transmission and reception; we promise!

 

Conclusion

The elegant Enclave is one crossover that stands out on the roadway. The aesthetic beauty of the 2012 Enclave is undeniable; coupled with a phenomenal interior offering all of the luxurious amenities one can possibly expect from a vehicle at this price point, this is one smart purchase.

We were surprised at how much we totally connected with and loved driving this crossover; our highly critical passengers (who prefer to drive foreign cars) agreed.

The word “enclave” is used as a verb meaning to isolate or enclose within an uncongenial environment; this is totally applicable to the experience we had driving this great car. We felt safely insulated and protected from the insanities of the road, cozily nested in the lap of luxury with the world at our fingertips!

GM’s 2012 Buick Enclave was a wowing eye opener to drive, experience, and enjoy, and handily earns an “A” on theCD’s report card.