I guess commercials do work. Learn me Buick SUVs

Wife saw a commercial for an Enclave and became infatuated with it. We stopped by a dealer yesterday and she said it was too big. She now is infatuated with the Encore, which I say is too small. The Envision seems about the right size but she is cold on its styling.

I know we have at least one GM tech in the board. What are the common issues with these? Any issues with the Chinese made Envision?

Other possibilities are CX-9, Mourano or something else I can't remember.

I'm not up on the goings on in late model SUVs. Edumicate me.

The Encore seems to be pretty solid. The biggest issues we are seeing at work with them is based around the stupid infotainment system, tends to lock up and do screwy things sometimes, although there are reprograms that help. Drivetrain-wise they aren't terribly different from the Cruze, which are near bulletproof. The Encores are too new and too few for me to really comment on those. Avoid the Enclaves at all cost.

In reply to NickD:

I will bite.

What's up with the Enclaves? I thought it was just a badge engineered Traverse. Is there something up with the Traverse?

The new Enclave is supposed to be not available with a third row. The new Acadia and Traverse are supposed to be different from one another. I haven't heard any complaints about the Envision but they do seem to be pricey . If you are looking at an Envision, how about a cx-5 or a rogue? They are the same size as the Envision. The Muranos drive decent too.

FlightService wrote: In reply to NickD: I will bite. What's up with the Enclaves? I thought it was just a badge engineered Traverse. Is there something up with the Traverse?

Lots of engine troubles with the 3.6L engine (Timing chains, predominantly, and they are a nightmare to do). The transmissions usually blow up at 100K miles when the 3-5 waveplate wears through because it's made of too thin a material (Has been a problem since the Lambda chassis came out in '07, never been fixed) Lots of electrical gremlins, mainly related to the airbag system, which is comforting. They had a recall that was supposed to fix it, but actually made things worse from what I've seen. The A/C systems tend to spring leaks that are impossible to find as early as 30K miles. Suspension wears out fast too. Front struts are nearly a 30K consumable, and the rear toe and camber link bushings wear out and are a nightmare to change. Power steering also tends to leak like a sieve (also bulletins on that) and the power steering pump pays 6hrs on GM's notoriously stingy warranty rates, rack pays over 8 hours, and they are a bastard to bleed. And the vehicles burn fuel worse than a truck, seriously, like 17mpg real world. GM actually had to shell out money to Traverse/Acadia/Outlook/Enclave owners for overblowing the fuel economy.

In reply to NickD:

berkeley

In reply to FlightService:

Yeah, they suck. Those and the Equinox/Terrain are the biggest piles of junk that GM produces currently. Oh, and pretty much the entire Cadillac line, particularly the XTS and ATS

My wife traded up to a Buick Encore and she loves it. It is small, but previous vehicle was a Kia Soul, and it has a larger hatch area than that. For most daily things, it is fine, but we swap into the larger Kia Rondo sometimes. It has about 25K miles on it, and has been trouble-free so far. We got the bigger motor, pretty much loaded. She calls it Lancelot because it does so much for her. (Adjusts the seat, mirrors, radio and A/C for her without asking, such a gentleman.)

Take the Encore for a serious test drive. I liked it a lot until we hit the highway. On good hills it felt like the engine was a bit too small. Since my commute is all hilly highway driving i thought it would be strained. If I had a commute that was mostly local streets I would have bought one. They should have put the bigger four in it.

Okay, good info. Thanks Nick D!

Wally& pinchvalve, what's the ride quality like? With such a short wheelbase I'd imagine it's pretty choppy. I'm out in the land of flat straight roads so no hills to speak of, at least within about a hundred miles of here. That's the one she really likes and it fits into the budget a lot better than the Envision.

How bad are the CVTs on the Nissans to live with?

In reply to Nick (Bo) Comstock:

CNY roads are pretty rough and I didn't find them to ride bad, but then again maybe my lowered Miata with poly bushings has desensitized. Also, remember, if you find the Buick too pricey, the same vehicle is available for cheaper as a Chevy Trax. Although the fact that the Trax doesn't come with Mattracks seems like some kind of false advertising

As a Nissan tech I say avoid Muranos, Rogues are good.

In reply to Run_Away:

I liked the Muranos...

In reply to Nick (Bo) Comstock:

The ride was nice and Buicky. smooth, handled ok for a small tallish SUV, the only complaint I had was have to keep it wound out through the hills.

Probably going to try to get some test drives in this weekend. She really likes the looks of the little Buick but the test drive will determine if it's the one.

Personally, I like the Nissans but I'm not too fond of the whole CVT thing. Besides the Buick she likes the CX-9 but doesn't like the CX-5.

We have no need for a third row but I believe we do need a little more space behind the second row than the Encore has.

Seriously go drive the little Lincoln as well. They have massive lease deals on them now.

In reply to wearymicrobe:

I've mentioned to her how much I like the styling of them. She absolutely despises how they look. So far she has eliminated Lincoln, Ford, Honda, Toyota and Jeep from consideration.

In reply to 92dxman:

I've sat in the third row of the all-new Enclave. I'm 6'3 , 300 and I fit surprisingly well back there.

As far as the Encore, I just spent a week in it and found the power adequate. I had the "small" engine, but there is a second one with more power. Ride was surprisingly good for a small SUV. It really just felt like a bigger Cruze hatch.

NickD wrote: In reply to FlightService: Yeah, they suck. Those and the Equinox/Terrain are the biggest piles of junk that GM produces currently. Oh, and pretty much the entire Cadillac line, particularly the XTS and ATS

Timely and disappointing, but not really surprising, intel. My wife has been interested in the Acadia/Enclave recently, as a bus that doesn't look like a bus (?). It kind of seemed that the 2012+ was improved and could be reliable for over 100k.

About the Terrain - a co-worker has one: Her description - 'The oil light will come on and it runs kind of bad until I add more oil' . Doesn't want to learn to check/add oil herself, though.

XLR99 wrote:

NickD wrote: In reply to FlightService: Yeah, they suck. Those and the Equinox/Terrain are the biggest piles of junk that GM produces currently. Oh, and pretty much the entire Cadillac line, particularly the XTS and ATS

Timely and disappointing, but not really surprising, intel. My wife has been interested in the Acadia/Enclave recently, as a bus that doesn't look like a bus (?). It kind of seemed that the 2012+ was improved and could be reliable for over 100k. About the Terrain - a co-worker has one: Her description - 'The oil light will come on and it runs kind of bad until I add more oil' . Doesn't want to learn to check/add oil herself, though.

The 2.4L in the Equinox/Terrain inevitably burns oil like a 2-stroke. Shortly before I replaced the engine in one (not because it ran out of oil either, but because the timing chains had sawed into the block where the guide mounts) it was burning a quart of oil every 300 miles. The order of operations with Equinox/Terrains is: 50K - Timing chains, 70K - pistons and rings, 100K - Timing chains again, 101K - Transfer case blows chunks out through the case without warning.

The little turbo motor in the Encore is pretty strong IMHO. It's not a torquey V6, but it seems OK for merging and passing, especially since she is normally alone in the car. Her commute is 40 min of highway miles each way, and she can cruise at 75mph with no issues. It's no rocket and would not be enough for me, but for her needs it is fine.

As for size, it is small. We really notice it on the rare occasions that an adult has to sit in the back. Alone, you can put the front seats WAY back. With passengers, you have to split the difference.

I know nothing of Fiat/Jeep reliability or ride, but I do love the look of the new 2018 Jeep Compass.

The baby Grand Cherokee thing works for me. And you can get a Trailhawk model.

It is as good-looking as the Cherokee is ugly.

In reply to pinchvalve:

She does not want a Jeep.

She doesn't want a boxy car. Her exact words were "I want something that looks egg like"...

wearymicrobe wrote: Seriously go drive the little Lincoln as well. They have massive lease deals on them now.

You seriously need to go out and buy some lottery tickets like right now because you are a clairvoyant apparently. That was the winner, and it wasn't even close.

It is the right size. It rides beautifully. It was by far the quietest. The front seats are oh so comfortable. And seeing one up close she fell for the styling. I think it suits her.

After driving the Buick Envision, Encore and the MKC it was immediately obvious that it was the one. She didn't even want to test drive the Nissan or Mazda.

My take on it is that it's very luxurious compared to the Envision, and it still was 7 grand cheaper than the Buick even before the discount she got through work. The steering felt so much better than the Buick. It feels much more powerful as well.

We ended up signing a lease on it. I think we are going to be very pleased with it.

Is she on the 5 year plan now?