MKX vs Buick Enclave

[07 MKX]

hummmmm, I hate to write this.

 

Don't get me wrong on this post. Since I have an '07 MKX and have looked at the '08 and priced them, I decided to check out the GM Buick Enclave. I personally haven't seen one up close on the lot, but so far I've heard a lot of good thing's about them. Seen them on the road, but I am bias'ed towards the Lincoln.

 

Visited their web site, and right off the bat, it was impressive. Building one online was very simple too.

 

So a top or the line Buick with everything vs. a Limited MKX, will run you just $825 more for the Buick. At over $46K, that is chicken feed compared to tthe Buick features.

 

So what do you get? These were some of the major differences I noticed.

10 more HP, 2 more seats. There was an option for 8 seats, but I didn't price it that way, went with the 7 seat.

Articulating Xenon headlights. 2 sun roof's - similar to the vista roof.

Back up camera, 19 inch real chromed wheels, DVD and audio control for the back seats. NAV & XM & On-star (must insert here, that Ford only has a 1 yr lock on Sync with MS for '08)

Same White pearl paint. AWD, Towing of 1000 lbs more, Same 6 speed Trans, but tuned for GM, rear cargo net and shade.

3 zone HVAC controls. Even the Interior looks like Luxury + heated washer fluid.

(I thought I read about a heads-up display, but couldn't find it)

 

I just love the Ford Styling, BUT for this difference in price, + you get 2 extra seats, and backup camera. I'm extremely disappointed in Ford. This is the only major American competition. My Gawd, IF someone was seriously in the market for these items, where do you think they would be heading? And to see what upgrades Ford did for the '08 compared to this, I am more than just broken hearted. I'm wanting to bang some heads together in the Glass Tower about the Lincoln '08.

 

OMG, I don't know what to think now.... This time next week I will know a lot more....

[Abrannan19]

yes..it has alot more options..but if you are going for looks..and something that doesn't make you look like you are 90 and have a handicap decal on your tag and or rearveiw mirror..then get the Ford/Lincoln..the Buick is nice don't get me wrong..but I am not that old yet..and even if I was..I would be hard pressed to buy a Buick..

 

and also price some 19" tires..that will make you cure Buick when it comes time for new one.. odd size tire (15,17,19,21,23) yoy pay close to double vs. a even size tire.

[07 MKX]

I agree with the styling, I like the Ford's better. Their both similar, I'm not that old myself,, and thought I'd never get a Lincoln til I saw the MKX and man that was for me, I see where Lincoln is trying to capture a younger audience and it had me from hello. Yet, I think they flat out F'ed up the '08 interior. If you put that Buick Int. into a Lincoln, YES....

 

OK, here is the bitching point's.. those are Xenon bulbs.. that move just like the Lincoln, and 2 more seats... granted not Cooled frt. ones. and no large glass roof. I'm afraid the Buick will outsell the Lincoln, just on options like it has, as is.

 

On the tires.... listening to what people say about the 20's here, I thought, maybe they got the right combo of tires size and ride feel with 19". - I didn't like the looks of their chrome 19's, BUT $ for $, That Buick is hard to beat if your switching into either of these CUV's. Damn, then the U.S. has 2 fine CUV's.

 

/edit Something is messed up with the Editing function on the board now. I tried 3 times before I posted and see the same thing happened to you below.

 

3? oh, you mean the Edge too, yes,, then we can bump that to 6 considering the other derivatives of GM's platform.

Edited December 19, 2007 by 07 MKX

[Abrannan19]

Damn, then the U.S. has 2 fine CUV's.

 

 

I WOULD SAY 3..yes I am yelling..

[Daves43]

When I was deciding on the MKX I also looked at a loaded Enclave. I test drove it and found it to be a really nice vehicle with lots of features. While the sticker price of the MKX and Enclave was fairly close the difference I found was the out money the dealer wanted with my trade. It was quite a bit more and there was no negotiation. I went back several times and when I told him I was considering the MKX he made a rediculous comment that they were giving them away. That comment really turned me off and I never went back. Another dealer I was working with said there was a waiting list and he told me that all the Enclaves coming in were sold.

 

I ended up purchasing a 2008 MKX and personally like the looks of the MKX better than the Enclave. I have to agree that the Enclave does have some really nice features though. The bottom line was they were not enough to make me want to spend the extra bucks.

[dnjhot]

Go test drive one and you'll know why you have an mkx.

 

Pay special attention to the fit & finish of interior trim pcs, especially around the dash. Crap, crap, crap!

 

I've been a lexus owner for years and decided to give the domestics another look. Buick's mktg did a much better job than their engineering/mfg departments.

 

Ask the dealer to show you the erector set experiment gone bad on the middle row seats. If you want to flip them down or move forward, pull this, push that and flip here. Absolutely horrible.

 

Lots of cheap plastic in the cabin. Look at the door panels. cheap.

 

I left very disappointed. It appeared to be rushed to market and still needs 2-3, or more, passes of refinement.

 

As I said earlier, I've owned lexus for years, but fell in love w/ the mkx. It's not a lexus, but very close.

 

The dealer interaction/buying experience: Well, let's just say that was not even close to what I've experienced at Lexus. Ford is doing good on the engineering/mfg side of the business, but they need to send some of the dealers down to Lexus to learn professionalism & customer service.

[CliffsEdge]

hummmmm, I hate to write this.

 

Don't get me wrong on this post. Since I have an '07 MKX and have looked at the '08 and priced them, I decided to check out the GM Buick Enclave. I personally haven't seen one up close on the lot, but so far I've heard a lot of good thing's about them. Seen them on the road, but I am bias'ed towards the Lincoln.

 

Visited their web site, and right off the bat, it was impressive. Building one online was very simple too.

 

So a top or the line Buick with everything vs. a Limited MKX, will run you just $825 more for the Buick. At over $46K, that is chicken feed compared to tthe Buick features.

 

So what do you get? These were some of the major differences I noticed.

10 more HP, 2 more seats. There was an option for 8 seats, but I didn't price it that way, went with the 7 seat.

Articulating Xenon

 

OMG, I don't know what to think now.... This time next week I will know a lot more....

 

Not only that, but the Enclave is HUGE inside, and offers rear Captains chairs as an option. I like the looks of the Edge, but the Enclave is to me, 50% nicer looking. It is probably the classiest looking SUV out there. If I was spending in the 40's, I'd go with the Enclave.

The thing to question though is reliability and future fit-finish problems. Chevy has quite a few of their trucks/SUV's on Consumer Reports Worts Reliability list this year. GM is also notorious for door panels coming unglued, leather cracking, squeaks, rattles and all sorts of other issues. Drive a Corvette with 10,000 miles on it and you'll see. There's a reason GM is constantly at the verge of bankruptcy, and it isn't because they build Japanese quality autos either.

[CliffsEdge]

Go test drive one and you'll know why you have an mkx.

 

Pay special attention to the fit & finish of interior trim pcs, especially around the dash. Crap, crap, crap!

 

I've been a lexus owner for years and decided to give the domestics another look. Buick's mktg did a much better job than their engineering/mfg departments.

 

Ask the dealer to show you the erector set experiment gone bad on the middle row seats. If you want to flip them down or move forward, pull this, push that and flip here. Absolutely horrible.

 

Lots of cheap plastic in the cabin. Look at the door panels. cheap.

 

I left very disappointed. It appeared to be rushed to market and still needs 2-3, or more, passes of refinement.

 

As I said earlier, I've owned lexus for years, but fell in love w/ the mkx. It's not a lexus, but very close.

 

The dealer interaction/buying experience: Well, let's just say that was not even close to what I've experienced at Lexus. Ford is doing good on the engineering/mfg side of the business, but they need to send some of the dealers down to Lexus to learn professionalism & customer service.

 

1000% true. That was a mitigating factor in my not buying one as well. They tacked on $5,000 for "market value" and then had an astronomically ridiculous lease rate. Like $800 a month for a 24 month lease. The thing stickered into the $50k's as they added wheels and tires. It was f*ckin insane. I commented I could get a Mercedes Benz GL V8, a BMW X5 V8, or a Lexus LX450 for way less per month. The salesman actually looked me in the eye and dead pan says "We build a quality product." As if this negated buying a GM over a Mercedes/Lexus or BMW.

Edited December 27, 2007 by CliffsEdge

[PrinzII]

Having driven both an Edge and a GM Lambda based CUV (Acadia/Enclave/Outlook), I definitely prefer the Edge. While the Acadia I drove was a pretty nice vehicle in its own right, the Edge actually trumps it hands down. The first thing is the performance of the Lambda based crossovers is not that strong. The acceleration was quite tepid (similar to a CUV with a CVT) and I need acceleration for traffic in AZ. The other thing I noticed with the Acadia is that it wasn't as quiet as the Edge.

 

Finally, the major thing about the Acadia was the price. The SLT I drove cost almost as much as a Yukon. I am sure the Enclave hits for almost as much as a Denali.

[Phoenix]

hummmmm, I hate to write this.

 

Don't get me wrong on this post. Since I have an '07 MKX and have looked at the '08 and priced them, I decided to check out the GM Buick Enclave. I personally haven't seen one up close on the lot, but so far I've heard a lot of good thing's about them. Seen them on the road, but I am bias'ed towards the Lincoln.

 

Visited their web site, and right off the bat, it was impressive. Building one online was very simple too.

 

So a top or the line Buick with everything vs. a Limited MKX, will run you just $825 more for the Buick. At over $46K, that is chicken feed compared to tthe Buick features.

 

So what do you get? These were some of the major differences I noticed.

10 more HP, 2 more seats. There was an option for 8 seats, but I didn't price it that way, went with the 7 seat.

Articulating Xenon headlights. 2 sun roof's - similar to the vista roof.

Back up camera, 19 inch real chromed wheels, DVD and audio control for the back seats. NAV & XM & On-star (must insert here, that Ford only has a 1 yr lock on Sync with MS for '08)

Same White pearl paint. AWD, Towing of 1000 lbs more, Same 6 speed Trans, but tuned for GM, rear cargo net and shade.

3 zone HVAC controls. Even the Interior looks like Luxury + heated washer fluid.

(I thought I read about a heads-up display, but couldn't find it)

 

I just love the Ford Styling, BUT for this difference in price, + you get 2 extra seats, and backup camera. I'm extremely disappointed in Ford. This is the only major American competition. My Gawd, IF someone was seriously in the market for these items, where do you think they would be heading? And to see what upgrades Ford did for the '08 compared to this, I am more than just broken hearted. I'm wanting to bang some heads together in the Glass Tower about the Lincoln '08.

 

OMG, I don't know what to think now.... This time next week I will know a lot more....

 

 

I drove it while car hunting. Turn radius sucked (What my Edge --and Explorer before that -- could do in a U turn, the Acadia needed a 3 point turn to negotiate.

 

The ride was floaty and didn't respond as well on unpaved roads. The 10 extra horses? No idea where they were pasturing. The engine didn't feel like it had more power when you stepped on the gas.

 

The dealer blinked when I asked for AWD. He said "nobody in AZ wants AWD". I said, "evidently no one over 50 does."

 

It's your grandmother's CUV. Well, it's my daughter's grandmother's CUV. I can see my mom and my MIL in one very easily. Me? I'm not that old yet.

 

Styling wise, On the interior, the 2nd row captain's chairs won't lock while folded down. Those exposed rails for sliding back them and forth are going to get nasty (and fast) with just a couple of rain storms. If you didn't use the back row and wanted some cargo space, it didn't fold flat.

 

Exterior, I hated the snubby nose and the huge, red GMC molded into the grill.

I did like the ventilation and the two separate roofs (is that rooves?). I'd love the option of the 3rd row for seating.

 

Ford needs to get it together with its own version of OnStar and option Serius or XM.

[bri719]

$47k for a Buick? whoa.

 

I don't care if it's the top of the line and what Tiger drives. that's gotta be a tough sell vs. Lincoln, Lexus, etc