In April, Buick announced that it will reveal an all-new Enclave later this year in China. Everything was going according to plan until the new utility was just leaked by the Asian country’s authorities prior to Buick’s official debut planned for later this year. And now, GM Authority is exclusively bringing you the very first images of the new “midsize plus” Buick Enclave.
Before we get into it, let’s first note that this particular model will first become available China, where the current, full-size Enclave is not and has not been sold in the past. In China, this model will simply be called “Buick Enclave.”
It’s also worth noting that Buick now uses the Enclave name for two different vehicles – the full-size model sold in North America and this new “midsize-plus” model sold in China, which GM initially planned to name Buick Envoy. To keep things straight, we will refer to the new Chinese-market model simply as the “baby” Buick Enclave for this report.
As we reported previously, the “baby” Buick Enclave destined for China is known within GM by the C1UB program code. In that regard, the utility uses the regular-wheelbase, wide track version of the GM C1 platform. In fact, its 112.7-inch wheelbase is identical to the Chevrolet Blazer and the Cadillac XT6, both of which use the same variant of the C1 architecture.
Baby Enclave | Full-Size Enclave | |
---|---|---|
Length (in / mm): | 196.1 / 4981 | 204.3 / 5190 |
Width (in / mm): | 76.9 / 1953 | 78.8 / 2000 |
High (in / mm): | 68.3 / 1736 | 69.9 / 1780 |
Wheelbase (in / mm): | 112.7 / 2863 | 120.9 / 3070 |
The all-new baby Buick Enclave measures in at 196.1 inches long, 76.9 inches wide and 68.3 inches high. As such, the new model is 8.2 inches shorter than the current full-size Buick Enclave in both wheelbase and length. Its smaller size makes it more suitable for the Chinese market, where – as we mentioned above – Buick had previously not offered a three-row crossover.
Aesthetically, the new baby Buick Enclave presents a new interpretation of the brand’s design language. The front end features a two-level lighting configuration much like the new Chevrolet Blazer. The thin, eyebrow-shaped LED light strip at the top features daytime running lights (DRLs) and Buick’s signature accent lights. Meanwhile, the primary headlights – the ones responsible for providing the forward lighting illumination – are embedded lower in the front fascia. The new crossover also includes an evolution of the Buick grill, with “wings” growing from the logo and running horizontally to culminate just under the DRLs. There’ also a new interpretation of the horizontal slat finish for standard, non-Avenir trims.
The design of the side is more traditional, with a high waistline and soft strokes. Meanwhile, the rear end of the new baby Buick Enclave has a solid and refined look with a horizontal chrome strip that connects the thin lights. Like on the full-size Enclave, the logo is integrated in a unique fashion into the bottom of the rear glass. A set of dual exhaust outlets with trapezoidal tips is housed in the lower rear fascia.
Mechanically, the new Buick Enclave will be equipped exclusively with GM’s turbo-charged 2.0L I-4 LSY engine that generates a maximum of 233 horsepower. The eighth-generation Ecotec engine is coupled to the latest GM 9-speed automatic transmission.
The all-new baby Buick Enclave will become the largest Buick crossover in China. If it were to be made available in North America, then it would fill the gap between the compact Envision and the full-size Enclave, turning the Enclave nameplate into a “family” of models.
Now, it’s not currently clear whether the baby Enclave will be sold in North America. If that does happen, then we believe it would be manufactured in a GM plant within the North American region. Its arrival would likely result in Buick renaming the current, full-size Enclave the Enclave GX for its upcoming mid-cycle refresh for the 2021 model year.
In either case, we expect the new baby Buick Enclave to be officially revealed by the end of this year in China. The vehicle will be produced at the Cadillac Jinqiao plant in China and is directly related to three-row Chevrolet Blazer, which has yet to be revealed.
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Comments
it’s ok I guess I miss the traditional Buick cues….yes I like the waterfall grill. Is this the same vehicle as the rumored Envoy? I think Buick would be smart to sell this here….an alternative to the big Enclave but an upgrade from Envision which has been tarnished.
Yup, this was initially going to be called Envoy, but the branding direction changed about several months ago.
Keep in mind that there will be another Buick crossover – likely called Enspire – that will join the lineup soon. It will be derived from the same E2 platform used by the Cadillac XT4:
http://gmauthority.com/blog/2019/04/future-buick-enspire-suv-breaks-cover-in-new-spy-pictures/
that would make sense then for the Enspire to replace Envision in the U.S. Still hope they give this new one a shot….I would like the size better than my Envision but don’t need as big as Enclave which I had 2 previously. But I think it should have its own name not sub-Enclave.
I’m not a huge fan of the dual headlights trend that GM seems to be doubling down on lately (with Chevy & now this). It makes the front end of vehicles look bulkier and overstyled.
I fear we’re going to get that on the larger NA Enclave when the refresh comes to market.
Looks great! I’ll take two.
Buick Enclave will be equipped exclusively with GM’s turbo-charged 2.0L I-4 LSY engine that generates a maximum of 233 horsepower; but unless the new Enclave features new technology to drop weight, life with this Enclave may be similar to that of the Chevrolet Silverado with L3B 2.7L 4-cyl turbo given that the 2019 Buick Enclave Essence AWD weighs 4,568 lbs.
Looks exactly like those spy shots of the Opel CUV being tested in Europe. Woner how different the Opel version will be.
This has the presence and sex appeal of a Subaru, and is easily bested by the North American Enclave.
The character line running above the door handles looks like it’s sloping downwards towards the rear bumper, and only seems to draw attention to the door handles and chunky side mirrors. It’s completely out of place. The D pillar is a mess. The horizontal grill bars look like they’re borrowed from a Lutz era Chrysler. And the chrome strip running between the taillights is about as played out as it gets.
At 196 inches long it’s only slightly longer than an Acadia; not exactly much smaller than the North American Enclave. It’s probably sized just right for my tastes, but it’s still ridiculously close in size to the North American Enclave.
Needs Buick vent imports like the Lacrosse and Enclave. Has a bland look to it and not upscale at all. Add that chrome flourish and sell it as a Buick Envoy. Two different Enclave models is dumb.
Another generic suv/mini wagon ! That’s underpowered!!! Thanks Buick. Why are you still even around. GMC Chevrolet Cadillac !!! I understand those divisions, what’s the purpose ?
“Buick Enclave sales(2019 Q1 & Q2) place the large three-row crossover in first place in its competitive set in terms of overall sales volume, ahead of the Infiniti QX60 in second, Acura MDX in third, Audi Q7 in fourth (see Audi Q7 sales), and Volvo XC90 in fourth…”