It seems unlikely that 2022 Buick Enclave buyers asked for a more-aggressive/more-masculine face for its popular three-row crossover, but who knows what’s said in focus groups convened in windowless conference rooms — or, over the past year, over Zoom.
Whatever the case, Buick has bestowed the Enclave with rough-and-tumble looks that sharpen the rounded design — and seem meant to remove the label of “mom-mobile.”
The looks aren’t the only thing that’s changed, as the Buick Driver Confidence Plus Package is now standard. The suite of driver-aid tech includes automatic emergency braking, front-pedestrian braking, lane-keep assist with lane-departure warning, lane-change alert with side blind-zone alert, rear park assist, forward-collision alert, following distance indicator, rear cross-traffic alert, and automatic high beams.
Standard or available features will include wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, front park assist, rear pedestrian alert, color head-up display, heated and cooled and massaging front seats, and rear-camera mirror.
Specific design cues will include a new center console with push-button shifter for the transmission, new front fascia, new headlamps, and new grille. The rear fascia is also different, and the wheel choices are changed.
The top-trim Avenir gets to stand out from the rest of the line via different front and rear fascias, a different grille, different interior trim, the heated/cooled/massaging front seats, available adaptive damping suspension, adaptive cruise control, and enhanced automatic emergency braking.
The changes really do seem minor, though the styling is different enough that it’s more than just a refresh — you’ll recognize this vehicle in traffic and know it’s different from the previous generation.
Meanwhile, I am back to the mystery of who asked for this — the previous Enclave was attractive, though a bit bland and boring. Perhaps the focus group was upper-middle-class suburban middle-aged dads who got tired of hearing jokes from their buddies who drive Yukons?
[Images: Buick]
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