When Buick recently decided to name 11 "greatest hits" from its back
catalog, it wanted one vehicle to define each decade the company has
been making luxury cars. The most current model on the list and the one
representing the modern Buick brand? The Enclave.
This full-size crossover seats up to eight people in a giant interior
that could also double as a moving van. Its luxury styling elements,
quiet cabin and optional AWD have earned the V-6-powered Enclave not
only prestige within Buick’s history, but also a breakout sales success
rank that few expected when the model was launched as a 2008 model.
The name is pronounced “On Clave” and loosely means "to surround and
protect." The name matches the mission of this family friendly wagon:
offer almost all of the normal minivan space and safety benefits in a
more fashionable SUV shell - with optional AWD and 4,500-pound towing
capability.
The Buick Park Avenue was the flagship sedan of Buick between the years
of 1975 and 1990. It eventually succeeded the previous Electra model
entirely. The name of the Park Avenue is meant to pay homage to the
affluent boulevard of the same name in New York City.
A luxury trim level version of the car known as the Ultra was made
available throughout the duration of the Park Avenue’s existence. The
luxury sedan version of the car, the Park Avenue Ultra, featured a
powerful 205-240 hp supercharged V6 Configuration that would go on to
become the standard in the early 1990s.
The 1991 version of the Buick Park Avenue made use of the General Motors
C Platform. It would continue to do so until the year 1997, when the C
body was dropped altogether.
In the year 1997, an updated version of the Buick Park Avenue was
released. It rode on the G body of the Buick Riviera, and was a lot
stronger than its predecessor. This generation of Park Avenues was
powered by Series II variants of the V6 Configuration. Only the Ultra
models were supercharged, as has been the norm with Buick car models
over the years.
