General Motors Inc. (NYSE: GM) kindly sent me the promotional material I've been waiting for about the new Buick Enclave. As a life-long fan of GM (six Buicks, four Chevys, and one Jimmy thrown in), I greatly looked forward to getting a look at promotional materials for the well-crafted Enclave. While that little beauty met all my expectations in regard to looks, style, appointments, and detail, one particular issue has left me a bit deflated.
The 2008 Buick Enclave sports an overall mpg rating range of 16/24 for all types of driving. I would have overlooked the gasoline use issue if not for the fact that these promotional materials use the words "superior fuel economy " when revealing the numbers. This fuel economy rating applies to an "advanced" 275hp V6 engine, which I'm sure makes the Enclave a blast to drive, but my issue is this: I already get similar mpg numbers for my 1997 Chevrolet half-ton pickup with its 5.2 litre V8!
Really GM, it's not that I have a particular problem with the rating as it stands. The fact of the matter is, at a list price of between $32,000 and $37,000, anyone who purchases the Enclave is probably not too concerned about the price of gas anyway. My point here is this: if the company is not interested in stoking the fire under loudmouth goofballs like me who enjoy spewing our opinions, until the day GM puts out a half-ton pickup that gets 30 mpg in town and a crossover SUV that rates closer to 36 mpg, it would do better to reserve the words "superior fuel economy " for when it's speaking of GM's goals.
But that's just my opinion.
The Richest Woman in the World: How Gina Rinehart Earns her Billions
Why Dell Will Never Be Great Again

