TURNING CAR AND DRIVER ~ NOVEMBER 2019 67 HEY, YOU. YES, YOU. DON’T PRETEND YOU JUST NOTICED SOMETHING ON THE BACK OF YOUR HAND OR THAT YOUR PHONE IS BUZZING IN YOUR POCKET. WE’RE TALKING TO YOU. You who couldn’t get enough of procreating and now need three rows of seating in a vehicle. We know you well enough to know that you don’t want a minivan and that only a two- box crossover will do. Lucky for you, carmakers are swip- V[T_VTUa\[f\bdUVPURe]YNV[`aUR½\\Q\S[RdaU_RR_\d products tailored for your life. There’s so much churn in the PYN``_VTUa[\daUNaS\_Z\`a\S\b_aR`aR_`aUV`V`\b_¼_`a exposure to three of these models. Most promising is the Ford Explorer. It might look like a malnourished example of the last-generation model, all vacuum-packed bulge split by bone lines, but it’s so new that all-wheel drive, which means its window aURR[TV[RV`SNPV[TNQVßR_R[aQV_RPaV\[N[QVSf\bQ\[μa\]a sticker abounds with standard equipment, for all-wheel drive, the torque goes only to the rear wheels. from a pair of sunroofs to lane-keeping Ford’s turbocharged 2.3-liter inline-four is on duty and has assistance to auto-leveling rear dampers. 300 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque turning the A\``V[#S\_½\\_ZNa`N[QaUV`=NYV`NQR Ford/GM co-developed 10-speed automatic. The XLT is the is a $47,655 proposition. lowliest Explorer trim, and this one packs all-wheel drive The Telluride’s top trim level, SX, also (a $2000 upcharge), 20-inch wheels ($1295), Ford’s Co- V[PYbQR``abßYVXRaURad\`b[_\\S`N[QaUR Pilot360 Assist+ suite ($795), and a towing package ($710), second-row captain’s chairs, but it caters to for a grand total of $46,810. N`YVTUaYfZ\_RS_bTNYObfR_OfYRNcV[T\ßN Hyundai and Kia have built three-row crossovers before, few extras. This one, of course, added them even big ones, but who besides us remembers the Veracruz in with the $2000 SX Prestige package. and the Borrego? The Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride Fully loaded, our Telluride came with venti- N_RaUR¼_`aOVT8\_RN[P_\``\cR_`]\V`RQa\ZNXRN_RNY lated second-row seats, richer leather, and a mark on the segment. They share a lot, including their fake-suede headliner, among other goodies, 291-hp V-6, eight-speed automatic transmission, and plat- S\_N¼[NYaNYYf\S!#& form. Both have a 114.2-inch wheelbase, the test’s shortest, Buick’s second-gen Enclave is two years but somehow the second-row seats are among the roomiest. old, which makes it a slightly familiar mem- At our $48,000 price target, you get a Palisade Limited with ber of the group. It remains related to the 68 NOVEMBER 2019 ~ CAR AND DRIVER Chevy Traverse and is built on the same long version of the CX-9 mountain and includes all of Mazda’s juiciest the C1 platform. GM’s corporate 3.6-liter V-6 makes 310 equipment—adaptive cruise, keyless entry and start, horses here and a nine-speed transaxle does the shifting. and the brand’s G-Vectoring Control steering-feel- Our Essence-trim example is one step up from Buick’s base boosting system. Special paint, a cargo mat, and illumi- model, and all-wheel drive adds $2000 to the chit. Spend- [NaRQ`VYY]YNaR`NQQ&$"a\aURO\aa\ZYV[RO_V[TV[T ing an additional $1695 for the Sport Touring package nets \b_:NgQNa\!$ %" 20-inch machined-face aluminum wheels and a unique To see how the Mazda measures up against its latest T_VYYR=\dR_RQS_\[aN[Q¼eRQ_RN_`b[_\\S`P\`a! competitors, we steered north to family-friendly Petos- dUVYRaUR!&"OYNPX]NV[aN[Q$`Ra\S ½\\_ZNa`YN[Q key and then into the Upper Peninsula for the winding aUV`2[PYNcRNa!&""aURUVTUR`a]_VPRV[aURaR`a roads along Lake Michigan—which does, technically, The Mazda CX-9 is the known quantity here, having been experience semidiurnal water-level changes. Here we atop this hill for three 10Best awards as well as through two learned that the tide in this segment is indeed turning. comparison tests in which it vanquished the Chevy Tra- verse, Honda Pilot, Subaru Ascent, and Volkswagen Atlas. 5th Place: The Buick Mazda isn’t messing with success. The big news for the The competition in this segment is tough, so tough CX-9 this year is more standard equipment and available aUNadRP\bYQ[μa¼[QNY\a\S[VPRaUV[T`a\`NfNO\ba Android Auto and Apple CarPlay functionality. Mazda’s 250- the Buick. Someone did mention after a few rounds at hp turbocharged four-cylinder and six-speed automatic are Tap30 Pourhouse in Petoskey that the Enclave didn’t unchanged. Our Signature test vehicle stands at the top of `RRZa\ORaURXV[Q\ScRUVPYRN`Re\ßR[QR_d\bYQQ_VcR 69 The Enclave can carry a lot of stuff, but so will a cargo van. Its interior design and execution fall behind the class leaders’. Driving it revealed that its interior is richer and nicer than the Ford’s, although that bar is dachshund-stee- plechase low. And we can’t even say that all the bits are nicer. Those $1400 sunroofs wear the sort of cheap spring- loaded retractable shades that slap dUR[_Ra_NPaRQaURXV[Qf\bμQ¼[QV[ a Motel 6 or a Tom and Jerry cartoon. They would feel cheap in an old Volks- wagen with a crank-operated sunroof. In a nearly $50,000, brand-new Buick, they’re embarrassing. The 3.6-liter six-cylinder is always at the ready with power, but its coarse- ness is unbecoming a car that purports to be from a luxury brand. A lazy nine- speed automatic transaxle has smooth upshifts, but the other vehicles in this Buick Enclave Plus The any-way-you-fold-’em cargo champ group manage seamless gearchanges and the passing-acceleration king. Minus The most money nets without the sluggishness. you the least stuff and a cheap-feeling interior. Equals Remem- It’s hard to love the vehicle that costs ber the Buick Open? This is a time capsule from that era. aURZ\`aN[Q\ßR_`aURYRN`aP\[aR[a The Enclave also lacks the design and materials to justify that premium price. The instrument 4th Place: The Ford panel appears to have received some attention from the Have you ever considered that maybe we’ve had it wrong designers, but the rest of the Buick’s interior seems phoned all these years? That it’s not supposed to be FoMoCo in. The Essence trim doesn’t even come with the factory but in fact FOMO Co.? Just imagine the board meeting: navigation system; it’s optional. But at least Android Auto “Hey, all those luxury brands seem like they’re hav- and Apple CarPlay integration are standard. ing a great time with longitudinal-engine, rear-drive Buick’s big infotainment innovation is that you can order @BC`DRb`RQa\Q\aUNa9Raμ`Q\VaNTNV[F<9<³6[N pizza from your Enclave. GM’s Marketplace app allows you homogeneous class, aiming the engine rearward is a to order food from Domino’s, though not to your car. You gutsy way to stand out. can either go get it or have it delivered to your home. It’s not But the dynamic expectations fostered by the worth getting into the details, but we will say that after an Explorer’s new layout begin to fade as soon as you slide U\b_\Sa_fV[Ta\¼Tb_RVa\baN[Q`RaVab]dRWb`aQVNYRQN V[a\aURUN_Q½Na`RNa`AURf\ßR_YVaaYRYNaR_NY`b]]\_a phone and ordered an eight-corner deep dish from the near- and were perhaps designed to make it easy for utility- est Jet’s Pizza. ORYaRQ]\YVPR\¦PR_`a\`YVQRV[N[Q\ba\S6aμ`Wb`aN` DRdR_RO_VR½fRePVaRQdUR[dR[\aVPRQaUR@AONQTR well, as the Explorer isn’t as dynamic as we’d hoped. on the Buick’s liftgate. But then we remembered that those 6[N[NQZVaaRQYfaVTUaT_\b]V[TaUR2e]Y\_R_¼[V`URQ letters mean something cool on the Explorer. Here, they last in the slalom and found itself in a three-way tie for QR[\aRaUR@]\_aA\b_V[T]NPXNTRObaaURfZVTUaN`dRYY worst on the skidpad. At least its braking distance was ZRN[@NQA_\ZO\[R the shortest in the test. 70 NOVEMBER 2019 ~ CAR AND DRIVER 2020 Buick 2020 Ford 2020 Hyundai 2020 Kia 2019 Mazda Enclave Essence Explorer XLT Palisade Telluride SX CX-9 Signature ST AWD AWD Limited AWD AWD AWD Base/As Tested $47,385/$49,055 $39,870/$46,810 $47,495/$47,655 $44,585/$46,910 $46,410/$47,385 Dimensions Wheelbase 120.9 in 119.1 in 114.2 in 114.2 in 115.3 in Length/Width/Height 204.3/78.8/69.9 in 198.8/78.9/69.9 in 196.1/77.8/68.9 in 196.9/78.3/69.3 in 199.4/77.5/67.6 in Track, F/R 67.3/67.0 in 66.9/66.9 in 67.2/67.6 in 67.2/67.6 in 65.3/65.2 in Interior Volume, F/M/R 61/54/40 cu ft 63/57/36 cu ft 61/58/35 cu ft 62/57/36 cu ft 55/51/30 cu ft Cargo behind F/M/R 98/58/24 cu ft 88/48/18 cu ft 86/46/18 cu ft 87/46/21 cu ft 71/38/14 cu ft Towing Max/As Tested 5000/1500 lb 5600/5600 lb 5000/5000 lb 5000/5000 lb 3500/3500 lb Powertrain Engine DOHC 24-valve V-6 turbocharged DOHC DOHC 24-valve V-6 DOHC 24-valve V-6 turbocharged DOHC 223 cu in (3649 cc) 16-valve inline-4 231 cu in (3778 cc) 231 cu in (3778 cc) 16-valve inline-4 138 cu in (2264 cc) 152 cu in (2488 cc) Power, HP @ RPM 310 @ 6800 300 @ 5500 291 @ 6000 291 @ 6000 250 @ 5000 Torque, LB-FT @ RPM 266 @ 2800 310 @ 3500 262 @ 5200 262 @ 5200 310 @ 2000 Redline/Fuel Cutoff 6500/6800 rpm 7000/5750 rpm 6500/6500 rpm 6500/6500 rpm 6300/6000 rpm LB per HP 14.8 15.0 15.3 15.3 17.5 Driveline Transmission 9-speed automatic 10-speed automatic 8-speed automatic 8-speed automatic 6-speed automatic Driven Wheels front/all all all all all Final-Drive Ratio:1 3.49 3.58 3.65 3.65 4.41 Chassis Suspension F: struts, coil springs, F: struts, coil springs, F: struts, coil springs, F: struts, coil springs, F: struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar anti-roll bar anti-roll bar anti-roll bar anti-roll bar R: multilink, coil R: multilink, coil R: multilink, coil R: multilink, coil R: multilink, coil springs, anti-roll bar springs, anti-roll bar springs, anti-roll bar springs, anti-roll bar springs, anti-roll bar Brakes F: 12.6-in vented disc F: 13.6-in vented