2008 Buick Enclave CXL

This vehicle can be described in one word: Isolation. The Enclave is one of the quietest cars I've ever been in, and that list includes heavy-hitting luminaries like the Mercedes-Benz S-class and the Bentley Arnage. The lack of outside noise intrusion in this thing - remarkable on its own but doubly so when compared with the Enclave's platform-sharing Saturn Outlook and GMC Acadia siblings - is nothing short of amazing. Expansion joints, construction noise, other cars, semis, anything - most outside noises are so muted and distant that you find yourself going faster than you normally would. Odd. Nice, but odd.

To my mind, this is what a Buick should be: a car for people who don't necessarily like cars, a driving experience for people who want to forget that they're driving. It's a composed, perfectly capable, not-too-expensive living room on wheels. And when all is said and done, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.

Sam Smith, Associate Editor