Comfort for road trips? Switching from Enclave.

[Jess]

Good morning!

I find myself car shopping for the first time in a decade after my beloved Enclave was totaled this weekend. I was originally thinking I would just replace with another Enclave, because I adored that SUV, but the savings for an even better outfitted Telluride are hard to overlook. Plus they look far more stylish. I have found one that I love that is an SX with prestige package and towing package. My question for you is road trip comfort. I know it can be hard to get a feel for long-haul comfort from a test drive, so I would really love your opinions! Part of why I loved my Buick so much is that I could drive literally across the country feeling like I was sitting in a super comfortable chair the entire time-- a feature that I have realized is most definitely not the norm even among high sticker SUVs after taking road trips with friends and family in other vehicles.

So my first question is the comfort thing.
My second question is if anyone here has anyone switched from Enclave to Telluride that could give me your opinion on the comparison of the two? Are you happy with your swap or do you miss things about your Enclave?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Nightsky93]

We just did a 12hr drive home after picking up our SX limited( )(equivalent to SX prestige) which we have no complaints about the seats. Mind you we have the nightfall version so we don’t have the Napa leather seats which seems like there the same seats just fancier looking leather. We have heard from others on this site that they didn’t notice a difference in comfort between the 2. One nice thing for long trips is putting on the adaptive cruise control and on the drivers seat there is an extra option on the seat to raise a part of the front section to give your legs more comfort. Feels more spacious in the telluride and you said you had a enclave so you must have needed 3 rows. We traded in a Buick envision Premium which the wife loved but we needed the 3rd row. We considered the enclave but the telluride just blew us out of the water on design and features and price. I wouldn’t hesitate at all over the seats. And if you order the dune brown in Napa leather there’s a whole thread just on those seat color option as you get a premium head liner with them too. I would have got those seats but not available to us in Canada. The only thing that my wife missed on her Buick was it had a turbo. Not fair to compare non turbo to turbo but the telluride is still fairly peppy in sport mode!! Research the forum but I’m sure the seats will be the easy decision as there’s been no complaints of discomfort. Exterior color is a more harder option to pick. So many different color options that look great it’s hard to choose.

 

[Jess]

Thanks! Good to hear positive feeback after such a long drive!

And yes. Two kiddos who are both very social (ie, always inviting friends to come places with us!) and a pup who loves to travel. So 3 rows are a must for us.

 

[Nightsky93]

Thanks! Good to hear positive feeback after such a long drive!

And yes. Two kiddos who are both very social (ie, always inviting friends to come places with us!) and a pup who loves to travel. So 3 rows are a must for us.

They will love the second row captains seats. Heated and cooled. 3rd row will be nice and spacious for the friends too. Everyone will have there own USB port, cup holder and roof vent too which could be adjusted to their likings of more of less heat/ac and vents can be directed to a certain spot too. And when no friends the 3rd row can fold down with plenty of room for a pup. Just will need to get some good trunk/seat back protection

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[PittPa]

I've done 4 10 hour trips in my SXP and it has been very very nice. The visibility is great, HUD perfect, HDA a nice useful feature, Infotainment great although Android auto and my particular phone Samsung S9 don't seem to be working together, works fine with Iphone. Negatives, I think the fuel economy and gas tank could be a little better as far as range. They should of given the passenger seat lumbar support the same as the driver! I can usually tell how good a car is by how I feel when I get to my destination and I have felt great and not worn out at any time.

 

[Selwin]

Just got back from a Vegas to Palm Springs through the Mohave National Reserve. 4.5 hours. Very comfortable on a challenging road. Lots of bumps, dips, turns makes for a fun drive but would have been miserable if not for the comfort of the Telly.

 

[blackhawkk22]

So far we've driven it from Chicago > Toronto > Niagara > Montreal > Chicago > Cincinnati > Raleigh > Asheville > Pittsburgh.

Every single drive have been amazing. On our drive to Ohio, the weather was pretty bad so we were driving at around 70 MPH, and I got better gas mileage (26mpg) than my IS350! The technology in this car is fantastic - where its seamless - which is exactly what you'd want. I've never driven an Enclave, but I've rented the GMC Acadia for a 3,000 mile trip (i know they're not the same but its the same chassis/engine/transmission). I would say the Telly is more comfortable, quieter and roomier. I've sat in the third row for 3+ hours at a time and no issues (i'm 5' 8" 180 lbs).

I don't really know if I felt any difference between any real of the modes - but then again my reference point is sporty sedans. Sporty is a bit edgier; eco is a bit more sluggish.

Before I bought the car my only reservation was that it sometimes felt a bit slow, but honestly having driven the 5,000 miles on road trips, its plenty quick with a full cabin.

 

[DILLIGAF]

Went from 2015 Enclave to 2020 SXP. Tad harsher with 20 inch wheels. Seats about the same. Overall would not go back

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[qwikhit]

The Enclave has a more luxurious ride than it’s cousins the Acadia and Traverse on purpose.

 

[Tellthemride]

Just got back from a 6 hour 325 mile round-trip. Drove though torrential rain at night one of the legs. No complaints and arrived feeling comfortable in both destinations. .

Not to mention my toddler and infant were sleeping 90% of the drive if that provides any indication of how smooth and quiet the ride was.

 

[21SXTX]

I remember before I bought my Telluride a YouTube reviewer noted it's like driving a couch. My SX is so comfortable I really look forward to road trips.

 

[DarkMossJustin]

Hi Jess,

Yes, I've taken my Telly on some nice long trips already.

Check this out:

Family Road Trip with an AWD SX Prestige Package: Dark Moss / Dune Brown <---- great combo

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[Wiluride]

It's the quietest car I've ever owned. Seats are very comfortable, SSC and Lane keeping assist make long drives a bit safer and more relaxing.

I'm sure there are more comfortable vehicles out there, but IMHO the Telluride is pretty darn nice.

 

[unit_three]

Did a 10 hour trip across Texas, and 10 hours back. 1200 miles round trip.

Pros:

• 3 adults and 2 kids, and everyone was very comfortable and had their own space.
• The setting to play audio in the front speakers only was great for sleeping kids
• We traveled with a roof rack basket so carrying all the luggage with us was easy and not too noisy.

Cons:

• The USB ports on the back of the chairs aren’t strong enough to recharge an iPad while in use. It will keep it alive though.
• The Highway Driving Assist was borderline dangerous at times. On sections of I-20, the right lane forks to an exit. The car would try to steer off to the exit instead of stay on the main Highway. It did this several times.

 

[qwikhit]

I’ve had the same problem with the vehicle trying to exit. Just have to keep it in mind. I’m not sure there is any fix for it. +1 for the USB charging the iPad. I bought an inverter and plug it into a 12v source and then plug the iPad with its original charging square and cord.

 

[kcwjr1948]

Just finished a 4000 mile road trip from New Mexico to North Carolina and back via Kentucky. What a great road car. We purposefully tried to stay off the route that Google Maps suggested - going instead on routes that took longer but were significantly less traveled by trucks. When the "auto pilot" is engaged, basically all you are doing is holding on and monitoring it to make sure it doesn't goof - which it rarely does. I drove two 10 hours days on the last two and was not really that tired. In addition, at 5 or 6 gas stops, we had Telluride Lookers come up to us saying how good the car looked and that they were wanting to get one. Never had that happen before with any other car. It makes road trips great fun again.

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