For many of us, our first vehicles were sedans. The first vehicle you owned varies based on your age, but in all likelihood, your first ride was a boxy sedan with hubcaps, a gas-guzzling V6, and a hood ornament. In fact, that probably describes all of the vehicles you owned until your late 20s or early 30s when you were forced to buy a minivan to transport your brood around town. You may have been the rare exception and bypassed the minivan for an SUV, you know, the old school Bronco or perhaps a Blazer. But things have changed; if you haven’t noticed, the sedan is dying a slow death as SUVs and trucks have won the hearts of Americans. What are the reasons for the demise of the sedan? We could write a book on the subject, no doubt. But a big part of the decline of the sedan lays squarely on the shoulders of the SUV. The 2022 Buick Enclave is a prime example of why we are scrapping the sedan in favor of an SUV. So yes, the Enclave is responsible for the death of the Regal and the other Buick sedans.
Roomy and Comfortable
If demographics changed over the years and we would see an increase in the size of the American family, then it would make better sense that we would ditch the sedan for a bigger model, but that isn’t the case. The real reason is that family sizes have not changed drastically over the years, so the decision to own a larger and more comfortable model is purely selfish.
It makes total sense when you think about it. After all, who wouldn’t choose the roomy five-bedroom home with four bathrooms over the smaller two-bedroom home with two bathrooms? When you think about it, we spend a lot of time in our vehicles. Ask anyone, and they will freely admit that commutes are longer and that they spend more time on their rides than 20 or 30 years ago. So if you are going to spend hours upon hours in your vehicle, it might as well be bigger and more comfortable.
Have you ever tried to squeeze two or three kids into the back of a sedan? We can tell you from experience that it is a frustrating task that will leave you with back problems. Taking the kids out for ice cream or whatever is so much easier when you can load them into an SUV with a nice height and roomy interior. How about the simple task of entering and exiting your vehicle? Stooping down to get in and out of a sedan is probably the reason why you visit a chiropractor once a week. And for the parents out there with chronic aches and pains, it is a blessing indeed not to have to stoop over when entering your SUV.
So, given a choice between any sedan and the Buick Enclave, most people would opt for the SUV. The Enclave offers a stylish interior with lots of space, and the third row of seating is a bonus for bigger families. There is also ample storage in the Enclave, a lot more than what you can cram in the trunk of a sedan. These are all reasons why the Enclave basically killed off the Regal.
More Bang for Your Buck
One of the biggest reasons people shunned SUVs years ago was because they were notorious for bad fuel economy. So manufacturers did the responsible thing and started packing more efficient engines under the hoods. In addition to getting better gas mileage, the new engine choices were also powerful. What happened is that manufacturers honed in on creating the perfect balance of power and efficiency, and they did a great job.
As automakers like Buick continue to offer consumers what they desire, bigger vehicles with plenty of room, better fuel economy, and powerful drivetrains, the fascination with SUVs will grow. In contrast, interest in sedans will continue to falter. This ensures that SUVs will continue to dominate the market.
Now, back to the 2022 Enclave and the reasons why it is such a popular choice, popular enough to be one of the reasons for the sedan’s demise. First, the standard 3.6-liter engine is the perfect balance of power and efficiency. It boasts enough power to make merging into traffic a cinch without leaving you bug-eyed and sweaty. But it is also an efficient engine that won’t require you to take out a second mortgage to fill the gas tank.
Safety is Always a Concern
Yet another reason why SUVs are more popular than ever is due to safety concerns. While it is true that any safety feature you might find on an SUV can undoubtedly be utilized in a sedan, like airbags and lane-keeping assist, for example, there are physics that need to be taken into consideration. For instance, in a collision between an SUV and a sedan, there is no doubt that the worst damage will be suffered by the sedan.
Of course, this wouldn’t come into play unless there was a slew of SUVs on the road. Since your boss, your neighbor, and your cousin all own and drive SUVs, you are basically putting yourself at risk should you decide to own a sedan. The bottom line is if there were a collision between an Enclave and a Regal, which would you rather be driving at the time?
One of the more significant updates to the 2022 Enclave is the addition of safety technology. There are a slew of safety features that come standard in the 2022 Enclave, including Forward Collision Alert, Lane Keep Assist, Front Pedestrian Braking, and IntelliBeam Auto High Beams. These aren’t added features only offered on high-level trims, nor are they options you have to pay extra for; they are standard safety features included on all trim levels.
It May Be Time to Switch to an SUV
For any of you who are still actually interested in a sedan, you might want to start your search right away. While you can no longer buy a brand new Regal or any other Buick sedan for that matter, there are still automakers cranking out sedans like candy from a Pez dispenser. How long will this last? That is anybody’s guess; it all depends on which directions consumers turn. But if the fascination with SUVs continues, we will probably see even more manufacturers dropping long-time favorite models from their lineup.
If you had your hopes set on buying a new Regal someday, all is not totally lost. All you need to do is figure out how to have your Regal shipped to you from China, where they are still sold. There is also the possibility that the Regal and other sedans will make a dramatic comeback. Unfortunately, there is no way to predict the future, so that might be in the cards.
But we have to take a look at this realistically. The 2022 Buick Enclave has very few shortcomings; it’s reliable, fuel-efficient, and has everything any driver could hope for. We guess that the only way any Buick sedan makes a comeback is if Buick starts throwing together junk Enclaves, which isn’t very likely. So, you see now how the Enclave is the reason for the demise of the Regal.
