Steering You Right With Sharon Peters: Jaguar Sighting?

Q. We were passed on the highway by a Jaguar that was a very un-Jaguar-like garish shade of blue. We immediately assumed it must be a custom paint job, and a quick search of the website showed no such color. Can you confirm? A. You gave up a little too quickly in your online search. It’s there on the Porsche website, but it’s applied to only a very limited number of models. We’re all familiar with the dignified color palette - “British Racing Green,” for example, and the classy gray and black. A couple of rich blues are available on some models, and those are very nice colors. But there is also “French Racing Blue” offered for two or three models, and that, I’m pretty sure, is what you saw. I, too, find the French Racing Blue a little “off.” Q. We’ve been looking at the Buick Enclave for two years, test drove it, and made plans to buy one this year or next. And now, driving past the dealership, we see they’ve reduced it into one of those little SUVS, not nearly big enough to accommodate the kids and gear we have to haul around. I’m so frustrated with car manufacturers who follow every trend even if it means getting rid of the good stuff. Anyway, knowing we liked the big Enclave, can you recommend a couple of normal-sized SUVs that we can look into? A. No worries. You can have the Enclave of your dreams. I am certain you’re confusing the Enclave you love with the recently launched “Encore,” Buick’s entry into the compact SUV fray (little wonder, since the names are so similar- just another example of carmakers’ weird naming practices - and the new one bears a resemblance to the popular Enclave, though much smaller.) The new compact SUV Encore is getting quite good reviews, lauded for its clean lines, decent fuel economy and moderate pricing (about $25,000 and up, versus mid-$30s for the Enclave). The Encore is about 34 inches shorter than its big brother and weighs about 525 pounds less, factors that contribute to its quite-good fuel economy - 25 mpg city/33 highway. So the Encore is intended for one group; the Enclave is still around for those who want something larger. (c) CTW Features What’s your question? Sharon Peters would like to hear about what’s on your mind when it comes to caring for, driving and repairing your vehicle. Email Sharon@ctwfeatures.com.