Manufacturing one of America’s best selling crossover vehicles with 3rd row seating, the Enclave, can certainly pile on the pressure when it comes to making any changes for the new model year. It’s not simply changing a color here, or a contour there. Nor is it as drastic as laying down a blank sheet of paper and doing a total redesign. Great care has to be taken when making any change. Especially to a vehicle that already has proven it’s worth in the marketplace.
According to Motorauthority.com, addressing most of these issues fell to lead sculptor at GM Nick Barkley, who worked on the original as well as the latest 2013 model. In addition to manipulating full-scale clay models, much of Barkley’s creative work is done in the digital space with three-dimensional modeling programs.
“Buicks have been some of the toughest work I’ve done because they are so sculptural,” said Barkley, a designer at GM for 12 years. “There are so many concave and convex forms. To make an organic, hand-shaped look show through the forms is both difficult and rewarding.”
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2E_bePA5Hs
Asked to name the most-challenging element of the Enclave’s design, Barkley immediately pointed to the traditional waterfall grille that went through countless looks before a final form emerged that met both the design team’s standards and manufacturing capabilities. He notes that the production version remains true to the earliest clay mockups.
When it comes to the Buick Enclave, the design of which is never truly completed. The same can be said for every other model in Buick’s line-up as well. There is a yearly ebb and flow of design ideas. Some of which actually make it to the final production version of the vehicle, while most end up on the cutting room floor. That is the constant desire for Buick to be a consistent leader in automotive design and production value. It’s is Buick’s drive for excellence and setting trends that are not easily duplicated, or copied. Hence, this is the reason why vehicles like the Enclave is America’s best selling crossovers.
I invite you to come and see for yourself the truly unique and inspired design work that you get when you purchase a Dallas Fort Worth Buick from Freeman Grapevine.
I think we’ve all firmly come to grips with the advancements of technology. I know Freeman Grapevine has certainly opened our arms to technology. Ever since the release of the personal computer in the early 80’s, they’ve only gotten smaller, faster and more useful. In fact, when I see someone who doesn’t have a smart phone I wonder how they made it this far without one?
For those of us who do have smart phones and are information junkies, like myself, I give you the top 5 automotive apps fore your new, or used Buick, or GMC that no driver should be without.
(source electronics.howstuffworks.com)
iGasUp
For just $2.99, iPhone users can download the iGasUp application and have updated gas station locations and fuel prices at their fingertips. The app gives users the 10 closest gas stations based on the phone’s current location. iGasUp boasts a network of more than 110,000 filling stations across the U.S. Once a driver uses his or her iPhone to pull up the closest 10 gas stations, the information can be sorted by cheapest or closest. The prices are updated frequently and each has a time stamp that indicates the freshness of the price. Users can then plot their course to the filling station of their choice by using the interactive Maps found on the iPhone.
Trapster
Trapster displays your location on a map using the iPhone’s WiFi location capabilities. Reported speed traps, which users enter into the Trapster’s network database, pop up along your route. Trapster’s settings allow users to setup their iPhones to give voice alerts of approaching speed traps and the dynamic radar feature compensates for a driver’s speed and direction in radar to relay accurate warnings. Signal cameras and police traps show up on the display as icons for easy recognition.
With a network of more than 330,000 users worldwide, nearly two-thirds of those being iPhone owners, the Trapster network has reported more than 5 million speed traps worldwide as of November 2011. It seems that Trapster has replaced the CB radio as the best method of radar detection — with the exception of illegal radar detection devices. And it’s free, too.
INRIX Traffic
Here are some of the things that INRIX Traffic can do (even without the $24.99 upgrade):
Incidents: A list of traffic events, updated via the Internet, which may affect the route you plan to take. These include accidents, crowds at major sporting events, convention traffic and other tie-ups reported by members of the INRIX Traffic community.
Comparative Traffic: A map of the local area with traffic density marked out in color-coded lines that tell you which routes have light traffic and which routes are bumper to bumper.
Predictions: A timeline that allows you to project traffic for the 15-minute interval during which you plan to be traveling.
There are several other traffic apps available for the iPhone, but INRIX Traffic has a solid community of users reporting conditions and, if you use the app, you join that community too. If what you see on the road doesn’t agree with what you see on the app, you can report the mistake with the click of a single on-screen button.
GoPoint
The free GoPoint app works with the GoPoint cable (which costs $100, but can be purchased online for less) to plug into your car’s On-Board Diagnostics (OBD) port. This is the sort of thing that your local mechanic will do using a piece of equipment that cost thousands of dollars, but your iPhone can do it for the cost of a cable and the time you spend downloading an app. Some people would consider that a bargain.
What sort of information can the GoPoint app extract from the OBD port? Well, if you already know that your car is experiencing some kind of problem — for instance, if the Check Engine light is flashing — the GoPoint app can give you the Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) for it. These are standardized codes and the GoPoint app will define them for you in plain English. Unless you’re a mechanic, you might not be able to deal with the problem itself, but you’ll know what to expect when you take your car into the shop and can verify that your mechanic isn’t just inventing expensive problems that will cost you a fortune to fix.
Oh, yes — once you’ve purchased the GoPoint cable, there are additional apps that work with it, not just from GoPoint but from third-party developers, so that you can do things like monitor your fuel economy in real time.
Parker for iPhone
This app gives you a rooftop view of the local street situation and tells you where the parking places are. With the cooperation of the Departments of Transportation in several major cities, including New York, Dallas, Los Angeles and Boston, the San Francisco company Streetline has installed electronic sensors in selected neighborhoods to detect whether parking places are occupied or empty. This data is broadcast to a central location and can be accessed via the Parker app.
Parker for iPhone has a wealth of features, as well as a built-in tutorial to show you what they are and how to use them. They include the ability to choose a city and an area within that city that has parking sensors, a map showing a numeric count of the number of open spaces within a specific area, color coded icons on that map to point you to blocks with the largest number of open spaces, and a special display showing the fee charged by meters or commercial parking garages at the place where you want to park. In some instances, you can even pay for parking directly from the app. And once you’ve started a meter ticking, Parker will not only time it for you and remind you when it’s about to run out, but will use your iPhone’s built-in GPS to predict whether you have enough time to walk back to your car before the meter expires. If you drive much in major metropolitan areas, Parker can make your life easier and save you from a lot of frustration when you need to get out of your car and walk.
We’ve come a long way from the personal computer taking up and entire desk to fitting in the palm of our hands. Sometime I wonder what I’d ever do without my magic little phone.
There are thousands of beneficial apps out there. Can you suggest any others to Freeman Grapevine that would make our customer’s driving lives easier?
What does it mean to be “Professional Grade? Freeman Grapevine knows. It’s not just something GMC says, it’s something they live by. In the video below, GMC designer Jeff Perkins shares how unexpected things like power tools inspire designs that are uniquely GMC. Check out the video and see for yourself!
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvgDe1SNLig
I just have to throw this out there. When it comes to attention to detail, driver comfort, power, fuel consumption and looks, you just can’t beat the power of GMC. Swing by and see me at Freeman Grapevine if you really want to experience the ultimate in premium appointments, top of the line components and about 1,000 other things that will make you say, “WOW!”
The 2012 GMC Terrain as been one of GM’s most popular vehicles since it’s debut. In fact it’s one of the most popular vehicles I sell here at Freeman Grapevine. I suspect that one major reason is the size. Somewhere in between a compact and a mid-sized SUV, the GMC Terrain is the perfect for the “Goldilocks” crowd: Not too big, not too small, but just right.
Terrain is a true crossover inside and out. It has the capability and cargo space you’d expect from an SUV but the comfort, technology, quietness, and superior fit and finish you might expect to find in a luxury sedan. Which means that the Terrain continues to offer the driving public and small SUV shoppers an excellent alternative to the rest of the herd.
Let’s check out the new 2012 GMC Terrain:
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGJ3unPPkJQ
The Terrain is the classic “‘tweener”. It’s wider and more powerful than it’s earlier relatives, without compromising any of the utilities offered to both drivers and passengers. In fact, some of it’s coolest changes can’t bee seen, like the integration of modern electronics and a back-up camera.
Of course the only way to really get a feel for the 2012 GMC Terrain is to come on over to Freeman Grapevine and see one for yourself. You are going to really be impressed by both what’s under the hood and inside the cabin.
Here at Freeman Grapevine, we call the 2012 Buick Verano the CEO’s commuter-car. Why? Because it is absolutely full of features you just aren’t going to find on your everyday commuter. The inside appointments are so plush, you’d swear it would knock the price out of your “budget” ballpark. Wrong. It’s below $30,000.
Where it counts, the Verano’s interior feels plush — somewhere between a compact and a luxury car, but closer to the latter. Similar money could get a well-equipped Cruze or Mazda3. The Buick is richer than both. Its doors shut with a suitable thunk, and amid city gridlock and elevated trains, the insulation impresses. You can talk without raising your voice as a garbage truck barrels by. Padded materials line the doors and dash, fabric runs down the A-pillars — a luxury-car touch — and the faux-metal trim has an upscale brushed finish.
…and that is exactly what it sounds like in the cabin of a 2012 Buick Verano. It does an amazing job of isolating the cabin interior from the cacophony of sounds just outside its doors.
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNThMITDcIM
So, if you’re interested in a compact commuter that a CEO would proud to be seen in, come and take a look at the 2012 Buick Verano at Freeman Grapevine. You’ll see how you can feel like a millionaire for under $30,000.
If there is one time that your can really haul in the savings on a new truck at Freeman Grapevine it’s now during GMC’s annual Truck Month. For a limited time, you have to chance to get some really amazing rebates and interest rates on GMC Trucks from the Sierra 1500 to the Sierra 3500 HD.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Otvcpz35Mck
If you are ready for some real truck savings, now is certainly the time to get them. To See the best prices and selection of GMC trucks that Dallas and Fort Worth have to offer, all you have to do is swing by Freeman Grapevine. We can certainly put you in the truck you want for a price you’ve been waiting for. But don’t wait too long, GMC Truck Month will end soon and you’ll have to wait an entire year to find similar savings.
What is professional grade? It’s not just something GMC, or Freeman Grapevine just says, it’s something we live by. So, what goes into make a new GMC truck, or SUV? Testosterone, raw power, unbridled torque, attention to detail, tough exteriors and comfortable cabin seating? It’s all that an more! Check out the video below, GMC designer Jeff Perkins shares how unexpected things like power tools inspire designs that are uniquely GMC. Check out the video and see for yourself!
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvgDe1SNLig
I just have to throw this out there. When it comes to attention to detail, driver comfort, power, fuel consumption and looks, you just can’t beat the power of GMC. See Freeman Grapevine if you really want to experience the ultimate in premium appointments, top of the line components and about 1,000 other things that will make you say, “WOW!”
Manufacturing one of America’s best selling crossover vehicles with 3rd row seating, the Enclave, can certainly pile on the pressure when it comes to making any changes for the new model year. It’s not simply changing a color here, or a contour there. Nor is it as drastic as laying down a blank sheet of paper and doing a total redesign. Great care has to be taken when making any change. Especially to a vehicle that already has proven it’s worth in the marketplace.
What does it mean to be “Professional Grade? 
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