Despite manifold issues like supply chain bottlenecks and poor planning that currently plague the auto industry, new models are being relentlessly released like waves crashing on a beach. Though the vehicles have been announced, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they will actually be available as some makers seem to be keener on disappointing potential customers than actually delivering vehicles. Following are descriptions of a few vehicles that will hit showrooms over the next six months.
2025 Buick Enclave
Buick’s new “Pure” design themes front the new Enclave
Chic cabin of the new Enclave
General Motors is attempting to project an aura of real differences between the nameplates of its various brands that share the same platforms. The new-generation Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Acadia were unveiled during the 2024 auto show season, but the new Buick Enclave was nowhere to be seen. Better late than never, the 2025 Buick Enclave has broken cover anonymously, without any auto show fanfare.
GM Canada does not have dimensions for the 2025 available but notes the new-generation model is slightly bigger than before and, along with its Acadia and Traverse showroom mates, is in the XXXL club of crossover vehicles.
Exterior styling employs Buick’s new “Pure” design theme first seen on the Wildcat show car and has now progressed to the Encore GX, Envista and Enclave production vehicles. The rest of the car has lost its sleek side profile for something bulkier and one that partially echoes the look of the Acura MDX.
Few cabin photos exist but those that are make the interior look good. The dashboard in dominated by a 31 inch diagonal computer tablet screen that displays vehicle readouts in front of the driver and infotainment functions shown over the centre of the dash. There appear to be a number of physical buttons to trigger various functions. The rest of the cabin is visually spare and appears quite elegant. Cabin and cargo space were abundant on the last Enclave and this new one should be roomy as well.
Like its platform mates, the Traverse and Acadia, the Enclave has lost its silky V6 in favour of a new 2.5L turbo four. In the Enclave, the 2.5T is rated at 328 horsepower. Power reaches all wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission. Standard equipment on all trims include heated and power front seats, wireless iOS-Android connectivity, wireless cellphone charging and a Bose-branded audio system.
Standard active safety equipment includes a forward collision warning, autonomous emergency braking, junction turning intervention, traffic sign recognition, a lane departure warning and a lane keep assist system.
GM’s limited self-driving apparatus, marketed as “Super Cruise” will be optional on the new Enclave.
GM has said the Enclave should go on sale this summer but their litany of failed product launches over the last few years may indicate a later on-sale date.
2025 RAM 1500
Not all new, but heavily revised, the 2025 RAM 1500
Ram maintains its leadership in cabin design among full-size pickups
The updated RAM is built on the same wheelbase as last year, is marginally shorter and lower than previously. Frontal styling is new but oh-so- familiar, with the side profile essentially unchanged. RAM note that each trim will be fronted by a unique grille. The overall look is quite sleek and the RAM is the least intimidating look of the large domestic-branded pickups.
The cabin or the revised RAM is significantly updated. Driver’s face a crisply-marked 12.3 inch digital gauge cluster. The centre of the dashboard is dominated by a 14.5 inch, vertically-oriented screen and on premium trims, front passengers can gaze at a 10.24 inch screen. RAM employs a rotary gear selector once again. With a combination of physical buttons and logical touch screen surfaces, few drivers will encounter any trauma trying to manipulate a control. Built on the same wheelbase as before, cabin space is vast. Features and trim appearance vary from adequate and plain on the base Tradesman trim to overwhelming and sumptuous on the the range-topping Tungsten model.
Extended cab and crew cab models are available but most non-commercial buyers pick the crew cab.
New features available for 2025 include a head-up display, a power tailgate and Hands-free Driving Assist, a Level 2 limited automated driving capability.
The 3.6L-V6 eTorque mild hybrid engine returns as the base engine for 2025. The long-serving 5.7L-V8 has been replaced by a new 3L inline- six turbo engine. The base version, the SST, cranks out 420 horsepower, with the SST HO rated at 540 horsepower. A hyper-performance variant will follow by the end of 2024. Power is sent to the rear, or optionally, all wheels, via an eight-speed automatic transmission in all cases.
The 2025 RAM 1500 was scheduled to go on sale this spring but no pricing was available in May of 2024.
Volkswagen ID.7
Clean, elegant styling of the new Volkswagen ID.7
Cabin design is significantly different than the closely-related ID.4
Built on VW’s MEB electric car architecture, the ID.7 fastback sedan is built on a 205 mm longer wheelbase, is 376 mm longer, marginally wider and a 102 mm lower than its crossover stablemate, the ID.4. Technical specifications for Canadian market cars are scarce in mid 2024, but early-release details indicate the use of 82 kWh battery pack. Power output is rated at 282 horsepower for rear-wheel drive ID.7s and 335 combined horsepower with the dual-motor all-wheel drive system. Using a level 3 charger, VW states the battery pack can be charged from 10 percent to 80 percent in 28 minutes. Range of the related ID.4 is 468 kilometers with rear-wheel drive and 423 kilometers with the dual-motor all-wheel drive setup.
Though a fastback and looking like a hatchback, the ID.7 actually has a separate trunk. The exterior design is elegant and restrained with some nice bright detailing. With a low .23 coefficient of drag, the ID.7 is very slippery. The cabin of the ID.7 surprisingly shares little with that of the ID.4. The driver faces a very blocky, near featureless dashboard which incorporates a very slim speedometer right in front of the driver but places more information in a Tesla-style gigantic screen that is attached to the centre of the dashboard. The rest of the cabin is a very traditional design rendered in attractive materials. The long wheelbase of the car should result in a very roomy rear seat.
Chevrolet Equinox
The new Equinox sheds its sleek form for a bulkier look. A very odd “Shark Fin” body-coloured accent interrupts the side window line
After many years, Chevrolet has unveiled their next-generation Equinox.
Like the larger Traverse, the new Equinox morphs from a sleek, uncluttered look to a bulkier, edgier design. Each trim level, the LT, Active and RS, boasts a unique front fascia. The upper portion of the large grilles are bisected by a transverse bar that leads into the headlamps. Like the Traverse, the Equinox greenhouse is interrupted by a an odd, triangular-like painted panel referred to as a “Shark fin”, by Chevrolet. The clean rear styling is the most pleasing aspect of the new Equinox.
Inside, the new Equinox displays Chevrolet’s current cabin design themes. The driver faces a large digital gauge package, butted up to the right of which is a large screen working the infotainment functions of the car. There are physical buttons for the climate system. The gear selector has been moved to the steering column, freeing up space on the centre console. The rest of the cabin is elegant and a number of two-tone colour combinations are available. Built on a marginally longer wheelbase for 2025, cabin space should be about the same as it was in 2024. GM claim that there is 1798 litres of cargo capacity with the rear seat folded down, 11 litres less than last year.
GM’s familiar 1.5L turbo four returns as the sole engine for 2025. Rated at 175 horsepower, output is less than most competitors. On the front-wheel drive LT trim, power reaches the wheels via a CVT, but the all-wheel drive system, optional on the LT and standard on the Active and RS, funnels torque to the wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission.
GM has upped their game regarding active safety equipment for the new Equinox. Forward collision warning, autonomous emergency braking, blind spot, rear cross traffic and lane departure warnings, side bicyclist alert, junction turning intervention, a lane-keep assist system and active cruise control, are all standard.
GM hints at a summer 2024 launch but if recent history repeats, there will be delays in the release of the new car.
Reflecting the trend to try and differentiate different versions of the same platform, there is no word yet on a replacement of the related GMC Terrain.
Honda Prologue
Strong, clean lines of the Honda Prologue
Large touch screen augmented by plenty of physical buttons
The result of the collaboration between Honda and General Motors, the The Prologue is based on GM’s Ultium electric vehicle platform.
Compared with the Honda Pilot, the Prologue is built on a 204 mm longer wheelbase, is 204 mm shorter overall, 157 mm lower and a bit narrower. Like the related Acura ZDX, the clean-lined Prologue is an elegant machine and looks nothing like the similarly-sized Chevrolet Blazer BEV built on the same platform.
The cabin features a wide, slim-line dashboard. The driver faces a small digital gauge pod and there is a large, free-standing screen hovering over the centre of the dashboard that works the infotainment functions of the Prologue. The screen is underlined by a climate control panel that uses knobs and buttons to control its various functions. The rest of the cabin is visually calm and some two-tone colour combinations are offered. The long wheelbase of the car should deliver excellent cabin room.
The 85 kWh battery pack provides energy to a dual-motor all-wheel drive system rated at 288 total system horsepower. Range under ideal conditions is stated to be 452 kilometers. Using a Level 2 charger, the Prologue can take on 54.9 kilometers of range per hour. Hooked up to a Level 3 charger, the Prologue can add 101 kilometers of range in 10 minutes, and can go from 20 percent charged to 80 percent in 35 minutes.
Active safety is well catered for in the Prologue. A forward collision warning, autonomous emergency braking, front pedestrian braking, active cruise control, blind spot and rear cross traffic monitors and reverse auto braking, are all standard. Front and rear parking sonars, rear pedestrian alert and a 360 degree camera system, are optional.
The Prologue will only be available in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia, at least initially. Like GM-branded versions of this platform, production seems to be chaotic. The 2024 Prologue appears to be sold out, the 2025 can be ordered and Honda is taking names of those keen on learning about the 2026 model when details become available. Dealers expect delivery times to be from six months to a year.
All photos provided by the manufacturers