Buick's big news for 2008 — the Enclave crossover SUV with room for up to eight passengers — debuted early.

Power comes from a 275-horsepower, 3.6-liter V-6, and with a starting retail price, including destination charge, of more than $32,700, the Enclave is the priciest of General Motors Corp.'s three new crossovers.

The others are the GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook.

Buick is down to only three vehicles in the United States for 2008. The other two — the Lucerne and LaCrosse sedans — add new Super trim levels designed to make the cars look and feel more sporty. The LaCrosse Super, for example, has a bolder grille than a regular LaCrosse, newly fashioned hood and a 300-horsepower, 5.3-liter, small-block V-8.

The Lucerne Super has a new grille plus a 292-horsepower, 4.6-liter, Northstar V-8.

It's back!Ford's Taurus sedan returns from the near-dead in its largest form ever — so sizable it's classified by the federal government as a large sedan, rather than the typical mid-size family car.With more safety features than any previous Taurus, the 2008 five-passenger model actually is a rebadged Ford Five Hundred with a larger, more powerful engine, improved sound insulation and retuned rear suspension.The reason for this unusual pedigree: The Five Hundred, which launched in calendar 2004 as a Taurus replacement, never caught on with consumers. Meantime, name recognition for the Taurus, which was relegated to a fleet car with no national advertising, remained high.The new, five-passenger Taurus is powered by a 263-horsepower, 3.5-liter, Duratec V-6 with 249 foot-pounds at 4,500 rpm. With its 20-gallon gas tank, the new Taurus can travel more than 520 highway miles on a single tank of regular gasoline. All-wheel-drive is offered, too.Taurus' former station wagon is long gone, but a Taurus wagon that has a higher-off-the-pavement ride height than a normal car is offered for 2008. The new Taurus X is actually a rebadged and updated Ford Freestyle. Power for this six- to seven-passenger five-door comes from the same 263-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6 that's in the Taurus sedan. Taurus X is offered in front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive.Ford has a 2008 Focus small car that's restyled inside and out, and has a more modern ride and new features. Power comes from a low-emission, 130-horsepower, 2-liter Duratec four cylinder or a more powerful, 140-horse, 2-liter Duratec four cylinder. Head curtain air bags are finally standard Focus equipment.This is the first Focus to offer the Ford Sync in-car digital communication system, which gives drivers hands-free voice control over cell phone calls and music players.The new Focus is offered in sedan and first-ever coupe forms. The Focus wagon and hatchbacks are gone.Ford's Escape compact SUV is updated for 2008 with bolder styling, more safety equipment, quieter ride and a new interior that's believed to be the first in the United States with seats covered in 100 percent recyclable fabric materials. These materials are intended for retail use but never make it to the consumer, which means anything from plastic intended for pop bottles to undyed polyester fibers.The five-passenger Escape is offered in front-wheel-drive, all-wheel-drive and as a gasoline-electric hybrid. The latter, called the 2008 Escape Hybrid, promises top 2008 SUV fuel mileage ratings from the federal government.With front-wheel-drive, the 2008 Escape Hybrid is rated at 34 mpg in city driving and 30 mpg on the highway. This is a better fuel economy rating than many small cars.The Escape Hybrid is propelled by a 133-horsepower, 2.3-liter, Duratec four-cylinder engine and supplements its power with assist from an on-board, 70-kilowatt electric motor that can deliver instant torque and boost total horsepower to 155. Fuel economy is better than Toyota's hybrid SUVs because Toyota's SUVs mate the electric power to V-6s.Ford's top Mustang, the Shelby GT500, adds a limited edition in 2008. Only 1,000 copies of the 2008 GT500KR, with race-tuned suspension, will be made to commemorate the 40th anniversary of its namesake, the "King of the Road" GT500 from the late 1960s. The original had a 335-horsepower, 428-cubic-inch, Cobra Jet V-8. The 2008 GT500KR races off with 540 horses from its race-tuned, 5.4-liter, supercharged, Triton V-8.Even lowlier Mustangs make news in 2008 as Ford plans to expand the use of soy-based foam in Mustang seat cushions and backs. Production of the soy seat foam results in fewer carbon dioxide emissions and uses less energy than conventional seat foam.Ford's heavy-duty truck, the F-Series Super Duty, has a new heavyweight model for 2008. The F-450 is Ford's first Class 4 pickup truck from the factory and tops all others with a towing capacity of 24,000 pounds. Payload is a hefty 6,000 pounds.Ford's E-Series large vans are restyled outside, have updated steering, front and rear suspension, and can carry heavier loads.A new feature, E-Guard Cargo Protection System, gives additional security to items inside the vans via a double-lock system that's factory-installed. And E-Series vans that carry large numbers of passengers get new seats.Meantime, Ford adds standard head curtain air bags on all Explorers.

GMC debuts its first gas-electric hybrid SUV. The Yukon Hybrid, which is a sibling of the Cadillac Escalade Hybrid and Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid, will be a full-service, large SUV with a towing capacity of more than 6,000 pounds. Yet with its 6-liter, Vortec V-8 supplemented by onboard electric power, the Yukon Hybrid will provide an estimated 25 percent better fuel economy than a conventional, gas-only Yukon.Also new is a six-speed automatic transmission for the Yukon XL 2500 heavy-duty model.

The big news at Honda is its largest Accord ever. The 2008 sedan, with more front-seat hiproom and rear-seat legroom than ever before, officially qualifies as a large car for the first time under Environmental Protection Agency guidelines.And styling looks richer, with a sweeping dashboard design in both the Accord sedan and coupe. The five-passenger Accord now has more safety features, including anti-whiplash front-seat head restraints. And four-cylinder and V-6 engines provide more power than before.In fact, the Accord's new, 3.5-liter V-6 is the most powerful in any Honda vehicle, with horsepower of 268 and torque peaking at 248 foot-pounds at 5,000 rpm. Yet this V-6 also works to save fuel with a new cylinder-deactivation system that lets the Accord travel on three, four or all six engine cylinders, depending on driver needs, terrain, etc.The Accord gas-electric hybrid model has been discontinued.Elsewhere at Honda, the Odyssey minivan styling is refreshed and the V-6 engine cylinder deactivation system is upgraded.The 2008 S2000 roadster gets a lighter-weight, racetrack-oriented CR model that comes standard with a removable aluminum roof substituting for the cloth soft top that's on other S2000s.Also in 2008, Honda's Civic line adds a factory-prepared Civic MUGEN Si Sedan with a sporty, lowered suspension, forged aluminum wheels, aero styling package and a sport-tuned exhaust system. MUGEN performance products have been available in Japan, but this is the first official MUGEN car for Americans. Only 1,000 will be sold.Also this year, the Civic line introduces a leather package for the first time on both sedans and coupes.

Like its siblings the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner, the Mazda Tribute compact SUV is revised with new styling, inside and out. Power comes from a 153-horsepower, 2.3-liter, four-cylinder engine and a 200-horsepower, 2-liter V-6.A 2008 Tribute Hybrid with a four cylinder supplemented by electric power for reduced emissions and improved fuel economy is offered, too. But it's on sale only in emission-regulated California.Elsewhere, the Mazda5 has freshened styling and a new, five-speed automatic transmission, and adds rear air cooling vents.The low-volume Mazdaspeed6 is discontinued.

On sale for only two model years, Subaru's first seven-passenger SUV, the B9 Tribeca, is already getting a makeover. For 2008, the Tribeca loses its snouty face, boosts horsepower to 256 from its boxer, six-cylinder engine, and updates rear suspension and automatic transmission for better ride and performance.And that pesky "B9" in the name — which referred to an internal company code — is dropped.Even better, starting retail prices have moderated for Subaru's priciest nameplate. A base, five-passenger, 2008 Tribeca starts at $30,640, while shoppers seeking a seven-passenger Tribeca will see a starting price of $31,640. This is $1,605 less than a base, seven-passenger Tribeca in 2007. It's even less than what Subaru charged for the original, seven-passenger, 2006 Tribeca.Elsewhere, Subaru's Impreza compact car is a restyled, larger model, inside and out, with new rear suspension for improved handling. The Impreza also is offered in a new five-door hatchback.The base five-passenger Impreza comes with a 170-horsepower, 2.5-liter, boxer four cylinder, while the uplevel, sporty Impreza WRX is powered by a 224-horsepower, turbocharged version of the 2.5-liter engine. Curtain air bags and electronic stability control are now standard.Lastly, the five-passenger Legacy and Outback are mildly restyled for 2008, and a new Legacy 3.0 R Limited sedan includes Bilstein sport suspension, 245-horsepower six-cylinder engine and 18-inch alloy wheels.One thing hasn't changed, though: All Subarus come standard with all-wheel-drive.

Suzuki adds a sedan version of its small SX4 in 2008, following the introduction of the SX4 five-door, all-wheel-drive model last year. But the sedan will be offered in front-wheel-drive only. It's powered by the same 143-hp, 2-liter, inline, four-cylinder engine that's in the hatchback.Suzuki's smallest car, the Aerio, was dropped after the 2007 model year.passenger Accord now has more safety features, including anti-whiplash front-seat head restraints. And four-cylinder and V-6 engines provide more power than before.In fact, the Accord's new, 3.5-liter V-6 is the most powerful in any Honda vehicle, with horsepower of 268 and torque peaking at 248 foot-pounds at 5,000 rpm. Yet this V-6 also works to save fuel with a new cylinder-deactivation system that lets the Accord travel on three, four or all six engine cylinders, depending on driver needs, terrain, etc.The Accord gas-electric hybrid model has been discontinued.Elsewhere at Honda, the Odyssey minivan styling is refreshed and the V-6 engine cylinder deactivation system is upgraded.The 2008 S2000 roadster gets a lighter-weight, racetrack-oriented CR model that comes standard with a removable aluminum roof substituting for the cloth soft top that's on other S2000s.Also in 2008, Honda's Civic line adds a factory-prepared Civic MUGEN Si Sedan with a sporty, lowered suspension, forged aluminum wheels, aero styling package and a sport-tuned exhaust system. MUGEN performance products have been available in Japan, but this is the first official MUGEN car for Americans. Only 1,000 will be sold.Also this year, the Civic line introduces a leather package for the first time on both sedans and coupes.Suzuki adds a sedan version of its small SX4 in 2008, following the introduction of the SX4 five-door, all-wheel-drive model last year. But the sedan will be offered in front-wheel-drive only. It's powered by the same 143-hp, 2-liter, inline, four-cylinder engine that's in the hatchback.Suzuki's smallest car, the Aerio, was dropped after the 2007 model year.passenger Accord now has more safety features, including anti-whiplash front-seat head restraints. And four-cylinder and V-6 engines provide more power than before.