Pros | Cons | ||
✓ Tech-forward interior | ☓ Rough sounding engine | ||
✓ Serenely quiet, comfortable cabin | ☓ (Too?) familiar interior switches | ||
✓ Attractive starting price | ☓ Not as sharp to drive as some rivals | ||
✓ More distinctive look |
Buick has been revamping its whole SUV lineup, and rounds out its changes with the new Enclave.
Usually, any of the cars we get in the TFL office to review land in one of two buckets: mainstream or luxury. As your well-established luxury options get more and more expensive, though, there’s a widening segment of near-luxury crossovers that offer up more than your typical Chevy, say, but comes in with a more attractive price tag. That’s where GM’s positioned the Buick brand over the past several years, and is really hammering that home with its entire revamped crossover lineup, from the small Encore GX and Envista all the way up the stack to this: the new 2025 Enclave.
In the brand’s all-SUV lineup, this still represents the flagship, by way of a spacious three-row family SUV. Its styling foregoes the more curvaceous (and, I’d argue, less distinctive) styling of the past for a more assertive look with lots and lots of grille. Not only does it get a new face for its third-generation, but it also gets more technology — including Super Cruise for the first time in a Buick model — and a new turbocharged four-cylinder to replace the old 3.6-liter V6.
Starting at $46,395, the 2025 Buick Enclave Preferred comes well-equipped out the gate with popular features like leatherette upholstery, a digital gauge cluster and infotainment display setup, 5G connectivity, a 12-speaker Bose audio system and the usual array of driver assistance tech you’ve come to expect on any three-row family hauler these days. Super Cruise is available across the entire Enclave lineup, but you have to get it as part of a package no matter which model you choose.
From the base trim, the Sport Touring (badged as ‘ST’) adds in some sportier accoutrements for a little bit more money, coming in at $48,795.
If you want to the most luxurious experience though, you’ll have to budget quite a bit more for the $59,395-and-up Avenir trim we’re testing here. That adds in a higher-performance Bose audio system, head-up display, power everything (including folding/unfolding the third-row seats) and even lumbar massaging front seats. Spec a couple packages like Super Cruise, and you’ll wind up with an Enclave that’ll set you back $65,125 including destination.
The exterior styling may not be for everyone, but it is certainly more distinctive than before.
As much as some folks love to hammer a point that “all modern cars look exactly the same”, I feel that sentiment actually held some water for Buick’s flagship SUV. The old Enclave isn’t an ugly car, by any stretch, but its endless curves (especially at the back) gave it almost no presence at all. GM’s been working to change that across its entire SUV range, from Buick’s smaller Encore GX and Envision siblings to even the Enclave’s cross-brand cousins, the Chevrolet Traverse and the GMC Acadia.
Some exterior styling elements from before remain, like the split daytime running light and headlight arrangement and a lot of chrome brightwork around the windows. The large and upright grille, squared-off shoulder lines and more angular rear end at least help this model stand out a bit more against the sea of competition.
The interior isn’t as polarizing…for better or worse.
Look inside the 2025 Buick Enclave, and the first things you’ll likely pick up is all the GM SUV switchgear you’ll also find on the Traverse and Acadia, among so, so many other models. While I do commend the design team for taking a more distinctive route with the exterior, it feels a little too familiar inside.
The materials on the steering wheel, center console and seats do feel satisfying enough to the touch and Buick does claim 30 diagonal inches of uninterrupted infotainment screen, but is that enough to pick the Enclave over its Chevy or GMC counterpart, let alone the competition? I’m not so sure. Keep in mind, the Google built-in infotainment system, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto support and Amazon Alexa integration are available throughout GM’s SUV lineup.
While I am on the griping side of the interior review, the 2025 Buick Enclave also picks up an irritating trend from GM’s other latest models — relegating the headlight controls to the infotainment screen. That said, the team responsible for putting this together did put the light controls where they’re easily accessible, so I’ll give it some points for that. If you’re still among the group that thinks a major control like the lights should be a physical switch (I’m right there with you), then that’ll take some getting used to, even if automakers including GM count on most people just leaving it in automatic mode and never thinking about it again.
On the up side, though, the Enclave does bring an interior that is spacious across all three rows and remarkably comfortable. Not only does this new model get thicker acoustic laminated glass, but it also gets active noise cancellation to dial out unwanted powertrain and road noise (more on the powertrain in a second). In a week of city commuting and highway trips, the Enclave proved nothing short of serene, to the point where it became one of my top contenders if comfort is your driving consideration for a new three-row crossover. Outside a seriously expensive luxury SUV, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a more stress-relaxing ride than what you get here.
If you move up into the Avenir, then you’ll naturally get all the features that’ll make the daily commute or a long road trip even better. The heated and ventilated seats are nice for all seasons, while you do also get the lumbar massage. It’s not as nice as the more luxurious cars that give you more of a full-body pattern, but if you’re spending $11,000 or more over the ST trim, it’s nice to have nonetheless.
Second-row passengers get their own climate control, as all 2025 Buick Enclave models come with a three-zone HVAC system. They also get two USB-C ports, as do the third-row passengers. For a little extra comfort, the Avenir packs heated second-row outboard seats, as well as the “Power Package” that includes a one-touch folding and sliding second row seat, as well as a power 60/40 split-folding third-row seat. (However, it’s worth noting you can get the Power Package on the other two Enclave trims as a $1,740 upgrade).
A turbocharged driving experience?
Under the hood, all 2025 Buick Enclave models get the same engine: a 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that makes 328 horsepower and 326 lb-ft of torque. Instead of the old 9-speed automatic transmission that paired up to the old 3.6-liter V6, you actually get an 8-speed unit this time around that does make the best of the available power band.
On paper, everything’s good. However, to your ear, this engine sounds rough compared to the old six-pot. That’s a trait some could argue is endemic to all four-cylinder engines, but the unrefined noise that makes its way into the cabin under acceleration felt jarring against what is, in the cruise, an incredibly quite and comfortable experience. The Enclave’s steering is reasonably light and responsive and the car brings good handling capability to the table despite being tuned on the softer side, but I do strongly recommend a decent test drive with the stereo off to see if you can put up with the engine noise long-term.
For what it’s worth, the better fuel economy from the 2.5-liter may help redress the balance in the shopping process. If you go for a front-wheel drive model, expect something in the realm of 20 city / 27 highway / 23 combined mpg, while going for all-wheel drive drops those numbers by 1-2 mpg each. That’s slightly better than the old V6, and you’ll get about the same driving range (407 miles) despite having a smaller 19.4-gallon fuel tank.
My verdict: Buy an Enclave, but not the Avenir
In all fairness, the 2025 Buick Enclave has a tremendous undertaking to stand out, just like any other crossover in the market. And it’s not an easy fight, either, as this competes in the same ether as the sharp-looking and sharp-driving Acura MDX, the more luxurious Cadillac XT6 and the equally comfortable Infiniti QX60, all within the same relative price band. When you zoom out to include more premium luxury offerings like the Audi Q7, BMW X5, Lincoln Aviator, Mercedes-Benz GLE, Volvo XC90, Genesis GV80 and Lexus RX, the fight gets tougher still.
But over the past several years, Buick has had an ace card up its sleeve for the more premium experience it offers: value. At the Preferred’s $46,395 starting price, the Enclave is significantly easier to recommend if you want a comfortable road trip cruiser. When you start talking $60,000-plus for the Avenir, though, it’s a tougher pill to swallow…even if you get plenty of goodies like the lumbar massaging seats, adaptive damping and 22-inch wheels.
The Preferred, for its part, gives you 90% of the features you want right off the bat, for far less cash. You can also upgrade the entry-level model to include more advanced features like Super Cruise (which, again, you still have to spec separately, even on the Avenir) and still come out ahead. All-wheel drive is a $2,000 option that is also available across the entire range, so you can set up your Preferred to give you all but the swankiest options and still keep your Enclave right around the $50,000 mark. You’re not going to do that with pretty much any of the luxury-focused rivals.