The 2025 Buick Enclave starts its third generation with another growth spurt, also dramatically different styling, a new powertrain, and a modernized interior.
| What’s Good: 30-inch curved display rests atop of the dashboard. Comfortable, massaging seats. Nicely isolated cabin from the cacophony of the outside world. | What Could Improve: So so fuel economy in today’s hybrid heavy world. Large enough to make tighter parking spaces a little bit of a challenge. | My Conclusion: A great toy for the off-High quality, refined feel from the flagship model of the brand. A nice, quiet cruiser, with Super Cruise available as an option. |
OVERVIEW
The 2025 Buick Enclave grew again for its third generation, now nearly as long as the current Mercedes-Benz S580. Increasing its size allowed plenty of canvas for a completely different look, inspired by the Wildcat EV concept. Of the three trims offered, this top-of-the-line Avenir gets the most equipment, but even the base, Preferred trim, offers an expansive 30-inch screen inside and heated front seats. The Sport Touring trim rests in the middle.
Deciding on Buick’s large, three-row, crossover SUV will cost at least $46,395. That gets you a front-wheel-drive Buick Enclave Preferred. Stepping up to an Avenir, jumps the price up 13K to $59,395. And adding all-wheel-drive adds another $2000. All of the above prices include the $1395 destination charge. For the money, you get a comfortable, spacious, and quiet crossover.
goodbye v-6
Buick ditched the 3.6-liter V-6 with its 310 HP and 266 lb.-ft and swapped in a turbocharged 2.5-liter inline-four that pumps out a healthy 328 HP and 326 lb.-ft of torque. It’s a healthy jump in torque, certainly, and a bit of a power boost as well. But you do lose the linear power buildup of a naturally aspirated engine.
That said, Buick tuned this engine well. You don’t feel any significant turbo lag; you do feel good pull throughout the rev range. The robust torque compliments the horsepower peak nicely. The 2.5-liter never feels stressed to pull around this more than 4700 lb. crossover SUV.
Some may miss the V-6, but I bet the idea of a four-cylinder bothers them more than the actual performance of this engine. It performs well.
Drivetrain
Buick bolted up an eight-speed automatic transmission to transfer the 2.5-liter power to the front or all four wheels of the Enclave. It shifts quickly, smoothly, and offers a reasonably wide ratio range to allow decent launches from rest and a nice low engine speed while cruising. A slightly higher ratio for the first gear would help it feel a little snappier off the line, but otherwise, it’s a gem.
If you get all-wheel-drive, Buick makes it push-of-a-button easy to turn on or off. On the dash, to the left of a steering wheel rests a simple AWD button, right next to the electric park brake and drive mode switch. The Enclave defaults to front wheel drive, push the button, wait a couple seconds, and the engine sends power to all four wheels. I really lovely that simplicity and control.
Considering the size of the Enclave—and the lack of hybrid help—the all-wheel-drive Enclave delivers respectable fuel economy: 19 mpg in the city, 24 on the highway, 21 combined. If you get a front-wheel-drive version that improves to 20 mpg in the city, 27 on the highway, 23 combined.
Chassis
The large, front-engine, front-wheel drive platform that Buick built the Enclave from gets a perfectly reasonable, four-wheel-independent suspension that easily absorbs all sorts of road imperfections thrown your way. If anything, engineers tuned it too comfortable, as the body rolls into corners fairly heavily and takes a moment to settle down after a series of bumps.
With the Avenir trim, you can alleviate that problem simply by switching to the sport driving mode, as it’s the only trim that includes adaptive shock absorbs. They firm up enough to control the body better, yet still feel plenty compliant to me. You also get snow/ice and off-road modes, for good measure.
On the other hand, the Enclave controls noise entering the cabin extremely well. Equipped with acoustic glass on the windshield and both front side windows, in addition to large amounts of sound deadening material, the Enclave feels Mercedes-Benz quiet inside. Couple that with the $3730 Cruise Control Package, and you have a quiet, low stress highway cruiser. It’s brilliant.
Details and Inside
Now measuring 207.6 inches long nose-to-tail, the Enclave provides cavernous space inside. The third row remains a bit cramped for adults, but not catastrophic for short trips. Children will find it plenty spacious and appreciate the cupholder and usb ports available to them.
Second and first row seats, conversely, offer plenty of space and comfort for adults. In the Avenir, Buick even adds seat heating for the second row. You also get your own climate control zone and cupholders and usb ports. Adults could comfortably travel for hours back in that row.
Up front, of course, provides the most space and comfort. Avenir Enclaves offer heated, ventilated, and massaging seats up front. Moreover, the driver keeps hands toasty on the heated steering wheel. The top trim also delivers audio from a 16-speaker Bose system. Though, to be fair, Preferred and Sport Touring Enclaves still get a 12-speaker Bose system. You even get soothing ambient light for night drives.
All trims also make use of a 30-inch curved display that handles both instrument cluster and center display duties. And that system houses legit technology. You get wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. You also get Google built-in, which includes Maps, Play, and Assistant systems. Not to mention the several cameras to get a surround view of what’s immediately around your Enclave, even one to use as a rearview mirror, in case cargo blocks your mirror’s view.
Speaking of, the Enclave swallows up to 98 cubic feet worth of stuff, if you fold the second and third rows down. Even if you need to carry four folks, 57 cubic feet awaits all of their luggage and accoutrements they want to come with. Even when loaded up with people, the Enclave leaves 23 cubic feet of room for stuff.
in conclusion
Buick’s third-generation Enclave looks more refined than before. The brand made good use of its Wildcat EV concept to modernize its product’s styling. Even better, the interior offers a lot of luxury, both new and old school, to offer passengers a sense of comfort. Critically, that comfort continues on the road, thanks to excellent cabin isolation and a well-behaved powertrain.
If you have space for such a large machine in your life, Buick offers quite a lot of good inside that space.
I also wrote about the Buick Enclave for Gear Junkie.
COMPETITORS
Acura MDX
Ford Explorer
Lexus TX
SPECIFICATIONS
2025 Buick Enclave Avenir: 4-door, 7-seat, crossover SUV
Base price: $59,395 (includes destination charge)
Price as Tested: $65,125
Powertrain: turbocharged 2.5-liter I-4
Peak Power: 328 horsepower at 5500 rpm
Peak Torque: 326 lb.-ft at 3500 rpm
Transmission: eight-speed automatic transmission
Drive: all-wheel-drive
Fuel Economy in MPG and range
19 city
24 highway
21 combined
Driving range: 407 miles
Dimensions
Length: 207.6 inches
Width: 79.6 inches
Height: 71.0 inches
Wheelbase: 120.9 inches
Weights and Capacities
Curb weight: 4713 lbs.
Interior volume: 157 cu ft
Cargo volume (behind 3rd/2nd/1st rows): 23/57/98 cu ft
Calculated weight to power (lbs./HP): 14.4:1
Mfr’s claimed 0-60 mph: NA seconds
Mfr’s claimed Top Speed: NA mph
Government classified size: Standard Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD
Options: Super Cruise Package, $3730; all-wheel-drive system, $2000
2024 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro 4×4 Double Cab: 4-door, 5-seat, truck
Base price: $65,395 (includes destination charge)
Price as Tested: $65,869
