Yahoo Autos 2025 Buick Enclave Is a Big, Cushy Family Cruiser
The year is 1999. You're a midlevel manager at Staples shopping for a sensible new sedan, something as comfortable as the La-Z-Boy in your living room. It's fine if its design is vanilla because that's also your favorite ice cream. You realize the nearest Buick dealership is a one-stop shop for automobiles matching that description. They're fancier than the alternatives in a Chevrolet showroom but not ritzy enough to encroach on Cadillac's luxury domain. Fast-forward 25 years and Buick still fills the same space in the General Motors hierarchy and remains committed to prioritizing comfort over athleticism. However, it stopped selling sedans in the United States after the 2020 model year to go all in on SUVs. Within the past two years, Buick has revitalized its entire lineup, and the latest model to receive a makeover is the new Buick Enclave, which enters its third generation for 2025.
A Better Buick
Compared with its predecessor, the redesigned mid-size three-row Enclave takes on a more traditional SUV shape. Not only is it bigger and boxier than before, but the old model's droopy mug has been replaced with a handsome face inspired by Buick's Wildcat concept. The look is defined by pointy LED accents above actual headlamps, and there's a gaping trapezoidal grille with specific mesh for each of the Enclave's three trim levels: Preferred, Sport Touring (ST), and Avenir. Buick applies the same styling and trim strategy to the smaller Envista, Encore GX, and Envision. The new Enclave's arrival also means that every model now wears the brand's revised tri-shield logo.
The biggest Buick also introduces a standard power liftgate that automatically opens in your presence, provided you have the key in your pocket and wait for the three beeps that precede the hatch opening. It's a clever alternative to systems that require the embarrassing act of blindly swinging your foot under the rear bumper while trying to balance whatever is holding your hands hostage. The addition of Super Cruise is another hands-free solution, and the Enclave is the first Buick to offer GM's SAE Level 2 automated drive tech. It's arguably the best one out there right now, with steadfast lane-centering behavior and natural reactions in stop-and-go traffic. Super Cruise can automatically change lanes too and now works on some non-divided highways. It's available on every Enclave model for $3255 (Preferred, Sport Touring) to $3730 (Avenir, which adds a rear camera mirror), and that includes three years of service.
Comfort over Sport
To further emphasize its bigness, this is the first Enclave with factory 22-inch wheels, which are standard on the top-spec Avenir and available on the other two trims. The huge rollers didn't disrupt the Avenir's smooth and tranquil ride during our time behind the wheel, but the suspension's floaty nature and the steering's anesthetized feel made it clear that quiet comfort is Buick's biggest priority here. That philosophy extends to the entire Enclave lineup too, with every model benefitting from extensive sound-deadening measures such as acoustic laminated glass, triple-sealed doors, and more absorbent materials throughout. It's something that helps separate the Buick from its platform-mate, the redesigned Chevy Traverse, which admittedly has a more utilitarian mission.
Along with a 120.9-inch wheelbase, the new Buick Enclave shares a powertrain with the Traverse and the other beneficiary of GM's latest mid-size-SUV makeover, the GMC Acadia. All three utilize GM's new turbocharged 2.5-liter inline-four that's good for 328 horsepower and 326 pound-feet of torque. The turbo four replaces the old 310-hp 3.6-liter V-6 that was paired with a nine-speed automatic, an inoffensive setup that sent an all-wheel-drive 2022 Enclave Avenir to 60 mph in a respectable 6.5 seconds. With the more powerful engine and a new eight-speed automatic, the Enclave should have similar straight-line speed.
We don't expect most Buick owners to stomp on the go pedal from a dead stop, but those who do will get a sizable dose of torque steer. Even without a wide-open throttle, the Enclave's downsized mill sounded a lot coarser than the venerable V-6, subtracting from the SUV's otherwise peaceful disposition. At least the four-pot brings better fuel-economy estimates, with the front-drive model's EPA combined figure rising from 21 to 23 mpg and the all-wheel-drive models, which cost $2000 more, going from 20 to 21 mpg.
Avenir Impresses
We split our limited drive time between the Avenir and ST trims. The latter rode on smaller 20-inch wheels suspended by standard passive dampers. Buick says they provide better ride isolation than last year's base suspension, but they're not as sophisticated as the Avenir's upgraded adaptive units. While we didn't feel an obvious difference in how the two trims handled and rode, it was very clear that the Avenir is the only Enclave that truly provides a taste of luxury beyond ride quality.
We were especially impressed with the Avenir's exclusive Cool Gray/Slate Blue interior that includes quilted leather seats in all three rows. The second-row captain's chairs are adjustable enough to make the third row comfortable for adults, but the front seats are proper thrones equipped with heated, ventilated, and massaging cushions. The Avenir's interior décor also includes tasteful gold trim that traces the floating center console and door armrests. Attractive speaker grilles are part of the 16-speaker Bose sound system. A power-adjustable steering column, dynamic ambient interior lighting, and animated exterior lights are upscale Avenir-only features.
Despite all this high-level luxury stuff, the Avenir doesn't price itself out of contention. The top-shelf Enclave starts at $59,395, which is only $500 more than last year. That's also about the same as a Lexus TX350 Luxury and roughly $10K less than an Acura MDX A-Spec Advance or a Genesis GV80 2.5T Prestige.
Even though they miss out on the fanciest features and prettiest interior bits, the Enclave's lower trims are still appropriately cushy and well equipped. Every version comes with a curved 30-inch display that dominates the dashboard. While it houses too many functions we wish could be accessed via physical buttons (seat heating and ventilation, lane-keep assist, the light switch, among others), the screen responded quickly to touch inputs and offers user-friendly configurations such as the ability to display the navigation map in multiple ways. The unintuitive push-button shifter is replaced with a column-mounted lever, another ergonomic win.
Unfortunately, we wish Buicks—and GM models in general—with Google built-in software were better at integrating Apple CarPlay and Android Auto mirroring, as they don't fill the screen space. The same goes for the camera views that don't take advantage of this newfound digital real estate. And when it comes to maximizing space, we're surprised that even though the Enclave is about an inch wider and taller and nearly three inches longer than before, its rear cargo room has shrunk. Buick says the space behind the third row has decreased from 24 to 23 cubic feet, while the previous 58 cubes behind the second row are now down to 57.
Full Circle
The year is 2024. You're a small business owner shopping for a mid-size three-row SUV, something that's roomy enough for the whole family yet snazzy enough to say, "I can afford a more expensive vehicle, but I don't want to be ostentatious." It must look handsome, with a relaxing ride and a smorgasbord of tech features as top priorities. You realize the 2025 Buick Enclave is a great fit and can choose between the Preferred starting at $46,395 or the sportier-looking ST starting at $48,795. Heck, maybe you'll treat yourself and splurge on the Avenir. Whichever you pick, the Enclave is a big, cushy cruiser like Buicks of yore. They're just a little higher off the ground now.
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