2025 Buick Enclave First Drive Review: A New Enclave For A New Era

The 2025 Buick Enclave is all-new this yr, marking the third era of the flagship automobile for the model. This three-row SUV sits simply above the two-row Envision, with seating for seven in a roomy and splendid inside with a variety of three well-equipped trims. This consists of the Avenir, which is a sub-brand within the Buick steady that provides an much more premium expertise.

Additionally new this yr is the out there Tremendous Cruise hands-free driving, which makes its first look in a Buick. There’s additionally a brand new 30-inch display for the instrument cluster and infotainment. Styling on the Enclave is up to date inside and outside, together with being longer, wider, and taller than the earlier era. Moreover, there’s a brand new turbocharged engine as a regular function. CarBuzz had the chance to take a look at the Enclave at a First Drive occasion in Portland, Oregon. Here is what we realized.

First Drive occasions present our preliminary impressions of a automobile in a restricted atmosphere beneath sure time constraints. Regulate CarBuzz for our complete Take a look at Drive evaluate which can observe quickly.

Inside: A Lovely And Upscale Design

Buick is a premium model, and it exhibits off an opulent, eye-catching inside in all three trims. Even the bottom trim within the Enclave is something however primary, with premium touches together with a heated entrance row, ambient lighting, and a 12-speaker Bose audio system. Step as much as the highest Avenir and the expertise consists of 16-speaker Bose audio, massaging entrance seats, and quilted leather-based embroidered with the Avenir emblem.

There’s no scarcity of comfort options, from an abundance of cupholders to charging ports that make the Enclave an amazing automobile for household street journeys. It’s spacious with loads of room to get comfy and normal second-row captain’s chairs that everybody will love. They’re extra comfy than a bench seat and assist make accessing the third row simpler.

It’s a sublime design that’s open and ethereal with a lot of gentle and loads of space for storing. There’s 22.9 cubic toes behind the primary row, 57.1 cubic toes behind the second row, and 97.5 cubic toes behind the primary row together with a tow score of as much as 5,000 kilos. It additionally has a lot of room for smaller objects, together with loads of area beneath the floating middle console for the belongings you want on the prepared.

Expertise: A Single Massive Show Display

The tech setup in a automobile is a key a part of what makes it look trendy or dated. Screens that had been thought-about giant only a few years in the past now look small and lackluster. The Enclave avoids that concern with a single 30-inch show to deal with each the instrument cluster and infotainment display. This ultra-wide show makes the Enclave really feel tech-savvy, and it actually is with wi-fi charging, wi-fi Apple CarPlay, and wi-fi Android Auto. Properly-organized menus make it simple to seek out what you want, so you will not be looking by way of countless menus to seek out what you want.

The Enclave additionally has seven normal digital camera views with as much as 9 out there for drivers to know the place the automobile is in relation to the world round you. That may sound like overkill, however it is a giant automobile. Having a view of the place that curb is in relation to your tire or with the ability to see that your rear bumper is perilously near a low brick wall is priceless in a big SUV.

Driver Help: Tremendous Cruise Fingers-Free Driving Continues To Impress

Automakers have a wide range of hands-free driver help techniques that each one do the job, however they don’t seem to be created equal. The Tremendous Cruise system utilized in GM automobiles continues to be among the finest choices. It really works effectively, and it clearly communicates when it’s out there by way of a lighted part of the steering wheel. This function is accessible for the primary time on a Buick with the Enclave, and it’s out there on all three trims, so that you don’t need to go all the way in which as much as the Avenir for this selection.

What makes it so good is that it not solely steers the automobile and manages the throttle, however that it does so in a method that appears like a human is doing the work. Taking your palms off the wheel is a bit scary at first, because it’s not how we had been all taught to drive, however the system rapidly proves itself reliable. The motive force can chill out and oversee the method quite than being anxious and worrying if it’s doing the job proper.

Exterior: Three Distinctive Trim Ranges

The outside of the Enclave exhibits off a very new design impressed by the Wildcat EV idea that features the brand new tri-shield Buick badge on the hood and the liftgate. There’s additionally what Buick calls checkmark-style LED headlights up entrance and LED taillamps that stretch throughout the width of the liftgate within the again. They elevated the dimensions of this yr’s Enclave, too, making it longer, wider, and taller. It appears extra spectacular and its three new grille designs, starting from chrome to black, add to its presence.

There are additionally placing wheel choices. These embody 20-inch alloy wheels in Medium Android, 20-inch machine-faced wheels with Excessive Gloss Black inserts, and 22-inch Pearl Nickle wheels for the luxurious Avenir. These modifications mixed are important and provides the Enclave a extra interesting, extra trendy look that catches the attention with out being brash or screaming for consideration.

Energy: A New Turbocharged Engine

The complete Enclave lineup now has a 2.5-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine with 328 horsepower and 326 lb-ft of torque. That is paired to an eight-speed automated transmission with a selection of front-wheel or all-wheel drive on all three trims. It is fairly a leap in each horsepower and torque from the outgoing engine – and that is noticeable, particularly beneath arduous acceleration.

EPA-estimated gas financial system is 20/27/23 MPG metropolis/excessive/mixed for front-wheel drive trims. These numbers drop barely to 19/24/21 with all-wheel drive, that are nonetheless respectable figures for a automobile of this measurement. Core rivals just like the Infiniti QX60 make barely much less energy (though the 2024 QX60 has a V6) which earns comparable EPA rankings; the identical goes for the Acura MDX.

Driving Impressions: A Easy Household Cruiser

The Enclave has a responsive engine that makes merging into high-speed visitors simple. The extra energy supplied by this new engine helps create a extra partaking driving expertise. Dealing with is crisp, although that is nonetheless a big SUV and once in a while there’s a little bit of physique roll.

The highest Avenir trim consists of steady damping management (CDC), which smooths out the trip. It adjusts the damping at every wheel, in order the street floor modifications, fewer of these modifications are one thing passengers will discover. Total, the trip, regardless of the trim, is quiet and well-mannered with a minimal of street and wind noise. Buick isn’t a luxurious model, however it’s premium, and the Enclave’s driving manners mirror that premium mindset.

Pricing and Verdict: Three Trims, All With Loads of Options

There are three distinct trims of the Buick Enclave with an rising variety of options as you progress as much as the highest Avenir. Even in its base trim, nevertheless, it is a gorgeous and properly outfitted SUV. Lovely inside supplies mixed with a sublime design guarantee it’s a heat and welcoming expertise regardless of the trim degree.

The lineup begins with the Most popular FWD at $45,000, not together with $1,395 vacation spot, with a small enhance to the Sport Touring. The Avenir taking a giant leap to $58,000; AWD prices extra on all trims. There’s a distinction in each the dealing with and the inside with the Avenir, however it comes at fairly a value enhance that makes the Sport Touring a stronger worth proposition.

The 2025 Buick Enclave completes a refresh of the complete lineup with each mannequin up to date inside the final 17 months. It’s a good way to cap issues off with updates that give Buick’s flagship the options, design, and dealing with of a premium model with lovely interiors and a calming, responsive trip.