2025 Buick Enclave

Here’s an interesting fact: The biggest Buick you can buy today comes with the smallest, strongest engine Buick ever put in its biggest model.

That model being the 2025 Enclave – which is nearly as long an old Electra 225 from the ’70s but isn’t a sedan and does not come with a 455 cubic inch (7.5 liter) V8.

What It Is

The Enclave is a full-size/three-row crossover that’s related to the Chevy Traverse and the GMC Acadia. It’s a little nicer – and pricier – than those two, in keeping with its being a Buick and thus just shy of a Cadillac in GM’s prestige/pricing hierarchy.

It also no longer comes standard with a 3.6 liter V6 engine – as it did last year. That engine has been retired in favor of a much smaller (2.5) liter turbocharged four cylinder engine that makes 18 more horsepower (and much more torque).

Prices start at $45,000 for the Preferred trim, which is front-wheel drive. AWD can be added as an a la carte option for $2,000.

There are also Sport Touring ($47,000) and top-of-the-line Avenir ($58,000) trims, both of which also come standard with front-wheel-drive with AWD available optionally for $2,0000.

Though technically not-quite a luxury brand, this Buick can be compared with other three-row crossovers offered by luxury brands such as Audi’s Q7 and Acura’s MDX because it is similarly laid out and equipped while being much less pricey.

What’s New For 2025

The Enclave gets a major makeover for the new model (and calendar) year, including a restyled body and interior with a massive (30 inch) curved LCD touchscreen as its centerpiece – as well as a new standard engine.

GM’s SuperCruise self-driving feature is also now available.

What’s Good

New turbo four makes more power – and uses a little less gas – than previously standard V6.

This crossover’s standard 5,000 lb. tow rating is among the highest you’ll find shy of an SUV.

Larger, stronger – and roomier – than much costlier three-row luxury-brand crossovers such as the Audi Q7 ($60,500 to start) and Acura MDX ($51,200 to start).

What’s Not So Good

Standard four lacks the prestige of a six (which is still standard in the MDX).

Buick lacks the prestige of Audi and Acura.

A plethora of “driver assistance technology” is standard – meaning you can’t skip all this “assistance.”

Under The Hood

The Enclave formerly came standard with what used to be expected in a large crossover – a V6 – because you used to need at least a V6 to adequately propel a vehicle like this, which seats seven in three rows and weighs 4,537 lbs. before any of those seven people climb aboard.

For reference, a ’70s-era Buick Electra, which could seat six in two rows (because it had three-across bench seats) weighed about the same – and it came standard with a huge V8. Because how else were you going to move all that weight adequately?

Of course, V8s use a lot of gas to move all that weight – and that is one reason why big V8s are all-but-gone (exceptions include a few big SUVs and the big trucks they’re based on). A relatively big V6 also uses a relatively large amount of gas  . . .  relative to a small four. And that’s why the Enclave’s new engine is a 2.5 liter four – goosed by a turbo – in lieu of the previously standard 3.6 liter V6.

It doesn’t use that much less gas, though.

The EPA says the front-drive version will go 20 miles-per-gallon in stop-and-go “city” driving and 27 miles-per-gallon on the highway. That’s a little farther than the V6-powered ’24 Enclave could go  – 18 city, 26 highway – but it’s not a big enough difference to understand why the V6 was ditched in favor of the four. The main reason being gas “emissions” – of carbon dioxide. Here the four offers a significant compliance advantage vs. the V6 because when not under boost, the smaller four is not “emitting” as much CO2, because there is less gas filling its fewer smaller cylinders. When it  is under boost, of course, the volume of gas “emitted” increases – but that doesn’t matter insofar as compliance, which is what’s driving all this engine downsizing.

There’s also an upside – for the buyer – in that when it is under boost, the Enclave’s new turbo four makes more power than the old V6. Horsepower is up to 328 (from 310 previously) and torque is way up (to 326 ft.-lbs. vs 266 ft.-lbs. previously).

This is much more standard horsepower (and torque) than comes standard in the Audi Q7 (which comes standard with a smaller 2.0 liter four that only makes 261 horsepower) and also vs. the Acura MDX, which still comes standard with a 3.5 liter V6 but one that only makes 290 horsepower.

The Buick also out-pulls them both, with a standard 5,000 maximum tow rating, which is sufficient to handle a medium-small RV. The Audi is rated to pull 4,400 lbs. and the Acura just 3,500 lbs.

As mentioned up above, the Enclave is based on a FWD, car-type layout that’s similar to the way the Q7 and MDX are laid out. AWD is available optionally in all trims (it’s standard in the Q7 and optional in the MDX).

A new eight speed automatic transmission replaces the nine speed automatic that was previously paired with the V6 – probably because the new turbo four is a lower-RPM engine than previous V6, meaning it doesn’t need as many upshifts to keep the engine in the sweet spot of the powerband.

On The Road

The increased power of the Enclave’s new smaller engine is readily apparent, especially in stop-and-go driving. The increased torque – which is what gets a vehicle moving from rest – being responsible for that. Put in plainer terms, you get more response with less apparent effort. Last year, it was necessary to floor it to get moving quickly. Now halfway-to-the-floor will do the same – with less revving (and shifting).

But the absence of the six is also apparent – because you can hear what’s no longer there. When pressed, the turbo four sounds small, because of course it is. Four cylinder engines are by no means bad engines. But they do sound like four cylinder engines and the sound is a little incongruent with the size of this Buick.

On the other hand, it is much quicker (zero to 60 takes about 6.7 seconds) than a ’70s Buick dreadnought such as the Electra, which had an engine nearly three times as large. that had twice as many cylinders.

Power, then, is not the problem. Nor performance.

Perception may be.

Buick wants to be regarded as a luxury-vehicle brand but four cylinder engines in luxury priced vehicles are kind of like paying ribeye money to get a really good hamburger. Not that there’s anything wrong with a really good hamburger. Then again, Audi is certainly regarded as a luxury brand and most of its offerings come standard with fours that are smaller and less powerful than this Buick’s four.

There are two things that could be done to address the perception problem, though. One being to augment the sound of the four – as many other manufacturers are already doing. But there’s a cheesy feel to that sound. How about some authentic turbo whistle instead? It doesn’t need to be loud – just noticeable when the engine is under boost, as when the accelerator pedal has bee floored. That sound is both real and impressive. It could make up for the sound of the six that’s no longer there.

Being a Buick, the Enclave’s ride is tuned to be softer than the “sportier” (firmer) feel you get in luxury-sport crossovers such as the Q7 and the MDX. This being a plus, if you enjoy feeling the road less on your way to work and back.

You will read other reviews of this model that fault the Enclave for not being as adept-feeling during high-speed cornering. But that is like expecting a milkshake to help you lose weight. If you want high-speed cornering adroitness, why would you be shopping a Buick?

At The Curb

The Enclave is Buick’s largest current offering – and it’s now larger than it was last year.

The outgoing model was 204.8 inches long; the new model is 207.6 inches long. That is not quite as long as the largest (and longest) Buicks of the past, such as the Electra 225 of the ’70s – but it’s not a lot less, either.

It is also not a little bit longer than both the Audi Q7 (199.3 inches) and the Acura MDX (198.4 inches). Those two being closer to mid-sized than full-sized. The difference is most apparent when you sit in the third rows of all three of these models. The Buick’s third row has legroom sufficient to allow adults to sit back there rather than just kids.

You also get class-most cargo space: 22.9 cubic feet behind the Enclave’s third row and 97.5 cubic feet with the third and second rows stowed. The Q7 has just 14.2 cubic feet of space behind its third row and only 69.6 cubic feet of total available space. The MDX is closer, with 18.1 cubic feet of space behind its third row and 95 cubic feet total.

But it still costs $5,200 more to start than the Buick does. You pay more to get less, in other words.

Something else you get (also for less) is a truly massive curved glass, trapezoidal LCD touchscreen that encompasses both the main instrument cluster and the interface for the vehicle’s infotainment systems. It looks much less afterthoughty than the Pop Tart-looking tablets that perch on top of the center stacks of many other crossovers.

On the upside, it does look less afterthoughty.

It’s a cleaner, more integrated look. On the downside, it’s a smartphone-emulating interface that effectively requires looking at the touchscreen to be certain you’re tapping the right icon. While knobs and switches and buttons may look very 20th century, no one has yet improved upon the superior functionality of these interfaces, which can be operated by feel without needing to look.

A very good 12 speaker Bose stereo is standard; in some of the others, a very good stereo is an extra-cost option. If you want a system that’s better than very good, the top-of-the-line Avenir comes standard with a 16 speaker system.

Avenir trims also come standard with enormous (22 inch) wheels, which are more for looks than the usual sharper/quicker steering feel that one gets with tall wheels shod with short sidewall tires. Other trims come standard with 20 inch wheels but if you want the look of the ’22s, they’re available optionally.

Don’t, by the way, be fooled by the Sport Touring trim. It’s meant to look sportier – but it’s still as soft and quiet-riding as the other trims.

The Rest

While the Enclave does come standard with a 5,000 lb. max tow rating, to pull that much without voiding your warranty, you’ll need to spring for the $650 Trailering Package, which bundles heavy-duty cooling with a trailer hitch and Buick’s Hitch Guidance closed-circuit back-up camera system.

Also available is GM’s SuperCruise self-driving system ($3,730) which is similar to the AutoPilot system available in Teslas and other luxury-brand vehicles that have self-driving capability.

The Bottom Line

Maybe smaller can be better – even in something that’s pretty big.

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