2019 Buick Enclave Road Test and Review

Picture your ideal luxury car. What's at the top of your list? Cutting-edge technology? Rich interior materials? Or enough room for a big family and everyone’s stuff?

If you fall into the latter camp, you’re the target audience for the 2019 Buick Enclave. This plus-size seven-passenger crossover offers class-leading passenger and cargo space along with a smooth ride, a quiet cabin, and upscale styling. And with prices starting at $40,000, Buick doesn’t charge you full-size money for full-size interior volume. Keep reading to see if the Enclave is the right fit for you.

All Buick models feature gentle curves rather than the hard edges and other sporty details that are in vogue among today’s luxury cars. The current generation, which debuted in 2018, modernized the Enclave’s design without radically changing it. Buick simplified some details for a cleaner, more elegant overall design.

We especially like what Buick did with the Enclave’s rear end. The old model had little design flair in the back, where the dominant element was chrome trim surrounding the taillights. Everything fits together beautifully now, with the taillights integrating with the license-plate surround, and the rear windshield connecting artfully to the side windows. The styling revisions cement the Enclave’s status as a premium car, and it looks nothing like its less expensive Chevrolet Traverse cousin.

Like its exterior, the Enclave’s interior features an elegantly curved design that’s attractive and modern. The tested Avenir model sports a two-tone dashboard and rich-looking “chestnut” brown upholstery. And unlike many luxury cars, controls are simple and user-friendly, and the 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system supports Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone integration.

That said, some luxury buyers will wish for more dazzle. While the Enclave’s dashboard design is upscale, some trim pieces are more like what you’d expect to find in the Chevrolet Traverse. That’s not to say it’s bad; but if you’re used to Audis or Volvos, you might expect every cabin surface to look and feel great, every button or stalk to operate with perfect precision, and the infotainment screen to have stunning graphics and standout features. In contrast, the Enclave can look and feel more ordinary than some premium crossovers.

The most impressive thing about the Enclave’s interior is that there is so much of it. It’s tough to find so much room in anything short of a van, especially in the premium segment. Sure, you could get a Lincoln Navigator, but it's bulkier to drive and costs $73,000. Few of the Enclave’s closest peers offer its comfortable seven-passenger seating capacity.

Up front, the Enclave’s chairs themselves aren’t as amazing as some luxury crossovers’, but they’re unquestionably comfortable and spacious, and heating and cooling for the front seats are available. A high center console helps keep the driver feeling cozy even in a huge vehicle like the Enclave. The second row comes only with a pair of captain’s chairs, which also are spacious and comfortable, while the three-person third row offers acceptable legroom even for adults — a rarity in this class.

Buick calls the 2019 Enclave a midsize crossover, but at 204 inches in length, it covers more ground than a Cadillac Escalade SUV. We already saw how this size pays off for passengers, but perhaps it's even more significant for cargo.

You see, most crossovers have limited cargo room when the third-row seat is in use, which means you may need to keep the seat folded much of the time. That’s not the case in the Enclave, which boasts 24 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third row. That best-in-class figure represents three times the volume in competitors from Lexus and Land Rover, and more room than you’d find behind even the second row of some small crossovers. The Enclave’s cargo-volume dominance continues as you start to fold the rear seats. It has 58 cubic feet of cargo space behind the second row, and 98 cubic feet behind the front seats. No luxury crossover comes close — and even the Escalade trails the big Buick’s volume.

Many modern luxury cars aim to provide a sporty driving experience, using high-performance dynamics to distinguish themselves from cheaper vehicles. The Enclave instead focuses on muffling the outside world with an active noise-cancellation system and laminated window glass. Yet the overall experience is more Chevy Traverse than Audi Q7. That is to say, you won't find the unflappable high-speed solidity that characterizes the European luxury vehicles. And while the Enclave is respectably agile for its size, it's not sporty. 

Every Enclave uses a 310-hp 3.6-liter V6 engine that provides smooth, effortless acceleration without striving to raise your pulse rate. The nine-speed automatic transmission shifts smoothly, but some critics have found the electronic gear selector to be needlessly frustrating. The Enclave achieves respectable EPA fuel economy ratings of 18 mpg in the city, 26 mpg on the highway, and 20 mpg overall with the standard front-wheel drive, and 1 mpg less with all-wheel drive, using affordable regular gasoline.

The 2019 Enclave has the lowest base price in the three-row premium crossover segment: $40,000 exactly. However, unlike the competition, the base Preferred model comes with cloth upholstery instead of leather, so most buyers likely will upgrade to the $42,000 Essence. Buick also sells the Premium ($48,100) and Avenir ($53,500). All-wheel drive costs about $2,000 extra.

The Enclave is available with all the high-end luxury features you’d expect at these prices, such as heated and cooled front seats, a power-folding third-row seat, a navigation system, and a full complement of advanced safety tech. However, some items that are standard equipment on the competition are available exclusively on high-end Enclave models. The Buick can be a strong value among premium crossovers — but only if you’re flexible about certain features, such as adaptive cruise control or automatic emergency braking, which aren’t available for less than $56,000. Note that Buick regularly offers generous discounts off the sticker price.

The Enclave earned a top crash-test score of five stars from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety hasn’t yet evaluated the current Enclave generation, but the GMC Acadia — a smaller mechanical cousin to the Enclave — earned high ratings, which makes us optimistic about how the Enclave would perform.

As we mentioned, the Enclave is available with the full range of advanced accident-avoidance technology. By that, we mean blind-spot monitoring with a rear cross-traffic alert, a lane-departure warning with automatic steering assistance, and a forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking and pedestrian-detection capability. However, while all or most of these features are standard on many competitors (and even a growing number of mainstream vehicles), some are restricted to the top Enclave Avenir model. However, Buick does provide some unusual goodies: a “Safety Alert Seat” that vibrates to warn the driver of danger, and a rear camera mirror that reduces rear blind spots by replacing the simple reflection with a video image.

The Enclave faces some strong competitors in the family-friendly premium crossover segment. Perhaps the closest are the Acura MDX, Infiniti QX60, and Volvo XC90, which also focus more on spaciousness, comfort, and value than maximum performance. Of these, the Volvo has perhaps the most all-out luxury experience, but it’s also the most expensive. The MDX has the liveliest handling, but the least cargo space. The QX60 is the roomiest of the three, but the others have more polished ride qualities and interior designs. The Enclave, meanwhile, beats them all for passenger and cargo space, but doesn’t match their widely available safety gear.

If you’re interested in the Enclave for its serene quietness more than for its extra-spacious cabin, you might also consider the new seven-passenger Lexus RX 350L. Or, families looking for a moderately fancy extra-spacious crossover can also consider the Subaru Ascent, Volkswagen Atlas, Honda Pilot, and GM’s own Chevrolet Traverse.

While the Enclave's cabin doesn't always dazzle like the best luxury cars, and while it has less mechanical precision than an Audi Q7 or BMW X5, this Buick offers a quiet, stress-free driving experience and unbeatable passenger and cargo space. Its approach of relaxed luxury may not be some buyers’ first pick — but there are plenty of sporty models for them to consider.

However, if you want more elegance than you’d get from a humble Chevy or Honda, yet you don’t want to compromise on interior volume, the 2019 Buick Enclave comfortably stands apart from every competing premium crossover.