2018 Buick Enclave vs. 2018 Honda Pilot: Which Is Best?

2018 Honda Pilot vs 2018 Buick Enclave

Both the Buick Enclave and Honda Pilot are well-regarded mid-size SUV crossovers that share many traits. But at this juncture, they are a bit like ships passing in the night. The Buick Enclave was completely renewed for 2018, while the Honda Pilot was last redesigned for 2016. That means the current Pilot is due to be revamped again soon while the Enclave you buy today should continue to look contemporary for several years into the future.

Both Enclave and Pilot have collected positive owner response by research organizations who gather that data. Previous model-year Enclaves scored above average in the most recent Initial Quality and Vehicle Dependability studies from J.D. Power. Despite Honda’s reputation for quality, the Pilot was rated only average in those same studies. In contrast, Consumer Reports gave the Pilot a “recommended” rating but didn’t give that rating to the Enclave.

Handsome Exteriors

The Honda Pilot is an attractive vehicle, but it is beginning to show its age. In contrast, the Buick Enclave’s 2018 redesign makes it one of the best-looking mid-size crossovers available. Gone is much of the Buick stuffiness, replaced by a sleeker, slimmer vehicle. The redesigned Enclave sports a lower roofline, swept-back windshield angle and longer wheelbase resembling the previous version after diet and exercise. It makes extensive use of LEDs, including bi-functional LED projector headlamps and LED tail lights.

The Pilot has standard LED taillights, too. It can also be equipped with LED projector headlights, LED daytime running lights, 20-inch wheels, and a panoramic glass roof. The Pilot has no answer for the Enclave’s upscale Avenir version, which provides an exclusive three-dimensional mesh grille with chrome “wings,” 20-inch pearl nickel finished wheels, and five premium exterior colors.

Buick Enclave

Photo by Buick

Classy Interiors

Some observers have called the interior of the Honda Pilot that best interior in any Honda-brand vehicle ever. Certainly, the Pilot’s interior has an upscale look that is absent from some other Honda products. The interior offers wood trim and soft-touch materials that convey luxury. Its heated and ventilated front seats, heated steering wheel, and heated second-row seats were leading-edge amenities when the vehicle was introduced, but now others have caught up. The Enclave interior features high-quality, soft-touch materials and a handsome design.

The Pilot can be configured to seat eight. The Enclave offers accommodations for seven passengers with two front bucket seats, two second-row captains chairs, and a three-person third-row bench. The right seat in the second row has a pitch-slide feature that allows access to the third row even with a forward-facing child seat installed.

Buick Enclave

Photo by Buick

Upscale Infotainment

Despite the fact the Pilot is due for a makeover, it fares better than you’d expect in the infotainment sweepstakes. It features an 8-inch touchscreen with an available navigation system. Smartphone connectivity is good, and the navigation system has clear graphics. A 9-inch rear entertainment system with DVD capability is available for those of you who still remember what DVDs are.

The Enclave counters with an 8-inch infotainment screen that integrates Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It includes six USB ports — two for infotainment and four for charging. An easy-to-use navigation system is standard on the top-line Avenir trim and available on other models. Buick also has an advantage with its standard OnStar 4G LTE with Wi-Fi hotspot and five years of OnStar. It offers a high-end Bose 10-speaker audio system, too.

Buick Enclave

Photo by General Motors

High-Tech Powertrains

The powertrains offered in Buick Enclave and Honda Pilot are remarkably similar, despite their disparate origins. The Enclave has a 3.6-liter V6 engine that delivers 310 horsepower and a nine-speed automatic transmission. The Pilot uses a 280-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 with cylinder-deactivation technology. In lower-trims the engine is mated to a six-speed automatic transmission, while up-level versions have a nine-speed automatic.

In base trim, Enclave and Pilot are front-drive vehicles, but all-wheel-drive is available. The Enclave offers two all-wheel-drive systems — a conventional system for its Essence trim level and a more sophisticated one featuring active twin-clutch rear differential and switchable AWD on uplevel models. The Pilot counters with Intelligent VTM4 that distributes torque between the front and rear axles and between the left and right rear wheels.

 Honda Pilot

Photo by Honda

Cargo and Towing

The Honda Pilot is one of the biggest mid-size crossovers, and its versatile interior will hold an enormous amount of cargo. With both rear rows folded, it offers 83.9 cubic feet of cargo volume. That number shrinks to a still-robust 46.8 cubic feet with the second-row seat in use. And even with all three rows occupied, the Pilot has a very impressive 16.5 cubic feet of luggage space.

Big as the Pilot seems, the Enclave is even more spacious. With both rear rows folded it has 97.6 cubic feet of cargo volume. There's also 58 cubic feet with the second-row seating in use, and a cavernous 23.6 cubic feet of luggage space behind the third row. Maximum towing capacity for both the Enclave and Pilot is 5,000 pounds when properly equipped with all-wheel drive.

Buick Enclave

Photo by Honda

Safety and Driver Aids

When it comes to electronic driver aids and safety equipment, both the Buick Enclave and Honda Pilot offer impressive arrays. Safety equipment available on the Enclave in a series of packages includes a lane-change alert with a side blind-zone alert, a rear cross-traffic alert, lane-keeping assist with a lane-departure warning, safety seat alert, park assist, forward-collision alert, low-speed forward automatic braking, a following distance indicator, and automatic headlights. On the top-level Avenir model, adaptive cruise control with stop/go and front automatic braking are also available. 

The Pilot offers Honda Sensing, which includes LaneWatch, a blind spot information system, collision-mitigation automatic braking, a lane-departure warning, a forward-collision warning, lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, road departure mitigation, and a rear cross-traffic monitor.

Buick Enclave

Photo by General Motors

Driving impressions

Neither the Honda Pilot nor the Buick Enclave should be your first choice for a blast down a canyon road. Instead, each vehicle is very well-suited for the type of driving it will typically be used for — carting kids to softball practice, picking up supplies at the big-box store, and the occasional family vacation. Both have ample power and offer a smooth, comfortable ride.

The Pilot is slightly sportier than the Enclave, but the Buick, complete with active noise cancellation, is quieter. Or should we say it seems quieter? Both will offer second-row passengers good accommodations. The third rows are reasonable for children.

Honda Pilot

Photo by Honda

Trim Levels

The Buick Enclave is available in four trim levels — Preferred, Essence, Premium, and Avenir. Even the Preferred is well-equipped, and the top-level Avenir is treated as nearly a separate model. The Enclave Avenir includes an exclusive grille, 20-inch six-spoke wheels with a pearl nickel finish, and other appearance items, plus heated steering wheel and heated second-row seats. The Technology Package available on Avenir includes adaptive cruise control, front automatic braking, and continuously variable damping.

The Honda Pilot is offered in five trims. The base LX includes auto up/down windows, cruise control, push-button start, and an array of safety gear. The all-in Elite trim level brings the complete Honda Sensing safety array plus creature comforts like a rear-seat entertainment system, heated and cooled seats, and a 540-watt audio system with 10 speakers including a subwoofer.

Tie

Photo by Honda

Pricing and Value

The Pilot spans a broad price range, while the Enclave starts at a significantly higher price point and spans a similar range. The price-leading Pilot LX trim level has an MSRP of $30,990 while the all-in top-of-the-line Elite has an MSRP of $47,470. At that price, the Elite has just about every bit of equipment you can get on a Pilot.

The Enclave has a higher base price, and its range extends well beyond that of the Pilot. The base Enclave is $39,995, and the line-leading Avenir version is $55,800. The Avenir is exceptionally well-equipped, but options will shoot the price up to about $60,000 or so. Discounting the prestige of the Buick brand and the all-new status of the Enclave, the Honda Pilot is the better value. But in this comparison, it is impossible to make a bad choice.

Honda Pilot

Photo by Honda