2026 Buick Enclave Reviews, Pricing & Specs

As with all Buicks, the Enclave shares a lot of its running gear and underpinnings with other General Motors vehicles—in this case the Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Acadia. The Enclave has a completely different personality, though, with graceful lines on the outside and a more inviting cabin that matches Buick's entry-level luxury positioning.

A swooping hood and delicately narrow accent lights give the Enclave a fairly streamlined look for an SUV, while an oversized grille dominates the front fascia. These styling features also tie the Enclave to its smaller siblings, the Envision, Encore GX, and Envista. The Buick Enclave Sport Touring trim we evaluated has a glossy black grille, while other Enclave trims have a silvery metallic finish. In lighter paint shades, the black grille can seem a bit overbearing, while the silver grille with darker paint has the same effect.

From the side and back, the Enclave has a tidy design, with little to distinguish itself from other SUVs. From those angles, it blends into traffic with generic subtlety, and that's not entirely a bad thing. With the exception of the large grille, we equate the Enclave's exterior styling to a well-fitting gray suit. It's not particularly exciting, favoring quiet refinement instead.

That personality carries over into the interior, with a classy horizontal dashboard accented by a thoroughly modern curved digital display that gracefully arcs from the driver's side to the center. Materials quality is noticeably nicer than the Traverse, with fewer hard plastic elements and more soft-touch surfaces. Some of the driver ergonomics may seem a bit off with the dashboard mounted somewhat low in the cabin. It gave us the impression that we were sitting too high, even though the seat was set to its lowest position. Seeing most of the top of the dashboard was also unusual, and we prefer a more conventional placement to put the screen closer to the driver's sightlines.

Among other entry-level luxury brands, the Enclave's cabin is as appealing as Acura's MDX, which in turn is better than the Lexus TX. Non-luxury SUVs such as the Toyota Grand Highlander, Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride deliver a similarly upscale experience in their higher trim levels, with only a few minor sacrifices. Stepping up to the top Avenir trim adds premium leather upholstery and upgraded ambient lighting, which could give it a slight advantage in the class.

All 2026 Buick Enclave models are powered by a 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that produces 328 horsepower and 326 pound-feet of torque. It's paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission with standard front-wheel drive (FWD). Our test vehicle came with the all-wheel drive (AWD) system that’s optional on all trims.

The Enclave should accelerate to 60 mph in just over 7 seconds, which is about average for the class. From the driver’s seat, it feels slower than these specs suggest because of the rather dull transmission response and the loud and raspy engine noises when driven hard. It's far from inspiring and requires you to floor the pedal when overtaking slower traffic, but this is also somewhat expected from a midsize SUV.

The brakes are predictable, instill confidence, and are easy to modulate to bring the Enclave to a limo-like stop. The suspension is tuned to favor ride quality over handling, which is also typical for the class. Bumps in the road surface are smoothed over as well as its rivals, though some are more composed in the curves. The outlier remains the Acura MDX that performs on a higher level, both in terms of power and cornering. The top Buick Enclave Avenir trim upgrades to adaptive dampers, which have the potential to improve both handling and comfort.

On our journey into the mountains, manual shifting of the automatic gearbox comes in handy to keep it from hunting for gears when ascending, as well as to select lower gears when descending to avoid cooking your brakes. Unlike almost any other vehicle we've driven, you can't simply tap the steering wheel-mounted shift paddles, though. You first have to tap a cryptic gear icon on the steering wheel to activate those paddles, and if you shift out of drive, you'll have to reactivate that button.

Once up to highway speeds, the cabin remains pleasantly quiet, with only a hint of road noise. On coarser asphalt surfaces, the tires can get noticeably louder, but not much more than other SUVs. Overall, the Buick Enclave is merely adequate in terms of power and handling. Other SUVs may outperform it, but comfort remains a priority for most shoppers, and that's where Buick wisely concentrated its efforts. Also, even with just-adequate power, the Enclave offers a respectable 5,000-pound towing capacity, when equipped with an optional trailering package.

Unlike many other midsize three-row SUVs (including the related Chevy Traverse), the Buick Enclave is not offered with a second-row bench. Instead, it comes standard with second-row captain's chairs, limiting passenger capacity to seven. While the loss of one seat could be a deal breaker for a handful of shoppers, having a permanent central pathway to the third row could also pay dividends. Our test vehicle came equipped with the optional Power package that includes one-touch folding operation for those captain's chairs, allowing for easier, but not necessarily quicker, third-row access.

There's an abundance of space for taller passengers in the middle-row seats. Those taller than six feet should have ample headroom and legroom, even when the seats are not slid all the way rearward. The raised seat cushions also afford an expansive forward view, which should help alleviate motion sickness for more sensitive types. Tri-zone automatic climate control is standard on all Enclave models, as are dual USB-C charge ports. The lack of a center armrest is made up for with individual folding armrests on each seat and two large cupholders placed at the trailing edge of the front center console.

The third-row seats can also accommodate adult-sized passengers, though it seems five-foot-ten-inches is a sensible limit for them to be comfortable for extended periods. The seat cushions are mounted a little lower to the floor, reducing thigh support for medium to taller occupants, but maintaining a good amount of headroom. These rearmost seats remain a bit of a penalty, due to the closed in feeling from the thick roof pillars and small windows, though the available panoramic sunroof can help it feel a little less claustrophobic. Materials quality is noticeably cheaper back there, with hard plastic armrests and exposed mechanicals under the second-row seats. This is due to them technically being in the cargo area.

In regard to cargo capacity, the Enclave can hold up to 22.9 cubic feet behind the third row. That's large for the class and matched only by the Chevrolet Traverse. On its own, the space is very useful, with no obstructions or intruding wheel humps. Under the floor, its utility gains even more points with a large bin and hinged cover that stays open while loading. Convenient hooks in the bin keep your shopping bags from tipping over, too.

The Power package also includes power-folding third-row seatbacks which make for easier loading of bulkier items. The seatbacks fold flat with the cargo floor and expand the volume to 57.1 cubic feet. The second row can also be stowed from the cargo area, creating the maximum-available 97.5 cubic feet of cargo space. A hands-free power liftgate is also standard equipment on all Enclaves.

For smaller personal items, the Enclave's front seats provide ample storage. Moving the gear selector to the steering column opened up more space on the center console for the wireless charging pad and larger cupholders. The center armrest bin is also large and deep, and for even larger objects, there's a giant tray under the suspended center console. The door pockets are average in size and can hold medium-sized water bottles.

The 2026 Buick Enclave literally puts its technology front and center with a bold 30-inch curved digital display that houses both the instrument panel and the infotainment touchscreen. It runs on a Google Built-in operating system with standard wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Other standard features include a wireless charging pad, a WiFi hotspot, and a 12-speaker Bose audio system.

The infotainment system gets high marks for its sharp and modern graphics, as well as for its quick response. Some climate controls are anchored to the bottom of the touchscreen, but the main functions get physical buttons just below the display. These allow for quicker, less distracting adjustments that can be made while wearing gloves. The instrument panel displays all the useful information drivers need, while the steering wheel rim can sometimes hide some secondary items. The Power package also adds a large head-up display that further reduces the need to glance toward the screens.

Voice commands are handled by an Amazon Alexa system and can perform the typical audio, phone, and navigation functions with natural speech patterns. It can also adjust the temperature and make suggestions for services or shops in your area. The standard Bose audio system lacked some punch in the lower registers, but had decent clarity with higher notes. If audio quality is important to you, we'd suggest checking out the top Avenir trim and its 16-speaker system. As with the rest of the Enclave, the tech isn’t particularly impressive, but we give it points for ease of use and thoughtful interfaces.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has not published full crash test results for this third Enclave generation, but the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) awarded it the top score of "Good" in all crashworthiness evaluations. It also went further and named the Enclave a Top Safety Pick+ for the 2025 calendar year, the Institute's highest honor. As of this writing, the only other SUV in the class to earn this award is the Mazda CX-90.

Standard driver assistance and safety features include: forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, a blind-spot monitor with rear cross-traffic alert and steering intervention, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, reverse automatic braking, and a surround-view camera system. In our time with the Enclave, these features all functioned without false alarms or glitches. The optional Power package adds a digital rearview mirror and a head-up display, but one of the most noteworthy features is GM's SuperCruise.

SuperCruise allows for hands-free automated highway driving on select roads. These routes must be vetted by GM technicians, have limited intersections with no traffic signals, and be sufficiently mapped. Once activated, a prominent green light illuminates the top section of the steering wheel, and the driver can then take their hands off the wheel and feet off the pedals. They do have to keep their eyes on the road, and if their attention lapses or if driving conditions change, the steering wheel lights up red and gives the driver time to take over driving duties. SuperCruise is one of the better automated driving systems on the market and can greatly reduce driver fatigue on long road trips. The $3,670 price tag may be a bit too much for some shoppers to justify, though.

The 2026 Buick Enclave has a starting manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) of $48,095 (including a $1,895 destination fee) for the entry-level Preferred trim. The Sport Touring model we drove starts at $51,595, but we don't think that price increase is justified since it only adds some minor aesthetic changes. With optional AWD, Iridescent White paint, sunroof, and Power and SuperCruise packages, the as-tested price shot up to $62,075, which outpaces the top Avenir trim's starting price of $61,495.

For the money, we think it makes more sense to stick with a well-optioned Enclave Preferred or skip to the pricey Avenir that further benefits from adaptive dampers, premium leather seats, ventilated and massaging front seats, and other niceties.

EPA fuel-economy ratings for the 2026 Enclave max out at 22 mpg in combined driving (20/25 mpg city/highway) with FWD. Opting for AWD barely affects efficiency, as it's still rated at 21 mpg combined (20/24 mpg city/highway). Those ratings are in line with other midsize SUVs in the class, including the Honda Pilot and Hyundai Palisade.

In recent years, however, hybrid powertrains have been adopted in the space, increasing both power and fuel economy. At the high end, the Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid is estimated at an impressive 36 mpg combined, and the Hyundai Palisade Hybrid at 34 mpg combined. These hybrids will cost more than non-hybrid models at the time of purchase, but can make up for it over time with fuel savings.