2022 Buick Enclave Reviews, Pricing & Specs

Historically, Buick has taken a more conservative approach to styling, its vehicle designs marked by softer, less aggressive character lines on the outside and simple, yet functional, interiors. It was essentially a reflection of the brand's customer base, which skewed older and was more concerned with comfort and tradition than style and cutting-edge design.

Over the last 15 years, however, the General Motors near-luxury brand has completely overhauled its product portfolio, transitioning from a sedan-heavy lineup to one that currently has no traditional passenger cars at all. What seemed unthinkable just five years ago is a clear reflection of what's happening in the overall North American new-vehicle market, as SUVs continue to euthanize the traditional sedan slowly. Credit to GM, though, for acknowledging the market trend and making the decision to go all-in on SUVs, which undoubtedly was unpopular with many of its dealers and existing customers.

The Buick Enclave was a welcome breath of fresh air when it debuted for the 2008 model year, replacing the aging Rendezvous and Rainier SUVs and the Terraza minivan. The big three-row crossover SUV was a hit with auto critics and consumers alike and helped make Buick relevant again. A 2018 redesign moved the Enclave further upmarket. It currently sits atop Buick's four-SUV lineup, the largest and most expensive model in a group that includes the five-passenger Envision, Encore GX, and Encore.

As part of a mid-cycle refresh for 2022, the Enclave benefits from several exterior styling enhancements, including a new grille, front and rear fascias, headlamps and taillamps, and wheel designs. The top-of-the-line Avenir trim level gets its own unique grille, front and rear fascias, body-coloured lowers, taillamps, and 20-inch wheel design.

On the inside, the 2022 Enclave gets a restyled centre console that incorporates new push-button gears as well as upgraded materials throughout. The available heated and cooled seats for front-seat passengers up the comfort level. The Avenir trim gets the climate-controlled front seats standard, as well as heated second-row captain's chairs and unique trim and seat stitching. A split sunroof is also available.

In addition to the Avenir, the 2022 Buick Enclave comes in Essence and Premium trim levels, all nicely equipped (the base Preferred trim is discontinued for 2022). Our test vehicle was an Enclave Avenir with the optional Technology package in a beautiful, deep red Rich Garnet Metallic colour. Inside, our tester had Ebony perforated leather seats with Ebony accents that presented an attractive colour combination.

While the Avenir doesn't quite reach the luxury levels of, say, the Cadillac XT6, the look and feel of the materials are a cut above. We especially liked the Avenir-exclusive seat sew pattern and piping, which breaks up what would otherwise be a vast sea of leather and gives the seats some visual appeal and character. With heating and cooling, they were also extremely comfortable.

Buick keeps it simple in terms of its engine and transmission offerings for the Enclave. The standard (and only) powertrain is a 3.6-litre V6 engine with direct injection that works with a nine-speed automatic transmission. Power specs are 310 horsepower and 266 pound-feet of torque. In Canada, the Enclave comes standard with all-wheel drive (AWD) on all trims, while a front-wheel drive (FWD) version is not offered. The SUV's maximum towing capacity is 2,268 kilograms (5,000 pounds) when properly equipped.

Buick vehicles have a well-earned reputation for being quiet and providing a smooth ride. The Enclave undoubtedly treats all occupants to a drama-free, premium ride. Making things even better, Buick equipped our test vehicle with the optional Avenir Technology package, which, among other items, includes a premium ride suspension and continuously variable real-time chassis damping. Thanks to the suspension upgrades, our test vehicle handled and drove as nicely as any medium-large crossover SUV on the market, no matter the terrain. It soaked up the klicks on the highway, handled admirably on two-lane country roads, and smoothed out inner-city potholes with equal aplomb. Factor in Buick's QuietTuning and active noise cancellation technology, and the level of serenity in the Enclave's cabin is truly world-class, rivaling luxury vehicles costing tens of thousands more.

Something we didn't expect from this big Buick was the powertrain's level of responsiveness. While 310 hp is nothing to sneeze at, in the Enclave, it must motivate nearly 2,000 kilograms (more than 4,300 pounds), plus the added weight of up to seven occupants and their gear. Nevertheless, off-the-line acceleration was surprisingly good for a vehicle this size. The nine-speed automatic transmission also didn't miss a beat. And despite the laminated windshield glass and extra sound-deadening materials that are the hallmarks of Buick's QuietTuning technology, wide-open throttle elicited some pretty sweet engine sounds—something that caught us by surprise. It was nice to see the Buick show a little bit of personality.

We did not take the Enclave off-road, but owners won't, either. With AWD and 19 centimetres of ground clearance, however, we are confident that our tester could handle light off-road trails or wintry slop as well as the Chevrolet Traverse or GMC Acadia with which it shares a platform.

As with most midsize crossovers, ingress and egress in the Enclave are a breeze—you simply glide into and out of the seats. Visibility in all directions is excellent, owing to the Enclave's large windshield and window openings. Getting comfortable is also easy, as all 2022 Enclaves come standard with an eight-way power driver seat and six-way power front passenger seat, both heated and with power lumbar control. Tri-zone climate control and rear-seat climate controls are standard. Premium and Avenir trims feature four-way power lumbar as well as second-row heated seats.

As one of the larger SUVs in its class, passengers in all three rows of the Enclave enjoy a roomy cabin with plenty of headroom, legroom, hip room, and shoulder room. Indeed, the Enclave's third row isn't a bad place to be, even for six-footers. Without question, six full-size adults can travel comfortably in the Enclave for long stretches (adding a third rider to the back-row bench seat, however, might not go over so well). Thanks to the standard second-row captain's chairs, getting back there is easy as well. The second-row bucket seats also flip and fold for added versatility, but for the uninitiated, choosing the right lever to accomplish the desired task is a bit confusing.

The restyled centre console incorporates the new push-button transmission gears. The single row of buttons sits alongside a covered compartment housing two cupholders. While we were fortunate not to have any spills during our time with the Enclave, we wonder what might happen to the electronic shifter components (and thus the ability to shift gears) should a cup tip over and dump its contents onto the buttons, frying the circuits. One nice thing about having the flat row of buttons, however, is that it makes it easier to access the USB ports and wireless phone charging pad beneath the centre stack without having to maneuver around a gear shifter.

In addition to a spacious passenger cabin, the Enclave offers ample storage behind the third row of seats. Cargo room behind the standard hands-free liftgate with all seats up measures 668 litres—plenty of room to accommodate a full set of three rolling suitcases, which not all midsize SUVs can do. Fold the third row and you have 1,634 litres of cargo space with which to work. Fold both rows and there's a voluminous 2,758 litres. Our test vehicle featured power-folding third-row seats, which makes it even easier to access all that cargo space.

From the Enclave's driver's seat, you'll face a standard 4.2-inch driver information centre. Premium and Avenir trims get a larger, 8-inch reconfigurable version with additional capabilities. Standard on the Essence trim is an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Bluetooth, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as wireless phone charging. Premium and Avenir trims add navigation.

You can pair up to 10 devices with the Enclave’s infotainment system, with two smartphones active simultaneously. A built-in Wi-Fi hotspot can handle up to four devices up to 50 feet away from the vehicle. Pairing two smartphones went off without a hitch, and the system has a familiar, easy-to-use interface, although some of the graphics are starting to look a bit dated. Still, the system does what you expect it to and does it well.

While the standard six-speaker audio system in the Enclave Essence is adequate, the performance-enhanced 10-speaker Bose system in Premium and Avenir trims is far superior. We found ourselves wishing the system had a bit more power, though, as back-seat passengers constantly asked for us to increase the volume.

Each Enclave also comes standard with a three-month trial subscription to SiriusXM 360L. There are six USB ports in every Enclave—two in each row. The ports in the front row are for charging and data, whereas those in the second and third rows are charging-only.

Other standard fare on the Enclave includes a following-distance indicator, HD rear vision camera, and Teen Driver technology, which lets you set speed limits, geo-fencing boundaries, and limit audio system volume, all to encourage better driving behaviour. Notable available features include adaptive cruise control, head-up display, rain-sensing wipers, hitch guidance with hitch view, a digital camera rear-view mirror, and HD surround vision, all of which were standard on our Avenir test vehicle. We're big fans of adaptive cruise control in general, and the Enclave's colour head-up display has large, crystal-clear graphics that project key information on the windshield, such as adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping status, vehicle and engine speed, audio information, and more.

Perhaps the most significant updates Buick made to the Enclave for 2022 relate to the SUV's driver-assist and safety tech. In years past, many advanced safety features were only available on higher trims, some of those at yet extra cost. That changes for 2022 as the brand makes standard on all Enclaves the Buick Driver Confidence Plus package. The standard features in safety tech include automatic emergency braking, forward-collision warning with pedestrian detection, lane-change alert with blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-keep assist with lane-departure warning, rear park assist, following-distance indicator, and automatic high-beam headlights.

Other standard safety items include a Safety Alert driver's seat, a rear-seat reminder system, and an HD reversing camera. Stepping up to Premium trim nets additional features, including enhanced automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, a surround-view camera, head-up display, and rear pedestrian alert. Even with all the advanced systems on board, we experienced no false alarms during our week with the Enclave.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gives the 2022 Buick Enclave a five-star overall safety rating and four out of five stars for rollover resistance.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) gave the 2022 Enclave earned the highest-possible "Good" ratings in all but one of its crash tests: the updated side-impact test, for which the Enclave received an "Acceptable" score.

Pricing starts at a new car MSRP of $50,098 (not including the $1,900 destination charge) for base the Enclave Essence trim level. The mid-level Premium starts at $56,098, and the top Avenir models start at $61,098.

Our 2022 Buick Enclave Avenir AWD test vehicle has a base price in Canada of $61,098. The sole option—the Avenir Technology package—adds $1,895. Including destination, the total MSRP is $65,642. Now, $65K for a Buick may sound like a lot of money, but consider that the current average new-vehicle transaction price in Canada is around $45,000 and that the Enclave is the largest and, in our opinion, the best model in the brand's lineup, and it makes a little more sense. Still, for that kind of money, you can get a number of full-fledged luxury SUVs from other premium brands. That said, the "base" Enclave Essence, with all of the newly standard safety tech, can be considered a good value. You still get the excellent powertrain, premium ride and quiet cabin, three comfortable rows of seating, and a decent amount of safety and driver-assist tech for about $15K less.

According to Natural Resources Canada, the 2022 Buick Enclave returns fuel economy of 13.6 litres per 100 kilometres in city driving, 9.6 hwy, and 11.8 combined. During our week of testing, we averaged an indicated 11.6 L/100 km in mixed driving. With a fuel tank capacity of 83 litres, our maximum travel range would be just over 700 kilometres.

Buick's standard warranty of four years or 80,000 kilometres for the full vehicle and six years or 110,000 kilometres for the powertrain is roughly on par for the segment. Also, as a value-oriented brand, long-term running costs should be pretty reasonable.

Note: Images show a US model.