2025 Buick Enclave vs 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander

The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander was a standout in Toyota's lineup of crossovers and SUVs, offering a range of options from all-gas to hybrid-powered models. Built on the TNGA-K platform, it shared its underpinnings with the regular Highlander, RAV4, Sienna, and Camry, distinguishing itself from the body-on-frame Sequoia. With a length of 5,115 millimetres and a wheelbase of 2,950 mm, it was larger than competitors like the Kia Telluride, providing a spacious interior. Its design, inspired by rugged vehicles, featured a blockier style with a trapezoidal grille and narrow headlights, reminiscent of the 4Runner. The Grand Highlander was available in three trims: XLE, Limited, and Platinum, with interior options ranging from black Softex synthetic leather to real leather in higher trims. It offered a comfortable and well-built interior, making it an excellent choice for road trips.

The 2025 Buick Enclave, on the other hand, presented a bold and modern appearance, drawing inspiration from the Envista with its sharp design elements. It featured slim DRLs, a large angular grille, and a high beltline, giving it a more refined look compared to its predecessor. The Enclave's interior exuded a premium feel with a floating centre console and a large curved display, reminiscent of electric vehicles. The Sport Touring trim offered perforated leatherette seats with contrast piping, while the Avenir trim boasted a panoramic power sunroof as standard. The Enclave's design and interior features aimed to provide a luxurious and comfortable experience for its occupants.

The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander offered three engine options, starting with a 2.4-litre turbo four-cylinder engine producing 265 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque. For those prioritizing fuel efficiency, a 2.5-litre four-cylinder hybrid option delivered 245 combined net horsepower and 177 pound-feet of torque. The top-tier Hybrid Max powertrain combined a 2.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine with electric motors, generating 362 horsepower and 400 combined net pound-feet of torque. All powertrains came with all-wheel drive in Canada. While not a sports car, the Hybrid Max provided impressive acceleration with a zero-to-60 time of 6.3 seconds. The Grand Highlander offered three drive modes—Sport, Eco, and Normal—with additional off-road modes for gas-only and Hybrid Max models.

The 2025 Buick Enclave featured a single powerplant: a turbocharged 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine producing 328 horsepower and 326 pound-feet of torque. Power was delivered through an eight-speed automatic transmission to standard all-wheel drive in Canada. The Enclave's fuel efficiency was rated at 12.3 litres per 100 kilometres in the city, 9.9 on the highway, and 11.2 combined. It could tow up to 2,268 kilograms when properly equipped. The Enclave's driving dynamics reflected its size, with a loose steering feel at slower speeds. Active Noise Cancellation was standard, reducing road and engine noise, although the engine tended to be loud and revved more than expected.

The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander stood out with its generous dimensions, measuring over 5 metres in length and boasting a 2,950 mm wheelbase. This translated to ample interior space, surpassing rivals like the Ford Explorer and Kia Telluride. The Grand Highlander offered a total cargo capacity of 2,761 litres, with 1,640 litres behind the second-row seats and 583 litres with all three rows up. Its spacious interior provided excellent headroom, legroom, and shoulder room, ensuring comfort for passengers in all rows.

The 2025 Buick Enclave offered a well-appointed interior with eight-way power adjustability for the driver's seat and six-way for the front passenger's seat. Captain's chairs in the second row allowed for a seven-person maximum capacity. The Enclave Avenir trim featured heated second-row seats and ventilation for the front row, along with a two-position memory feature. Tri-zone climate control was standard, and the power-folding third-row seats provided flexibility for cargo space. The Enclave's AutoSense liftgate opened to reveal 648 litres of cargo space with all seats in place, expanding to 1,617 litres with the third row folded and 2,761 litres with both rear rows folded.

The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander came equipped with a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system, offering a visually stunning interface. An intelligent assistant, activated by saying "Hey Toyota," was available through a connected-services subscription, allowing voice commands for tasks like adjusting temperature and changing radio stations. The system included cloud-based navigation and 24/7 live agent assistance. Standard features included dual-device Bluetooth connectivity, wireless Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto. The Grand Highlander Limited and Platinum trims featured an 11-speaker JBL stereo, providing a balanced audio experience.

The 2025 Buick Enclave showcased its premium positioning with a 30-inch ultrawide touchscreen, integrating the infotainment display and digital gauge cluster. While seamless most of the time, smartphone projection interrupted the cohesive display. A 12-speaker Bose Premium audio system was standard, with the Avenir trim offering a 16-speaker Bose Performance system. Wireless charging, wireless Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto were standard, along with Google Built-In for native apps like Google Maps and Google Assistant. The Enclave also offered Wi-Fi hotspot capability and wired charging with USB ports in each row.

The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander had not yet been crash-tested by the NHTSA or IIHS, but it came equipped with Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 (TSS 3.0) as standard. This suite included automatic emergency braking, lane-departure alert with steering assist, lane-tracing assist, automatic high beams, road-sign recognition, and blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert. The Platinum grade offered traffic jam assist and a head-up display. Adaptive cruise control was standard, with four following-distance settings.

The 2025 Buick Enclave prioritized safety with a comprehensive suite of advanced driver-assistance tech. Newly standard features included blind-zone steering assist, intersection automatic emergency braking, traffic-sign recognition, lane-keep assist, and lane-departure warning. HD Surround Vision with seven selectable camera views was standard, with an option to increase to nine views. Adaptive cruise control was standard, and a head-up display was available for all trims. The Enclave also featured GM's Teen Driver technology and Super Cruise, GM's highway hands-free driving technology, available on all trims. The 2025 Enclave had not yet been rated by the IIHS or NHTSA, but the 2024 model received favourable ratings in most tests.