2021 Buick Enclave

The Buick Enclave is offered in four trims starting at $41,195 is the base variant named Preferred and the top end fully loaded Avenir trim is priced at $54,995.The base model itself sufficiently equipped and is suitable for a daily driver or to drive along well, however, the top trims are just even better as they are the most loaded with the features relating to safety and driving assists.

Which Trim should you buy?

Most of the driver safety aids are available only on the top-end trims but it tends to get very expensive for most buyers. Therefore, opting for the 2021 Buick Enclave Essence model with the AWD drivetrain and getting the necessary features via the options package makes for a more sensible option. This keeps the price down and offers more value to your money. 

The Buick Enclave is powered by a 3.6L V6 engine that churns out a good 310 hp and a strong 233 nm torque. The Enclave accelerates the fastest from 0-60 and also is the fastest on a quarter-mile, however, the top speed is 120mph. This is a great saying as it does get really really intoxicating to put the power down on the road while driving such a huge car is a really great feeling.

The Travers and the Enclave share all the mechanical components but the traverse accelerates slower yet has a better top speed. The Mazda and the Subaru have smaller engines and two cylinders less but still are as fast as the Traverse while putting out less horsepower.

How well does the Buick Enclave handle?

The Enclave is a car that prioritizes Comfort over dynamics, that being said this car is not the best handling one while cornering at high speeds as there will be excess body roll. The option of a twin-clutch AWD helps dampen that a bit better and more stable. The feedback from the steering, brakes and the suspension is just great.

Maybe the car might not be as precise as a Porsche, or as fun as the Mazda but this is a car that sets a standard for all big road-going cars with that sweet feedback and feeling from the steering wheel the suspensions to react properly to the road’s surface and makes you feel what you are driving on while keeping you comfortable.

 2021 Buick Enclave Braking Performance

The Buick Enclave is built as a family car from the ground up and as mentioned in the handling the feedback from the brakes is just great. There is no fuss with the braking having to be too good or too bad but has a sweet spot for the road. The feedback from the brakes is said to be a really good point of this car and it does prove to be, the car makes the most use of the brakes it has been given and makes them work really well

The Subaru is just astonishing with its braking prowess, it is clearly the heaviest car here and yet stops earliest thanks to the 13-inch brake rotors in the front and rear. It has the largest brakes out of the four here. The Buick’s braking could have been made better as the Traverse and cx-9 to perform better comparing these side by side makes the Buick look terrible.

The Buick Enclave is a big car and uses a big V6 engine too, none of this sum up to efficiency. Though this was built as a family car from the ground up this is not friendly to the family in terms of thirst and we can see that. In fact, we all know any car with a v6 engine is not very efficient but this is a tad bit worse than the other v6 engines.

The Buick could have been called hopeless if the traverse was not here to match those mileage figures the Ascent returns the most mileage and the CX-9 closely follows it, these to have smaller engines but the Mazda produces power a bit close to the Buick and faster and the Subaru is the same case too.

The Buick Enclave seems to be unchanged from the previous model except for the addition of a few new features across the trims and a few driver assists for the top two trims. The Enclave this year is a bit simple yet has a flavor of luxury and makes us feel good when inside it.

The Chevrolet Traverse and the Subaru Ascent can seat 8 members and carry more goods, both these cars offer the highest cargo space and have a lot of space inside. The Mazda is the smallest in terms of interior measurements, offering the least amount of cargo space at 53.1” the Mazda is not too practical or helpful to haul luggage as well and the best way to carry adequate cargo is folding down seats and limiting the passenger capacity. The other features of the interior are:

• multi-level heating driver seat, height-adjustable driver seat, 8 -way power driver seat
• Automatic dual-zone front air conditioning with separate controls for the rear
• Illuminated passenger and driver vanity mirror
• Day/Night auto-dimming rearview mirror
• Leather dashboard

What’s there to keep you entertained?

The new feature for 2021 is the IntelliLink Infotainment system from GM it has an 8’ responsive touchscreen with a bright and good screen quality. This has all the basic features like USB ports and charging ports in the top trim. This also has Android Auto and Apple CarPlay 4G LTE WiFi hotspot, etc. the base trim is given a six-speaker system but the higher-end models are treated with Bose audio systems.

Some of the highlights are:

• Bluetooth
• 4G LTE WiFi hotspot
• Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• SiriusXM Radio
• HD Radio
• 10-speaker Bose premium audio system

This is a big family car that can accommodate 7 and be comfortable and so will have big dimensions. This car does not look too flashy or gaudy when put in comparison to the rivals but does manage to make its own statement. The lines and the curves of the car appear to be well done and the ar is given a premium feel while it is at a much lesser price point than that. It can be said to be one of the best and modern looking cars among its competition.

The Subaru is the heaviest while the Traverse seems to have bigger dimensions than the Buick, the Ascent is the tallest car here standing at 71.6 inches while the Buick is just 49.9 inches. The Cx-9 will handle well thanks to its short wheelbase and has the most ground clearance. The highlight features of the exterior would be:

• Panoramic moonroof
• Chrome handles
• Galvanized steel Body
• Dual Stainless-steel Exhaust
• Chrome Exhaust tip
• Chrome exhaust pipe.

The Buick Enclave is at its safest in the top trims, but that does not mean the lower trims lack safety. The top trims are feature-loaded. Buick to tackle some serious competition for the enclave and one of them is from within the family. The three other cars are very well proven for safety and the Subaru’s braking is top class. The Buick had the most terrible braking performance in the competition. This is a place where the honor can be reclaimed.

• Electronic Traction Control
• Adaptive Cruise Control
• Lane Assist
• StabiliTrak -Electronic Traction Control
• Enhanced Automatic Emergency Braking
• Surround View Camera System
• Safety Seat Alert

2021 Buick Enclave vs Chevrolet Traverse

There is not much to differentiate between the Enclave and the Traverse. Both cars are the same and from GM. They share all the mechanical components but differ only in how they look even though they have the same dimensions.

2021 Buick Enclave vs Mazda CX-9

The Mazda is the only car that nears the acceleration of the Buick but while the Enclave is more of comfort the CX-9 is a bit inclined towards fun. Yet, The downside remains the car’s weight and the power that Enclave bests the Mazda here and offers more space too. The Mazda is a fun car and there is no denying that but is at the same time very less practical and the word make do will aptly suit this car well.

2021 Buick Enclave vs Subaru Ascent

The Ascent just puts the Enclave to shame by blitzing them all in the braking performance while the Enclave proves its superiority everywhere else. The Subaru is very well the heavy car here and though affordable this is not always the most practical car. especially when there is a need for power but there isn’t any. 

The Buick Enclave is a very respectable buy. The car is a premium offering at a very low price point both comfortable and practical. The thirst for traveling in luxury can be well satisfied by this. There is body roll in case of violent turnings because of the soft suspension setup to travel in comfort and style.