We Actually Don't Think The Buick Enclave Is Awful And Here's Why

Just hear us out this one time.

The Buick Enclave is not that popular of a car to buy. With somany much better competitors like the large array of SUVs from Mercedes-Benz,Audi and BMW, most people wouldn’t even give the Enclave a second glance.However, (and hear us out) the Buick Enclave is not as bad as you mightthink. Let’s start off with the powertrain. The Enclave has a 3.6-liter V6engine that creates around 280 horsepower and around 270 lb-ft of torque. That doesn’tsound that much but when you’re driving around the city, 280 hp is more thanenough.

Also, because of its engine and transmission, it gets around 17/24 mpg city and highway, respectively, which is pretty good for a car that can weigh up to 5,000 pounds when fully loaded. The exterior is hit-or-miss but if you want a luxurious, good-looking seven-seater SUV that doesn’t cost so much money, the $39,000 Buick Enclave is a rather handsome car. As for luxury, the interior is really well done. Everything in the car is either leather or wood and the plastics are not as dreadful as you get on a Toyota Corolla or Honda Accord. It’s actually on the level of BMW and Audi. The infotainment system is way better than what you get on the Cadillac SRX, too.

On the Cadillac, everything was touch-sensitive so trying to use it while looking at the road is a bit tricky. However, the Buick Enclave’s infotainment system has knobs and buttons. They’re not as high-quality as what you get on the equivalent German SUVs but they are comfortable and easy to use. The steering wheel is very simple. These days, almost all cars have a ridiculous number of buttons on the steering wheel so it can be very clunky and/or difficult to understand at first glance. The steering wheel on the Enclave doesn’t have many buttons but it has enough to make driving comfortable while not making you feel cluttered. Your hands won't be confused and that's a good thing.

Overall, the interior is nicely laid out and the finish is not as bad as you might think. The rest of the package is well-trimmed and it’s a rather handsome car. We’re curious as to why there aren't many more Buicks on the road, especially the Enclave.