Used 2020 Buick Enclave

#6 in Best Midsize Luxury SUVs of 2020

There’s a vehicle for virtually every niche. For example, the 2020 Buick Enclave midsize 3-row crossover SUV occupies a sparsely populated area between mainstream models such as the Honda Pilot and Mazda CX-9, and true luxury contenders like the Acura RDX, Infiniti QX60, Audi Q7 and Volvo XC90.

Top-trim versions of vehicles like the Toyota Highlander come close, while the swishest Enclave moves toward the established premium examples. Because of this, it might be an easier decision to save a few bucks or go the other way and splash out on the real deal.

Those who do buy a new Enclave will enjoy a spacious and well-stocked cabin, plenty of tech choices, a strong engine and a refined suspension. As a way to have many luxury features without paying the full luxury price, the Enclave could be a good call.

The Enclave moves in a smooth, soft and quiet manner. A refined and sophisticated multi-link independent rear suspension not only contributes to the excellent ride quality, but also endows it with the ability to take corners like a much smaller SUV.

GM’s Active Return Assist electric power steering provides useful feedback and requires less effort when bringing the wheel back to the straight-ahead position. And two optional all-wheel-drive systems bring optimum power distribution and traction.

The 3.6-liter V6 generates 310 horsepower, so there’s always sufficient muscle for passing or merging. Front-drive models feel slightly quicker off the line, thanks to the lower weight. Unless potential buyers live in the Snow Belt, the smart choice could be to pass on all-wheel drive, and save money and gas.

A less obvious but no less valid form of reassurance is the excellent outward vision, brought about by large glass areas and relatively thin pillars.

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A crossover SUV with luxury objectives has to have a great interior. The 2020 Enclave doesn’t disappoint. We’ve already mentioned how quiet it is, but other positive traits include soft-touch plastics, chrome and wood accents, and a layered dashboard of a clean, flowing design housing an 8-inch infotainment touch screen.

Between the comfortable front seats is a large center console with plenty of stowage space made possible by an electronic transmission interface using switches instead of a conventional shift lever.

The Enclave doesn’t have a bench in the second row, deploying two sumptuous captain’s chairs instead. The third row provides pleasant seating for two, but will take three if necessary.

The long wheelbase (120.9 inches between the axles) works wonders for space and ride quality, but Buick has also managed to dress the 2020 Enclave with smart styling that manages to keep the proportions elegant. LED exterior lighting and twin squared-off, chromed exhaust outlets also help to stop the Enclave from looking dowdy.

The range-topping Avenir trim comes with bigger alloy wheels and a mesh grille.

INTERIOR SPACE
Even for a midsize-crossover SUV, the Buick Enclave is especially spacious. Legroom in the second row is 38.9 inches, while cargo space behind the third seating row is 23.6 cubic feet (more than the Mazda CX-9, Honda Pilot and Toyota Highlander), expanding to a maximum of 97.6 cubic feet when rows two and three are both folded down.

QUIET TUNING
Buick’s Quiet Tuning is a combination of chassis calibration, body rigidity, laminated glass, active noise cancelation and copious amounts of sound-deadening material. The result is an impressively hushed cabin.

In Preferred trim, the entry-level 2020 Enclave still comes with many features. Such as LED headlights, 18-inch alloy wheels, keyless entry/ignition, programmable power tailgate with gesture control, tri-zone automatic climate control, universal garage-door opener, six USB ports (two per row), OnStar, Wi-Fi, and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto smartphone integration.

Standard safety equipment includes rear parking sensors, seven airbags and blind-spot monitoring. Compared with several mainstream rivals, this is a bit sparse. It’s not until the second most expensive trim when basic driver aids like forward-collision mitigation with automatic emergency braking become standard.

Any buyer who wants to go above Preferred trim will have a choice of all-wheel-drive systems. The Essence trim has the basic setup, while Premium and Avenir have a more sophisticated version.

Other options include the aforementioned Sport Touring package, navigation, upgraded Bose sound system, adaptive cruise control on higher-trim models with full-speed stop-and-go, adaptive suspension, heavy-duty cooling as part of the trailer package, and a rear-seat entertainment system.

A 310-horsepower 3.6-liter V6 is the sole engine of the 2020 Enclave lineup, linked to a 9-speed automatic transmission and driving either the front wheels (FWD) in its standard setup, or all four with the optional all-wheel-drive (AWD) system. To help save a little fuel at idling, the engine has a stop/start feature that is one of the smoother examples out there.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates combined (city and highway) fuel consumption for the front-drive version at 21 mpg; the AWD model is expected to achieve 20 mpg. For comparison, the Acura MDX is rated up to 23 mpg for FWD and 22 mpg for AWD and the Toyota Highlander Hybrid can manage 29 mpg combined.

The Enclave has a basic towing capacity of 1,500 pounds. This goes up to 5,000 pounds with the optional trailer towing package that includes additional cooling and other tweaks.

3.6-liter V6
310 horsepower @ 6,800 rpm
266 lb-ft of torque @ 2,800 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 18/26 mpg (FWD), 17/25 mpg (AWD)