Buick Enclave Vs Toyota Highlander: Which Three-Row SUV Is Right For You ?

During the early rise of the sport utility vehicle group in the United States, it was predominantly minivan and station wagon owners who were making the switch to the SUVs, as those were the drivers who needed the most interior space.

As time went on, the industry saw sedan buyers make the move to the roomier, more functional SUVs and with that shift, every automaker went pretty much all-in on sport utility vehicles and crossovers. As a result, the sub-segments are packed with options from just about every major brand, ranging from tiny crossovers that are based on small car chassis platforms to old school SUVs that are still rolling on full-sized truck platforms.

In the middle of those two, we have the three-row SUV segment, which is one of the most popular in the North American market. A long-time leader in this segment is the Toyota Highlander, which has gotten progressively larger over the past two decades, transforming from what looked like a large station wagon to a large crossover that doesn’t look like a big, looming people-mover. On the other hand, the Buick Enclave has had the same basic shape since coming to market back in 2008, offering a premium feel and loads of interior space without the price of a luxury brand. The Buick historically hasn’t sold as well as the Toyota, but while Highlander buyers get the legendary durability and value of the Toyota brand, Enclave owners get a luxury feel with a bargain price.

If you are shopping for a new three-row SUV and you are considering the Toyota Highlander against the Buick Enclave, there are many factors to consider. Below, we have broken down every key area of the two SUVs, highlighting which leads in which categories.

The Buick Enclave and Toyota Highlander both three-row SUVs, but there are some pretty significant differences in cabin space. Most notably, the Buick is only offered with captain’s chairs in the second row and a bench in the third row, so the Enclave seats seven. On the other hand, the Toyota can be equipped with either two buckets seats or a three-person split bench in the second row, so the Highlander can seat up to eight passengers with the proper seating layout. There are also some key differences in interior space, giving each vehicle some unique advantages.

Enclave: The driver and front passenger of the Buick Enclave get 41 inches (1,041 mm) of headroom, 41.2 inches (1,046 mm) of legroom, 62.4 inches (1,585 mm) of shoulder room, and 59.1 inches (1,501 mm) of hip room. In the second row, passengers have 39.9 inches (1,013 mm) of headroom, 38.9 inches (988 mm) of legroom, 61.7 inches (1,567 mm) of shoulder room, and 57.7 inches (1,465 mm) of hip room. In the third row, there is 37.6 inches (955 mm) worth of headroom, 33.5 inches (851 mm) of legroom, 57.3 inches (1,455 mm) of shoulder room, and 48.5 inches (1,232 mm) of hip room.

Highlander: The front two seats of the Toyota Highlander offer 38.4 inches (975 mm) of headroom, 42 inches (1,067 mm) of legroom, 59 inches (1,499 mm) of shoulder room, and 57.2 inches (1,453 mm) of hip room. In the second tow, passengers get 37.1 inches (942 mm) of headroom, 41 inches (1,041 mm) of legroom, 58.4 inches (1,483 mm) of shoulder room, and 57 inches (1,448 mm) of hip room. Finally, the third row of the Highlander offers 36.1 inches (917 mm) of headroom, 27.7 inches (704 mm) of legroom, 55 inches (1,397 mm) of shoulder room, and 45.6 inches (1,158 mm) of hip room.

Bottom Line: If your key concern with the interior is headroom or shoulder room, the Buick Enclave has a decisive advantage in every row, offering quite a bit more space in each category. However, if legroom is your concern, especially for the driver and passenger, the Highlander has the advantage, but all-in-all, the Enclave offers more space for passengers.

The spacious cabins of the Buick Enclave and Toyota Highlander offer lots of room for passengers, but when you aren’t hauling a carload of people, you can fold the seats down for varying levels of cargo space. Also, with the optional towing package, both of these SUVs will pull an average trailer.

Enclave: The Buick Enclave offers 97.6 cu-ft (2,762 liters) of cargo space behind the front seats when both the second and third rows are folded down. With the second-row seats in their upright position, the Enclave offers 58 cu-ft (1,641 liters) of space and with the third-row seats in use, there is still a cargo space of 23.6 cu-ft (668 liters).
The Enclave with the towing package will tow up to 5,000 pounds, which is enough to pull a small travel trailer, a jet ski or other smaller recreational trailers.

Highlander: The Toyota Highlander offers 84.3 cu-ft (2,386 liters) of cargo space behind the front seats, 48.4 cu-ft (1,370 liters) behind the second row of seats, and 16 cu-ft (453 liters) with all three rows of seats in their upright position.

Like the Enclave, the Highlander will tow up to 5,000 pounds, so it will handle the same basic trailer jobs.

Bottom Line: If cargo space is a key concern, the Buick Enclave offers a fairly substantial advantage with every possible seating configuration while also towing just as much as the Highlander.

When sport-utility vehicles first came to market, they were little more than work trucks with extra seating, so luxury features simply weren’t available. However, with SUVs becoming the most popular option among most types of drivers, today’s vehicles are packed with premium features. All of that interior space leads to plenty of room for technology and both of these vehicles offer all of the most popular interior gadgetry.

Enclave: The Buick Enclave Preferred comes standard with cloth upholstery on the front buckets, the second row captain’s chairs, and the third row 60/40 split-bench seat. The front seats are heated and feature eight-way power adjustment for the driver and six-way adjustment for the passenger. The Essence, Premier, and Avenir all come with perforated leather upholstery while Premier and Avenir also feature cooled front seats, heated second row seats, and a power-folding third row bench. The Buick lineup focused on affordable luxury and that is reflected in the “base model” Enclave Preferred.

The base Enclave comes with a 4.2-inch Driver Information Center screen, Active Noise Cancellation, a six-speaker audio system, an 8.0-inch infotainment screen, cruise control, power door locks, power windows, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, keyless access and start, a leather-wrapped steering wheel with infotainment system controls, rear climate controls, a remote panic alarm, a tri-zone automatic climate control system and the Universal Home Remote. The Enclave Preferred is also 4G LTE WiFi hotspot capable and Buick Connected Access capable.

The Essence trim level adds SiriusXM with 360L while the Premium models include a 120-volt power outlet, an automatic heated steering wheel, the Bose premium 10-speaker system, the Memory Package, a power tilt, and telescoping steering column, HD Radio and heated, power-folding exterior mirrors. Finally, the top-of-the-line Avenir trim level adds real wood accents on the steering wheel, the navigation, a wireless charging pad, a power dual moonroof, an 8-inch Driver Information Center screen, and a Rear Camera Mirror with HD Surround Vision.

Highlander: The Toyota Highlander comes standard in L and LE trim with cloth seats, featuring an eight-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, a 4-way manual adjustable passenger’s seat, a 60/40 folding and reclining second row bench seat, and a 60/40 folding and reclining third row bench seat. When you step up to the XLE and XSE models, the cloth is replaced by SofTex, the driver’s seat offers 10-way power adjustment, the passenger’s seat offers 4-way power adjustment and the second row bench seat is replaced by a pair of captain’s chairs. Limited and Platinum models feature leather seating surfaces with front seats that are heated and cooled, with 10-way power adjust for the driver and 4-way power adjust for the passenger. These premium models also come standard with the second row captain’s chairs and the 60/40 split-bench in the third row, but they are all leather-wrapped and in Platinum models, the second row seats are heated as well.

The Toyota Highlander comes with a long list of standard interior features, even on the entry-level L models. This includes power windows, power locks, three-zone automatic climate control, a tilt/telescoping steering wheel with controls for all of the key interior functions, a 4.2-inch LCD information screen in the gauge cluster, an integrated backup camera with a projected path, five USB ports, two 12-volt power outlets, and an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple Carplay, Android Auto and Amazon Alexa connectivity and a six-speaker sound system. When you step up to the Highlander LE, you also get a leather-trimmed shift knob and steering wheel in addition to all of the features of the L models. Highlander XLE and XSE add wireless smartphone charging, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, and a 7.0-inch LCD information screen in the gauge cluster.

The Limited models gain a heated steering wheel, a backup camera with dynamic guidelines, a 120-volt power outlet, the Driver Easy Speak system, and Toyota’s premium audio system, featuring navigation and an 11-speaker JBL sound system. Finally, the Highlander Platinum adds a digital rearview mirror, a 10-inch color head-up display a 360-degree exterior camera system, and a 12.3-inch infotainment screen mated to the 11-speaker JBL sound system.

Bottom Line: The Buick Enclave has the advantage here, offering more standard technology and more standard premium features on more models. The Highlander offers a solid spread of interior gadgets, but you get more premium features and they are available on more trim levels with the Buick. If you want the most technology inside, the Enclave is the better choice here.

The Buick Enclave and Toyota Highlander both rely on a similar drivetrain layout, featuring a naturally aspirated V6 engine and buyer’s choice of either front- or all-wheel-drive.

Enclave: The Buick Enclave comes standard with the 3.6-liter V6, offering 310 horsepower and 266 lb-ft of torque. That engine is mated to a 9-speed automatic transmission and the front-wheel-drive is standard on all models. The Essence, Premier, and Avenir models can all be fitted with all-wheel-drive as well.

Highlander: The Toyota Highlander is powered by a 3.5-liter V6 that delivers 295 horsepower and 263 lb-ft of torque with an eight-speed automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive is standard with all trim levels, but all-wheel-drive is optional on every new Highlander.

Bottom Line: Both of these SUVs offer front- or all-wheel-drive, but the Buick V6 has the edge in both horsepower and torque. If power and performance are a key concern in your quest for a new three-row SUVs, the Enclave has the edge over the Toyota Highlander.

With the Buick Enclave and Toyota Highlander being three-row SUVs on the larger side of the sport ute spectrum, they are not the most fuel-friendly vehicles on the market, but they both turn in respectable EPA ratings.

Enclave: The Buick Enclave with the front-wheel-drive configuration is rated at 18 mpg (13.0 L/100 km) around town, 26 (9.1L/100 km) on the highway, and 21 (11.2 L/100 km) combined. When you add all-wheel-drive, those numbers dip to 17 mpg (13.6L/100 km) around town, 25 (9.6 L/100 km) on the highway, and 20 mpg (11.8 L/100 km) combined.

Highlander: The Toyota Highlander with front-wheel-drive is rated at 21 mpg (11.9 L/100 km) around town, 29 (8.3 L/100 km) on the highway, and 24 (10.3 L/100 km) combined. The all-wheel-drive Highlander is rated at 20 mpg (11.8 L/100 km) around town, 27 (8.6L/100 km) on the highway, and 23 (11.3 L/100 km) mpg combined across a full tank of gas.

Bottom Line: The Toyota Highlander has a big advantage over the Buick Enclave in terms of fuel economy numbers. Whether you are shopping for front-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive models, the Toyota is the big winner when it comes to miles per gallon.

While all sorts of people drive three-row SUVs like the Chevrolet Traverse and the Buick Enclave, these are among the most popular families vehicles on today’s market. When you are driving around with your family in the car, the biggest concern is safety and both of these GM SUVs come with a long list of standard features to keep your occupants and other drivers around you safer.

Enclave: The Buick Enclave Preferred comes standard with frontal airbags, driver inboard seat-mounted side-impact airbags, seat-mounted side-impact airbags, head-curtain airbags for all rows, Rear Park Assist, rear child security door locks, the StabiliTrak electronic stability control system with traction control, and the Tire Pressure Monitoring System. The Essence trim level adds Lane Change Alert with Side Blind Zone Alert and Rear Cross-Traffic Alert, Premium adds Automatic Emergency Braking, Following Distance Indicator, Forward Collision Alert, Front Pedestrian Braking, Front and Rear Park Assist, Lane Keep Assist with Lane

Departure Warning and the Safety Alert Seat. The Avenir trim level comes with all of that and the HD Surround Vision system.

Highlander: Every new Toyota Highlander comes with the Toyota Safety Sense 2.5+ system, which includes Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection, Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, Lane Departure Alert, Automatic High Beams, Lane Tracing Assist, and Road Sign Assist. Every new Highlander also comes with the Star Safety System, which includes Enhanced Vehicle Stability Control, Traction Control, Anti-lock Brakes, Electronic Brake-force Distribution, Brake Assist, and Smart Stop Technology, along with the Safety Connect system, which adds Emergency Assistance, Stolen Vehicle Locator, Roadside Assistance and Automatic Collision Notification. All models also come with the Tire Pressure Monitor System, Hill Start Assist Control, and eight airbags throughout the cabin. The only safety feature which isn’t standard on all models is Front and Rear Parking Assist with Automatic Braking, which is included on Limited and Platinum models.

In many cases, when two vehicles are as closely related as the Buick Enclave and the Chevrolet Traverse, they often look just like each other shy of badging and perhaps grille design. GM has been particularly guilty of selling multiple vehicles that were the same vehicle with different logos, but the differences between these two go far beyond the badges.

Enclave: Up front, the Buick Enclave has angular LED-trimmed headlights that flow back along the upper edge of the fenders. At the inner corners, the headlights connect to the upper grille that takes up much of the front end. There is also a smaller grille opening along the bottom of the front fascia and fog lights mounted in the vents below the headlights. The roofline tapers down as it nears the rear glass with B- and C-pillars that are painted black to create a floating roofline look. Of course, there is plenty of chrome trim from front to rear, including the chrome-clad wheels.

Highlander: The newest Toyota Highlander has a very sporty, aggressive exterior design, beginning up front with a set of sharply-angled, LED-trimmed headlights. These headlights flank a large central grille opening that extends down to the lower fascia area, with a pair of smaller vents that house the fog lights in the corners of the fascia. The Highlander also has black-painted B- and C-pillars to create the floating roof look, with just a splash of chrome around the windows and the grille. All Highlanders come with wheels that balance luxury and sportiness, with a more aggressive design on the XSE models while the Platinum models have wheels that are fit for a luxury-level model.

Bottom Line: The Buick Enclave has an exterior styling intended to fit in with the luxury crowd while the Toyota Highlander has some models that are sporty and some models that lean towards the luxury end of things. If you want an SUV that looks more like a luxury model, you want the Buick, but the Toyota has edgier, more aggressive styling that appeals to those who aren’t after the luxury look.

The Buick Enclave is a premium model with more standard and optional features, so it should come as little surprise that it costs more than the Chevrolet Traverse. When you pick a premium trim level of the Traverse, the pricing rises into the same ballpark as the Enclave, but the Chevy offers a dramatically lower entry price.

Enclave: The Buick Enclave Preferred trim level starts at $41,495 in front-drive form and all-wheel-drive is not available with this model. The first Enclave with optional all-wheel-drive is the Essence trim level, which starts at $43,495 in front-drive form, and all-wheel-drive costs $2,000 on top of that for a price of $45,495. Stepping up to the Premium trim level leads to starting prices of $49,595 and $51,795 for front- and all-wheel-drive while the top-of-the-line Avenir costs $55,295 for front-drive and $57,495 for all-wheel-drive.

Highlander: The Toyota Highlander L starts at $36,260 with front-wheel-drive or $37,860 for all-wheel-drive. The LE starts at $38,460 and $40,060 for front- or all-wheel drive, the XLE starts at $41,260 and $42,860, the XSE starts at $42,855 and $44,805, the Limited starts at $45,215 or $47,165 and the top-of-the-line Highlander Platinum starts at $48,415 for front-drive and $50,365 with all-wheel-drive.

Bottom Line: If you are focused on spending the least amount of money on your new three-row SUV, the Toyota Highlander has a big advantage over the Buick Enclave. The Buick comes with more premium content across more trim levels, leading to a higher price point at every step.

In the battle between the Buick Enclave and the Toyota Highlander, the Buick has a clear advantage in almost every category. The Enclave has more passenger space, more cargo space, more power and more interior technology, leading to a much more substantial SUV. The downside is that the Buick costs quite a bit more than the Highlander, which also gets far better fuel economy. If you are looking to save money at the dealership and at the gas station, the Highlander is your better option. If you are more concerned about content and features without much concern for price, the Buick is the big winner here.

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