Refining the 3-Row SUV to Pleasant Levels: 2025 Buick Enclave Avenir Review

Taking my hands off the wheel as the Enclave works its way up to a near 80 mph cruising speed, I reach for a sip of tea and simply watch the vehicle decide to change lanes on its own as it steers around a curve. My hands remain free until it’s time to exit the interstate several miles later.

The entire cruise kept nice and quiet thanks to acoustic laminated glass on the windshield and both front door windows, not to mention the mountains of sound-deadening material stuffed throughout the cabin. I could get used to this. Buick’s largest vehicle also serves as its flagship, and the first to receive General Motors Super Cruise hands-free cruise control tech.

Replacing a 3.6L V6, engineers bolted up a turbocharged 2.5L four-cylinder under the hood. Though it loses more than a liter of displacement, horsepower rises by 18, to 328, and torque jumps significantly, from 266 to 326 pound-feet. All the muscle pulls along an over 207-inch long, nearly 80-inch wide SUV.

I happily accepted this handsome new crossover in metro Detroit to travel the suburban jungle and feel how the latest Enclave, and, to a certain extent, the Buick brand as a whole, adapts to the modern demands of family vehicles.

In short: With just three trims offered: Preferred, Sport Touring, and this top-of-the-line Avenir to choose from, the starting price of $46,395 (including the $1,395 destination charge) puts the Enclave above much of the mainstream competition. My Avenir, with all-wheel drive and the Super Cruise package, jumps the price above $65K.

Thankfully, even the Preferred trim includes a beautiful 30-inch curved display, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and heated front seats. And, every Buick rolls down the road smoothly with premium SUV levels of cabin isolation. Some may lament losing V6 power, but I do not. If you can afford the higher price, the Enclave delivers tons of space and a peaceful drive.

2025 Buick Enclave Avenir Review

New Modern Look

Buick introduced us to the Wildcat EV concept on June 1, 2022. Since then, we’ve seen it heavily influence every new Buick reveal.

The 2025 Enclave follows suit. You see it most clearly in the front fascia with squint-eyed running beams spread across either side, just under the hood line. Beneath those sit vertically mounted main beams, ready to illuminate the path with LEDs. In between them, a large trapezoid-shaped grille with chrome accents at each end. Look down and more chrome spans the bottom of a second, lower grille.

Because of the Enclave’s expanded length, the lines born from the front gently flow across the side. As your eye travels from front to back, you see subtle front and rear fender flares form, more chrome down low, and a generally ubiquitous two-box crossover SUV shape. That’s capped off by silver 22-inch wheels and tires with 45-series sidewalls.

In back, designers squared off the Enclave. Other than a bit of rake in the rear windshield, most everything comes to the edge and drops straight to the ground. The taillights run the width of the rear, with a polished metal horizontal bar just beneath it. You also get large, square twin exhaust tips that are a little ostentatious. In between them, a plastic shroud covers the class three trailer hitch.

When properly equipped, the Enclave can tow up to 5,000 pounds. 

All the Space

Inside, Buick built an interior for the Enclave with ample space for both people and things. It’s functionally efficient and visually elegant. As soon as the front door opens, you see a 30-inch curved display mounted on top of the dash that serves as both the digital instrument cluster and center display — one continuous piece of glass to display all the pertinent information while on the road. 

It’s standard on the Enclave and includes wireless Apple CarPlay and Android auto connectivity. That display also includes Google Built-in (maps, play, and assistant).

All Enclaves also get heated front seats and a heated steering wheel for the driver, too. Finally, to set the mood, passengers view a stream of ambient light that runs across the dash and doors.

If you pay for the Avenir, Buick adds ventilation and massaging to the front seats as well as heating to the second-row captain’s chairs. On the ceiling, you’ll get tons of natural light from a panoramic moonroof. Looking out the windshield, a head-up display gives you quick access to speed, etc.

But regardless of trim, you get plush, supportive seating in the first two rows, and great-for-kids seating in the third.

Behind the third row, you have 23 cubic feet of space to stash plenty of groceries. Fold it down, and you still have room for four and 57 cubic feet of space. Fold that row down and the Buick offers 98 cubic feet of real estate. Plenty of room for a mountain bike and a big selection of your favorite gear. Considering the size of the Enclave, the loading floor is relatively low and easy to access.

Sole Powertrain

Replacing the V6 of the outgoing model, a turbocharged, 2.5L inline-four-cylinder propels the Enclave, producing 328 horsepower and 326 pound-feet of torque. That’s an increase of 18 horsepower and 60 pound-feet, a noticeable bump. Beyond the turbo, the new motor uses dual overhead cams, variable valve timing, and direct injection. Yet it runs on regular gasoline.

In today’s world, however, it’s a relatively simple, old-school engine. You get no hybrid help, for example, not even a 48V, mild-hybrid system. Moreover, the turbo 2.5L bolts to an eight-speed automatic transmission that then sends power on to the front, or, if you pay an additional $2,000, all four wheels. Totally average.

But average suits me fine here. In normal daily use, the 2.5L delivers smooth power and quietly works in the background. Give it a boot full of throttle, and the eight-speed dutifully downshifts and accelerates the Enclave faster than expected. As I roamed around Metro Detroit’s cities, interstate, and backroads, the Enclave never disappointed.

The lack of hybrid anything hurts at fuel stops, though. All-wheel-drive Enclaves will travel 19 miles on a gallon of gasoline in the city, 24 on the highway, and 21 combined. That’s behind what the Toyota Grand Highlander can deliver, thanks to its two hybrid engine options. It also trails the Mazda CX-90 and its mild-hybrid equipped inline-six.

Motoring Down the Road 

Behind the wheel, the Enclave takes a more traditional Buick role. Built on a solid platform with a fully independent suspension, it easily absorbs all the bumps, lumps, and imperfections of the road.

Of course, if you toss the Enclave into a corner with some speed, the body leans way over. You also feel noticeable pitch and dive with hard acceleration and braking. A Porsche Cayenne, it is not.

Getting the top-of-the-line Avenir trim mitigates this issue a bit with adaptive shock absorbers installed. You get four drive modes in the Enclave: Touring, Sport, Snow/Ice, and Off-Road. Put it in Sport and the shocks firm up the ride to better control the body.

Yet, to me at least, it still feels plenty compliant over pock-marked pavement. Buick should make Sport shock absorber settings Touring and go one level stiffer in Sport, and you’d have a more athletic large crossover.

Regardless, the Enclave generally provides a peaceful, low-stress driving experience. And it offers one big strength: cabin isolation. Thanks to the very liberal use of sound-deadening material as well as acoustic glass for the windshield and the front door windows, the Enclave keeps out the vast majority of road and wind noise, even on the interstate. In this category, the Buick is on par with the best of the premium SUVs sold.

What a Super Cruise!

The Enclave thrives on the interstate for several reasons, especially if you get Super Cruise. Originally on Cadillacs only, the level-two automation system from GM continues to proliferate to other brands, like the Chevrolet Silverado EV First Edition, and now the Buick Enclave. 

At $3,730, the Super Cruise package isn’t cheap, but it also takes driving aids to a truly stress-reducing level. Presuming you’re driving on one of the several hundreds of thousands of miles the system works on. All you need to do is set the speed and keep your eyes ahead. Super Cruise does the rest, including changing lanes.

In heavy traffic especially, you find yourself more relaxed than usual. Considering the Enclave’s generally calming nature on the road, it’s an excellent pairing.

2025 Buick Enclave Avenir Review Summary

Buick offers the 2025 Enclave in Preferred, Sport Touring, and Avenir trims. Even in the base trim, you get a healthy level of equipment, but you also pay a healthy price, $46,395 for a front-wheel-drive model. That includes the $1,395 destination charge.

My Avenir test car had two options: $2,000 for all-wheel drive and $3,730 for the Super Cruise package. Combine that with its $59,395 base price, and you’re looking at $65,125 for this three-row crossover SUV.

And one that comes with the stigma of Buick, which, despite its many changes over the years, still conjures the idea of an “old person’s car.” Honestly, that’s both completely accurate and wrong all at once.

As I reach middle age, I value low stress and peace and quiet more and more. But I also value modern technology, performance, and a compliant ride. The Enclave delivers both — also, loads of space in an attractive package with smart uses of ambient lighting to feel welcoming day or night.

Yes, it’s a good crossover for older folks. And people with a larger family. And younger folks that want to haul around all their gear. And for several others in between.

Additionally: Buick now sells four vehicles here in the U.S., with the Enclave serving as its flagship. Considering its 207.6-inch length, 71.0-inch height, and 79.6-inch width, it’s certainly big enough to bear the flagship title. The Enclave also brilliantly keeps noise out of the cabin and offers lots of luxuries inside it. As long as you get an Avenir, you also get a massage whenever you want.

And, 328 horsepower and 326 pound-feet of torque from a turbocharged 2.5L hustles the Enclave around without trouble, but fuel economy suffers a bit with no hybrid offering.