Ever since the Buick Enclave hit the American market with its second generation, it has been a competitive product mainly due to its value-for-money price tag, superb interior space, and many bells and whistles in terms of interior, exterior, and safety coming in as standard. Even after more than five years in production, the new 2022 Buick Enclave still retains the same ethos of the earlier models.

Offered for a low base MSRP of $42,800, it does manage to undercut all the competitors when it comes to the price. The 2022 Enclaves base trims are packed with all the relevant features too. Apart from that, the driving dynamics and the punchy V6 motor doesn't feel lackluster and are able to compete with the likes of the Acura MDX, Infiniti QX60, and Cadillac XT5. Here are 10 things you need to know before buying the 2022 Buick Enclave​​.

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10 Acceleration And Refinement Are Adequate

2022 buick enclave

The 2022 Buick Enclave is a perfect mid-size luxury SUV in terms of outright performance, and the driver wouldn't feel wanting for more. Coming with the 3.6-liter naturally aspirated V6 motor that saw duty in the 2021 model, the 310 hp and 266 lb-ft of torque is more than adequate for those quick freeway overtaking and instant pull during the city driving.

Photo by: Charles North VI

Mated to a 9-speed torque converter automatic transmission, the car feels very eager to accelerate from the get-go. Put the foot down and the transmission does a wonderful job of giving the right gear without any hesitation. The shifts are super smooth and with a wide spread of torque, the car feels very peppy to drive around. Both FWD and AWD drivetrains are offered too.

9 Classy Exterior Design

2022 Buick Enclave
Via: Media.Buick

This 2022 iteration comes with a few more upgrades, and the main changes are to the exterior design. With a minor facelift through the new front and rear bumpers, headlights, and redesigned alloy wheels, the 2022 Buick Enclave does manage to turn quite a few heads while on the move.

2022 buick enclave

The seven exterior color palettes add to the elegance and the car also can be had with multiple appearance packages like the Touring Package, Sport Touring Edition, and a few more, all of which make it look even more purposeful. Apart from that, the beautiful 20" alloy wheels, integrated rear spoiler, chrome moldings, LED headlights and taillights, and many more adds to the premium and elegant design.

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8 Offers A Spacious Cabin

The 2021 Buick Enclave Interior
Via Buick

Being a 7-seater luxury mid-size SUV, the cabin of the 2022 Buick Enclave is going to impress the passengers with excellent interior space. Get into the front row and even the tallest folks would be happy with the superb legroom and headroom. The shoulder room of 62.4" easily outclasses the likes of the Volvo XC90, Acura MDX, and Cadillac XT5.

Buick Enclave
Via buick.com

The same is also the case with the second and third-row as well. The seats are well-bolstered, and the under-thigh and lower-back support is a notch above most of the segment leaders. However, we found the seats to be a bit more comfortable for the Volvo XC90, mainly due to the softer leather upholstery it came with. With all the rows up, the Enclave could swallow in five carry-on bags with ease.

7 Fuel Efficiency Is Subpar

2022 buick enclave rear

Coming with a relatively powerful naturally aspirated V6 motor coupled with a heavy curb weight of 4,359 lbs, the 2022 Buick Enclave is going to impress the owners with its frugality. If you opt for the one with the FWD drivetrain, the 2022 Enclave could do 18 mpg in the city and 26 mpg on the highway, which equates to combined gas mileage of 21 mpg.

2022 buick enclave

However, if you opt for the AWD variant, the fuel efficiency will come down even further, offering 17 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway. With a fuel tank capacity of 21.7-gallons, this SUV managed to do 542 miles on the highway as well. In comparison, both the Acura MDX and the Infiniti QX60 churned out better gas mileage and tank range.

6 Comes Loaded With Tech

2022 buick enclave

The luxury SUV buyers are going to expect all the bells and whistles for the price, and the 2022 Buick Enclave is not going to disappoint anyone in this regard. Coming for a base MSRP of $42,800, even the base Preferred trim comes loaded with many features like automatic LED headlights, Buick Driver Confidence Plus, heated and powered side mirrors, active noise cancellation, and many more.

2022 buick enclave

However, if you go higher up trim configurations, it comes even more packed with tech. The top of the line Avenir trim comes with perforated leather upholstery, Wi-Fi hotspot connectivity, heated and powered seats, panoramic sunroof, 10-speaker Bose Premium Audio System, and many more features. Apart from that, multiple optional packages are offered too, all of which add more tech and features to the lower trims. They are economically priced, too.

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5 Sharp Braking Performance

2022 buick enclave

Braking is not going to disappoint any prospective buyers of the 2022 Buick Enclave, since it comes with top-notch braking hardware coupled with all the braking features you could think of. With 12.6" front and rear ventilated rotors coupled with ABS, EBD, brake assist, hill hold control, electronic parking brakes, and many more means that the Enclave stops with no problems.

2022 Buick Enclave Front
Via Media.Buick

Stomp on the brake pedal from the highway speeds and this behemoth of an SUV stop very smoothly with no dramas. There is no major brake fade even after repeated brake usage, and the bite and braking progression are excellent. All of these helps to contribute to the decent 60-0 mph braking distance of 134 feet.

4 Interior Lacks Quality

2022 buick enclave interior

The cabin of the 2022 Buick Enclave comes covered in leather, soft-touch plastics, and wooden accents for the most part. However, even with the premium material used for the cabin construction, the cabin doesn't ooze quality like that of the Volvo XC90 and Acura MDX. The fit and finish are a bit mediocre, too, considering the segment and the price proposition.

2022 buick enclave

Even though the leather that comes in the dashboard and door cards feels very premium to the touch, in comparison to the Mercedes-Benz GLE and the Volvo XC90, it feels a tad bit rough around the edges. The same applies to the wooden inserts too, which are not as refined as some of the rivals of the segment. However, the Buick Enclave is quite a bit cheaper than the European rivals.

3 Handling Is Not Among The Best

2022 buick enclave

The 2022 Buick Enclave comes with an independent front and rear suspension system and the suspension is tuned neutrally, making it neither too soft nor too stiff. Even then, the handling is not its forte and that would soon be discovered if you try to drive at the limits. The car does have more understeer and body roll than the Volvo XC90 and the BMW X5.

2022 buick enclave

The light steering doesn't get heavier as you go faster, and that makes the driving experience a bit mediocre. The steering is not the best in terms of feel and feedback either. As a result, this is not the most capable SUV around corners and hence, if you want more fun, we would recommend the rivals like the BMW X5 and the Audi Q7.

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2 Safety Is Taken Care Of

2022 buick enclave

Like the earlier iterations of the Buick Enclave, this 2022 model year doesn't lose out on any safety and driver-assistance features, making it one of the best offerings for family SUV buyers. Even if you opt for the lower Preferred trim, you would get all the driver-assistance features like automated emergency braking, pedestrian detection, lane-keeping assist, and many more as standard.

2022 buick enclave

The adaptive cruise control can be had if you opt for the optional packages. The top of the line Avenir trim gets it as standard too. Apart from that, the build quality is superb, similar to the other offerings from Buick. All of these helped the 2022 Buick Enclave to get a good rating in most of the subsections of the IIHS crash test.

1 Infotainment Is Top Notch

2022 buick enclave

The 8" IntelliLink infotainment comes as standard with all the trims of the 2022 Buick Enclave. This is a touchscreen infotainment system and is very intuitive and refined. The menu layout is pretty polished and there is no learning curve required for use. This helps even the older folks to use it without referring to the user manual.

2022 buick enclave

There are no lags or stutters. All the connectivity and entertainment features that you could think of are on board, and everything functions as it should. The audio is taken care of by the 10-speaker Bose Premium Audio System with the highest Avenir trim and that produces an excellent audio listening experience with the help of punchy bass and clear vocals.