2025 Buick Enclave First Look: The Wildcat Strikes Again

Every automotive brand needs a flagship, and Buick’s standard bearer is the Enclave, its midsize three-row SUV. As the largest and most expensive vehicle in Buick’s four-SUV lineup, it’s an easy choice for the role, at least until next year when the first electric vehicle to wear the tri-shield might become Buick’s new halo vehicle.

The 2025 Buick Enclave is the third generation of the family SUV that fills the space once occupied by minivans. But while the latter don’t appeal to some customers, the Enclave is a classy looking SUV with simple and uncomplicated lines and a new face that brings it in line with the Buick Envista and Buick Encore GX, two small crossovers notable for their affordability, as well as the refreshed midsize 2024 Buick Envision.

This means the new Enclave features a new grille and fascia with Buick’s new logo mounted on the restyled hood, while reworked and detailed LED headlights and taillights continue the winged look. In back, a new rear fascia brings updated badging and a sweeping design. It is all derived from the Wildcat EV concept.

The 2025 Buick Enclave rides on an updated version of the original’s C1 platform. The wheelbase remains the same, but the new SUV is a bit longer and wider. The wheels grew, too; 20 inches is the new standard size for the lower trims while the Avenir model rides on 22-inchers featuring a pearl-nickel finish.

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New Engine Under the Hood

A new turbocharged 2.5-liter I-4 engine replaces the 3.6-liter V-6. Horsepower is now higher at 328 compared to the V-6’s 310, and torque jumps from 266 to 326 lb-ft. A new eight-speed automatic transmission is a modified version of GM’s nine-speed gearbox.

All-wheel drive is available across all trim levels, which are now named Preferred, Sport Touring, and Avenir, and the Enclave can tow up to 5,000 pounds.

The 2025 Enclave is the first Buick to boast Super Cruise, GM’s hands-free highway driver-assist technology with automated lane change capability. It is part of an optional package offered on all three trims. The Avenir model also upgrades the suspension with continuous damping control, something that was previously part of a tech package but is now standard.

To help cement its position as a family vehicle, Buick makes most of the Enclave’s available safety features standard. They include driver assistance technology to brake, accelerate, and turn to prevent collisions.

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On the Inside

The first thing you notice inside the 2025 Buick Enclave is its new 30.0-inch display—largest in its segment—under a single pane of glass in the remodeled dashboard. The same screen is in the refreshed 2024 Envision, replacing the old 8- and 11-inch screens. It is customizable so you can move apps to the favorites bar running down the left side of the screen. There are Google Maps, Assistant, and Play, but the Enclave also remains compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well.

All new Enclave trim levels feature standard wireless charging within a nicely angled phone tray in the center console; it also houses side-by-side cupholders (a personal favorite so you know which cup is yours). Speaking of the center console, it offers more room than before thanks to Buick’s decision to move the gear shifter to the steering column. There are also nice touches such as brushed aluminum on the instrument panel and canary gold trim around the console. Meanwhile, there are 126 ambient-light color choices for illuminating the cabin.

This Enclave generation offered an opportunity to elevate the interior’s material quality in comparison to its corporate cousins, the Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Acadia. Interior design director Therese Pinazzo said the team created its own new internal design standard for the brand about three years ago to ensure Buicks are premium, filling what is seen as a gap between mainstream brands like Kia and luxury brands like BMW.

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Stepping Out on the Chevy Traverse

Pinazzo said previous Buick vehicles shared a lot of materials with other GM brands, but for 2025 the only interior aspects the Enclave shares with the Traverse are its lower-door map pocket and glovebox panel. In reality, seat structures are shared, too, but the seats are different in terms of materials, designs, stitching, and patterns. The instrument panels, metal finishes, and speaker covers are unique to the Enclave.

While the new Enclave and Traverse both boast a floating storage area beneath the center console, those areas are different. Another upscale touch: custom perforation patterns in the leather on the door-trim inserts, dash, and seats on the Avenir version. The Enclave ST includes a flat-bottom steering wheel and industrial-looking trim in the black interior that includes white stitching and piping. All trims provide a Bose audio system; the Avenir has 16 speakers, four more than Buick offers on the other models.

The new Enclave offers excellent headroom and ample leg room. There are a pair of captain’s chairs in the second row, with a wide walk-through between them to get to the third row. The seats also tip and slide forward with the touch of a button. There is not an optional bench seat for the second row, making this a seven-passenger vehicle. Second-row passengers have cupholders (heated in the Avenir) and climate controls. Standard front seats in the top trim are heated, cooled, and can give you a massage.

Both the second- and third-row seats fold flat; a power-folding third row is standard. For hands-free access to the cargo area, the powered autosense liftgate opens when you approach it with your key fob: It will beep three times and then open. If you don’t want it to open, walk out of range after the first beep. A panoramic sunroof is standard on the Avenir and available on other trims.

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Coming This Summer

The 2025 Buick Enclave goes on sale this summer, after the Traverse and Acadia hit the market. All three SUVs will be built at the Lansing Delta Township plant in Michigan; production has not yet begun. Buick said it will announce pricing closer to the on-sale date.

Buick is on a bit of a roll, with sales up 60 percent in 2023, and it continues into 2024 with sales up another 10 percent in the first quarter. Worth noting is the fact one in four sales is a top-line Avenir trim. Seventy percent of Buick’s buyers these days are new to the brand, and the latter also boasts its highest loyalty rates in years while continuing to score near the top in sales and service satisfaction. The Buick Envista has become GM’s top vehicle in terms of conquest sales over other brands, and Buick expects the new Enclave, in the popular three-row SUV segment, will only augment those figures.