Payne: Buick updates Enclave with even better looks, fewer quirks

Posted by Talbot Payne on March 21, 2022

You date them for their good looks, but you stay with them for their character.

The Buick Enclave has always been a looker, from its boat-bow rear window to its big front kisser and winged mustache. And for 2022, it gets even better looking with a bigger smile, bigger mustache, and — ooooh, sexy new eyebrows. Enclave has led the brand’s transformation over the past decade from tired sedans to hip SUVs by attracting moms again — not just grandmoms.

It’s like the women say in the ad: “That’s a Buick?”

But when it came to living with Enclave day-to-day, well, it had its problems. Am I right, ladies? There was that annoying engine START-STOP tick in the 2018 model that you couldn’t turn off. Like him snoring at night — HUNGGHNK! HUNGGGHNK! HUNGGHNK! — it would just drive you craaaazy after awhile. And then the lack of standard features … seriously? On a premium automobile? Adaptive cruise control wasn’t available until the top-trim Avenir package?

The good news is that Buick listened to you (now, that’s an admirable quality in a relationship). So for its 2022 mid-cycle refresh, Enclave owners can turn off the snoring — er, auto START/STOP — with a button located prominently at the top of the center console next to the infotainment screen. Hallelujah!

The 2022 Buick Enclave sits on a standard, front-wheel-drive chassis with optional all-wheel-drive.

And starting at $45,920 with all-wheel drive (a must for Michigan winter), you get a boatload of standard features: lane-keep assist, forward collision alert, rear cross traffic alert, auto high beams, blind-spot assist and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

That latter bit is satisfying — and not just for the convenience of getting into your car and having it wirelessly recognizing where you set your destination on your phone. Wireless smartphone apps also mean you don’t need to upcharge to a redundant car navigation system. For those who do prefer in-car systems, I’m happy to report the system in my loaded $60K Avenir top trim responded to my voice commands as accurately as a phone.

Adaptive cruise control is inexplicably still not standard on a road tripper like this — even with the $2,500 price hike over the ’21 model. But at least it’s available from the base $45K Essence trim. Mainstream competitors like the stylish AWD Kia Telluride and Mazda CX-9 offer it standard for less. Heck, even the Honda Civic comes standard with blind-spot assist and adaptive cruise for $23K.

Handsome devil. The 2022 Buick Enclave features a big mouth, dashing mustache and silver eyebrows. New for 2022 are mid-fascia headlights.

I picked up my son up at the airport and he had no problem spotting the Enclave. This ute has presence. Expanding on its familiar good looks, Buick did some clever work for ‘22 with the wider, wing mustache and a smoldering “eyebrow” running light atop the grille.

That space used to be occupied by the headlights, but headlights have been moved, subtly, to the mid-fascia. The location is optimal for not annoying vehicles traveling in front of you with headlight glare — and it also echoes the Enclave’s attractive smaller sibling, the Envision.

Typical of the GM family of vehicles these days, Enclave’s chassis has spent quality time in the gym. The body is lean for its size — a couple hundred pounds lighter than a Lincoln Aviator — and the suspension well-tuned, with my Avenir model also benefiting from adaptive suspension. My son and I both drove it with verve through Oakland County’s lake country twisties, where the big bus was surprisingly nimble. It confidently hugged turns while the 310-horsepower V-6 roared happily under my cane.

Monostables can be difficult to learn (wait, which direction do I push it for REVERSE?), and the last-gen Enclave used a similar mechanism to the XT6. Once again, Buick apparently listened to customers who wanted something simpler — though, um, not everyone will be pleased by the replacement.

Buick has adopted a “trigger shifter” — common in Honda and Acura models — which saves console space like a monostable but requires learning (wait, which finger do I use to operate REVERSE?). My bet is folks would prefer a good ol’ column shifter if the idea is to save console space.

Save space the trigger does. There is room for a phone charger, cupholders and — underneath — a clever hideaway space for purses and other valuables. The console sits under one of the most elegantly designed dashes in the business. Tesla made big screens fashionable, and automakers are falling all over themselves to stuff jumbotrons into dashboards.

Unlike other modern, big-screen interiors, the 2022 Buick Enclave is content to integrate and 8-inch touchscreen into a lovely, flowing dash design.

Enclave resists, integrating its modest eight-inch screen into the dash’s horizontal, wing-like theme. The design complements the cabin’s solitude and space. Enclave knows its customers prize interior room.

Marry the Buick and you get a big house sitting on an 204-inch-long foundation. Six-footers like my son and I could co-exist nicely in the second and third rows — if you can figure out how to get back there.

Seats are expensive, and Buick (along with its sibling Chevy Traverse) decided to save money by only enabling the right (curb-side) second-row seat with a “Smart Slide” option for easy third-row access. Tug on the captain’s chair side handle and the throne tumbles forward. It’s effortless, practical and doesn’t require removal of an anchored child car-seat.

The 2022 Buick Enclave offers a nifty, collapsible seat to enter the third row - but it is only available on the right side.

That ease-of-entry was lacking on the ’18 model’s left side, however, and Buick decided to keep it that way for 2022. If you have a third-row ticket, you’ll need to flatten the second row seat, or crawl through the middle aisle, or climb through the back hatch if you’re really desperate.

Buick is betting that kids won’t mind. Especially since the third row is not only roomy, but offers two USB ports and dual square cupholders so you can store your fast-food drink — and French fries box.

Six-footer sanctuary. 6'5" Detroit News auto critic Henry Payne (in the third row) and 6'3" son Sam fit easily in the 2022 Buick Enclave.

With a panoramic roof overhead, the airy cabin made for easy, long drives around town — no matter which seat I occupied — on a busy weekend schedule. When the back two rows aren’t occupied, they can be stowed to open a cavernous 98 cubic feet of cargo space to transport furniture, Christmas trees and so on.

Enclave is a handsome beast of burden. And for 2022, it’s got a better disposition too.

2022 Buick Enclave

Vehicle type: Front-engine, front- and all-wheel-drive, seven-passenger SUV

Price: $43,920 base, including $1,195 destination ($60,540 Avenir AWD as tested)

Power plant: 3.6-liter V-6

Power: 310 horsepower, 266 pound-feet of torque

Transmission: 9-speed automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph, 6.5 seconds (Car and Driver est.); towing capacity: 5,000 pounds

Weight: 4,685 pounds as tested

Fuel economy: EPA 17 mpg city/25 mpg highway/20 mpg combined (AWD as tested)

Report card

Highs: Handsome presence; techy, roomy interior

Lows: “Smart Slide” only smart on right side; standard adaptive cruise control, please

Overall: 3 stars

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.

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