Compare the2022 Buick EnclaveVS 2021 Lexus RXL

For enhanced safety, the Buick Enclave’s middle seat shoulder belts have child comfort guides to move the belt to properly fit children. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages children to buckle up. The Lexus RXL doesn’t offer comfort guides on its middle seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Enclave are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The RXL doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Enclave has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The RXL doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

Both the Enclave and the RXL have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available around view monitors.

There are over 8 times as many Buick dealers as there are Lexus dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Enclave’s warranty.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Enclave has a standard 730-amp battery. The RXL’s 580-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2020 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Buick vehicles are better in initial quality than Lexus vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Buick 7th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 9 more problems per 100 vehicles, Lexus is ranked 12th.

The Enclave’s 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 20 more horsepower (310 vs. 290) and 3 lbs.-ft. more torque (266 vs. 263) than the RX 350L’s standard 3.5 DOHC V6. The Enclave’s 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 2 more horsepower (310 vs. 308) than the RX 450hL’s standard 3.5 DOHC V6 hybrid.

As tested in Motor Trend the Buick Enclave is faster than the RX 350L 3.5 DOHC V6:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Buick Enclave uses regular unleaded gasoline. The RX 450hL requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Enclave FWD’s standard fuel tank has 2.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the RXL Hybrid’s standard fuel tank (19.4 vs. 17.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Enclave AWD’s standard fuel tank has 2.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the RXL’s standard fuel tank (21.7 vs. 19.2 gallons).

The Enclave has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The RXL doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Buick Enclave, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the RXL.

The Enclave stops shorter than the RXL:

For better traction, the Enclave has larger tires than the RXL (255/65R18 vs. 235/65R18).

The Buick Enclave’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Lexus RXL only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

The Enclave has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The RXL doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Enclave offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The RXL’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Enclave’s wheelbase is 11.1 inches longer than on the RXL (120.9 inches vs. 109.8 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Enclave is 2.9 inches wider in the front and 3 inches wider in the rear than on the RXL.

The front grille of the Enclave uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The RXL doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Enclave uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The RXL doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Enclave has 40.3 cubic feet more passenger volume than the RXL (157.3 vs. 117).

The Enclave has 2.8 inches more front headroom, 3.2 inches more front hip room, 3.9 inches more front shoulder room, 1.4 inches more rear headroom, 7.4 inches more rear legroom, 1.9 inches more rear hip room, 3.8 inches more rear shoulder room, 2.8 inches more third row headroom, 10 inches more third row legroom, 4.7 inches more third row hip room and 11.6 inches more third row shoulder room than the RXL.

The front step up height for the Enclave is 2.5 inches lower than the RXL (18” vs. 20.5”). The Enclave’s rear step up height is 2.1 inches lower than the RXL’s (18.7” vs. 20.8”).

The Enclave’s cargo area provides more volume than the RXL.

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Enclave easier. The Enclave’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 30.5 inches, while the RXL’s liftover is 31.9 inches.

The Enclave’s cargo area is larger than the RXL’s in every dimension:

The Enclave’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the RXL’s (1500 vs. 0 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Lexus RXL is only 3500 pounds. The Enclave offers up to a 5000 lbs. towing capacity.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Enclave’s available exterior PIN entry system. The RXL doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

The Enclave’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The RXL’s cruise control switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

The Enclave has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the RXL.

The Enclave Premium/Avenir has standard massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the RXL.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Buick Enclave has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the RXL.

Insurance will cost less for the Enclave owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Enclave will cost $1255 to $5475 less than the RXL over a five-year period.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Enclave is less expensive to operate than the RXL because typical repairs cost much less on the Enclave than the RXL, including $461 less for a water pump, $62 less for a muffler, $338 less for a starter, $1241 less for a timing belt/chain and $915 less for a power steering pump.