Compare the2023 Buick EnclaveVS 2022 Cadillac Escalade

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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The Enclave has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. Only the Escalade Premium/Platinum/Sport offers a blind spot warning system.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Enclave has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Only the Escalade Premium/Platinum/Sport has a rear cross-path warning system.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Enclave uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The Escalade uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Enclave and the Escalade have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, front seat center airbag, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Buick Enclave is safer than the Cadillac Escalade:

	Enclave	Escalade
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	15.6%	23%
Neck Stress	198 lbs.	312 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	53/40 lbs.	152/161 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	35.2%	47%
Neck Stress	128 lbs.	272 lbs.
Neck Compression	51 lbs.	66 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	258/133 lbs.	333/811 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Buick Enclave is safer than the Cadillac Escalade:

	Enclave	Escalade
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	34 G’s	38 G’s
Hip Force	554 lbs.	764 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Enclave, with its four-star roll-over rating, is 4.3% to 6.9% less likely to roll over than the Escalade, which received a three-star rating.

Warranty

There are over 3 times as many Buick dealers as there are Cadillac dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Enclave’s warranty.

Reliability

For smoother operation, better efficiency and fewer moving parts, the Enclave has an overhead cam design, rather than the old pushrod design of the engine in the Escalade.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Buick vehicles are better in initial quality than Cadillac vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Buick above average in initial quality. With 17 more problems per 100 vehicles, Cadillac is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Buick vehicles are more reliable than Cadillac vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Buick second in reliability, above the industry average. With 21 more problems per 100 vehicles, Cadillac is ranked 9th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Buick vehicles are more reliable than Cadillac vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Buick fourth in overall reliability. Cadillac is ranked 21st.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Enclave gets better mileage than the Escalade:

			MPG
Enclave
	FWD	3.6 DOHC V6	18 city/26 hwy
	AWD	3.6 DOHC V6	17 city/25 hwy
Escalade
	RWD	6.2 OHV V8	14 city/19 hwy
	AWD	6.2 OHV V8	14 city/19 hwy

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

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Buick Enclave higher (6 out of 10) than the Cadillac Escalade (3 to 6). This means the Enclave produces up to 23.4 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Escalade every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

The Enclave stops shorter than the Escalade:

	Enclave	Escalade
60 to 0 MPH	130 feet	136 feet	Consumer Reports
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	141 feet	145 feet	Consumer Reports

Suspension and Handling

The Enclave Avenir AWD handles at .83 G’s, while the Escalade Sport Platinum 4WD pulls only .67 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Enclave Avenir executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.7 seconds quicker than the Escalade Sport 4WD (28.4 seconds @ .6 average G’s vs. 30.1 seconds @ .53 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Enclave’s turning circle is .7 feet tighter than the Escalade’s (39 feet vs. 39.7 feet).

Chassis

The Buick Enclave may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 1150 to 1300 pounds less than the Cadillac Escalade.

The Enclave is 7.1 inches shorter than the Escalade, making the Enclave easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Unibody construction lowers the Enclave’s center of gravity significantly without reducing ground clearance. This contributes to better on the road handling and better off-road performance and stability. In addition, unibody construction makes the chassis stiffer, improving handling and reducing squeaks and rattles. The Escalade uses body-on-frame design instead.

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

As tested by Car and Driver while at idle, the interior of the Enclave Essence is quieter than the Escalade Sport Platinum 4WD (38 vs. 42 dB).

Passenger Space

The Enclave has .3 inches more front headroom and 1 inch more rear headroom than the Escalade.

Cargo Capacity

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 Escalade’s liftover is 37 inches.

Ergonomics

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 Escalade doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its OnStar® can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Enclave owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Enclave will cost $795 to $2310 less than the Escalade over a five-year period.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Enclave is less expensive to operate than the Escalade because it costs $73 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Enclave than the Escalade, including $587 less for a muffler, $9 less for a fuel pump, $659 less for front struts, $204 less for a timing belt/chain and $235 less for a power steering pump.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Buick Enclave will be $29968 to $40110 less than for the Cadillac Escalade.

Recommendations

The Buick Enclave outsold the Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV by 13% during the 2021 model year.

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