Compare the2023 Buick EnclaveVS 2021 Lexus LX 570

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 LX 570 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 LX 570 doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

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 LX 570 uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Enclave and the LX 570 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available all wheel drive and 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.

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 Lexus vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Buick second in reliability, above the industry average. With 12 more problems per 100 vehicles, Lexus is ranked 6th.

As tested in Motor Trend the Buick Enclave is faster than the Lexus LX 570:

On the EPA test cycle the Enclave gets better mileage than the LX 570:

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Enclave’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The LX 570 doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Buick Enclave uses regular unleaded gasoline. The LX 570 requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

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 LX 570 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 LX 570.

The Buick Enclave’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Lexus LX 570 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 LX 570 doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

For superior ride and handling, the Buick Enclave has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Lexus LX 570 has a solid rear axle, with a non-independent rear suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Enclave’s wheelbase is 8.7 inches longer than on the LX 570 (120.9 inches vs. 112.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Enclave is 2.4 inches wider in the front and 2.2 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the LX 570.

The Enclave Avenir AWD handles at .83 G’s, while the LX 570 pulls only .73 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Buick Enclave may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 1300 to 1450 pounds less than the Lexus LX 570.

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 LX 570 uses body-on-frame design instead.

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 LX 570 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 LX 570 doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Enclave has 13.9 cubic feet more passenger volume than the LX 570 (157.3 vs. 143.4).

The front step up height for the Enclave is .8 inches lower than the LX 570 (18” vs. 18.8”). The Enclave’s rear step up height is 5.3 inches lower than the LX 570’s (18.7” vs. 24”).

The Enclave’s cargo area provides more volume than the LX 570.

The Enclave’s cargo area provides more volume than the LX 570 Two-Row.

The Enclave’s cargo area is larger than the LX 570’s in almost every dimension:

The Enclave’s liftgate lifts up in one piece, completely out of the way of loading and unloading, while sheltering the cargo loading area. The LX 570’s tailgate’s top part raises up, but the bottom part lowers, getting in the way of loading and making an uneven surface for sliding cargo.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Enclave’s liftgate can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The LX 570 doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its tailgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

The power windows standard on both the Enclave and the LX 570 have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Enclave is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The LX 570 prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

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 LX 570 doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

The Enclave’s power mirror controls are mounted on the armrest for easy access. The LX 570’s power mirror controls are on the dash where they are possibly hidden by the steering wheel and are awkward to manipulate.

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 LX 570.

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 LX 570.

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. Only the LX 570 Three-Row offers wireless charging and it costs extra.

The Enclave is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The LX 570 doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Insurance will cost less for the Enclave owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Enclave will cost $6475 to $7955 less than the LX 570 over a five-year period.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Buick Enclave will be $29640 to $37518 less than for the Lexus LX 570.

The Buick Enclave outsold the Lexus LX 570 by over 10 to one during the 2021 model year.