Compare the2023 Volkswagen AtlasVS 2023 Buick Enclave

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

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Volkswagen Atlas are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Buick Enclave doesn’t offer height-adjustable front seat belts.

The Atlas has a standard Automatic Post-Collision Braking System, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Enclave doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Atlas offers optional Maneuver Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Enclave doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

Both the Atlas and the Enclave have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available all wheel drive, lane departure warning systems 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 Volkswagen Atlas is safer than the Buick Enclave:

	Atlas	Enclave
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	277	333
Chest Compression

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 flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Volkswagen Atlas is safer than the Buick Enclave:

	Atlas	Enclave
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	57	69
Chest Movement	.5 inches	.9 inches
Abdominal Force	48 lbs.	161 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	527 lbs.	716 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	14 inches	14 inches

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

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Volkswagen Atlas is safer than the Enclave:

	Atlas	Enclave
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Structure	GOOD	MARGINAL
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	42	141
Neck Tension	156 lbs.	446 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.83 in	1.3 in
Shoulder Force	245 lbs.	312 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.1 in	1.5 in
Torso Deflection Rate	4 MPH	6 MPH
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	163	189
Neck Compression	134 lbs.	201 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	GOOD
Shoulder Deflection	.43 in	1.02 in
Shoulder Force	178 lbs.	290 lbs.
Torso Deflection Rate	10 MPH	10 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Atlas is 1.4% to 1.8% less likely to roll over than the Enclave.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, with its optional front crash prevention system, and its headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Atlas its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2019, a rating granted to only 122 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Enclave has not been fully tested, yet.

Warranty

The Atlas comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck. The Enclave’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The Atlas’ corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Enclave’s (7/100,000 vs. 6/100,000).

Volkswagen pays for scheduled maintenance on the Atlas for 2 years and 20,000 miles. Volkswagen will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Buick doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Enclave.

Reliability

The Volkswagen Atlas’ engines use a cast iron block for durability, while the Enclave’s engine uses an aluminum block. Aluminum engine blocks are much more prone to warp and crack at high temperatures than cast iron.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Atlas’ reliability 16 points higher than the Enclave.

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Atlas
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/25 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/24 hwy
Enclave
	FWD	3.6 DOHC V6	18 city/26 hwy
	AWD	3.6 DOHC V6	17 city/25 hwy

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Atlas’ front brake rotors are larger than those on the Enclave:

	Atlas	Enclave
Front Rotors	13.2 inches	12.6 inches

The Atlas stops much shorter than the Enclave:

	Atlas	Enclave
70 to 0 MPH	174 feet	179 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	121 feet	134 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Atlas SEL Premium R-Line’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Enclave (265/45R21 vs. 255/65R18).

The Atlas’ standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Enclave’s standard 65 series tires. The Atlas SEL Premium R-Line’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Enclave’s optional 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Atlas SEL Premium R-Line has standard 21-inch wheels. The Enclave’s largest wheels are only 20-inches.

Suspension and Handling

The Atlas’ drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The Enclave doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

The Atlas’ front to rear weight distribution is more even (55.1% to 44.9%) than the Enclave’s (57% to 43%). This gives the Atlas more stable handling and braking.

The Atlas SEL R-Line Black 4Motion handles at .84 G’s, while the Enclave Essence pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Atlas SEL 4Motion executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.3 seconds quicker than the Enclave Avenir (27.1 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 28.4 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

Chassis

The Atlas is 4.1 inches shorter than the Enclave, making the Atlas easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

As tested by Car and Driver while under full throttle, the interior of the Atlas SEL R-Line Black 4Motion is quieter than the Enclave Essence (76 vs. 78 dB).

Passenger Space

The Atlas has .5 inches more front legroom, .5 inches more rear headroom, .3 inches more rear hip room, .7 inches more third row headroom and .2 inches more third row legroom than the Enclave.

Cargo Capacity

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Atlas. The Enclave doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Towing

The Atlas’ standard towing capacity is much higher than the Enclave’s (2000 vs. 1500 pounds).

Ergonomics

The Atlas’ front and rear power windows all open or close with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Enclave’s passenger windows don’t close automatically.

The Atlas has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The Enclave doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

The Atlas’ rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Enclave’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the Atlas SEL to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Enclave doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Atlas offers optional cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Enclave doesn’t offer cornering lights. The Atlas SEL also has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Atlas to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Enclave doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The Atlas SEL Premium’s Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Enclave doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Atlas owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the Atlas with a number “5” insurance rate while the Enclave is rated higher at a number “10” rate.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Atlas is less expensive to operate than the Enclave because it costs $127 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost less on the Atlas than the Enclave, including $61 less for front brake pads, $129 less for a fuel pump and $67 less for a power steering pump.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Volkswagen Atlas, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Buick Enclave isn't recommended.

The Volkswagen Atlas outsold the Buick Enclave by almost three to one during the 2021 model year.