Compare the2023 BMW X7VS 2023 Buick Enclave

The X7’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Enclave doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

The BMW X7 has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Enclave doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The X7 has standard Active Head Restraints, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Head Restraints system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Enclave doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The X7 has standard Post-Crash Braking, which automatically apply 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.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the X7. But it costs extra on the Enclave.

Both the X7 and Enclave have rear cross-traffic warning, but the X7 has Cross Traffic Warning with braking function (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Enclave’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.

The X7’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Enclave doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the X7 and the Enclave have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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.

The BMW X7 weighs 712 to 1627 pounds more than the Buick Enclave. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

The X7 comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Enclave’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The X7’s corrosion warranty is 6 years and unlimited miles longer than the Enclave’s (12/unlimited vs. 6/100,000).

BMW pays for scheduled maintenance on the X7 for 3 years and 36,000 miles. BMW will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Buick doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Enclave.

The battery on the X7 is in the trunk, which protects it from hot underhood temperatures that can degrade battery life. By keeping the X7’s battery 20 to 30 degrees cooler, its life is increased by years. The Enclave’s battery is in the hot engine compartment.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that BMW vehicles are more reliable than Buick vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks BMW third in overall reliability. Buick is ranked 11th.

The X7 xDrive40i’s standard 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid produces 65 more horsepower (375 vs. 310) and 132 lbs.-ft. more torque (398 vs. 266) than the Enclave’s 3.6 DOHC V6. The X7 M60i’s standard 4.4 turbo V8 hybrid produces 213 more horsepower (523 vs. 310) and 287 lbs.-ft. more torque (553 vs. 266) than the Enclave’s 3.6 DOHC V6. The Alpina XB7’s standard 4.4 turbo V8 produces 321 more horsepower (631 vs. 310) and 324 lbs.-ft. more torque (590 vs. 266) than the Enclave’s 3.6 DOHC V6.

On the EPA test cycle the X7 gets better mileage than the Enclave:

Regenerative brakes improve the X7’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Enclave doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The X7 has 2.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the Enclave FWD’s standard fuel tank (21.9 vs. 19.4 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The X7 has a standard locking fuel door which locks and unlocks with the power locks The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Enclave. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

The X7’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The Enclave doesn’t offer launch control.

For better stopping power the X7’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Enclave:

For better traction, the X7 has larger standard tires than the Enclave (F:275/40R22 & R:315/35R22 vs. 255/65R18). The X7’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Enclave (285/45R21 vs. 255/65R18).

The X7’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Enclave’s standard 65 series tires. The X7’s optional 275/35R23 front and 315/30R23 rear tires have a lower 35 series front and 30 series rear profile than the Enclave’s optional 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the X7 has standard 21-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Enclave. The X7’s optional 23-inch wheels are larger than the 20-inch wheels optional on the Enclave.

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires available on the X7 can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The Enclave doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

The X7 offers active sway bars, which help keep it flat and controlled during cornering, but disconnect at lower speeds to smooth the ride and offer greater off-road suspension articulation. This helps keep the tires glued to the road on-road and off. The Enclave doesn’t offer an active sway bar system.

The front and rear suspension of the X7 uses air springs for a smoother, controlled ride than the Enclave, which uses coil springs. Air springs maintain proper ride height and ride more smoothly.

The X7 has a standard automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The X7’s height leveling suspension allows the driver to raise ride height for better off-road clearance and then lower it again for easier entering and exiting and better on-road handling. The Enclave doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the X7’s wheelbase is 1.3 inches longer than on the Enclave (122.2 inches vs. 120.9 inches).

The X7’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (49.4% to 50.6%) than the Enclave’s (57% to 43%). This gives the X7 more stable handling and braking.

For greater off-road capability the X7 has a 1.2 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Enclave (8.7 vs. 7.5 inches), allowing the X7 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the X7’s middle and third row seats recline. The Enclave’s third row seats don’t recline.

Pressing a button automatically lowers or raises the X7’s second and third row seats, to make changing between cargo and passengers easier. The Enclave doesn’t offer automatic folding second row seats.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the X7. The Enclave doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The X7’s rear cargo window opens separately from the rest of the tailgate door to allow quicker loading of small packages. The Enclave’s rear cargo window doesn’t open.

The X7’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Enclave’s (5950 vs. 1500 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Buick Enclave is only 5000 pounds. The X7 offers up to a 7500 lbs. towing capacity.

Standard Trailer Stabilization Control on the X7 uses the Dynamic Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Enclave doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The engine in the X7 is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Enclave. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because there are no rear spark plugs and the accessory belts are in front.

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Enclave Premium/Avenir, the X7 has standard driver and passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position, outside mirror angle, climate settings and radio stations and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The X7’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Enclave does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The X7’s 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 X7’s 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.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the X7 has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Enclave doesn’t offer cornering lights. The X7 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 X7 to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Enclave doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The X7 has standard heated front and optional heated second and third row seats, which keep the driver and passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Buick doesn’t offer heated seats in the third row of the Enclave.

The X7’s Parking Assistant Plus can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Control will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The Enclave doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the BMW X7 and the Buick Enclave, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The BMW X7 outsold the Buick Enclave by 173 units during 2022.