Compare the2023 Infiniti QX80VS 2023 Buick Enclave

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

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Infiniti QX80 have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Buick Enclave doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

The QX80 Sensory’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.

For enhanced safety, the front and middle seat shoulder belts of the Infiniti QX80 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 Infiniti QX80 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 QX80 has standard Active Head Restraints (AHR), which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the AHR system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Enclave doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The QX80 has standard Backup Collision Intervention 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 QX80 and the Enclave have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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 and available all wheel drive.

The Infiniti QX80 weighs 1016 to 1726 pounds more than the Buick Enclave. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

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, results indicate that the Infiniti QX80 is safer than the Buick Enclave:

	QX80	Enclave
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	27	69
Abdominal Force	81 lbs.	161 lbs.
Hip Force	144 lbs.	204 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	31	134
Spine Acceleration	21 G’s	39 G’s
Hip Force	151 lbs.	716 lbs.

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

Warranty

The QX80 comes with a full 4-year/60,000-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 24,000 miles sooner.

Infiniti’s powertrain warranty covers the QX80 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Buick covers the Enclave. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 6 years or 70,000 miles. Coverage on the Enclave ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

The QX80’s corrosion warranty is 1 year and unlimited miles longer than the Enclave’s (7/unlimited vs. 6/100,000).

Infiniti pays for scheduled maintenance on the QX80 for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Infiniti will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Buick doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Enclave.

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the QX80 has a standard 780-amp battery. The Enclave’s 730-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

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 QX80’s reliability 12 points higher than the Enclave.

Engine

The QX80’s 5.6 DOHC V8 produces 90 more horsepower (400 vs. 310) and 147 lbs.-ft. more torque (413 vs. 266) than the Enclave’s 3.6 DOHC V6.

As tested in Motor Trend the Infiniti QX80 is faster than the Buick Enclave:

	QX80	Enclave
Zero to 60 MPH	6.1 sec	7 sec
Quarter Mile	14.8 sec	15.4 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	93.9 MPH	84.5 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

The QX80 has 6.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the Enclave FWD’s standard fuel tank (26 vs. 19.4 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The QX80 has 4.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the Enclave AWD’s standard fuel tank (26 vs. 21.7 gallons).

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the QX80’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Enclave:

	QX80	Enclave
Front Rotors	13.8 inches	12.6 inches
Rear Rotors	13.8 inches	12.4 inches

The QX80 stops much shorter than the Enclave:

	QX80	Enclave
60 to 0 MPH	122 feet	134 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the QX80 has larger tires than the Enclave (275/60R20 vs. 255/65R18).

The QX80 Luxe’s 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 QX80 Premium Select/Sensory’s tires have a lower 50 series profile than the Enclave’s optional 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the QX80 Luxe has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Enclave. The QX80 Premium Select/Sensory’s 22-inch wheels are larger than the 20-inch wheels optional on the Enclave.

The QX80 has a standard full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Enclave; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

Suspension and Handling

The rear suspension of the QX80 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 QX80 Sensory has a standard automatic rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The Enclave doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

The QX80’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (51% to 49%) than the Enclave’s (57% to 43%). This gives the QX80 more stable handling and braking.

For greater off-road capability the QX80 has a 1.7 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Enclave (9.2 vs. 7.5 inches), allowing the QX80 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Passenger Space

The QX80 offers optional seating for 8 passengers; the Enclave can only carry 7.

The QX80 has .2 inches more front hip room, 1.6 inches more front shoulder room, .1 inches more rear headroom, 2.7 inches more rear legroom, .7 inches more rear hip room, 1.9 inches more rear shoulder room, .3 inches more third row hip room and 3.2 inches more third row shoulder room than the Enclave.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the QX80’s middle and third row seats recline. The Enclave’s third row seats don’t recline.

Cargo Capacity

The QX80 has a standard third row seat which folds flat into the floor. This completely clears a very large cargo area quickly. The Enclave doesn’t offer seats that fold into the floor.

Pressing a switch automatically lowers the QX80 Sensory’s second and third row seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo 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 QX80. The Enclave doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Towing

The QX80’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Enclave’s (8500 vs. 1500 pounds).

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the QX80 uses the Vehicle Dynamic 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.

Servicing Ease

The engine in the QX80 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.

Ergonomics

The QX80’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 QX80’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 QX80 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 QX80’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.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The QX80 Sensory has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Enclave doesn’t offer headlight washers.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the QX80 Sensory has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Enclave doesn’t offer cornering lights.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the QX80 owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the QX80 with a number “5” insurance rate while the Enclave is rated higher at a number “10” rate.

The QX80 will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the QX80 will retain 44.39% to 44.89% of its original price after five years, while the Enclave only retains 43.19% to 43.97%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the QX80 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 much less on the QX80 than the Enclave, including $391 less for a water pump, $128 less for a muffler, $104 less for front brake pads, $94 less for fuel injection, $134 less for a fuel pump and $25 less for a power steering pump.