Compare the2023 Buick EnclaveVS 2023 Volvo XC90

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 XC90 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 XC90 doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

Both the Enclave and the XC90 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.

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 Volvo XC90:

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, results indicate that the Buick Enclave is safer than the Volvo XC90:

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

Buick’s powertrain warranty covers the Enclave 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Volvo covers the XC90. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the XC90 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are almost 7 times as many Buick dealers as there are Volvo dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Enclave’s warranty.

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 Enclave’s reliability 24 points higher than the XC90.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Buick vehicles are better in initial quality than Volvo vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Buick first in initial quality, above the industry average. With 117 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volvo is ranked 33rd, below the industry 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 Volvo vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Buick second in reliability, above the industry average. With 109 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volvo is ranked 30th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Buick vehicles are more reliable than Volvo vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Buick 3 places higher in reliability than Volvo.

The Enclave’s 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 63 more horsepower (310 vs. 247) and 8 lbs.-ft. more torque (266 vs. 258) than the XC90 B5’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid. The Enclave’s 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 15 more horsepower (310 vs. 295) than the XC90 B6’s standard 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Buick Enclave is faster than the XC90 B6 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cylinder:

Both the Enclave and the XC90 have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stoplights and heavy traffic. All Enclaves have a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily. The XC90 Recharge doesn’t offer a way to disable start/stop.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Buick Enclave uses regular unleaded gasoline. The XC90 requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Enclave AWD’s standard fuel tank has 2.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the XC90 (21.7 vs. 18.8 gallons).

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 XC90.

The Enclave stops shorter than the XC90:

For better traction, the Enclave has larger tires than the XC90 (255/65R18 vs. 235/55R19).

The Buick Enclave’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Volvo XC90 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 XC90 doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The front and rear suspension of the Enclave uses coil springs for better ride, handling and control than the XC90, which uses transverse leafs springs in the rear. Coil springs compress more progressively and offer more suspension travel for a smoother ride with less bottoming out.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Enclave’s wheelbase is 3.4 inches longer than on the XC90 (120.9 inches vs. 117.5 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Enclave is 1.5 inches wider in the front and 1.3 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the XC90.

The Enclave Avenir AWD handles at .83 G’s, while the XC90 B6 Core pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Enclave’s turning circle is .7 feet tighter than the XC90’s (39 feet vs. 39.7 feet).

The Buick Enclave may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 250 to 400 pounds less than the Volvo XC90.

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 XC90 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 XC90 doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Enclave Essence is quieter than the XC90 B6 Core:

The Enclave has 53.5 cubic feet more passenger volume than the XC90 (157.3 vs. 103.8).

The Enclave has 3.7 inches more front headroom, .3 inches more front legroom, 3 inches more front hip room, 4.5 inches more front shoulder room, 1.4 inches more rear headroom, 1.3 inches more rear legroom, 1.2 inches more rear hip room, 5 inches more rear shoulder room, 1.3 inches more third row headroom, 1.6 inches more third row legroom, 3.6 inches more third row hip room and 10.4 inches more third row shoulder room than the XC90.

The Enclave’s cargo area provides more volume than the XC90.

The Enclave’s cargo area is larger than the XC90’s in almost every dimension:

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Buick service is better than Volvo. J.D. Power ranks Buick fifth in service department satisfaction. With a 18% lower rating, Volvo is ranked 12th.

The Enclave’s front and rear power windows all lower 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 XC90’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open them fully.

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 XC90 doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its Volvo On Call can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Enclave has standard extendable sun visors. The XC90 doesn’t offer extendable visors.

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 XC90.

The Enclave is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The XC90 doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Enclave is less expensive to operate than the XC90 because typical repairs cost much less on the Enclave than the XC90, including $301 less for a water pump, $227 less for a starter, $1 less for fuel injection, $124 less for a fuel pump and $169 less for front struts.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Buick Enclave, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Volvo XC90 isn't recommended.