Compare the2024 Buick EnclaveVS 2024 Acura MDX

For enhanced safety, the Buick Enclave’s middle seat shoulder belts have child comfort guides to move the belt to properly fit children. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages children to buckle up. The Acura MDX doesn’t offer comfort guides on its middle seat belts.

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 MDX doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

Both the Enclave and the MDX have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, 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 Acura MDX:

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 Buick Enclave is safer than the Acura MDX:

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

The Enclave’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the MDX’s (6 vs. 5 years).

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

A hardened steel chain, with no maintenance needs, drives the camshafts in the Enclave’s engine. A rubber cam drive belt that needs periodic replacement drives the MDX’s camshafts. If the MDX’s belt breaks, the engine could be severely damaged when the pistons hit the opened valves.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Enclave second among midsize suvs in their 2023 Initial Quality Study. The MDX isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Buick vehicles are better in initial quality than Acura vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Buick fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 45 more problems per 100 vehicles, Acura is ranked 27th, 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 Acura vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Buick second in reliability, above the industry average. With 97 more problems per 100 vehicles, Acura is ranked 28th.

The Enclave’s 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 20 more horsepower (310 vs. 290) than the MDX’s standard 3.5 SOHC V6.

As tested in Motor Trend the Buick Enclave is faster than the Acura MDX V6:

On the EPA test cycle the Enclave AWD gets better fuel mileage than the MDX Type S 3.0 turbo V6 (17 city/25 hwy vs. 17 city/21 hwy).

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

The Enclave FWD’s standard fuel tank has almost a gallon more fuel capacity than the MDX (19.4 vs. 18.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Enclave AWD’s standard fuel tank has 3.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the MDX (21.7 vs. 18.5 gallons).

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Buick Enclave higher (6 out of 10) than the Acura MDX (5). This means the Enclave produces up to 6.9 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the MDX every 15,000 miles.

The Enclave’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the MDX are solid, not vented.

The Enclave stops shorter than the MDX:

The Buick Enclave’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Acura MDX only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Enclave’s wheelbase is 7.1 inches longer than on the MDX (120.9 inches vs. 113.8 inches).

For better maneuverability, the Enclave’s turning circle is 1.5 feet tighter than the MDX’s (39 feet vs. 40.5 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Enclave has a greater minimum ground clearance than the MDX (7.5 vs. 7.3 inches), allowing the Enclave to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

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 MDX doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

As tested by Car and Driver while cruising at 70 MPH, the interior of the Enclave Essence is quieter than the MDX Type S (67 vs. 68 dB).

The Enclave has 18.2 cubic feet more passenger volume than the MDX (157.3 vs. 139.1).

The Enclave has 4.1 inches more front headroom, .3 inches more front shoulder room, 1.8 inches more rear headroom, 1.3 inches more rear shoulder room, 1.4 inches more third row headroom, 4.4 inches more third row legroom, 7.9 inches more third row hip room and 2.1 inches more third row shoulder room than the MDX.

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

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

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Buick service is better than Acura. J.D. Power ranks Buick fifth in service department satisfaction. With a 1% lower rating, Acura is ranked 6th.

The power windows standard on both the Enclave and the MDX 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 MDX 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 MDX doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its AcuraLink can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

The Enclave’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The MDX has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

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 MDX.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Buick Enclave will be $3462 to $14614 less than for the Acura MDX.

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