Compare the2024 Buick EnclaveVS 2023 Lincoln Navigator

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

Safety

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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 Lincoln Navigator 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 Navigator doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Enclave uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The Navigator uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Enclave and the Navigator 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 Lincoln Navigator:

	Enclave	Navigator
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	15.6%	32%
Neck Stress	198 lbs.	361 lbs.
Neck Compression	77 lbs.	147 lbs.

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 post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Buick Enclave is safer than the Lincoln Navigator:

	Enclave	Navigator
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	34 G’s	47 G’s
Hip Force	554 lbs.	569 lbs.

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

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Enclave is 2.4% to 5.8% less likely to roll over than the Navigator.

Warranty

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

There are almost 3 times as many Buick dealers as there are Lincoln dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Enclave’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Enclave second among midsize suvs in their 2023 Initial Quality Study. The Navigator 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 Lincoln vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Buick fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 46 more problems per 100 vehicles, Lincoln is ranked 28th, 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 Lincoln vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Buick second in reliability, above the industry average. With 33 more problems per 100 vehicles, Lincoln is ranked 13th.

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Enclave
	FWD	3.6 DOHC V6	18 city/26 hwy
	AWD	3.6 DOHC V6	17 city/25 hwy
Navigator
	RWD	3.5 turbo V6	17 city/23 hwy
	AWD	3.5 turbo V6	16 city/22 hwy

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

Brakes and Stopping

The Enclave stops much shorter than the Navigator:

	Enclave	Navigator
70 to 0 MPH	176 feet	185 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	130 feet	144 feet	Consumer Reports
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	141 feet	162 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

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 Navigator doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Suspension and Handling

The Enclave Avenir AWD handles at .83 G’s, while the Navigator Black Label 4WD pulls only .75 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Enclave’s turning circle is 1 foot tighter than the Navigator’s (39 feet vs. 40 feet).

Chassis

The Buick Enclave may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 1150 to 1350 pounds less than the Lincoln Navigator.

The Enclave is 5.2 inches shorter than the Navigator, making the Enclave easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Unibody construction lowers the Enclave’s center of gravity significantly without reducing ground clearance. This contributes to better on the road handling and better off-road performance and stability. In addition, unibody construction makes the chassis stiffer, improving handling and reducing squeaks and rattles. The Navigator doesn’t use unibody construction, but a body-on-frame design.

As tested by Car and Driver while at idle, the interior of the Enclave Essence is quieter than the Navigator Black Label 4WD (38 vs. 42 dB).

Passenger Space

The Enclave has .8 inches more front headroom and .3 inches more third row headroom than the Navigator.

The front step up height for the Enclave is 3 inches lower than the Navigator (18” vs. 21”). The Enclave’s rear step up height is 4.3 inches lower than the Navigator’s (18.7” vs. 23”).

Cargo Capacity

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

	Enclave	Navigator
Behind Third Seat	23.6 cubic feet	19.3 cubic feet
Third Seat Folded	57.7 cubic feet	57.5 cubic feet

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

	Enclave	Navigator
Length to seat (3rd/2nd/1st)	26.2”/54”/90”	24”/48”/86.8”
Max Width	52.7”	51.5”
Min Width	48.5”	51”
Height	30.8”	37”

Servicing Ease

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

Ergonomics

The Enclave’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Navigator’s cruise control switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

When the Enclave Premium/Avenir is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Navigator’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Enclave is less expensive to operate than the Navigator because typical repairs cost less on the Enclave than the Navigator, including $135 less for front struts, $145 less for a timing belt/chain and $78 less for a power steering pump.

Recommendations

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

The Buick Enclave outsold the Lincoln Navigator by over two to one during 2022.