Compare the2024 Buick EnclaveVS 2023 BMW X5

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
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 BMW X5 doesn’t offer height adjustable seat belts.

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 X5 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 X5 doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

Both the Enclave and the X5 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, 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 BMW X5:

	Enclave	X5
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	15.6%	34%
Neck Stress	198 lbs.	308 lbs.
Neck Compression	77 lbs.	112 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	53/40 lbs.	636/584 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	333	342
Neck Stress	128 lbs.	220 lbs.
Neck Compression	51 lbs.	91 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	258/133 lbs.	527/418 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 flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Buick Enclave is safer than the BMW X5:

	Enclave	X5
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	69	72
Hip Force	204 lbs.	279 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	251	308
Spine Acceleration	34 G’s	44 G’s
Hip Force	554 lbs.	796 lbs.

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

Warranty

Buick’s powertrain warranty covers the Enclave 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than BMW covers the X5. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the X5 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are almost 6 times as many Buick dealers as there are BMW 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 X5 was rated third 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 BMW vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Buick fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 30 more problems per 100 vehicles, BMW is ranked 20th.

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 BMW vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Buick second in reliability, above the industry average. With 40 more problems per 100 vehicles, BMW is ranked 15th.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Enclave AWD gets better fuel mileage than the X5 M50i (17 city/25 hwy vs. 16 city/22 hwy).

Both the Enclave and the X5 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. A disable switch for start/stop is only offered on the X5 M50i.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Buick Enclave uses regular unleaded gasoline. The X5 requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Enclave has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The X5 doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Buick Enclave higher (6 out of 10) than the BMW X5 (3). This means the Enclave produces up to 23.4 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the X5 every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

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 X5.

Brakes and Stopping

The Enclave stops shorter than the X5:

	Enclave	X5
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	141 feet	142 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

The Buick Enclave’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The BMW X5 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 X5 doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Enclave’s wheelbase is 3.8 inches longer than on the X5 (120.9 inches vs. 117.1 inches).

For better maneuverability, the Enclave’s turning circle is 2.3 feet tighter than the X5’s (39 feet vs. 41.3 feet).

Chassis

The Buick Enclave may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 450 to 600 pounds less than the BMW X5.

The Enclave uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The X5 doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

As tested by Car and Driver while at idle, the interior of the Enclave Essence is quieter than the X5 xDrive40i (38 vs. 39 dB).

Passenger Space

The Enclave has 1.9 inches more front headroom, 1.4 inches more front legroom, 2.2 inches more front shoulder room, 1.2 inches more rear headroom, .9 inches more rear legroom and 3.5 inches more rear shoulder room than the X5.

The front step up height for the Enclave is 1.5 inches lower than the X5 (18” vs. 19.5”). The Enclave’s rear step up height is 1.3 inches lower than the X5’s (18.7” vs. 20”).

Cargo Capacity

The Enclave’s cargo area provides more volume than the X5.

	Enclave	X5
Third Seat Folded	57.7 cubic feet	n/a
Third Seat Removed	n/a	33.9 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	97.4 cubic feet	72.3 cubic feet

The Enclave’s cargo area is larger than the X5’s in almost every dimension:

	Enclave	X5
Length to seat (3rd/2nd/1st)	26.2”/54”/90”	n.a./40.7”/70”
Max Width	52.7”	49”
Min Width	48.5”	44”
Height	30.8”	31.5”

The Enclave’s liftgate lifts up in one piece, completely out of the way of loading and unloading, while sheltering the cargo loading area. The X5’s tailgate’s top part raises up, but the bottom part lowers, getting in the way of loading and making an uneven surface for sliding cargo.

Servicing Ease

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Buick service is better than BMW. J.D. Power ranks Buick fifth in service department satisfaction. With a 6% lower rating, BMW is ranked 7th.

Ergonomics

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 X5 doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its BMW Assist can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Enclave has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the X5 only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

Consumer Reports rated the Enclave’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the X5’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

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 X5.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Buick Enclave has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the X5.

The Enclave offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The X5 doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Enclave owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Enclave will cost $3280 to $5300 less than the X5 over a five-year period.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Enclave is less expensive to operate than the X5 because typical repairs cost much less on the Enclave than the X5, including $75 less for a water pump, $1508 less for a muffler, $28 less for front brake pads, $301 less for a starter, $121 less for fuel injection, $43 less for a fuel pump, $416 less for front struts, $1055 less for a timing belt/chain and $887 less for a power steering pump.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Buick Enclave will be $19726 to $29853 less than for the BMW X5.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Buick Enclave and the BMW X5, based on reliability, safety and performance.

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