Compare the2024 Nissan PathfinderVS 2024 Buick Enclave

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

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Nissan Pathfinder 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.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Nissan Pathfinder 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 Nissan Pathfinder 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 Pathfinder’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Enclave doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Pathfinder and the Enclave have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, front seat center airbag, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, 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 Nissan Pathfinder is safer than the Buick Enclave:

	Pathfinder	Enclave
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	312	333
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.9 inches

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 Nissan Pathfinder is safer than the Buick Enclave:

	Pathfinder	Enclave
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.9 inches	.9 inches
Abdominal Force	138 lbs.	161 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	88	134
Spine Acceleration	33 G’s	39 G’s
Hip Force	461 lbs.	716 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	14 inches	14 inches
HIC	234	251
Hip Force	466 lbs.	554 lbs.

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

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Nissan Pathfinder is safer than the Enclave:

	Pathfinder	Enclave
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Structure	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	125	141
Neck Tension	268 lbs.	446 lbs.
Neck Compression	22 lbs.	45 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.63 in	1.3 in
Shoulder Force	156 lbs.	312 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	.94 in	1.5 in
Torso Deflection Rate	5 MPH	6 MPH
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	65	189
Neck Tension	89 lbs.	134 lbs.
Neck Compression	67 lbs.	201 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	GOOD
Shoulder Deflection	.55 in	1.02 in
Shoulder Force	178 lbs.	290 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	.75 in	1.22 in
Torso Deflection Rate	4 MPH	10 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Pelvis Force	580 lbs.	848 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Pathfinder its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 29 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Enclave has not been fully tested, yet.

Warranty

The Pathfinder’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Enclave’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Pathfinder has a standard 760-amp battery. The Enclave’s 730-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Pathfinder
	FWD	3.5 DOHC V6	20 city/27 hwy
	AWD	3.5 DOHC V6	21 city/27 hwy
		Platinum 3.5 DOHC V6	20 city/25 hwy
		3.5 DOHC V6	20 city/23 hwy
Enclave
	FWD	3.6 DOHC V6	18 city/26 hwy
	AWD	3.6 DOHC V6	17 city/25 hwy

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Pathfinder	Enclave
Front Rotors	13.8 inches	12.6 inches
Rear Rotors	13 inches	12.4 inches

The Pathfinder stops shorter than the Enclave:

	Pathfinder	Enclave
60 to 0 MPH	130 feet	134 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

The Pathfinder’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 Pathfinder’s optional tires have a lower 50 series profile than the Enclave’s optional 55 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

The Pathfinder Platinum handles at .76 G’s, while the Enclave Avenir pulls only .75 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For greater off-road capability the Pathfinder Rock Creek has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Enclave (7.7 vs. 7.5 inches), allowing the Pathfinder to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

The Pathfinder is 7.1 inches shorter than the Enclave, making the Pathfinder easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Passenger Space

The Pathfinder has standard seating for 8 passengers; the Enclave can only carry 7.

The Pathfinder has 3.1 inches more front legroom, .2 inches more third row headroom and 1.1 inches more third row shoulder room than the Enclave.

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

Cargo Capacity

The Pathfinder 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.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Pathfinder. The Enclave doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Towing

The Pathfinder’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Enclave’s (3500 vs. 1500 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Buick Enclave is only 5000 pounds. The Pathfinder offers up to a 6000 lbs. towing capacity.

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Pathfinder 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.

Ergonomics

The Pathfinder’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 Pathfinder’s standard speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Enclave’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Pathfinder to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Enclave doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

Recommendations

The Nissan Pathfinder outsold the Buick Enclave by 90% during 2022.