Compare the2024 Chrysler PacificaVS 2024 Buick Enclave

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and middle seat shoulder belts of the Chrysler Pacifica 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 Chrysler Pacifica 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.

Earlier warning of stopped traffic, traffic signals, dangerous road conditions, weather, or accidents, can keep driver's safer and prevent crashes. The Pacifica offers optional Emergency Vehicle Alert System, a system that seamlessly communicates important warnings to the driver about impending danger, if they're available. The Enclave doesn’t offer a system that can receive automated systems from other vehicles.

Both the Pacifica and the Enclave have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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 Chrysler Pacifica is safer than the Buick Enclave:

	Pacifica	Enclave
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	168	216
Neck Compression	56 lbs.	77 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	196	333
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.9 inches
Neck Injury Risk	25%	35.2%
Neck Stress	117 lbs.	128 lbs.
Neck Compression	51 lbs.	51 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 Chrysler Pacifica is safer than the Buick Enclave:

	Pacifica	Enclave
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Abdominal Force	149 lbs.	161 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	66	134
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	14 inches

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 Chrysler Pacifica is safer than the Enclave:

	Pacifica	Enclave
Overall Evaluation	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Structure	GOOD	MARGINAL
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Neck Tension	335 lbs.	446 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.94 in	1.3 in
Shoulder Force	223 lbs.	312 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.26 in	1.5 in
Torso Deflection Rate	5 MPH	6 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	848 lbs.	1116 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head Injury Criterion	83	189
Neck Tension	112 lbs.	134 lbs.
Neck Compression	67 lbs.	201 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Pacifica is 3.4% to 6% less likely to roll over than the Enclave.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, and daytime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Pacifica the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2023, a rating granted to only 98 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Enclave has not been fully tested, yet.

Warranty

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

There are over 22 percent more Chrysler dealers than there are Buick dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Pacifica’s warranty.

Reliability

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Pacifica has a standard 180-amp alternator (220-amp - Pacifica optional). The Enclave’s 170-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

Engine

As tested in Motor Trend the Chrysler Pacifica V6 is faster than the Buick Enclave:

	Pacifica	Enclave
Zero to 60 MPH	6.7 sec	7 sec
Quarter Mile	15.1 sec	15.4 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	92.4 MPH	84.5 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Pacifica running on electricity gets better mileage than the Enclave:

			MPGe
Pacifica
	FWD	Hybrid Electric Motor	87 city/77 hwy
Enclave
			MPG
	FWD	3.6 DOHC V6	18 city/26 hwy
	AWD	3.6 DOHC V6	17 city/25 hwy

On the EPA test cycle the Pacifica running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the Enclave:

			MPG
Pacifica
	FWD	3.6 V6 Hybrid	29 city/30 hwy
		3.6 DOHC V6	19 city/28 hwy
Enclave
	FWD	3.6 DOHC V6	18 city/26 hwy

The Pacifica Hybrid can travel with zero emissions for 32 miles. The Enclave can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

Regenerative brakes improve the Pacifica Hybrid’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Enclave doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Chrysler Pacifica higher (7 out of 10) than the Buick Enclave (6). This means the Pacifica produces up to 1.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Enclave every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

The Pacifica Hybrid has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Enclave doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Pacifica	Pacifica AWD	Enclave
Front Rotors	13 inches	13.8 inches	12.6 inches
Rear Rotors	13 inches	13.4 inches	12.4 inches

The Pacifica stops much shorter than the Enclave:

	Pacifica	Enclave
70 to 0 MPH	164 feet	179 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	122 feet	134 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

The Pacifica’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Enclave’s optional 55 series tires.

Having a flat tire is dangerous, inconvenient and expensive. The self-sealing tires available on the Pacifica can automatically seal most punctures up to 3/16 of an inch, effectively preventing most flat tires. The Enclave doesn’t offer self-sealing tires.

Suspension and Handling

The Pacifica’s drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The Enclave doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Pacifica is 1.1 inches wider in the front and 1.4 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Enclave.

Passenger Space

The Pacifica offers optional seating for 8 passengers; the Enclave can only carry 7.

The Pacifica has 7.8 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Enclave (165.1 vs. 157.3).

The Pacifica has 1.6 inches more front shoulder room, .7 inches more rear legroom, 7.1 inches more rear hip room, 1.4 inches more rear shoulder room, 1.1 inches more third row headroom, 3 inches more third row legroom, 1 inch more third row hip room and 3.9 inches more third row shoulder room than the Enclave.

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

The front step up height for the Pacifica is 1.7 inches lower than the Enclave (16.3” vs. 18”). The Pacifica’s rear step up height is .5 inches lower than the Enclave’s (18.2” vs. 18.7”).

Cargo Capacity

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

	Pacifica	Enclave
Behind Third Seat	32.3 cubic feet	23.6 cubic feet
Third Seat Folded	87.5 cubic feet	57.7 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	140.5 cubic feet	97.4 cubic feet

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Pacifica easier. The Pacifica’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 24.3 inches, while the Enclave’s liftover is 30.5 inches.

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

	Pacifica	Enclave
Length to seat (3rd/2nd/1st)	23.2”/57.5”/92.5”	26.2”/54”/90”
Max Width	49.3”	52.7”
Min Width	48.8”	48.5”
Height	47.6”	30.8”

The Pacifica has standard Stow ’n Go second and third row seats (except Hybrid for the second row), which fold 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 Pacifica. The Enclave doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Towing

The Pacifica’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Enclave’s (3600 vs. 1500 pounds).

Optional Trailer Sway Control on the Pacifica (except Hybrid/Touring) uses the Electronic Stability 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 Pacifica’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Enclave does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The Pacifica Limited/Pinnacle’s front and rear power windows all open or close with one touch of the switches. The Enclave’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully.

The Pacifica’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Enclave’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

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

The Pacifica (except Touring)’s optional ParkSense Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Enclave doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Pacifica owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Pacifica will cost $335 less than the Enclave over a five-year period.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Pacifica is less expensive to operate than the Enclave because it costs $709 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Pacifica than the Enclave, including $355 less for a water pump, $14 less for front brake pads, $235 less for fuel injection, $104 less for a fuel pump and $797 less for a power steering pump.

Recommendations

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

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Pacifica as the 2017 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year. The Enclave has never been chosen.

The Chrysler Pacifica/Voyager outsold the Buick Enclave by over three to one during 2022.