Compare the2025 Honda PilotVS 2024 Buick Enclave

For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Honda Pilot have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision. The Buick Enclave doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Honda Pilot 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 Honda Pilot 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.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Pilot deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Pilot’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Enclave’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

The Pilot’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 Pilot and the Enclave have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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.

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 Honda Pilot is safer than the Enclave:

The Honda Pilot has achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest rating of “Top Safety Pick Plus” for the 2024 model year. This distinction is based on its exceptional performance in IIHS’ rigorous battery of safety tests. Specifically, it earned an “Acceptable” rating in the latest, more stringent moderate overlap front crash test, a “Good” result in the updated side impact test, and a “Good” score in the revised pedestrian crash prevention test. The Enclave is not even a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2024.

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

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Buick vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 7 places higher in reliability than Buick.

As tested in Motor Trend the Honda Pilot is faster than the Buick Enclave:

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

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Pilot’s fuel efficiency. The Enclave doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

The Pilot has a standard locking fuel door which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Enclave. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

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

A 10-speed automatic is standard on the Honda Pilot, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a nine-speed automatic is available for the Enclave.

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

The Pilot stops shorter than the Enclave:

For better traction, the Pilot TrailSport’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Enclave (265/60R18 vs. 255/65R18).

The Pilot EX-L’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 Pilot Sport/Touring/Elite/Black Edition’s tires have a lower 50 series profile than the Enclave’s optional 55 series tires.

The Pilot TrailSport has a standard full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Enclave; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

The Pilot TrailSport handles at .85 G’s, while the Enclave Essence pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Pilot Elite executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Enclave Avenir (27.7 seconds @ .61 average G’s vs. 28.4 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Pilot TrailSport’s turning circle is 1.3 feet tighter than the Enclave’s (37.7 feet vs. 39 feet). The Pilot’s turning circle is 1.2 feet tighter than the Enclave’s (37.8 feet vs. 39 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Pilot TrailSport has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Enclave (8.3 vs. 7.5 inches), allowing the Pilot to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Pilot is 4.9 inches shorter than the Enclave, making the Pilot easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

As tested by Car and Driver while under full throttle, the interior of the Pilot TrailSport is quieter than the Enclave Essence (76 vs. 78 dB).

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

The Pilot has .3 inches more rear headroom, 2.5 inches more rear legroom, .1 inches more rear shoulder room, 1.7 inches more third row headroom and 2.2 inches more third row shoulder room than the Enclave.

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

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

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

The Pilot’s minimum standard towing capacity is much higher than the Enclave’s (3500 vs. 1500 pounds).

Standard Trailer Stability Assist on the Pilot uses the Vehicle Stability Assist 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.

The Pilot’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.

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

Insurance will cost less for the Pilot owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Pilot will cost $365 less than the Enclave over a five-year period.

The Pilot will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Pilot will retain 55.18% to 56.17% of its original price after five years, while the Enclave only retains 48.75% to 49.82%.

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

The Honda Pilot outsold the Buick Enclave by almost three to one during 2023.