Compare the2025 Kia SorentoVS 2025 Buick Enclave

Both the Sorento and Enclave have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Sorento S/EX/SX/Prestige/X-Line has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Enclave’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The Kia Sorento has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps 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.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Sorento’s standard Downhill Brake Control allows you to creep down safely. The Enclave doesn’t offer Downhill Brake Control.

Both the Sorento and the Enclave have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, 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 Kia Sorento achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2024 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The Enclave has not yet been evaluated by the IIHS for 2024.

The Sorento comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Enclave’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Sorento 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Buick covers the Enclave. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Enclave ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Buick vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 1 more problems per 100 vehicles, Buick is ranked fifth.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Buick vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 2 places higher in reliability than Buick.

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

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Kia Sorento higher (6 out of 10) than the Buick Enclave (5). This means the Sorento produces up to 6.9 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Enclave every 15,000 miles.

The Sorento offers an available sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The Enclave doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

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

For better maneuverability, the Sorento’s turning circle is 1.1 feet tighter than the Enclave’s (37.9 feet vs. 39 feet). The Sorento’s turning circle is 2.8 feet tighter than the Enclave w/22” wheels’ (37.9 feet vs. 40.7 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Sorento has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Enclave (6.9 vs. 6.8 inches), allowing the Sorento to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Sorento X-Line/X-Pro’s minimum ground clearance is 1.4 inches higher than on the Enclave (8.2 vs. 6.8 inches).

The Kia Sorento may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 500 to 700 pounds less than the Buick Enclave.

The Sorento LX/S/EX/SX is 1 foot, 6 inches shorter than the Enclave, making the Sorento easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

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

The Sorento’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Enclave’s (2000 vs. 1500 pounds).

The Sorento Prestige’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.

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

Consumer Reports® recommends the Kia Sorento, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Kia Sorento outsold the Buick Enclave by over two to one during 2023.