Compare the2025 Volkswagen AtlasVS 2024 Buick Enclave

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

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Volkswagen Atlas 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 Atlas has a standard Automatic Post-Collision Braking System, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Enclave doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Both the Atlas and Enclave have rear cross-traffic warning, but the Atlas has Rear Traffic Alert (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Enclave’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the Atlas 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 Volkswagen Atlas is safer than the Buick Enclave:

	Atlas	Enclave
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	277	333
Chest Compression	.7 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 Volkswagen Atlas is safer than the Buick Enclave:

	Atlas	Enclave
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	57	69
Chest Movement	.5 inches	.9 inches
Abdominal Force	48 lbs.	161 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	527 lbs.	716 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	14 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 Volkswagen Atlas is safer than the Enclave:

	Atlas	Enclave
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Structure	GOOD	MARGINAL
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	42	141
Neck Tension	156 lbs.	446 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.83 in	1.3 in
Shoulder Force	245 lbs.	312 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.1 in	1.5 in
Torso Deflection Rate	4 MPH	6 MPH
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	163	189
Neck Compression	134 lbs.	201 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	GOOD
Shoulder Deflection	.43 in	1.02 in
Shoulder Force	178 lbs.	290 lbs.
Torso Deflection Rate	10 MPH	10 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Atlas is 1.4% to 1.8% less likely to roll over than the Enclave.

The Volkswagen Atlas 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 is not a “Top Safety Pick” for 2024.

Warranty

The Atlas comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck. The Enclave’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The Atlas’ corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Enclave’s (7/100,000 vs. 6/100,000).

Volkswagen pays for scheduled maintenance on the Atlas for 2 years and 20,000 miles. Volkswagen will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Buick doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Enclave.

Reliability

The Volkswagen Atlas’ engine uses a cast iron block for durability, while the Enclave’s engine uses an aluminum block. Aluminum engine blocks are much more prone to warp and crack at high temperatures than cast iron.

Engine

The Atlas’ 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 7 lbs.-ft. more torque (273 vs. 266) than the Enclave’s 3.6 DOHC V6.

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Atlas
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	20 city/26 hwy
	AWD	SE 2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	19 city/26 hwy
		SEL 2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	18 city/25 hwy
		Peak Edition 2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	18 city/25 hwy
Enclave
	FWD	3.6 DOHC V6	18 city/26 hwy
	AWD	3.6 DOHC V6	17 city/25 hwy

The Atlas 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.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Atlas	Enclave
Front Rotors	13.2 inches	12.6 inches

The Atlas stops much shorter than the Enclave:

	Atlas	Enclave
70 to 0 MPH	174 feet	179 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	121 feet	134 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Atlas SEL Premium R-Line’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Enclave (265/45R21 vs. 255/65R18).

The Atlas SE/Peak Edition’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 Atlas SEL Premium R-Line’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Enclave’s optional 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Atlas SEL Premium R-Line has standard 21-inch wheels. The Enclave’s largest wheels are only 20-inches.

Suspension and Handling

The Atlas’ 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.

The Atlas’ front to rear weight distribution is more even (55% to 45%) than the Enclave’s (57% to 43%). This gives the Atlas more stable handling and braking.

The Atlas 4Motion handles at .84 G’s, while the Enclave Essence pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Atlas SEL 4Motion executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.3 seconds quicker than the Enclave Avenir (27.1 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 28.4 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

Chassis

The Atlas is 4.1 inches shorter than the Enclave, making the Atlas easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Passenger Space

The Atlas has .5 inches more front legroom, .5 inches more rear headroom, .9 inches more rear hip room, .7 inches more third row headroom and .2 inches more third row legroom than the Enclave.

Cargo Capacity

The Atlas 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 Atlas. The Enclave doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Towing

The Atlas’ standard towing capacity is much higher than the Enclave’s (5000 vs. 1500 pounds).

Standard trailer stability control on the Atlas 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 Atlas’ 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 Atlas’ 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.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the Atlas SEL to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Enclave doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Atlas offers optional cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Enclave doesn’t offer cornering lights. The Atlas also has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

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

The Atlas SEL Premium R-Line’s 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 Atlas owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Atlas will cost $470 less than the Enclave over a five-year period.

The Atlas will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Atlas will retain 50.34% to 51.84% of its original price after five years, while the Enclave only retains 48.75% to 49.82%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Atlas is less expensive to operate than the Enclave because it costs $127 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost less on the Atlas than the Enclave, including $61 less for front brake pads, $129 less for a fuel pump and $67 less for a power steering pump.

Recommendations

The Volkswagen Atlas outsold the Buick Enclave by over two to one during 2023.

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