Compare the2025 Buick EnclaveVS 2025 Audi Q7

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Recommendations

Safety

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The Enclave has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The Q7 doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Buick Enclave achieved a “Good” rating - the highest possible - in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, outperforming the Audi Q7 which scored “Poor” - the lowest rating - in these critical safety features.

Both the Enclave and the Q7 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, 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, front parking sensors and driver alert monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Buick Enclave is safer than the Audi Q7:

	Enclave	Q7
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	20.1%	25%
Neck Stress	178 lbs.	186 lbs.
Neck Compression	2 lbs.	37 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	32/13 lbs.	61/46 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.7 inches	.7 inches
Neck Injury Risk	35.9%	44%

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

A significantly tougher test than their original offset frontal crash test, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH small overlap frontal offset crash tests. In this test, where only 25% of the total width of the vehicle is struck, results indicate that the Buick Enclave is safer than the Q7:

	Enclave	Q7
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Restraints	GOOD	GOOD
Head Neck Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Head injury index	126	225
Peak Head Forces	0 G’s	0 G’s
Chest Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Max Chest Compression	23 cm	30 cm
Hip & Thigh Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Femur Force R/L	.1/0 kN	5.5/.1 kN
Hip & Thigh Injury Risk R/L	0%/0%	4%/0%
Lower Leg Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Tibia index R/L	.49/.52	.57/.7

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, results indicate that the Buick Enclave is safer than the Audi Q7:

	Enclave	Q7
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	64	187
Chest Movement	.6 inches	.8 inches
Abdominal Force	73 lbs.	128 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	113	337
Spine Acceleration	48 G’s	62 G’s
Hip Force	518 lbs.	888 lbs.

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

Warranty

Buick’s powertrain warranty covers the Enclave 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Audi covers the Q7. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Q7 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 3 times as many Buick dealers as there are Audi dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Enclave’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Buick vehicles are better in initial quality than Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Buick above average in initial quality. With 78 more problems per 100 vehicles, Audi is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Buick vehicles are more reliable than Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Buick third in reliability, above the industry average. With 126 more problems per 100 vehicles, Audi is ranked 29th.

Engine

The Enclave’s 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 67 more horsepower (328 vs. 261) and 53 lbs.-ft. more torque (326 vs. 273) than the Q7 45 TFSI’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Enclave gets better mileage than the Q7:

			MPG
Enclave
	FWD	2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/27 hwy
	AWD	2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	19 city/24 hwy
Q7
	AWD	3.0 turbo V6 Hybrid	18 city/23 hwy

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Buick Enclave uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Q7 55 TFSI requires premium, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

The Enclave has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Q7 doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Buick Enclave higher (5 out of 10) than the Audi Q7 (4). This means the Enclave produces up to 5.2 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Q7 every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

The Enclave stops much shorter than the Q7:

	Enclave	Q7
70 to 0 MPH	164 feet	166 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	109 feet	121 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Enclave has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 19-inch wheels are standard on the Q7. The Enclave’s optional 22-inch wheels are larger than the 21-inch wheels optional on the Q7.

The Buick Enclave’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Audi Q7 only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

The Enclave has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the Q7; it requires you to depend on its run-flat tires, which limits mileage and speed before they are repaired. If a run-flat is damaged beyond repair by a road hazard your vehicle will have to be towed. Some tire options on the Q7 don’t have a run-flat feature, either.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Enclave’s wheelbase is 3 inches longer than on the Q7 (120.9 inches vs. 117.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Enclave is 1.2 inches wider in the front and .5 inches wider in the rear than on the Q7.

For better maneuverability, the Enclave’s turning circle is 2 feet tighter than the Q7’s (39 feet vs. 41 feet). The Enclave w/22” wheels’ turning circle is .3 feet tighter than the Q7’s (40.7 feet vs. 41 feet).

Chassis

The Buick Enclave may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 400 pounds less than the Audi Q7.

The front grille of the Enclave uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Q7 doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Enclave uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Q7 doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The Enclave has 2.7 inches more front headroom, 2.6 inches more front legroom, 2.7 inches more front shoulder room, 1.2 inches more rear headroom, 2.7 inches more rear legroom, 3.6 inches more rear shoulder room, 2.4 inches more third row headroom, 2.9 inches more third row legroom and 8.4 inches more third row shoulder room than the Q7.

Cargo Capacity

The Enclave’s cargo area provides more volume than the Q7.

	Enclave	Q7
Behind Third Seat	22.9 cubic feet	13.6 cubic feet
Third Seat Folded	57.1 cubic feet	35.7 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	97.5 cubic feet	68.1 cubic feet

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Enclave easier. The Enclave’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 30.7 inches, while the Q7’s liftover is 32.5 inches.

Pressing a switch automatically lowers the Enclave’s optional second and third row seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Q7 doesn’t offer automatic folding second row seats.

Towing

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Enclave uses the StabiliTrak® sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Q7 doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Servicing Ease

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Buick service is better than Audi. J.D. Power ranks Buick 9th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With an 8% lower rating, Audi is ranked 18th.

Ergonomics

The Enclave’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 Q7 does not have an oil pressure gauge.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Enclave has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Q7 only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

The Enclave has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the Q7.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Buick Enclave has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the Q7.

The Enclave offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Q7 doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Model Availability

The Enclave is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Q7 doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Recommendations

The Buick Enclave outsold the Audi Q7/SQ7 by 27% during 2024.

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