The Buick Enclave is a three-row, seven-passenger, full-size crossover marketed by the Buick brand of General Motors, and sold in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. The Enclave crossover is also sold in China, but as a midsize crossover.
| Assembly Location | GM Lansing Delta Township plant in Michigan | GM Jinqiao plant in Shanghai |
| Model Years | 2008 – Present | 2020 – Present |
| Body Style(s) | Full-Size Crossover | Midsize Crossover |
| Layout | Front-Engined, Transverse | Front-Engined, Transverse |
| Engine(s) | 3.6L V-6 LFY | Turbo 2.0L I4 LSY |
| Transmission(s) | 9-Speed Automatic | 9-Speed Automatic |
| Drive Wheels | Front-Wheel Drive, All-Wheel Drive | Front-Wheel Drive, All-Wheel Drive |
| Availability | U.S.A., Canada, Mexico | China |
2006 Buick Enclave Concept
Concepts
GM previewed the 2006 Buick Enclave Concept for the North American market, itself inspired by the 2003 Buick Centieme Concept.
First Generation
GM introduced the first-generation Enclave in mid-2007 for the 2008 model year, with production beginning in April 2007 for sale later in the year. The Enclave replaced the Buick Rendezvous minivan-based midsize crossover, the Buick Rainier body-on-frame midsize SUV, and Buick Terraza minivan. It is offered with front-wheel- and all-wheel-drive.
The first-generation Buick Enclave was available from the 2008 through the 2017 model years. It was built on the GM Lambda platform which also underpinned the discontinued Saturn Outlook, along with the first-generation, full-size GMC Acadia and Chevy Traverse.
it was powered by the 3.6L V6 LY7 gasoline engine producing 270 horsepower and 251 pound-feet of torque.
For 2013 the Enclave received a refresh with a completely redesigned grille and updated front and rear fascia, including a chrome waterfall grille and xenon headlights with LED running lights, fog lights, and taillights. It also featured improvements and quality upgrades to the interior such as wood and chrome accents. Additionally, safety features were added such as seven standard airbags, plus an industry-first front center airbag, and available blind-spot monitoring.
The 2016 Buick Enclave is powered by GM’s naturally aspirated 3.6L V6 LLT gasoline engine producing 288 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque. It is mated to GM’s six-speed 6T75 automatic transmission (M7V for front-wheel-drive and M7X for all-wheel-drive).
The 2017 Enclave was the last model year of the first generation.
Here’s a list of guides and the model years changes for the first-gen Enclave:
Second Generation
For the 2018 model year, Buick completely overhauled (redesigned and re-engineered) the Enclave, delivering the second generation of the Enclave nameplate after selling the first-generation model for 10 years. It is underpinned by the long wheelbase version, wide track variant of the GM C1 platform (or “Chi”), the crossover variant of GM’s midsize E2XX architecture. The platform is shared with the now smaller, midsize second-generation GMC Acadia and full-size Chevy Traverse.
The all-new Enclave is highlighted by a visually lower and slimmer body, more third-row space, improved towing capability, a thoughtful collection of safety technologies, useful interior features, and premium materials.
At that time Buick also introduced the range-topping Avenir trim level for the Enclave.
It is powered by GM’s naturally aspirated 3.6L V6 LFY gasoline engine. The engine features stop/start technology and produces 305 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. It is paired with a GM’s nine-speed 9T65 automatic transmission.
For the 2020 model year, the LFY engine was upgraded to produce 310 horsepower and 266 pound-feet of torque. It is mated to GM’s nine-speed M3W automatic transmission.
For the 2022 model year – the fifth of the second generation – Buick unveiled the refreshed Enclave, highlighting new features and options to the nameplate that included sharper exterior styling, additional safety tech, and exclusive equipment for the Avenir trim level, including Avenir-specific headlights. Additionally, the premium marque dropped the base Preferred trim level to make the Essence the new base model, sold alongside the Premium and Avenir trims.
Here’s a list of model year guides and the changes for the second-gen Enclave:
Chinese Model
The Buick Enclave crossover is sold in China and in North America under the same name, and are mechanically related, but are not the same vehicle. Introduced at the end of 2019 for the 2020 model year, the Chinese Buick Enclave is a midsize crossover. It also rides on the C1 platform, but this time on its regular-wheelbase, wide-track, long-rear-end form. It is therefore similar to the Cadillac XT6 and the Chinese-market three-row Chevy Blazer. For China, the Enclave is powered by the turbocharged 2.0L I4 LSY gasoline engine, which is rated at 233 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. Like the LFY, it is paired with GM’s nine-speed automatic transmission, with front-wheel-drive standard and all-wheel-drive optional.
For 2022, SAIC-GM announced the launch of a new six-seat variant of the 2022 Buick Enclave in China, introducing a new configuration for the midsize crossover’s third model year in the Asian country. The initial Chinese model was launched with seven seats.
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- 2020 Buick Enclave Avenir in China
Positioning
The size of the North American Buick Enclave is full size, meaning that it slots above the discontinued subcompact Buick Encore crossover, subcompact-plus Buick Encore GX crossover, and the compact Buick Envision crossover. The Chinese Buick Enclave is a midsize crossover, still slotting above the Envision.
| Subcompact | Subcompact-Plus | Compact | Midsize | Full-Size |
| Encore | Encore GX | Envision | Enclave (China) | Enclave (North America) |
Future Models
We expect a third-generation Buick Enclave to be introduced for the 2025 model year in North America.
- See more details about the future Buick Enclave
Production
For North American markets, the Buick Enclave is assembled by GM USA at the GM Lansing Delta Township plant in Michigan.
The Chinese model is assembled at the GM Jinqiao plant in Shanghai.
Sales
See Buick Enclave sales numbers for all North American markets, including the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Discussion
Discuss the Buick Enclave in our Buick forum.
Enclave News
2026 Buick Enclave Gets Expanded Rear Camera Mirror Availability
Now available on every trim.
Read More »
2026 Buick Enclave Gets New Key Card Feature
Added convenience when multiple drivers share the same vehicle.
Read More »
