2020 Nissan Murano vs 2021 Buick Enclave

The 2020 Nissan Murano had the face of the last generation of Nissan products. While its styling was updated for the 2019 model year with a refreshed grille, redesigned LED headlights and taillights, added fog lights, new wheel designs, and additional paint color choices, the Murano’s exterior design remained attractive, just not particularly modern. This became glaringly apparent as the redesigned Nissan Pathfinder and Armada debuted, leaving the Murano as one of the only models without Nissan’s new looks.

Nissan sold the Murano in S, SV, SL, and Platinum grades for 2020. Midrange and higher trim levels received more standard features. The Murano SV got heated outside mirrors, adaptive cruise control, and rear sonar. The Murano SL added traffic-sign recognition technology, and the top-tier Murano Platinum featured a new leather-wrapped steering wheel. The Murano rode on standard 18-inch machined aluminum-alloy wheels, with the SL and Platinum grades getting 20-inch wheels in different finishes. The interior, especially in the Platinum grade, had premium appointments but felt dated, particularly the center stack, console, and steering wheel.

Once upon a time, Buicks were big, shiny, impressive things. Then, during the Malaise Era of automotive design and marketing, they weren’t. It took a long time for Buick to recover from the mistakes that crippled the brand’s potential for success. Solely because Buicks were popular in China, it survived as one of four remaining brands after the 2009 General Motors bankruptcy. Thereafter, it found solid footing as a repository for globally-sourced and rebadged GM vehicles like the Encore (South Korea) and Regal (Germany).

The Enclave was the largest of four SUVs that Buick sold, and by a wide margin. The others—the Encore, Encore GX, and Envision—were all on the small side. Buick sold the Enclave in Preferred, Essence, Premium, and Avenir trims, with pricing ranging from just over $41,000 to just under $55,000. The Enclave looked great, and the Avenir trim added extra presence through a unique grille pattern, extra brightwork, and unique 20-inch wheels with a polished finish. Inside, the Enclave Avenir featured organic forms, a minimalist approach to instrumentation and controls, and tasteful polished accents. The seats were heated, ventilated, and wrapped in soft leather, though the wood was not real.

Despite its age, the Nissan Murano’s standard 3.5-liter V6 engine was a strong point. It delivered 260 horsepower and 240 pound-feet of torque. Though it wasn’t the quickest off the line, once up to speed on the highway, the Murano had no trouble overtaking other vehicles. The powertrain was completed by a continuously variable transmission (CVT) that acted rather quietly compared to other CVTs, especially from the Nissan family of vehicles. The Murano got an EPA-estimated 20 mpg in the city, 28 mpg on the highway, and 23 mpg combined. The Murano came with a front-wheel-drive (FWD) drivetrain as standard, with all-wheel drive (AWD) available.

The Murano stuck to the road well when equipped with AWD but had a tendency to pass on a substantial amount of body lean to the passengers. Bumps and other harsh vibrations caused by the terrain weren’t felt as much in the cabin thanks to its four-wheel independent suspension. The Murano didn’t deliver the type of connected drive experience that you’d get from a premium German automaker’s SUV. Instead, it sat comfortably in the cruiser category. Nissan rated the Murano as having a 1,500-pound towing capacity.

Simplicity also ruled under the Buick Enclave’s hood. Every version of this SUV had a 3.6-liter V6 engine, a nine-speed automatic transmission, and a choice between front-wheel drive (FWD) and all-wheel drive (AWD). The V6 generated 310 horsepower at 6,800 rpm and 266 pound-feet of torque at a remarkably low 2,800 rpm. When the Enclave was properly equipped, the maximum tow rating was 5,000 pounds. Acceleration was strong, thanks in part to the V6’s low torque peak. The Enclave drove like a smaller SUV, even if its height, width, and length were regular reminders that it was one of the largest models in its segment.

The nine-speed automatic never got a shift wrong. Our $57,090 test vehicle had a single option: the Avenir Technology Package, which equipped the SUV with an outstanding premium-tuned suspension with continuously variable damping and automatic emergency braking that worked at highway speeds. The suspension proved its worth time and time again during testing. The Enclave’s ride and handling were perfect for a wide variety of driving environments. The EPA rated the Enclave to get 21 mpg in combined driving. We averaged 21.2 mpg on our testing loop.

One of the Murano’s best features was its Zero Gravity seats. The cushions provided comfort for hundreds of miles and were roundly considered some of the best in the industry. They were standard in the front row and for rear outboard passengers. The Murano had more headroom than its close cross-shop, the Lexus RX, but far less front legroom. The Nissan midsize SUV won when it came to shoulder room, offering passengers over an inch more than the RX in the second row. The Murano had 3 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Rogue.

The Murano had up to 32.1 cubic feet of cargo space with the second row upright and up to 67.0 cubic feet of space with the second row folded flat. Though the Murano had less overall cargo space, and a little less than the class average, it still had plenty of room for daily-driver usability. Occupants of the Murano also benefited from the car’s standard dual-zone automatic climate control and keyless entry. The list of available features included leather-appointed seating, a heated steering wheel, steering-wheel position memory, driver’s seat and outside-mirror memory, and remote engine start with climate control functionality.

The Buick Enclave was one of the largest SUVs in its class. Wide, long, and roomy for six people (seven if you squeezed), it was one of the most comfortable and quiet vehicles in its segment. The Avenir had a 12-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, including four-way power lumbar support with a basic massaging function. Front passengers got a 10-way power-adjustable seat with a matching massage. The seats were heated, ventilated, and wrapped in soft leather. The wood-and-leather, power tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel included automatic heating.

Seven-passenger seating was standard, with second-row captain’s chairs and a three-person third-row bench seat. Triple-zone climate control was standard, and our Avenir test vehicle included heated second-row captain’s chairs. The Enclave’s rearmost accommodations ranked on par with the popular Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride in terms of comfort. There was commendable room behind the third-row seat, where space measured 23.6 cubic feet. Fold the third row down, and the Enclave supplied an impressive 58 cubic feet of space. The maximum measurement with the second-row seats folded down was 97.6 cubic feet.

The Murano was behind its competitors when it came to tech, but Nissan did a good job upgrading to stay in the conversation. Each 2020 Murano came standard with an 8-inch infotainment system touchscreen at the center of the dashboard. The SUV came standard with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility as well as four USB ports, Bluetooth, satellite radio, a six-speaker audio system, and voice recognition. Buyers could upgrade, adding an 11-speaker Bose audio system, HD Radio, and navigation. Murano Platinum buyers had NissanConnect Services capability included with their purchase.

The Buick Enclave’s existing infotainment system technology met basic expectations. It responded quickly to inputs, the voice recognition technology was up to par, and the user interface was simple and logical with pleasing graphics. Every Enclave came with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, features SiriusXM 360L satellite radio, offers connected services including a 4G LTE WiFi hotspot, and supplies USB charging ports in all three rows. Upgrades included a premium sound system, navigation, wireless smartphone charging, and a surround-view camera system.

Where this technology increasingly fell short was with regard to screen size, smart home digital assistant integration, and high-end audio components. The Avenir’s 8-inch touchscreen display was the biggest one available, and this Buick didn’t offer Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant integration. One neat feature was the available rear camera mirror, which showed a live video view of what was behind the Enclave on the rearview mirror.

For the 2020 model year, Nissan added its Safety Shield 360 to the Murano’s roster as standard equipment on SV, SL, and Platinum trim levels. The suite of driver-assist technology included forward-collision warning with automatic emergency braking and pedestrian detection, blind-spot monitoring and warning, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-departure warning, high beam assist, and rear automatic braking. The Murano earned all "good" ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) except in the headlight category where it was not rated and the front crash prevention test where it received a "superior" mark. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) safety ratings included all five-star marks for the Murano except in the rollover category where it was rated as four stars out of five.

Buick needed to improve when it came to its safety systems. They worked well, but Buick restricted features that came standard on a basic Nissan Sentra or Toyota Corolla to the most expensive of the Enclave’s trim levels. For example, if you wanted blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert, you needed to upgrade from Preferred to Essence trim. The Driver Confidence Plus Package, which included forward-collision warning with pedestrian detection, low-speed automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning with lane-keeping assist, automatic high-beam headlights, and front and rear parking sensors, was standard only on the Enclave Premium and Avenir trim levels.

If you wanted adaptive cruise control with enhanced automatic emergency braking that worked at highway speeds, you needed to buy the Enclave Avenir and then purchase the optional Avenir Technology Package. The Enclave did not offer a lane-centering assistance function, rear automatic-braking function, self-parking function, or any kind of Level 2 driving assistance technology. The NHTSA gave the Enclave a five-star overall rating, though frontal-impact protection rated four stars due to a four-star front passenger rating. The IIHS applied high marks across the board, but a Marginal headlight performance rating prevented the SUV from earning a Top Safety Pick accolade.