2021 Toyota Highlander vs 2022 Buick Enclave

The 2021 Toyota Highlander distinguished itself with bold and distinctive styling. Sporting a wide array of aesthetic features, it avoided being labeled as just another bland SUV. This vehicle flaunted wide headlights, a pronounced grille, and a long hood, giving it a striking presence on the road. The side profile was adorned with character lines reminiscent of the futuristic Supra sports car, while the taillights offered a Lexus-inspired design sans the vertical elements. The overall look was longer and lower than its previous generation, without any compromise on its impressive size. For 2021, Toyota introduced the XSE trim, which added an aggressive edge to the Highlander's appearance. While it looked sportier with its unique front fascia, black-accented 20-inch wheels, and larger lower air intake, it offered minimal performance enhancement beyond suspension tuning. The Limited trim, however, combined luxury with a sophisticated exterior, highlighted by chrome roof rails and accents. Inside, the Limited trim was lauded for its near-flawless fit and finish, featuring tan leather seats, dark brown trim, and wood details that, even though they were faux, looked elegant. In contrast, the 2022 Buick Enclave had a more conservative design ethos, reflecting Buick’s traditional focus on comfort and simplicity. Over the years, Buick shifted from a sedan-heavy lineup to a solid SUV portfolio. The Enclave was Buick’s premier three-row SUV, refreshed for 2022 with a new grille, updated front and rear fascias, headlamps, taillamps, and refined wheel designs. The Avenir trim—the top-of-the-line variant—boasted its own unique attributes, including a distinctive grille, body-colored lowers, premium taillamps, and exclusive 20-inch wheels. Inside, the Enclave’s cabin radiated luxury with its restyled center console, featuring new push-button gears and upgraded materials. The Avenir trim took comfort up a notch with standard climate-controlled front seats, second-row heated captain's chairs, and unique seat stitching, offering an interior ambiance that rivaled higher-end luxury SUVs. However, despite its upmarket charm, it didn’t quite match the opulence of high-end competitors like the Cadillac XT6.

For families prioritizing smooth and reliable rides over high performance, the 2021 Highlander was a suitable choice. Under its hood, a 3.5-liter V6 engine offered 295 horsepower and 263 pound-feet of torque, paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. While this setup didn’t make it a drag-racing champion, it ensured sufficient power for highway merging and everyday driving. The Highlander came in front-wheel drive (FWD) and all-wheel drive (AWD) configurations, and its powertrain held up well against competitors like the Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride. The XSE trim aimed to add some driving excitement with its tightened suspension, higher-rated springs, retuned shock absorbers, power steering, and a rear stabilizer bar. Yet, it didn’t transform the Highlander into a performance SUV. The 2022 Buick Enclave simplified things with a single powertrain choice—a 3.6-liter V6 engine delivering 310 horsepower and 266 pound-feet of torque, paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission. The Enclave offered both FWD and AWD options, with a maximum towing capacity of 5,000 pounds when properly equipped. Renowned for its smooth ride and quiet cabin, our test Enclave, equipped with the Avenir Technology package, provided an exceptionally comfortable journey thanks to its premium ride suspension and continuously variable real-time chassis damping. The vehicle handled various terrains with finesse, confirming its position as a top contender in the medium-large crossover SUV category. Driving the Enclave was surprisingly responsive given its size, and the nine-speed automatic offered seamless gear transitions. We appreciated the rich engine sounds at wide-open throttle, an unexpected but pleasant surprise for a Buick known more for its quiet rides.

Three-row crossovers like the Highlander and Enclave hinge heavily on their ability to provide comfort, ample space, and functionality. The 2021 Highlander didn’t disappoint in these areas. It had clever touches like shelves ahead of the front seats for stowing large cell phones and small pass-throughs for charging cords. Higher trims featured a wireless charging pad tucked in the center console. Second-row legroom was generous, with seats that could slide forward and backward, creating a versatile mix between middle and rear cabin space. However, the third-row seats were only comfortable for adults if the second-row passengers moved their seats forward, compromising their own comfort. A significant critique was the placement of rear-seat climate control vents, which were only positioned overhead, offering less effective cooling. Cargo space was another area where the Highlander had much to offer, providing 16 cubic feet behind the third row, 48.4 cubic feet with the third row folded, and an expansive 84.3 cubic feet with both the second and third rows down. This was on par with competitors like the Honda Pilot but paled in comparison to minivans on the market. The 2022 Buick Enclave provided excellent ingress and egress, with power-adjustable and heated seats adding to the comfort levels. The cabin was spacious, and the third row could easily accommodate full-size adults, making it one of the standout features in this class. The second-row captain’s chairs added to the ease of access and overall roominess. The redesigned center console featured intuitive push-button transmission gears and easy access to USB ports and a wireless charging pad. However, concerns about potential spillage affecting electronic components lingered. In terms of cargo space, the Enclave offered an impressive 23.6 cubic feet behind the third row, 57.7 cubic feet with the third row folded, and a whopping 97.4 cubic feet with both rows down. This trumped the Highlander, offering greater flexibility and storage capability for various needs.

In the realm of infotainment and technology, the 2021 Toyota Highlander offered an 8-inch touchscreen on lower trims, with a 12.3-inch screen available on Limited and standard on Platinum trims. The system was user-friendly, although the navigation was somewhat hit-or-miss with points of interest. Thankfully, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay were standard across all trims. The large screen’s display was vibrant and responsive, but it didn’t make full use of its size in certain apps. The 2022 Buick Enclave stood out with a standard 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, which included wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and wireless phone charging. Higher trims added navigation and an 8-inch reconfigurable driver information center. The Enclave allowed pairing up to 10 devices and featured a WiFi hotspot catering to four devices simultaneously. While the system performed well and was easy to use, its graphics felt slightly dated. The Enclave’s Premium and Avenir trims boasted a 10-speaker Bose system, though it left back-seat passengers wanting more volume. Standard features included a following-distance indicator, HD rear vision camera, and Teen Driver technology, with higher trims offering advanced features like adaptive cruise control and a head-up display.

Safety was a key selling point for both vehicles. The 2021 Toyota Highlander came equipped with Toyota Safety Sense 2.5+ (TSS 2.5+). This suite included automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, intersection support, road-sign assist, adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, lane-tracing assist, and automatic high beams. Accordingly, the 2021 Highlander received five out of five stars from the NHTSA and was named a Top Safety Pick+ by the IIHS. The 2022 Buick Enclave also stepped up its safety game for 2022. The Buick Driver Confidence Plus package became standard across all trims, including forward-collision warning with pedestrian detection, lane-change alert with blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic warning, lane-keeping assistance with lane-departure warning, rear park assist, and automatic high beams. Additional features like a Safety Alert driver's seat and a rear-seat reminder system were also standard. Upgraded trims added enhanced systems like adaptive cruise control and a surround-view camera. The Enclave earned four out of five stars for rollover resistance from the NHTSA and high marks from the IIHS, except for an "Acceptable" score in the updated side-impact test.