2022 Lincoln Nautilus vs 2022 Buick Enclave

The 2022 Buick Enclave represented a significant shift from Buick's traditionally conservative styling. Historically, Buick's designs were characterized by softer lines and functional interiors, catering to an older demographic focused on comfort and tradition. However, over the past 15 years, Buick transitioned from a sedan-heavy lineup to an all-SUV portfolio, reflecting broader market trends. The Enclave, introduced in 2008 and redesigned in 2018, became a flagship model, offering a blend of style and functionality. The 2022 mid-cycle refresh brought new exterior enhancements, including a redesigned grille, fascias, headlamps, and taillamps, with the Avenir trim featuring unique styling elements. Inside, the Enclave received a restyled center console, upgraded materials, and advanced comfort features like heated, cooled, and massaging seats.

In contrast, the 2022 Lincoln Nautilus, especially in the Black Label trim with 21-inch machined-finish wheels, was an attractive SUV with a balanced yet characterful design. The Black Label trim offered unique interior themes like Chalet and Flight, featuring premium leather upholstery and luxury floor mats. The Nautilus Black Label included nearly every available feature, creating a decadent interior, though some elements like the center console design and chrome-plated plastic pieces felt less premium. The Nautilus was priced starting at $44,225, with the Black Label trim beginning at $66,825. Our test vehicle, equipped with Ultra Comfort 22-way power-adjustable front seats, proved perfect for long drives, offering exceptional comfort and advanced features.

The 2022 Buick Enclave kept things straightforward with a single powertrain option: a 3.6-liter V6 engine producing 310 horsepower and 266 pound-feet of torque, paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive was standard, with all-wheel drive available on all trims. The Enclave's maximum towing capacity was 5,000 pounds when properly equipped. Known for its quiet and smooth ride, the Enclave excelled in providing a premium driving experience. Our test vehicle, equipped with the Avenir Technology package, featured a premium ride suspension and continuously variable real-time chassis damping, enhancing its handling across various terrains. Despite its size, the Enclave's powertrain was responsive, and the nine-speed automatic transmission performed seamlessly. The Enclave's cabin remained serene, thanks to Buick's QuietTuning and active noise cancellation technology.

The 2022 Lincoln Nautilus offered two engine options. The standard and Reserve trims came with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine producing 250 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque, paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission and front-wheel drive, with all-wheel drive as an option. The Black Label trim featured a twin-turbocharged 2.7-liter V6 engine delivering 335 horsepower and 380 pound-feet of torque, requiring all-wheel drive. The Nautilus offered Comfort, Normal, and Sport driving modes, adjusting powertrain behavior, steering effort, and adaptive suspension settings. During our test drive, the Nautilus proved to be a comfortable and quiet road-tripper, with the twin-turbo V6 providing impressive performance. The SUV averaged 25 mpg on a long trip, demonstrating its efficiency. The Nautilus handled well on mountain roads, though the steering lacked engagement.

The 2022 Buick Enclave offered easy ingress and egress, with excellent visibility thanks to its large windshield and windows. Standard features included an eight-way power driver seat and six-way power front passenger seat, both heated and with power lumbar control. Premium and Avenir trims added four-way power lumbar with massage and heated second-row seats. The Enclave's spacious cabin accommodated passengers comfortably in all three rows, with ample headroom, legroom, hip room, and shoulder room. The second-row captain's chairs facilitated easy access to the third row, which could comfortably seat six-footers. The restyled center console featured new push-button transmission gears and accessible USB ports and wireless phone charging pad. The Enclave offered 23.6 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third row, expanding to 57.7 cubic feet with the third row folded and 97.4 cubic feet with both rows down.

The 2022 Lincoln Nautilus Black Label featured smooth leather, ambient lighting, and a quiet drive, thanks to Active Noise Control and acoustic glass. Both front seats were heated and ventilated, with a heated power tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel. The optional 22-way power front seats with massage programs provided exceptional comfort. Rear passengers enjoyed heated outboard seats and air conditioning vents, though legroom was tight for a midsize SUV. Practical storage space was adequate, with some compartments hard to access. The hands-free power liftgate revealed a well-finished luggage compartment, offering 37.2 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seat and 68.8 cubic feet with the back seat folded.

The 2022 Buick Enclave featured a standard 4.2-inch driver information center, with Premium and Avenir trims upgrading to an 8-inch reconfigurable version. The Essence trim included an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and wireless phone charging. Premium and Avenir trims added navigation. The infotainment system could pair up to 10 devices, with a built-in WiFi hotspot supporting up to four devices. The Premium and Avenir trims featured a 10-speaker Bose audio system, though it could use more power. Standard features included a following-distance indicator, HD rear vision camera, and Teen Driver technology. Notable available features included adaptive cruise control, head-up display, rain-sensing wipers, hitch guidance with hitch view, digital rear camera mirror, and HD surround vision.

The 2022 Lincoln Nautilus featured a 12.3-inch digital instrumentation display and a 13.2-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Sync 4 software. Sync 4 offered over-the-air updates, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Lincoln Connect connected services, a Wi-Fi hotspot, and SiriusXM 360L satellite radio. Our Black Label test vehicle included connected navigation, wireless smartphone charging, and a 19-speaker Revel premium audio system. The system's intuitive interface and natural voice recognition worked well, and the Revel speakers provided excellent sound quality. The Nautilus also offered Phone as a Key, turning your smartphone into a digital key.

The 2022 Buick Enclave saw significant updates to its driver-assist and safety tech, with the Buick Driver Confidence Plus package becoming standard on all trims. This package included automatic emergency braking, 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, following-distance indicator, and automatic high-beam headlights. Other standard safety features included a Safety Alert driver's seat, rear-seat reminder system, and HD reversing camera. Premium trim added enhanced automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, surround-view camera, head-up display, and rear pedestrian alert. The Enclave received a four-star rollover resistance rating from NHTSA and "Good" ratings in most IIHS crash tests, with an "Acceptable" score in the updated side-impact test.

The 2022 Lincoln Nautilus came standard with Lincoln Co-Pilot360 1.0, including forward-collision warning with pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, and automatic high-beam headlights. The Black Label trim added Lincoln Co-Pilot360 1.0 Plus, featuring adaptive cruise control, lane-centering assistance, evasive steering assist, surround-view camera system, and parking sensors. The Black Label also included a semi-autonomous parking assist system. The Nautilus received a five-star overall rating from NHTSA, with a four-star rating for rollover resistance. IIHS had not assessed the Nautilus for safety.