2022 Volkswagen Atlas vs 2022 Buick Enclave

The 2022 Buick Enclave had a conservative yet functional design, reflecting its older customer base's preference for comfort and tradition over cutting-edge style. Over the past 15 years, Buick transitioned from a sedan-heavy lineup to an all-SUV portfolio, aligning with market trends. The Enclave, introduced in 2008, replaced older models and received a significant redesign in 2018, positioning it as Buick's flagship SUV. The 2022 mid-cycle refresh brought exterior enhancements like a new grille, fascias, headlamps, taillamps, and wheel designs, with the Avenir trim featuring unique styling elements. Inside, the Enclave boasted a restyled center console, upgraded materials, and available heated, cooled, and massaging front seats, with the Avenir trim offering additional luxury features.

The 2022 Volkswagen Atlas, following significant updates in 2021, saw minor modifications for 2022, with a simplified lineup and more standard features. Pricing ranged from $34,355 to $51,505, with our test vehicle, an SEL Premium R-Line, costing $53,790. The SEL Premium featured R-Line design elements, including 21-inch wheels that enhanced its upscale look. The Atlas's interior design was simple yet premium, though some materials felt low-cost, with hard, shiny plastics detracting from the overall quality. Despite these drawbacks, the Atlas offered a spacious and comfortable cabin, with the SEL Premium R-Line trim providing additional luxury features.

The 2022 Buick Enclave featured 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. The Enclave was known for its quiet and smooth ride, enhanced by the Avenir Technology package, which included a premium ride suspension and continuously variable real-time chassis damping. The Enclave handled various terrains well, offering a serene cabin experience thanks to Buick's QuietTuning and active noise cancellation technology. Despite its size, the Enclave's powertrain was responsive, with good off-the-line acceleration and a smooth-shifting transmission.

The 2022 Volkswagen Atlas offered two engine options. The standard turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine produced 235 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque, paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission and available in front-wheel or all-wheel drive. The turbo-four's maximum towing capacity was 2,000 pounds, with an EPA fuel economy rating of 22-23 mpg combined. The optional 3.6-liter V6 engine, available on higher trims, produced 276 horsepower and 266 pound-feet of torque, with a towing capacity of 5,000 pounds. The V6's performance was adequate but lacked refinement, with a gritty note and granular feel. The Atlas offered various driving modes and an Active Control system for different terrains, but its ride quality was mixed, with a busy ride on smaller bumps and road noise intruding into the cabin.

The 2022 Buick Enclave offered easy ingress and egress, excellent visibility, and comfortable seating with standard power adjustments. The spacious cabin accommodated passengers in all three rows, with ample headroom, legroom, hip room, and shoulder room. The second-row captain's chairs provided easy access to the third row, which could comfortably seat six-footers. The restyled center console featured new push-button transmission gears and a covered compartment for cupholders. The Enclave offered generous cargo space, with 23.6 cubic feet behind the third row, 57.7 cubic feet with the third row folded, and 97.4 cubic feet with both rows folded. Power-folding third-row seats added convenience.

The 2022 Volkswagen Atlas, with the discontinuation of the base S trim, featured standard V-Tex leatherette seating, heated front seats, and a 10-way power-adjustable driver's seat. Higher trims added tri-zone automatic climate control, ambient cabin lighting, a panoramic sunroof, genuine leather upholstery, ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, and heated second-row seats. The Atlas's roomy interior comfortably seated seven adults, with a low step-in height for easy access. The Atlas offered numerous storage areas, though many were unlined, causing items to slide and make noise. Cargo space was exceptional, with 20.6 cubic feet behind the third row, 55.5 cubic feet with the third row folded, and 96.8 cubic feet with the second row folded.

The 2022 Buick Enclave featured a standard 4.2-inch driver information center, with Premium and Avenir trims getting an 8-inch reconfigurable version. The Essence trim had an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and wireless phone charging, with navigation added on higher trims. 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 lacked power for back-seat passengers. The Enclave also included a three-month SiriusXM 360L trial, six USB ports, and various driver-assist features like adaptive cruise control, head-up display, and HD surround vision.

The 2022 Volkswagen Atlas came standard with the Volkswagen Digital Cockpit instrument cluster, with an 8-inch display on lower trims and a 10.25-inch display on higher trims. The Atlas SE had a 6.5-inch touchscreen with Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and two USB ports. Higher trims featured the MIB3 infotainment system with an 8-inch touchscreen, multi-device Bluetooth pairing, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless charging, SiriusXM 360L, and Car-Net connected services with Amazon Alexa integration. The Atlas also offered a navigation system, a 12-speaker Fender premium sound system, and additional USB ports in all three rows. However, the infotainment system had a slow startup, a cumbersome tuning process, and unreliable voice recognition, making it less user-friendly.

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. Additional standard safety features included a Safety Alert driver's seat, rear-seat reminder system, and HD reversing camera. Premium trims 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, except for an "Acceptable" score in the updated side-impact test.

The 2022 Volkswagen Atlas offered a comprehensive list of safety features, including automatic post-collision braking, Front Assist, Side Assist, and Rear Traffic Alert. Front Assist included forward-collision warning, pedestrian detection, and automatic emergency braking, while Side Assist was a blind-spot monitoring system. The SE with Technology trim added adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go capability and front and rear parking sensors with low-speed automatic braking. The SEL trim included the full IQ Drive safety suite, with lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assistance, adaptive cruise control with lane-centering, and Emergency Assist. The Atlas also featured brighter LED headlights, an adaptive front lighting system, a surround-view camera, and Park Assist technology. However, the Lane Assist system had issues with old construction markings and exit ramps, and the parking sensors were overly sensitive. The Atlas received four-star frontal-impact ratings from NHTSA and did not earn a Top Safety Pick rating from IIHS.