Buick Enclave vs Subaru Forester Hybrid

Heavily updated for the 2025 model year, the Enclave three-row crossover SUV enters 2026 unchanged. It shares a platform with the Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Acadia, carving out its own niche with a greater emphasis on luxury and comfort than ruggedness and active-lifestyle pretensions.

Verdict: The 2026 Buick Enclave finds a middle ground between standard three-row SUVs and their more expensive luxury-branded counterparts. While it's not particularly exciting to look at or drive, it gets the fundamentals right with a spacious cabin in all three rows, a large cargo capacity, high levels of comfort, and easy-to-use tech.

Subaru may as well be the automotive mascot of the Pacific Northwest and the Northeast, thanks to the ability of models such as the Subaru Outback and the Ascent to conquer challenging conditions. The redesigned 2025 Subaru Forester reinforces those advantages, and this time around, a new Forester Hybrid model adds efficiency as another plus, along with more power and a few extra features. It’s due to be followed by the smaller Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid in fall 2025.

Verdict: A more efficient version of Subaru's rugged and evergreen compact SUV.