Buick Enclave 2021 Reliability, Price and What to Check Before Buying

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The five-year-old Buick Enclave 2021 has emerged as a standout option on the U.S. used-car market. Consumer Reports rated its reliability above the level of most vehicles from that model year, and market monitoring showed prices ranging from $17,500 to $24,775.

The rating is based on Consumer Reports' annual owner surveys. The organization analyzes data on roughly 380,000 vehicles and tracks issues with the engine, transmission, brakes, electronics, climate system and other components. A high score for the model doesn't guarantee any single example is trouble-free, but it does help narrow down the initial shortlist.

The second-generation Enclave is powered by a naturally aspirated 3.6-liter V6 rated at 310 hp, paired with a nine-speed automatic. Buyers can choose front- or all-wheel drive, and the cabin seats seven. In Consumer Reports' testing, the crossover earned praise for its quiet cabin, smooth ride and roomy third row, though fuel economy came in high — around 13 L/100 km (roughly 18 mpg) in mixed driving.

Trim level deserves close attention. In 2021, forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking and several other driver-assist features weren't standard across the entire Enclave lineup. Consumer Reports considers the Premium trim with the Driver Confidence II package the best-balanced choice; the same equipment is also available on the Avenir. The original GM Authority report mistakenly referred to the trim as “Premier.”

The package for the 2021 Enclave includes blind spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane keeping assist, automatic braking and pedestrian detection. That means two visually identical vehicles can differ significantly in safety equipment. Starting with the 2022 model year, the core driver-assist features became standard, but those vehicles typically cost more.

Before buying, it's worth checking how smoothly the nine-speed automatic shifts both cold and warmed up, testing the all-wheel-drive system, and confirming all cameras and electronic functions work. The 2021 Enclave also carries two U.S. recall campaigns tied to the airbags, so the VIN should be checked before any money changes hands.

SPEEDME.RU previously covered the Enclave's safety and reliability against its rivals, citing J.D. Power data: the model scored 83 out of 100 there, though a different methodology was used. Those results can't be compared directly with the next-generation Enclave: the 2027 Buick Enclave will keep its 2.5-liter turbo engine rated at 328 hp paired with an eight-speed automatic, while the 2021 model runs the naturally aspirated 3.6-liter V6 and nine-speed gearbox. These are different generations with different hardware and different ownership risks.

For buyers importing to Russia, the U.S. price doesn't reflect the final cost — shipping, customs duties, recycling fees and paperwork all add up, and free completion of U.S. recall work by a Russian service center isn't guaranteed. The most practical picks remain Premium and Avenir examples with documented service history, working driver-assist features and closed-out recalls.