Used 2018 Buick Enclave Consumer Reviews
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Reliable 3-row — updated 7/31/21
amiller, 07/25/2019
updated 02/14/2025
2018 Buick Enclave Premium 4dr SUV (3.6L 6cyl 9A)
5 of 5 people found this review helpful
In May 2019 we bought a 2018 Enclave Premium front drive demo with 4700 miles on it and $10,000 off the MSRP. Our other cars are a 2017 Cadillac CT6 and a 2010 Suzuki Grand Vitara. The dealer was Yates Buick/GMC in Goodyear, AZ, and I have no complaints with them — they do what dealers do (and they were only 2 miles away). I researched the Enclave for several weeks before buying: watched all the video reviews; read the printed reviews; checked out the comparison reviews. The new Kia Telluride was a consideration but they were new and hard to find. After 5 weeks of driving the Enclave around locally and one 250 mile circle (including 35 miles of rough dirt road), we took a one month, 5700 mile round trip to Florida, picking up 2 grandkids and son and baggage. (Filled it to the brim but really could’ve used a Suburban.) The Enclave ran well, averaged 26 mpg, accommodated all of us, WiFi took care of the kids, SiriusXM & a/c for the adults. No mechanical problems. reasonably comfortable, spacious, pretty quiet. Now it’s over 11,000 miles, had its first oil change, tire rotation, safety inspection, and so far so good. Things I don’t like: - glovebox doesn’t lock. - flimsy, fluttering, buzzing sunroof shade. - should have all around view camera and a front-view camera (probably on Avenier model). - could use a few more storage bins. A cubby in the left dash and a drawer under the passenger seat and captains chairs. Should be a bin in the rear of the console (GMC Acadia has that). - cargo area cover needs to be removed when using third row seats. There’s no specific area to stow it nor another place further back to install it and cover the rearmost cargo area. - Should have the camera rear view mirror (Avenier has it) for a wider view. - seats aren’t as comfortable as I hoped. Could be the a/c plumbing inside the cushions but they feel lumpy after several hours. Also, the lumbar support only moves in and out but not up and down. - no rain detecting, auto windshield wipers - pretty noisy with sunroof or windows open - I’ve had better sun visor from GM. Need a 2-piece, extending visor like the Cadillac DTS had. Or maybe a little wider. - can’t believe it doesn’t have cargo management system with sliding rails and bars like Cadillac and GMC. - not a flat cargo floor with all seats down. Too much gap between middle row captains chairs. Captains chairs slide fore and aft but not side to side. Things I like: - navigation (although it did take us through some doubtful routes 3 times). - the driver’s info screen. - plenty of USB charging ports - good headlights - good a/c with vents in the ceiling for the back rows - smooth ride, fairly quiet (my idea of ‘quiet’ is living room quiet, which I haven’t found yet — no road/tire noise, engine/trans noise, etc) - good turning-radius for something this big - the under console storage bin (other owners complain of the shifter but I like the lower storage bin that the electronic shifter allows) - the size (depth) of the console storage bin, 2-level storage. - regular gas and good highway mpg (26-28), OK in town (16-18). - reasonable power from FWD, non-turbo V-6 - access to the third-row seats Jul 2021 update: Still liking this Enclave. We took it on a 3rd run from AZ to NC (4000 mi). 26-27 mpg on interstate. At 2019 Phoenix auto show I went through other SUVs and realized the Enclave is a good package. (And I was looking for a reason to switch. It’s not perfect, but at it’s price point I can’t find a reason to change unless we moved up to an Avenir trim level.) Likes: Good headlights. WiFi when hauling kids. Too bad it doesn’t work when car is off and sitting in the garage — I’d cancel our twice-as-expensive home WiFi service. Gas range between fill-ups — 400 mi. Roominess. Storage bins. Push button start. Shifter — now that I’m habituated in using it. (But because it automatically shifts to Park when I turn it off, I forget to shift back to Park when driving other cars.) Quiet. Infotainment system ease of use. Power folding side mirrors because I always fit it into our garage. Trailer tow package. I use a folding rack to carry more stuff. Good option to have. Dislikes: Seat comfort could be better — it’s like a pipe under my left buttuck and is the same in our CT6 seats. Short trips are no issue so maybe any car gets uncomfortable after 4-8 hours. Lumbar support needs more range of motion. Cheap sunroof shade flutters when driving with open windows. Cargo area cover creaks and clicks. Chrome strip surrounding left side air vent annoyingly reflects on side window and mirror. Second row seats have wide gap between them. Good for accessing 3rd row or separating bickering siblings but not always so good when seats are lowered for hauling stuff. It’s a big car so I wish it had 360 view and front camera. Also a rear view camera in mirror. Update: Aug 2021, traded the 2017 Enclave for a 2021 Enclave Avenir because it was on sale, the dealer offered a decent trade-in price, and the Avenir model had the features I wanted. So no more updates on the 2018 Enclave -- it's been traded.
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Screwed in Kutztown
Carl T., 04/01/2018
2018 Buick Enclave Premium 4dr SUV AWD (3.6L 6cyl 9A)
29 of 37 people found this review helpful
I had the 2013 Enclave. It was everything as advertised. I loved that car. The shaft bearings went on it and I should have paid the $5k to fix it. However, I thought why not just buy the new designed for 2018. Big mistake. I thought it was just an outside design. However, they changed the design of the front seats (and I guess the back). Made them smaller and you sit on the structural member of the outside bolsters. Structure pressure point creates pain in the legs and the Lumbar does not completely retract which causes back pain. I can not drive this car for more than 15-20 minutes without having to get out. I wanted to travel cross country with it. Not now. My better half complains about the passengers seat also. I am presently trying to figure out where to position seating pads to prevent different back and leg pains. DO NOT BUY THIS CAR if you are not young and narrowly skinny. Pretty automobile but everytime I look at it I see pain. Kinda like the first snow fall to the painful shoveling of the 10th. However I am very pleased with our Dealership. I traded in the 2018 Enclave "even-up" for a 2017 leftover XT5 Caddy. Nice people.
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2018 Buick Enclave for sale near you
3 of 30 listings
- Essence 4dr SUVMSRP: $15,4954 mi away
- Premium 4dr SUVMSRP: $23,54545 mi away
- Premium 4dr SUVMSRP: $20,44514 mi away
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Horrible front seats-
Ted L, 02/10/2018
2018 Buick Enclave Premium 4dr SUV (3.6L 6cyl 9A)
39 of 51 people found this review helpful
Beautiful car. Quiet. Many desirable features. Lots of storage room providing great utility. Drives nicely .Brakes are excellent. Reasonable ride . However the front seats are VERY poor being TOO narrow and a structural member in the side bolsters on each side catches one under the hips creating a uncomfortable pressure point. Seat backs are TOO narrow pressuring ones rib cage. I am 6"-3" 225lbs. My 2014 Enclave has perfect front seats that are very comfy . How Buick engineers could put these poor quality seats in a large luxury SUV is very surprising . Why Buick would completely redesign the seats to this new configuration ,when past seats were comfortable, is poor management and development. I am also disappointed in the lack of a CD player and the Start/Stop system ; but these are not deal breakers. I am now looking at other makes of full size SUVs after owning three Enclaves since 2008 but may drive my 2014 Enclave another year . Again very disappointed in BUICK.
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Uncomfortable front seats
Bob, 03/19/2018
2018 Buick Enclave Avenir 4dr SUV (3.6L 6cyl 9A)
16 of 20 people found this review helpful
I purchased a 2018 Enclave Avenir and was looking forward to the new features and comfort of this model. Car performance met my expectations. However after extended driving times the front seats are extremely uncomfortable. To the point that the circulation in the legs might be a problem. My wife experienced the same thing in the front passenger seat. The side bolsters in the front seats are narrowed to the point they hit you in the hip area and thighs. Due to the lack of concern or satisfaction from Buick or the dealer with a vehicle with 3,00 miles on it, I have had to purchase front seat cushions in order to use this vehicle. Goodbye GM.
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Engine Issues after having for a year
Kelly S, 02/28/2019
2018 Buick Enclave Avenir 4dr SUV AWD (3.6L 6cyl 9A)
7 of 8 people found this review helpful
This car has started acting very strangely lately. Every day at random times when I start the car it doesn’t seem to want to turn over right away, and start. This has left me thinking it’s not going to. Took it to dealership and they said it was the high pressure filter, so they replaced it, that was 2 days ago. Today same issue but took even longer, I really thought I had a problem today. Now dealer is taking it again to check. Another issue is that the air conditioner has a loud hiss from time to time. Loud enough to hear over music.
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