Compare the2027 Lincoln Navigator VS 2026 Buick Enclave

The Navigator has standard Post Collision Braking, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Enclave doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Navigator’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Enclave doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

Both the Navigator and the Enclave have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors, rear cross-path warning and available all-wheel drive.

The Lincoln Navigator weighs 841 to 1479 pounds more than the Buick Enclave. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Lincoln Navigator is safer than the Buick Enclave:

	Navigator	Enclave
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	165	165
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.7 inches
Neck Injury Risk	35%	35.9%
Neck Stress	155 lbs.	159 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Lincoln Navigator is safer than the Buick Enclave:

	Navigator	Enclave
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	23	64
Chest Movement	.5 inches	.6 inches
Hip Force	180 lbs.	372 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	61	113
Spine Acceleration	27 G’s	48 G’s
Hip Force	434 lbs.	518 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	14 inches
HIC	134	346
Spine Acceleration	47 G’s	48 G’s
Hip Force	569 lbs.	721 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The Navigator comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck. The Enclave’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

Lincoln’s powertrain warranty covers the Navigator 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Buick covers the Enclave. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 6 years or 70,000 miles. Coverage on the Enclave ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

The Navigator’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Enclave’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

The Navigator has a standard “limp home system” to keep drivers from being stranded if most or all of the engine’s coolant is lost. The engine will run on only half of its cylinders at a time, reduce its power and light a warning lamp on the dashboard so the driver can get to a service station for repairs. The Enclave doesn’t offer a lost coolant limp home mode, so a coolant leak could strand you or seriously damage the truck’s engine.

The Navigator’s 3.5 turbo V6 produces 112 more horsepower (440 vs. 328) and 184 lbs.-ft. more torque (510 vs. 326) than the Enclave’s 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Lincoln Navigator is faster than the Buick Enclave:

	Navigator	Enclave
Zero to 60 MPH	5.1 sec	7.8 sec
Quarter Mile	13.7 sec	15.9 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	102 MPH	90.7 MPH

The Navigator has 4.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the Enclave FWD’s standard fuel tank (23.6 vs. 19.4 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Navigator has 1.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the Enclave AWD’s standard fuel tank (23.6 vs. 21.7 gallons).

A 10-speed automatic is standard on the Lincoln Navigator, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Enclave.

For better stopping power the Navigator’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Enclave:

	Navigator	Enclave
Front Rotors	13.8 inches	12.6 inches
Rear Rotors	13.2 inches	12.4 inches

The Navigator stops shorter than the Enclave:

	Navigator	Enclave
60 to 0 MPH	119 feet	128 feet	Motor Trend

For better traction, the Navigator has larger standard tires than the Enclave (275/50R22 vs. 255/55R20). The Navigator Reserve/Black Label’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Enclave (285/40R24 vs. 275/45R22).

The Navigator’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Enclave’s standard 55 series tires. The Navigator Reserve/Black Label’s optional tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Enclave’s optional 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Navigator has standard 22-inch wheels. Smaller 20-inch wheels are standard on the Enclave. The Navigator Reserve/Black Label’s optional 24-inch wheels are larger than the 22-inch wheels optional on the Enclave.

The Navigator’s drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The Enclave doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Navigator’s wheelbase is 1.6 inches longer than on the Enclave (122.5 inches vs. 120.9 inches).

The Navigator Black Label handles at .79 G’s, while the Enclave Sport Touring AWD pulls only .76 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Navigator Black Label executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Enclave Sport Touring AWD (27.3 seconds @ .67 average G’s vs. 27.9 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Navigator has a 2.4 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Enclave (9.2 vs. 6.8 inches), allowing the Navigator to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Navigator’s minimum ground clearance is 1.9 inches higher than on the Enclave Avenir (9.2 vs. 7.3 inches).

The Navigator offers optional seating for 8 passengers; the Enclave can only carry 7.

The Navigator has 3.2 inches more front hip room, 3.1 inches more front shoulder room, .5 inches more rear legroom, 3.2 inches more rear hip room, 3 inches more rear shoulder room, 11.4 inches more third row legroom, 2.9 inches more third row hip room and 6.4 inches more third row shoulder room than the Enclave.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Navigator’s middle and third row seats recline. The Enclave’s third row seats don’t recline.

Flexibility is maximized at the game, campground or a drive-in theatre in the Navigator when its optional tailgating rear seats are deployed, allowing people to sit facing out of the tailgate. (Do not use while vehicle is in motion.) The Enclave doesn’t offer tailgating seats.

The Navigator’s cargo area provides more volume than the Enclave.

	Navigator	Enclave
Third Seat Folded	60.8 cubic feet	57.1 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	107 cubic feet	97.5 cubic feet

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Navigator easier. The Navigator’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 29 inches, while the Enclave’s liftover is 30.7 inches.

The Navigator’s cargo area is larger than the Enclave’s in almost every dimension:

	Navigator	Enclave
Length to seat (3rd/2nd/1st)	24”/48”/86.8”	22.3”/52.8”/86”
Max Width	51.5”	52.2”
Min Width	51”	48.6”
Height	37”	35”

A standard locking glovebox keeps your small valuables safer in the Navigator. The Enclave doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The Navigator’s rear cargo window opens separately from the rest of the tailgate door to allow quicker loading of small packages. The Enclave’s rear cargo window doesn’t open.

The Navigator’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Enclave’s (6200 vs. 5000 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Buick Enclave is only 5000 pounds. The Navigator 4WD offers up to a 8700 lbs. towing capacity.

The Navigator 4WD with optional equipment can be flat towed on all four wheels (dinghy towed), allowing recreational vehicle owners to bring it with them on the road. When they reach their destination, the Navigator can be unhitched and driven around locally. The Enclave can’t be towed flat on the ground.

The engine in the Navigator is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Enclave. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

The Navigator’s standard easy entry system raises the steering wheel and glides the driver’s seat back, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. An easy entry system costs extra on the Enclave.

The Navigator’s front and rear power windows all open or close with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Enclave’s passenger windows don’t close automatically.

If the windows are left open on the Navigator the driver can close all of them from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can also lower the windows the same way. The driver of the Enclave can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Navigator’s exterior PIN entry system. The Enclave doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its OnStar® can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

The Navigator’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Enclave’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Enclave Avenir’s cornering lamps activate a lamp on the front corner when the turn signal is activated. The Navigator’s standard adaptive cornering lights turn the actual headlight unit up to several degrees, depending on steering wheel angle and vehicle speed. This lights a significant distance into corners at any speed.

The Navigator has standard heated front, second and third row seats (third row heated seats on Black Label), which keep the driver and passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Buick doesn’t offer heated seats in the third row of the Enclave.

The Navigator Reserve/Black Label has standard front air conditioned seats and the Navigator offers them optionally in the second row. This keeps the passengers comfortable and takes the sting out of hot seats in summer. The Enclave doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.

The Navigator has standard massaging front seats. Massaging front seats are only available on the Enclave Avenir. The Navigator Reserve/Black Label also offers optional massaging second row seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging second row seats aren’t available in the Enclave.

The Navigator’s standard oscillating air vents move back and forth and distribute air evenly inside the vehicle, making everyone more comfortable. The Enclave doesn’t offer oscillating vents.

The Lincoln Navigator has a standard Homelink wireless remote control system for garage door operation and device management, conveniently located on the driver’s visor. Homelink® eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries. Buick charges extra for Homelink® on the Enclave.

Both the Lincoln Navigator and the Buick Enclave have a standard Qi wireless phone charging system in the front seat. To easily keep personal devices charged in the second row seat, without cables tangling and wearing out, the Navigator Black Label also has a standard wireless charging system in the second row seat. The Enclave does not.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Navigator as the 2018 North American Truck of the Year. The Enclave has never been chosen.