2025 Buick Enclave vs 2024 Toyota Sienna

The 2024 Toyota Sienna, available in various trims such as LE, XLE, XSE, Woodland Edition, Limited, and Platinum, presented a distinctive look that continued the "swagger wagon" vibe, even without the commercials. Competing with the Kia Carnival for style points, the Sienna featured sleek front and rear fascias and offered colors like deep blue, red, or green. LED lighting was standard, with upper trims boasting Bi-LED projector headlamps. The XSE trim, known for its sporty appeal, included a black metallic mesh front grille, black heated side mirrors, and 20-inch dark wheels. The Woodland Edition, available in exclusive colors like Cement or Midnight Black Metallic, was designed for a bit more off-road readiness, featuring roof rails with crossbars, a tow hitch, and slightly increased ground clearance.

Inside, the Sienna came standard with cloth seats, three-zone climate control, and room for eight passengers. The XSE trim with the optional Premium package offered enhanced features like captain’s chairs, leather-trimmed heated and cooled front seats, and a leather-trimmed power steering wheel with Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) controls. The interior design emphasized spaciousness with horizontal lines and a fixed center console with satin accents. While not luxurious, the interior was practical for families, with upper trims offering a built-in vacuum cleaner for convenience.

The 2025 Buick Enclave, resembling a scaled-up version of the Envista, showcased a bold design with slim DRLs, a large angular grille, and a high beltline. While its side profile appeared somewhat generic, the Enclave's overall look was sharper and more refined than its predecessor. The vehicle featured fewer creases, a flatter roof, and slightly sharpened wheel arches. Standard 20-inch wheels adorned the base Preferred trim and Sport Touring, with the latter featuring unique High Gloss Black touches. The top-tier Avenir trim boasted 22-inch wheels with a special "Avenir Pearl Nickel" finish.

Inside, the Enclave exuded a modern and premium feel, with a floating center console and a large curved display reminiscent of futuristic EV designs. The Sport Touring test car featured perforated leatherette seats with contrast piping, enhancing the interior's upscale ambiance. However, the limited sunroof availability was a drawback, with the panoramic power sunroof only available on higher trims. Despite this, the Enclave's interior offered a near-luxury experience, aligning more closely with Cadillac than Chevrolet.

The 2024 Toyota Sienna was equipped with a hybrid powertrain, combining a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with two electric motors for a total output of 245 horsepower. All-wheel drive models included an additional electric motor for the rear wheels. Despite the sport-tuned suspension and Sport mode, the Sienna's performance was not particularly thrilling, with sluggish acceleration and a continuously variable transmission (CVT) that contributed to a less engaging driving experience. The CVT could be noisy, and while acceleration was smooth, it felt slow, especially during highway merging or climbing steep inclines. Around town, the Sienna offered a pleasant, if unremarkable, driving experience, with light and accurate steering and excellent visibility. However, the brakes were somewhat grabby, and the minivan's performance paled in comparison to competitors like the Honda Odyssey, Kia Carnival, and Chrysler Pacifica, which offered more powerful V6 engines.

The 2025 Buick Enclave featured a turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine producing 328 horsepower and 326 pound-feet of torque, paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. Available in both front-wheel-drive (FWD) and all-wheel-drive (AWD) configurations, the Enclave's AWD option reduced fuel economy slightly from 23 to 21 mpg combined. The Enclave could tow up to 5,000 pounds when properly equipped. Buick offered two versions of Active Noise Cancellation, with the standard version effectively reducing road noise. However, the engine noise cancellation was only standard on the top trim, and the turbo engine was notably loud and prone to revving. The Enclave drove like a full-size vehicle, with noticeable bulk and loose steering at slower speeds. While not a sports car, the Enclave's driving dynamics were comparable to competitors like the Mazda CX-90.

The 2024 Toyota Sienna excelled in interior space, though some seating features were challenging to master. The front featured a lower storage pass-through for bulkier items, four cupholders, and a shelf above the glovebox housing the wireless charging pad. Both side doors were powered, and the second-row captain’s chairs could slide 25 inches, offering up to 40 inches of legroom. However, the slide function was complicated, and the seats couldn't be removed, limiting maximum cargo space. The third row was accessible for adults and offered 39 inches of legroom when the second row was pushed forward. The Sienna provided tri-zone climate control, with an additional zone for the front passenger in the XSE trim. The rear liftgate, activated by a kick motion, revealed 33.5 cubic feet of cargo space, expandable to 101 cubic feet with the second row folded.

The 2025 Buick Enclave offered eight-way power adjustability for the driver’s seat and six-way for the front passenger’s seat. Second-row captain’s chairs were standard, accommodating up to seven passengers. The steering wheel and front seats were heated, with the Avenir trim adding heated second-row seats and front-row ventilation. Tri-zone climate control was standard, with middle-row passengers managing their temperature. The Enclave featured a one-touch power feature for folding and sliding the second-row seats, available on all trims. The power-folding third-row seats formed a 60/40 split bench, with manual folding on lower trims. The AutoSense liftgate opened to 22.9 cubic feet of cargo space, expandable to 97.5 cubic feet with both rear rows folded.

The 2024 Toyota Sienna was equipped with an older infotainment system, featuring a nine-inch touchscreen with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. While the system included physical buttons for common menus, the backup camera's grainy view was disappointing for a 2024 model. The Sienna offered a standard Wi-Fi hotspot, SiriusXM satellite radio, and an optional 12-speaker JBL stereo system. USB ports were plentiful, and a 1500-watt inverter with a 120-volt outlet was available. Optional features included an 11.6-inch rear-seat entertainment system and a 10-inch color head-up display.

The 2025 Buick Enclave showcased its premium positioning with a large curved display standard on all trims. The 30-inch ultrawide touchscreen integrated the infotainment display and digital gauge cluster, though smartphone projection interrupted the seamless design. A 12-speaker Bose Premium audio system was standard, with a 16-speaker Bose Performance system exclusive to the Avenir trim. Wireless charging, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto were standard, along with Google Built-In for native apps. The Enclave also offered a Wi-Fi hotspot and wired charging with USB ports in each row.

The 2024 Toyota Sienna came standard with the Toyota Safety Sense suite, including lane departure alert, automatic emergency braking, road sign recognition, full-speed adaptive cruise control, and automatic high beams. Blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert were also standard. The Sienna received a four-star rating from the NHTSA for frontal crash and rollover protection and five stars for side crash protection. The IIHS rated it "Good" in crashworthiness but "Average" in front crash prevention.

The 2025 Buick Enclave featured advanced safety and driver-assistance tech, including blind-zone steering assist, intersection automatic emergency braking, traffic-sign recognition, lane-keep assist, and lane-departure warning. HD Surround Vision with seven camera views was standard, with an option to increase to nine. Adaptive cruise control was standard, and Super Cruise, GM’s hands-free driving technology, was available on all trims. The 2025 Enclave had not yet been rated by the IIHS or NHTSA, but the 2024 model scored well in most tests, with some room for improvement in side crash-test ratings.