Compare the2026 Buick EnclaveVS 2026 Lincoln Navigator

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Payload and Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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The Enclave has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The Navigator doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Buick Enclave achieved a “Good” rating - the highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Lincoln Navigator has not been tested.

The Buick Enclave’s rear backup camera has a standard washer for maintaining a clear view under various conditions. In contrast, the Lincoln Navigator does not offer a rear camera washer, meaning its effectiveness relies on manual cleaning by the user when necessary.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Enclave uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The Navigator uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Enclave and the Navigator 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, available all wheel drive, front parking sensors and driver alert monitors.

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

	Enclave	Navigator
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	20.1%	32%
Neck Stress	178 lbs.	361 lbs.
Neck Compression	2 lbs.	147 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	32/13 lbs.	23/39 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, results indicate that the Buick Enclave is safer than the Lincoln Navigator:

	Enclave	Navigator
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Abdominal Force	73 lbs.	108 lbs.

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

The Buick Enclave achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2026 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated moderate overlap front crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, pedestrian crash prevention testing, and vehicle-to-vehicle crash prevention testing. The Navigator has not yet been fully evaluated by the IIHS for 2026.

Warranty

The Enclave’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Navigator’s (6 vs. 5 years).

There are over 73 percent more Buick dealers than there are Lincoln dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Enclave’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Buick vehicles are better in initial quality than Lincoln vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Buick above average in initial quality. With 23 more problems per 100 vehicles, Lincoln is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Buick vehicles are more reliable than Lincoln vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Buick second in reliability, above the industry average. With 78 more problems per 100 vehicles, Lincoln is ranked 24th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2026 Auto Issue reports that Buick vehicles are more reliable than Lincoln vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Buick 12 places higher in reliability than Lincoln.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Enclave gets better mileage than the Navigator:

			MPG
Enclave
	FWD	2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/25 hwy
	AWD	2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/24 hwy
Navigator
	AWD	3.5 turbo V6	15 city/22 hwy

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Buick Enclave uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Navigator requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

The Enclave has a standard locking fuel door, which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Navigator. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Buick Enclave higher (6 out of 10) than the Lincoln Navigator (5). This means the Enclave produces up to 6.9 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Navigator every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

The Enclave stops much shorter than the Navigator:

	Enclave	Navigator
60 to 0 MPH	109 feet	119 feet	Motor Trend

Suspension and Handling

The Enclave Avenir AWD handles at .81 G’s, while the Navigator Black Label pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Enclave’s turning circle is 2.7 feet tighter than the Navigator’s (39 feet vs. 41.7 feet). The Enclave w/22” wheels’ turning circle is 1 foot tighter than the Navigator’s (40.7 feet vs. 41.7 feet).

Chassis

The Buick Enclave may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 1300 to 1400 pounds less than the Lincoln Navigator.

The Enclave is 7 inches shorter in height than the Navigator, making the Enclave much easier to wash and garage and drive (lower center of gravity).

Unibody construction lowers the Enclave’s center of gravity significantly without reducing ground clearance. This contributes to better on the road handling and better off-road performance and stability. In addition, unibody construction makes the chassis stiffer, improving handling and reducing squeaks and rattles. The Navigator doesn’t use unibody construction, but a body-on-frame design.

The front grille of the Enclave uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Navigator doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Passenger Space

The Enclave has 4.3 inches more front headroom, .8 inches more front legroom, 2.1 inches more rear headroom and .9 inches more third row headroom than the Navigator.

The front step up height for the Enclave is 2.4 inches lower than the Navigator (18.6” vs. 21”). The Enclave’s rear step up height is 3.3 inches lower than the Navigator’s (19.7” vs. 23”).

Cargo Capacity

The Enclave’s liftgate lifts up in one piece, completely out of the way of loading and unloading, while sheltering the cargo loading area. The Navigator’s tailgate’s top part raises up, but the bottom part lowers, getting in the way of loading and making an uneven surface for sliding cargo.

Payload and Towing

A Trailer Sway Control is standard on the Enclave, using the StabiliTrak® sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. A trailer sway program costs extra on the Navigator.

The Enclave has a much higher standard payload capacity than the Navigator (1636 vs. 1360 lbs.).

The Enclave has a much higher maximum payload capacity than the Navigator (1661 vs. 1360 lbs.).

Servicing Ease

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Buick service is better than Lincoln. J.D. Power ranks Buick 9th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 5% lower rating, Lincoln is ranked 15th.

Ergonomics

The Enclave offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed, tachometer, navigation instruction, infotainment and driver assistance information readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Navigator doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

When the Enclave with available tilt-down mirrors is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Navigator’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The Enclave’s optional Enhanced Automatic Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The Navigator doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Model Availability

The Enclave is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Navigator doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Economic Advantages

According to iSeeCars.com the 2026 Buick Enclave retains 41.48% of its original value after 5 years, more than the 40.85% resale value of the 2026 Lincoln Navigator after five years, which can save the Buick’s owner up to $32751 in depreciation.

Recommendations

The Buick Enclave outsold the Lincoln Navigator by 79% during 2025.

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