Compare the2026 Kia SorentoVS 2026 Buick Enclave

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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Both the Sorento and Enclave have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Sorento has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Enclave’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The Kia Sorento has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Enclave doesn’t offer knee airbags.

With its standard Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist, the Kia Sorento is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Buick Enclave, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

	Sorento	Enclave
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Crossing Child - DAY
12 MPH	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH	AVOIDED	-20 MPH
	Crossing Adult - NIGHT
12 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
12 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-17 MPH
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	-22 MPH
	Parallel Adult - NIGHT
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-22 MPH
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	-16 MPH
37 MPH Brights	-34 MPH	-16 MPH
37 MPH Low beams	-33 MPH	-16 MPH

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

Both the Sorento and the Enclave have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, 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, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

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

	Sorento	Enclave
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.7 inches
Neck Stress	139 lbs.	159 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	118/119 lbs.	160/266 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 Kia Sorento is safer than the Buick Enclave:

	Sorento	Enclave
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	25	64
Hip Force	196 lbs.	372 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	73	113
Spine Acceleration	29 G’s	48 G’s
Hip Force	196 lbs.	518 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	228	346
Spine Acceleration	32 G’s	48 G’s
Hip Force	552 lbs.	721 lbs.

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

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Sorento is 1.5% to 2.6% less likely to roll over than the Enclave.

Warranty

The Sorento comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Enclave’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Sorento 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Buick covers the Enclave. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Enclave ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Sorento has a standard 760-amp battery. The Enclave’s 730-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Buick vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia above average in initial quality. With 2 more problems per 100 vehicles, Buick is rated lower.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Buick vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 2 places higher in reliability than Buick.

Engine

As tested in Consumer Reports the Sorento EX/SX 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Buick Enclave:

	Sorento	Enclave
Zero to 30 MPH	2.6 sec	3.3 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	6.5 sec	8.2 sec
Quarter Mile	14.9 sec	16.3 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	99 MPH	90 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Sorento
	FWD	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	23 city/31 hwy
		2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/29 hwy
	AWD	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	23 city/28 hwy
		2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/27 hwy
Enclave
	FWD	2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/25 hwy
	AWD	2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/24 hwy

Transmission

The Sorento offers an available sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The Enclave doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Sorento	Enclave
Front Rotors	12.8 inches	12.6 inches

The Sorento stops shorter than the Enclave:

	Sorento	Enclave
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	143 feet	148 feet	Consumer Reports

Suspension and Handling

The Sorento X-Line SX Prestige handles at .85 G’s, while the Enclave Avenir AWD pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Sorento X-Line SX Prestige executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.3 seconds quicker than the Enclave Avenir AWD (26.5 seconds @ .67 average G’s vs. 27.8 seconds @ .63 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Sorento’s turning circle is 1.1 feet tighter than the Enclave’s (37.9 feet vs. 39 feet). The Sorento’s turning circle is 2.8 feet tighter than the Enclave w/22” wheels’ (37.9 feet vs. 40.7 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Sorento has a 1.4 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Enclave (8.2 vs. 6.8 inches), allowing the Sorento to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Sorento’s minimum ground clearance is .9 inch higher than on the Enclave Avenir (8.2 vs. 7.3 inches).

Chassis

The Kia Sorento may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 500 to 700 pounds less than the Buick Enclave.

The Sorento LX/S/EX/SX is 1 foot, 6 inches shorter than the Enclave, making the Sorento easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Cargo Capacity

The Sorento has a standard third row seat which folds flat into the floor. This completely clears a very large cargo area quickly. The Enclave doesn’t offer seats that fold into the floor.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Sorento. The Enclave doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Ergonomics

The Sorento Prestige’s front and rear power windows all open or close with one touch of the switches. The Enclave’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Sorento to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Enclave doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

Economic Advantages

According to iSeeCars.com the 2025 Kia Sorento retains 47.74% of its original value after 5 years, more than the 41.48% resale value of the 2025 Buick Enclave after five years, which can save the Kia’s owner up to $9673.19093 in depreciation.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Kia Sorento and the Buick Enclave, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Kia Sorento outsold the Buick Enclave by almost four to one during 2024.

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