The INFINITI QX60 vs Buick Enclave decision turns on one question: what do you ask this SUV to do beyond carrying people? Both seat seven across three rows, both run a turbocharged four-cylinder, and both stay quiet at highway speed. The separation shows up in towing, fuel economy, standard safety equipment, warranty length, and cargo room behind the last row.
The Picture three drivers. A Kingston parent running the Silver Lake Regional carpool needs third-row access with a child seat already installed. A Hanover family pulling a small boat toward the Indian Head River reads the towing rating first. Someone commuting Route 3 into Boston five days a week cares about highway MPG above all of it.
Those three land in different places, which is exactly the point. 24 INFINITI of Plymouth serves shoppers across Plymouth, Kingston, and Hanover, MA, and the numbers below will show you which side of this comparison you belong on.
Similar footprint, different priorities. Here is how the 2026 models line up in comparable front-wheel-drive form.
|
Specification |
2026 INFINITI QX60 |
2026 Buick Enclave |
|
Engine |
2.0L VC-Turbo four-cylinder |
2.5L turbo four-cylinder |
|
Horsepower / torque |
268 hp / 286 lb-ft |
328 hp / 326 lb-ft |
|
Transmission |
9-speed automatic |
8-speed automatic |
|
Max towing (properly equipped) |
6,000 pounds |
5,000 pounds |
|
EPA-estimated MPG (city/hwy, FWD) |
22 / 28 |
20 / 25 |
|
Seating |
6 or 7 |
7 |
Put those numbers in a driveway, and they start to mean something. A 19-foot bowrider on a single-axle trailer runs close to 4,500 pounds loaded, which the QX60 handles with room left over and the Enclave takes on with less margin. Over a 12,000-mile year of Route 3 commuting, the 3-MPG highway gap works out to roughly 50 fewer gallons burned.
The QX60. It carries an EPA-estimated 22 city and 28 highway MPG in front-wheel-drive form, against 20 city and 25 highway for the Enclave, while still towing 1,000 pounds more.
The reason is the VC-Turbo engine. It physically varies its compression ratio between 8:1 and 14:1, the first mass-produced engine to do it, running a high ratio for efficiency at a steady Route 3 cruise and dropping to a low one when you ask for power merging or climbing. The Enclave's 2.5L turbo holds a fixed ratio and works through an eight-speed automatic instead of the QX60's nine-speed, so it spins slightly higher at the same highway speed.
The Buick Enclave counters with 328 horsepower to the QX60's 268, so it feels stronger from a stoplight. Where that gap closes is efficiency: the QX60 returns better numbers in both city and highway driving, which is the difference you actually feel across a year of commuting into Boston rather than in the first hundred feet.
The QX60 has the stronger credential. It earned the 2025 IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK+ designation, the program's highest award for crashworthiness and crash avoidance, while the 2026 Enclave has no NHTSA crash rating published yet.
The Enclave also arrives with automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, and lane-keep assist as standard equipment, so neither of these is thin on driver assistance. The QX60 pulls ahead on the independent rating and on interior work built around long drives: Zero Gravity front seats that reduce fatigue, stadium-style seating for clearer sightlines from every row, and Google built-in with Google Assistant.
Yes. QX60 is rated for up to 6,000 pounds when properly equipped, compared with 5,000 pounds for Enclave with its Trailering Package. The difference comes from a standard transmission oil cooler and the VC-Turbo engine's low-end torque delivery, per INFINITI.
Yes. Seating for up to seven, a second row that slides and reclines around an installed child seat, and standard driver-assist technology cover what family life actually demands. Parents recognized the 2026 QX60 in its Best Family Cars Awards, naming it a Best Luxury Midsize 3-Row SUV.**
QX60, by 3 highway MPG. It carries an EPA-estimated 22 city and 28 highway MPG in front-wheel-drive form, against 20 city and 25 highway for the Enclave, according to EPA figures published by both manufacturers.
Here is the honest line on the INFINITI QX60 vs Buick Enclave: tow anything, cover real highway miles, or want the longer warranty and the stronger safety credential, and the QX60 is your SUV. Load cargo to the roof most weekends and the Enclave's extra volume earns its keep. 24 INFINITI of Plymouth stocks the QX60 for shoppers across Plymouth, Kingston, and Hanover, MA, and our team will walk you through both sides straight. Contact our team to get started.
*EPA-estimated fuel economy. Actual mileage may vary with driving conditions. Use for comparison only.
**Source: INFINITI News
