Buick Sells AWD on Three SUVs — but Not on Its Cheapest One
The Encore GX, Envision, and Enclave can all drive four wheels, at prices from the low $30,000s to $67,295. The front-drive-only Envista is the exception.
Buick sells all-wheel drive on three of its four crossovers, and it has now put a price on each one. The exception is the Envista, the brand's entry-level model, which is still front-drive only.
The rundown follows the same format as Chevrolet's recent list of every AWD and 4WD Chevy for 2026. Here is the lowest price at which each Buick comes with all four wheels driven, according to Buick's October 5 release:
- Encore GX Preferred AWD — $32,870
- Envision Preferred — $43,295 (AWD standard)
- Enclave Preferred AWD — $50,895
- Enclave Sport Touring AWD — $54,395
- Enclave Avenir AWD — $67,295
Buick's footnote excludes taxes, title, license, and dealer fees, and notes that dealers set the final price.
What the second axle costs
On the subcompact Encore GX, AWD is a $2,000 option on the base Preferred and $1,600 on the Sport Touring and Avenir. Every AWD version uses a turbocharged 1.3-liter engine and a nine-speed automatic, the same pairing Chevrolet fits to the Trailblazer LS AWD, which it lists at $27,095.
The Encore GX figure needs a caveat. Buick's release quotes the Preferred AWD at $28,500 in its opening summary and at $32,870 in the model-by-model breakdown, and the company hasn't said which number is correct.
The compact Envision skips the choice entirely. Every trim drives all four wheels through a nine-speed automatic and a twin-clutch rear drive unit, which Buick says is tuned for grip and handling, with a turbocharged 2.0-liter engine up front. It is imported from China.
The three-row Enclave charges $2,000 for AWD on every trim. All versions share a turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder rated at 328 hp, according to Buick's model page, along with an eight-speed automatic. At $50,895, the cheapest AWD Enclave costs $6,100 more than a 2026 Chevrolet Traverse AWD, GM's other three-row crossover, which Chevrolet lists from $44,795.
The front-drive gap
The Envista is the notable absence. Buick's least expensive model pairs a turbocharged 1.2-liter three-cylinder with a six-speed automatic and offers no AWD at all, so shoppers who want a Buick with all four wheels driven have to step up to the Encore GX. The Envista still matters for volume: it helped GM's small SUVs to a record third quarter, a period in which Buick sales rose 8%.
None of the three systems is full-time. Buick says each runs in front-wheel drive until sensors detect wheelspin, then sends torque rearward. That saves fuel in dry conditions, but as our guide to AWD vs 4WD vs winter tires shows, the rubber still decides how well any of them stops and steers in snow.
Buick pairs the list with a reminder that J.D. Power ranked it first among mass-market brands for dependability for a second straight year. The list mixes 2026 Encore GX and Envision models with the 2027 Enclave, so prices for the two smaller crossovers could shift as their next model years reach dealers.
